Magali Villeneuve is a french artist who has illustrated dozens of Magic cards: Leovold, Chandra, Monastery Mentor... and she will be our guest at the Eternal Weekend 2018! To this occasion we publish once again an exclusive interview we conducted in 2017 and the visual list of all the Magic cards she illustrated up to now.
INTERVIEW
Playin: Magic players and collectors had a first glimpse at your work in September 2013 with the release of Theros. Your first card that was released was a common, Guardians of Meletis. Today, it's no less than 70 cards that now display your name as illustrator, amongst which some powerful mythic rares. How did you end up drawing for Magic and how goes your partnership with Wizards of the Coast?
Magali Villeneuve: I hesitated for a while before applying. When I eventually did, I had several years of experience working with Fantasy Flight Games, where I also produced illustrations for card games. Driven by this, I told myself it was time to give it a try, but I was still quite fearful because working with Wizards was a longtime objective of mine. This partnership I now have with them has never been disappointing. As long as you're serious and thorough they will trust you with your work.
P: Brush and easel are a little old-fashioned nowadays, what tools do you use to draw and how much time do you spend on an illustration?
M: I do paint with digital tools- a computer, a tablet and Photoshop. It takes me on average about 10 hours for the sketch, and then at least 30 hours for the colorization.
P: Of all the cards you have drawn, would you be able to pick the two that you like most?
M: The answer varies depending on the moment, I'm beginning to have quite a number of cards to my name. Nonetheless I do have two that come to my mind, Chandra, Torch of Defiance and the Amonkhet split card Start/Finish. Of course I'm speaking as an illustrator, I don't know much about the playable aspect of the cards I'm working on.
P: Do you play Magic from time to time? And if you do, what colors in particular?
M: As you will have guessed with my last answer, I don't. However I'm keen on changing that so, thanks to a friend, I'm starting step by step to learn the basics of the game.
P: You have created amazing illustrations for Game of Thrones, do you have a favorite character... still alive?
M: I've always liked the Lannister and the good thing about that is they're tough! So between Jamie, Cersei or Tyrion I wouldn't be able to choose.
P: Where does this appeal for drawing come from? Did you study in France to improve?
M: Actually I'm entirely self-taught, I never took any classes. My appeal for drawing came quite suddenly, in 1992, when I went to the cinema to see Disney's animated movie Beauty and the Beast. It was stronger than me, as soon as I came home I had to start drawing. And I never stopped ever since.
P: It's not your only passion though, can you tell us more about your work as a writer?
M: It's a passion I've had for a very long time too. My first two books were published at first by a classic publisher, but then I decided to buy my rights back so I could recover the whole control over my books. With my husband we have created an association through which we republished the first two volumes of my Dark Fantasy saga, La Dernière Terre.
P: Last question, what can we find if we come by your stand at an event?
M: I will sign cards, of course, and I can sell playmats, prints and artist proofs. I also do cards alters and drawings on playmats.
CARdS
Below is every card ever illustrated by Magali Villeneuve, click on them to open their own page:
