Illustrator Langdon Foss was recently on Talking Books TV to talk about the children’s book, Dinonauts, the source of his creativity, the influence of European and American comics and about being a kid at heart. Dinonauts was written by Mike Pacitto and contains contributions form Pete Schuermann ang Greg Kleinert and all the illustrations were done by Langdon Foss.
The interview with Langdon, illustrator :
Who knew that dinosaurs and outer space could mix? Dinonauts follows the adventure of Rufus, an overconfident albino ape who is taken from his home and thrust into a rag tag team of different creatures who all have special knowledge or talent needed to help save the universe. In the interview, Foss talks about how the characterization of Rufus influenced how he was illustrated. Foss originally drew him realistically, as an ape with elbows but later changed his mind. He explains, “I thought, he’s [Rufus] just this crazy kinetic character. He’s the passion and soul of the group so let’s let him just bend in any way he could.”
Science fiction fans will love this fast moving and action packed story as it follows the developing friendship among the characters on this quest against a treacherous intergalactic tyrant. Indeed, The characters come alive through Langdon Foss’ illustrations, his hypnotic line work and eye for detail are evident in every page. Furthermore, scenes like the audience of snails in the grand coliseum depict the architectural design elements and ‘real-ness’ that Foss’ work is known for.
Untethered by the rules of physics or reality, the story has elements of Japanese comic hyper expression that helped create more vivid characters and ultimately, told the story better. Every page is a treat for the eye and the lack of color in the inside pages reveal the beauty of Foss’ work and gives readers the opportunity to fill the spaces in using their own imagination.
In the interview, Foss shares that the story and the chracters had been rattling in his brain for almost 10 years. Dinonauts gave him the opportunity to “freak out a lot with the style a lot more” and ended up just having fun with as many things as he could. The result is a fantastic story about friendship, teamwork and courage that will undoubtedly be a favorite for any child who likes dinosaurs.
Dinonauts is a children’s book that declares, “The future will be prehistoric”, featuring characters like bionic astro-lizards, wondrous space organisms, robot monsters, an albino primate, an alien guru and a fight against a colossal super-evil. With the fate of the universe at stake, they need to work together to battle a three-trillion strong Plutonian war machine. Dinonauts is an epic adventure with attitude and a sense of fun that will keep young readers captivated until the end.
Langdon Foss is a well-known illustrator whose artwork has been featured in comics like Heavy Metal, Antartic Press, Penny-Farthing Press and DC Comics. He has also done work for Cicada Magazine and has regularly contributed to role playing games such as Wizards of the Coast and White Wolf Games. His work can also be found in art galleries and fine restaurants around Colorado and even in NATO procedure manuals.
Langdon’s artwork features beautiful line work and technical and architectural elements that give his projects a sense of inhabitable space. He considers himself a bit of a purist when it comes to his art, in that the images should be able to stand on its own with just its lines. This conviction is evident in his latest work, Dinonauts, where only the front and back covers are in color.
Langdon is currently living in Colorado with his wife and two children.
Visit Langdon’s website The Art of Langdon Foss http://www.lllama.com/html/welcome.html and his blog on http://www.langdonfoss.blogspot.com
Michelle Vandepas started Talking Books TV as a site to help authors and their books get more exposure. She teaches authentic marketing for on and offline marketing campaigns and specializes in working with people who want to live their Conscious Livelihood (R). Find out more about how to work with Michelle on her site, MichelleVandepas.com 
5 Comments
4:51 pm
Edward Jones
Langdon is mentaly sharp, Michelle, great interview. Thanks
6:37 pm
MichelleVan
yes he is Edwards… I know him and he reads a lot, and is well educated. keeps me on my toes!
6:48 am
Richard Vaughn
The book Dinonauts, by Langdon Foss, caught my eye, because of my son’s interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s. My son was 6 0r 7 years old, standing by the dinosaur skeletons in New York’s Museum Of Natural History. He had picked up so much information from television shows and books we had bought for him. He recognized each skeleton and stood there telling so much about each type of dinosaur. People in the museum listened to my son, and were amazed. Their expressions were priceless.
Langdon’s book is for children, and the illustrations are wonderful! I know my son, now 43 years old and with his own family, will be interested in this book. I am thinking that my grandson, now 3 years old, will pick up his father’s interest too. I can see my son sitting with my grandson and reading Langdon’s book to him.
5:17 pm
Alina Oswald
I loved the interview! Quite a different spin on dinosaurs and on using art/illustrations to bring them to life. Fantastic!
10:04 am
MichelleVan
Thanks Alina. Appreciate you stopping by!