GVN Talking Comics Interview: Artist Ricardo Delgado for ‘The Art of Dracula of Transylvania’ by Clover Press

Back in 2021, we had the pleasure of talking to renowned film concept artist Ricardo Delgado. With a resume that included such films as Apollo 13, The Incredibles and Men in Black. And while that is impressive enough, when we chatted with Ricardo, he was bringing his book entitled Dracula of Transylvania to Kickstarter. That campaign proved to be very successful and that was without an abundance of the art Ricardo is known for.

Fast forward to 2022, and Ricardo is once again bringing his talents to Transylvania. But this time in a book full of the art he created for his original book and much more. Now in Kickstarter, Ricardo brings us The Art of Dracula of Transylvania. 200 pages of the lavish, imaginative, and macabre art he only teased at in his original book. Recently, we were honored to once again sit down with Ricardo to discuss the success of his first book and what inspired this follow-up to his first book. So, let’s once again welcome talented artist, writer Ricardo Delgado to GVN Talking Comics.

GVN: Thank you once again for giving us some of your time Ricardo.

RD: Hey, my pleasure! Glad to be here, and happy to be in the middle of my favorite month! Love October and all the tricks and treats the season brings.

History Bleeds Evil: Dracula of Transylvania

GVN: When we last talked, it was for your Kickstarter campaign for ‘History Bleeds Evil: Dracula of
Transylvania.’ Needless to say, it was a tremendous success with over $60,000 raised to bring your
book to fruition. How was the whole process for you once complete and what would you say you
learned about crowdfunding and perhaps about the popularity of your work?

RD: It was a monumental experience in both exposure and a measurement of how broad the reach of the project could be. Was really happy and honestly grateful at the results, and that to me is a testament to the undying (sorry!) popularity of the character. I had a vision for the book and pitched it as a combination of an ART OF STAR WARS book and SALEM’S LOT. Clover saw the potential and dove in, and the rest, as they say, was history. Felt like my designs would be the dressing on the salad, as it were, and lent a new, different kind of presentation to the project, and it all worked out.

An Idea of an Art Book

GVN: In just looking at some of the art in your original book, the idea of a book dedicated to your art for it
made all the sense in the world. Was this something you considered during the creation of your book
or was it after the completion of your campaign?

RD: No, at first, I was pretty stubborn in terms of selling the book as a prose-only novel, but as time went on the reaction I got was, ‘well, what’s the new angle, the difference between this Dracula book and any other?’ and from that feedback I decided to shift gears and add concept art. Honestly, they are illustrations like any other artwork in a book, but I felt like my ideas would be strong enough for the book to sell. I’m not a great painter or draftsman, but my conceptual ideas are pretty strong. And sure enough, that’s what helped sell the project. As it happened, I just had created so much art that Clover felt like this could be a companion piece to the novel, and I appreciate how all of this has evolved into this new iteration. A companion book is a neat idea.

Original Content vs New

GVN: For the The Art of Dracula of Transylvania, how much of the content is work you created for the
original book and how much is work you created specifically for your new book?

RD: I would say that 90% of the work in the book is from the original time spent on the novel. I’ve added a few pieces here and there, and if you look closely at the labels on the images, I’ve added the month and year to each piece generated, so the readers can chronologically see the when and the where the latter designs came about. A few of the latter pieces are about the interior architecture of Castle Drac, and I like ‘em a lot. Hope you all do too. Used my experience as a concept artist generating architectural images for films and animated projects like THE INCREDIBLES and AVATAR-THE LAST AIRBENDER as a guide.

Perfect Timing

GVN: Once again, because of great timing by you and the Kickstarter team, your campaign helps to
celebrate the 125th anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Which is kind of fun since
your first campaign was just in time to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Universal’s Dracula with Bela
Lugosi. Is that just a coincidence or was it because such timing worked so well for the first book’s
campaign, why mess with Karma… (if you believe in such a thing)?

RD: Let’s say that the vampiric version of Karma is with us, lolol! This has all timed out pretty well, and I’m fortunate to be a tiny part of this enormous Dracula tapestry, with the centerpiece being the incomparable work of literature by Bram Stoker, and the subsequent visions after that. Dracula of Transylvania certainly stands on a lot of shoulders, and I’m happy to be along for the ride.

The Kickstarter Campaign

GVN: At this point, do you know what will be available to fans who visit your Kickstarter campaign? Besides
the fabulous book of artwork? I expect a lot if its anything like the first campaign.

RD: Clover is talking tee shirts and tattoos, so we’ll see, lol! But I should point out that I’ve added a few extras to the book, like a bio of my film work, a listing of my favorite vampire movies and horror novels, so lots to enjoy. Really want to give the readers their money’s worth. Proud of my artwork yet really want to overdeliver to the audience on this one.

New Projects

GVN: We had talked briefly about the many films that you have worked on in your illustrious career the first
time we spoke. Now that you can add successful book author to that growing list of accomplishments,
have you worked on any films as of late (that you can discuss) or have you centered your attention
lately on Dracula of Transylvania?

RD: I’ve worked on a few things that I can’t discuss at the moment, and I’ll say that this isn’t my last rodeo regarding book projects. Have a bunch more illustrated novels that I’m working on, and I can’t wait to share them with everyone. I mostly teach and do these projects now, and I’m just as excited about the forthcoming stories as I am about this vampire novel.

Following Ricardo and The Art of Dracula

GVN: We do appreciate your time Ricardo, as it is always an honor to talk to you. As per usual, I want to
give you a chance to tell folks where they can go to follow you on the web and social media and
remind the fans one more time about your Kickstarter campaign for The Art of Dracula of Transylvania and
where they can go to check it out.

RD: Thanks a bunch! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I’m on Tiktok as well, but just starting to figure that one out, lol! Lastly, thanks for the interview, you can find The Art of Dracula of Transylvania Kickstarter campaign here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/dracula-art-book?ref=bt9pth

If you were a fan of Ricardo’s first book, which many people must have been because it sold out, be sure to check out this follow-up. It is full of Ricardo’s visuals from his first book and a few new ones. All of which can be found on the above link.