Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Foccillo.
Hi Mario, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Since I can remember, I have always drawn. Drawing, for me, has always been a completely natural thing since childhood. A passion joined this natural tendency for American cartoons and comics (especially for Batman), so I decided as a child that I wanted to draw superheroes. I never imagined myself doing any other job. My path was mainly self-taught from the beginning until I came into contact with some local comic artists and attended a comic school for two years. Later I continued my self-taught journey to perfect my technique and create my drawing style. Thus I began attending Comic Cons in Italy and sending my portfolio worldwide: Italy, France, and the USA, but unfortunately, I could not get any engagement for years until I gave myself one last year to improve my style and create one last portfolio to send to Marvel and DC. If I hadn’t received an answer, I would have withdrawn altogether. In DC, they really liked my illustrations, so I made my debut in the industry as a cover artist. My first gig was on Superman, and I couldn’t believe it! I have enjoyed working on Robin, various DC events, Green Lantern, Black Adam, Superman, and Batman!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not! Breaking into the American comic industry takes a lot of work. As an Italian, contacting American editors and showing my work was difficult. Luckily for me, after several emails, I managed to get noticed. This, however, is different from the typical path to follow. Generally, you must go to the Cons like New York Comicon or the San Diego Comicon and participate in portfolio reviews. Add to this that today the level required to work in DC or Marvel is high; they are the world’s top publishers. Today’s artists’ skill level is very high, and the competition is now global. In addition, the artists working in this industry today are often people who come not only from comics but also from animation, concept art, classical illustration, game art, and many other fields of visual arts, thus increasing the number of people who want to work in this field Anyone who works in Marvel or DC today is truly a top talent!
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work as an illustrator, cover artist, and interior artist, mainly for DC Comics (Warner Bros). I also work with other companies outside the comic industry, such as ONE Championship from Singapore (the world’s largest MMA promoter), where I do promo art for MMA world titles, and STNDigital, one of the largest social media companies for which I made illustrations for the NFL and WNBA.
My best-known works are certainly those done for DC: on the Batman vs. Robin series, for which I made various covers, Superman, Dark Crisis, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, Nightwing, Black Adam, etc.
What sets me apart from others?
Good question. My peculiarity is that of having a very dynamic and impactful style while maintaining a certain realism at the same time. Comics fans love it, and it allows me to be a very appreciated artist even outside the comic industry because my style manages to reach a more general public.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mario_foccillo_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mario.foccillo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MFoccillo
- Other: https://www.artstation.com/mariofoccillo
Image Credits
Mario Foccillo, Dc Comics, Warner Bros
