Interview with Maria Sanapo

I promised you something cool on Twitter and here it is. An interview with Maria Sanapo, the interior and cover artist of the Charmed series by Dynamite comics. In it, Maria talks about being a Charmed fan, how she started working on Charmed, her interaction with fans at cons and more!

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CharmedComicFan: How did you start working on comics?

Maria Sanapo: I have always been interested in comics and illustration, I was born with it (I did this drawing when I was one) but at the beginning, I took another path. I graduated in 2011 with top marks, majoring in foreign languages but drawing comics was always in my heart.

After attending the Lucca Comics Festival and seeing that people were drawing for a living, I understood what I wanted to be. My parents didn’t share my excitement at first; they were terrified by the real me. But my father encouraged me after he remembered he wanted to be an artist as well when he was young. I attended the International School of Comics in Florence for two years (but didn’t finish), and told my father I would give up comics if I didn’t have a job within a year. It took me one month to get my first comics gig! I have to thank Marco (Santucci), my husband, who saw my potential and became my mentor.

You are a big fan of Charmed. What aspect/s of the show attracted you the most and made you a fan?

Well, I grew up with this show and it reminds me about middle school and when I talked about it with my friends, we were super enthusiast about it. We identified ourselves with the Halliwell sisters. In fact one of the things I liked the most was the fact that it spoke about three girls with their life, their concerns and their happy moments, they were ordinary girls like us, but with great powers enriched by the love they had for each other.

What are some of your favorite storylines in the show?

I love EVERYTHING about that show, but if I have to pick a specific storyline I would choose the suffered love story between Phoebe and Cole. It's so romantic!

How did you start working as the artist of Dynamite’s Charmed series?

I was working on another Dynamite series called "Grimm" (both covers and interiors), when my editor Anthony Marques, whom I thank for appreciating my work and giving me the opportunity to work with him, asked me if I wanted to work on the Charmed series with the supertalented Erica Schultz, the writer. Obviously the answer was yes!

Could you summarize your process of working on an issue of the comic?

Well, each artist has his own process, but there are some steps that are more or less the same for everybody. In my case at the beginning I have a deep look at the script in order to understand the situation where the story is set and to interpret what the writer wants. Then I gather all the references because each character has a specific look, specific body language etc. and finally I draw the story.

What tools do you use to create your interior pages and covers?

I work mostly in digital but I do some covers and pages on paper in order to have some originals. I use a program called Clip Studio Paint for the digital works and the classical brush and ink for the original art.

Which panel, page or issue in the 5 issue run was your favorite to create?

That's an interesting question: I loved drawing all the issues, but surely I had a ball drawing the sisters fighting together!

What did you find to be the most challenging thing when making the comic?

Drawing Djall, the villain. He had to be fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Two opposite things coexisting at the same time.

You got to create some original characters for the comic like Djall, Gabe and Shaina. How do you decide how new characters look and who was the most fun to realize into paper?

I was so lucky to have Erica who wrote the story. She gave me some directions about the character I had to create but she left me free to express myself. I think that this combination is fundamental to make things work!

Is there anything in the Charmed universe you didn’t get the chance to draw (a character, a location, a power etc.) but would love to sometime in the future?

I'd like to draw Cole. He is one of my favourite characters of the series!

You had the chance to meet fans of Charmed at cons (for example NYCC earlier this month). How was your experience interacting with the readers of the comic book?

I met a lot of Charmed fans during the cons I attended and I must say that they're fantastic people! They're magical, every time it's such a huge pleasure talking to them! Their enthusiasm and their passion help me to do my best in my work!

I also met Holly Marie Combs in Palermo and she's the sweetest person in the world!!!

A month ago you posted new sketches of Piper and Paige with the caption “back to work”. Anything you can say about them? Should fans have hope for more Charmed stories in the future?

The Charmed series I worked on is about a self-conclusive story so, I don't know if there will be another one but surely it would be great to draw it again!     

Do you have any advice for new artists that want to be involved in comics?

Never stop if someone tells you that you’re not good. Instead, ask how can you improve. Don’t fear other people’s judgments; they are your potential future readers, their opinion is very important for you. Listen to editors’ advice during portfolio reviews and always ask how you can do better.

Finally, what projects are you currently working on and where can people find you online?

I'm currently going on working for Dynamite on the Sheena series (both covers and interiors). I love drawing strong female character!

You can find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlsanapoart/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MLSanapo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlsanapo/

Thank you very much, Maria!

Thank you, it has been a pleasure to chat with you!

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Maria was kind enough to also provide some never before seen B&W pages from Charmed #1 and the unreleased B&W Charmed #1 cover, to be featured with the interview.