When I think in black and white I find it easier to ink but when I think I will be colouring the drawing it can throw me off. Here is one that I am going through as a back up story idea for Children of the Sun...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wolin Double Axe
First rough for Children of the Sun back story Wolin Double axe really light pencils...
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Teach Your Children Well...
And Your Artists Too!
So I was a having a Twitter discussion with my art buddies Rene van Belzen and Jonathan Rector and it brought up some memories of art class for me. How I couldn't connect with the teachers who were supposed to recognize and encourage my creativity and help foster growth. Now I know this must sound kinda negative but all I thought at that time was "bah, just a typical teacher!" Now I'm older with a better sense of people and understanding I sometimes ponder what it is that makes a teacher good? It is essentially many of the same elements of what makes a good parent but I will save that topic for my parenting blog (I don't have children).
A Good Teacher!
1)Has the ability to guide and communicate.
2)The ability to teach discipline (not to strictly discipline) which comes from respect.
3)The ability and willingness to foster & not stifle creativity.
And most importantly the ability to listen and learn.
It sounds funny that I say this but I think that learning is a continuous process not only for students but more importantly for teachers.Teachers need to keep that "learning freeway" open in both directions and if one of these "roads" becomes blocked for whatever reason, that's when problems can occur.
Most of my teacher s had a stick up their butts! In art class most teachers were "art snobs" about comic books and animation. I doodled and drew superheroes and they turned their nose up at it. Instead of fostering the interest they tried to stifle it and tell me how a graphic design course or illustration course or a BFA (bachelor of fine arts) was the route. I grew frustrated and steered away from what I love until I met Miss Hoika.
We didn't always see eye to eye on art. We didn't always "get each other" but we respected each other. I who was the tenth grade kid who knew it all. She that teacher who was trying to give a lesson in the creative side of the arts . I knew she did some sort of oil painting and I regret not attending her art show. My cool friends asked "why would ya want to see HER stuff, it isn't going to be Ken Danby!" A realistic photographic style artist who did a lot of hockey sports related paintings I know "hockey."
"At the Crease" Ken Danby
Well I AM Canadian, eh?
Miss Hoika might not have liked realistic painters, ok she loathed the style. "That's what cameras are for!" she said. She didn't tell me to stop drawing in that style or stop with my comic characters, she "listened" to the students love of realism in art and in the end we agreed to disagree!
More recently I have come to realize she was right. She would like that, I think.
The Circle of Teaching:
This brings me full circle to teacher's need and ability to listen and learn. Don't get me wrong, I think we can't all be teachers. I know that teaching takes patience , it takes the ability to listen and the ability to learn from your students. One of my favourite quotes is those that think "they know everything, know nothing". These are the teachers (and people) to avoid!
My Reading Week:
I am still reading Peanuts Collection Volume 1 and I am finding that the in depth interview with Charles Schulz at the end of the book (yes I skipped to the end) is quite an interesting look into what made the man tick. I almost like this better than the strips!
My Art Week:
After following some Artrage discussion on Twitter I fired up the program again. Now I run Windows 7 in 64 bit mode and I don't know if this is causing a bit of lag when I use my Wacom pen and touch but after some research I found that it shouldn't! There may be some setting conflicts in Windows and/or Artrage 2.6. I am frustrated as I also have been trouble shooting some issues on my wife's computer (or confuzer as Leo Laporte likes to call em). I don't feel like screwing around with it Artrage. I love the program (when it works) for all the brush options. It is one of the best for simulating all different brush strokes and results (again when it works)
So back to pencil and paper for now. I have been sketching and organizing my pages for 3 comics and my mini comic dump truck as well as a slice of life strip called My Brain Hertz.
Get out there and create "my lovelies!"
ArrrOOooo!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
I've been Conned!
Well I plan on being "conned" more often this year.
I have some good memories of comic shows from when I was a kid.
Most of my fondest comic show memories are from the 70's and 80's. The earliest shows (now called cons) were a place I went solo as my friends weren't into comics. It was no biggie as I went to the cons to shop first and fill some story run or get some books by my favourite artist. Occasionally I would catch a glimpse of the guest creator/artist many of which happened to be a favourite! There weren't any artist alleys. Usual there was a guest artist and local artists might buy a table to promote their books which was rare in the 70's as only a artist working for the big two seemed to get an invite.
Along the way I got to meet Ernie Chan who showed me the Conan newspaper strip he was working on with Roy Thomas. I saw Neal Adams but his being so busy led me to meet Cerebus The Aardvark creator Dave Sim. Seems like he was a much easier going guy back then. There were other artists like George Perez and other I can't remember. This was a time when you could chat with artists and pick up a sketch at a reasonable price though I still preferred completing my comic runs so I could READ the books versus collecting artist sketches...
I have fond memories of these shows and yet I have not so fond memories of the shows of the 90's and new millennium. These are the money shows, The small show was replaced by the monster con. I have some good memories of speaking with Diana Schutz at a 90's con and more recently Brian Bolland. I have less fond memories of waiting in huge lineups just to get into the con. This led my wife to say never again to the monster con/expo and (I don't blame her).
Someone Who does it Right!
This leads me to TCAF a free to the public show for independent comic artists . I got to meet Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire there last year. Dan Clowes was there and many others but they had too many people around them so I couldn't/wouldn't bother pushing through. I missed Roger Langridge as he was speaking at a venue not part of the library and by the time we had walked the floor I was done. I would support friends if they were there. I will meet friends if they are going but I have never been the autograph, sketch guy. I consider myself a comic READER not a collector!
This year I plan to attend again and try to meet some fellow artist down there. Some members of our art community Art and Story and support them.
I wanted to remind you if you are in the Ann Arbor, Michigan next weekend head over to Kids Read Comics, a great show and learning opportunity for families and it's free!.
My Art Week:My art week was filled with King Kong! OK. Not really, but my studio is still in the cleaning process...sigh...
My Reading Week:
I re-read Sweet Tooth Volume 1 Vertigo imprint. I love Jeff's work and I still think Jeppard is Gordie Howe!! Have Sweet Tooth Volume two bedside.
5/5 howls
I picked up Peanuts Collection Volume One from the library. Fantagraphics did an awesome job. It is this weeks a Jahhdog Must Read! Schulz style changes over the next 50 years but I think his writing was never better!
5/5 howls I gotta buy this one!
I actually went a bought Jeff Lemire's Superboy, now I am a Super-boy, girl, man hater (I only love superdog) but I am interested to see the writing that Jeff brings to the book. I would buy it forever if he drew it too!
Happy Birthday Will Eisner. I remember seeing his work at the local comic shop, I think it was kitchen sink press collecting the newspaper comics. They were awesome, the line work, the splash pages, the "dames"! Will did it all! Then I read his graphic novels and was floored. Like some have said said, "he was way ahead of his time!" Google is honouring him today and it is well deserved!
Create something NOW!
ArrrOOoo!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Kong Lives & Loves
One of my art buddies was watching Jessica Lange's love story with Kong and this is my version of their "love" story... Will clean it up a bit more as this was a warm up...
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