Artists (including me) changing their “style”

After struggling for a long time to find an artist I could say I could describe myself as similar I think I found it but in the most unlikely of places. I study a lot of Simonson and Leonardi, John Romita Junior but I also love some of the rougher more textural inking styles of guys like Bill S. and Danijel Dell’edera, and all the artists I said I think I look like have clean inkers. But I’ll come back to that.
Artists say they are influenced by everything they see and it’s true. Even if it’s influenced to not look like them, just like interacting with people. Additionally I may love and look at a lot of artists that I look and draw nothing like.
For example I’m starting to really like the cartoonstrip-style Herge-eske “dot eyes,” and have even tried it in a few panels where I probably would have done the classic superman comic strip “abbreviation” for eyes: The line for the top lid and a pupil somewhat overlapped underneath. I think that matches with my philosophy for comic art in general, with my approach to them – that you should be able to see the artist, tell that it is a representation and interpretation of life; The super realistic artists I used to admire either all worked from photos – basically any realistic cartoon strip artist pre-1979 – or tried so hard that I didn’t see them (the artrist) anymore – I just saw Fumettii. Tacktful inking can save this, like Al Williamson, Hal Foster, etc etc.
But I find the artists I’m really opinionated about are the ones with a very distinct style, like Kelley Jones, Denys Cowan, etc. Btw- just found out about Milestone comics, awesome! It’s a shame Static Shock is the only one that survived from it. Another artist saying is, that they want you to like them or hate them but don’t be only passive with their art, they want you to have a reaction.
We’ll it might have been from seeing him in a “history of comics” vhs a few years back or just seeing his older art but I absolutely hated Howard Chaykin. It might have been all the “budda-budda-budda” that filled the panels of his early 2000’s DC comics or that all his panels were bleed panels and his characters filled the frame.
But now I look at his new work and see a more striking similarity with my art that probably anyone else I’ve seen. I thought it was sloppy, fast, dirty and his characters were so blocky, and some of those same qualities were the ones I admired in different combinations with the aforementioned Leonardi, JRJR, and Simonson. But as I told my students when I taught for a brief time at a college here, Consistency was the biggest must-have trait (in my opinion) to developing a style, and he is, so how can I fault him.
I think I’ve come to drawing like how I do now because it’s the only style I can do consistently. I used to think of it as a non-style, my default drawing type, and yet after seeing enough of it and comparing it to the other artists I can see my similarities in what makes a style. It’s usually everything I mentioned on the list of things that I would describe Chaykin’s work as – but I’m okay with that. And I’m very comfortable in the style I’m using now, my non-style. Places where something looks inconsistent is probably where I’m trying to do something that I want to but is not me – which is a hard concept to wrap your head around as an artist.
You may like how certain things look, be able to replicate them in your art consistently and yet if you weren’t thinking about them when you draw you wouldn’t draw them. “Affectations” as one of my instructors used to call them.
I still haven’t come around on Milton Caniff’s art who has been cited by some if not all of the artists I’ve talked to and admire, in the same way Kirby is. There is pre-Kirby, prime-Kirby and post-Kirby. I think jobs in comics are so sought after and not really set up as a retirement deal that once an artists starts making a living doing it they have to keep at it so constantly that (I feel) all that’s left is their affectations – they settle into their niche and get pushed into that corner to an extreme. They become exaggerated in the things that make them “them” and the general drawing rules start to fall by the wayside. Personally I think Mike Perkins and Doug Braithwaite, Mark Texiera have started to be that way for me. Their faces are starting to look incredibly asymmetrical, despite being inked so well you can hardly tell. Of course, Tex and Braithwaite are just going from shaded pencils now while when they started were inked over by some of the best in the biz.
So to circle back around (again) people say that about Caniff, “of you have to read Terry and the Pirates,” or one of his other series, but then always add the caveat of not one of his other series. His layout is the best, black placement amazing, his gestural inking etc etc etc. Almost like a band/singer with a long career. If you catch them at the wrong point even now-fans of their art would criticize them.
I mention it in reference to music, because ideally (I think), and in movie series to some point, each one (cd/sequel etc) has to be a bit different from the onset – think Back to the Future. Set against 1980’s back to 1950’s, into the future then back to the old west. Still Back to the Future, but all fun because it’s not a rehash per-se because it’s all been turned on it’s ear. Or Empire, with Kershner. And then movie’s that flop because they stick so close to the formula that the original invented, The newest Pirates of the Caribbean (I thought), Ghost Busters 2 etc.
I’ve heard musician’s talk about this, when they create a fan base in one type of music and then grow, change, evolve into another a few songs or albums later and people chastise them for it. Its like there is some perfect combination between changing but not too much.
Ok back to art, take Jae Lee for example, early 90’s he was doing backgroundless ink-crazy and yet Jim Lee inspired art like Hellshock etc. Then he took a few years off and reinvented himself. I can’t stand him now, no backgrounds still lol, but totally different otherwise. And especially with comics where you are drawing so many panels per comic that by the time your done with two issues, you’d be hard pressed just mathematically from ythe number of angles to circle a character to not havea similar panel. So how do you keep it interesting? Change, grow, keep learning? I guess, if the fans come with you. If you don’t keep changing how will you know you’ve reached your prime, and once you do – can you just stay there, stagnant Doubtful. What’s even more, are changes like that really even totally conscious? Is it like they say about love, “you don’t find it, it finds you?” Especially if we’re influenced by everything we see.
When someone gets a JRJR sketch at a con, are they getting it to see what he looks like now, or for the affectations that made him famous? Do they really want him as a person, a growing artist, or just the stereotypical version of what they used to look like? Can you blame an artist for playing toward that?
Like JRJR, he has done so many comics (most of which I own) that I can see every fight scene goes down the same way, all the same angles almost every time. The legitimately new pages/panels are few and far between and that’s the point that I start going backwards with the artist, same with music. If the look stagnant now, try finding their art form before you started liking them. JRJR’s X-men stuff form the 80’s, Daredevil with Williamson etc is all some of my favorite stuff from him even though I got into him with the ultra bulky Punisher: War Zone stuff form the 90’s.
It’s interesting with some artists how they just became “them” at certain points in their career, Bill S looked like Neil Adams for the longest time, Travis Charest like Jim Lee, so many people like Jim Lee lol, same with Adams in his day though, Barry Windsidor Smith during his first few issues of Conan and Greg Capullo, the one who “jack of all trades, master of none” does not apply. I can’t take credit for pointing this out but on the CGS podcast, or maybe it was my friend Hobbes, he pointed out that Capullo can ape another artist’s style and then do “them” better then they can. He had a JRJR phase, Todd McFarlane (famously), and a few others and made it look like a better version of those artists. So what does Capullo actually look like – what is his default/no-style? Some say his Batman stuff now is that – maybe it is – for now.
This is even a bigger question to inkers, do you try and make yourself visible over the top of someone elses’ art or should you be the invisible hand that just makes the penciler look like the best “them” that they can be?
All questions, that artists all answer differently. And we get to see their answers in the pages of our comics books everyday.

R.I.P - a generation of greats passes on

Got to take a break and finish writing a 3-issue script I've been wanting to get finished, and the first arc of a web/newspaper comic directed at kids ive been wanting to get started, in between issues.
I just added my ashcan Amanda to my Webcomics Nation account, so everyone can read it now. I started it in college and finally finished it. The center page is a fold out.
With the recent death of Al Williamson I couldn't help but notice how many legends of the comics world have been passing recently. Dick Giordano, Frank Frazetta, Will Eisner ((who even coined the term "graphic novel") among others. If you don't know their work you should check these guys out, chances are you've seen it without knowing. It also brings up the point that if you get a chance to meet one of your heroes at a con or signing etc, like I got to meet Dick, say hi, let them how much their work meant to you - if you're working in comics chances are these guys helped pave the way and direction of where it is now and where it went for the last 30 or more years. The phrase "standing on the shoulders of giants" would not be misused to describe what we're able to do today because of these guys. They spent their life working on comics and many were still doing it when they passed. Their spirit will live on through the pages, the new readers and their influence/inspiration on the generations of both readers and their modern day protégés that follow and are now succeeding them. R.I.P. guys, and thank you for everything.

Giant Art Review

So recently I’ve been getting a lot of graphic novels through Swaptree.com, and or Half Priced books, here in Austin and even the local library. I thought I might share some thoughts on what I’d found.

Captain America: the new deal - Cassaday defines his post Planetary style, and develops an entire way for Captain America to move. Much like what has become customary for other marvel characters such as Spider-man or DC’s Batman. I noticed him moving very symmetrically, which was cool, and all the art is very iconic and has been since it came out a while ago.

Also, picking up where Cassaday left off another modern artists I like, Simone Bianchi, took over Astonishing X-men and I was able to pick up the first couple issues. Its an interesting transition because both use some inkwash and are fairly realistic, but as I’ve mentioned before (and I think it worked with Whedon writing it and having a background in TV and film) he used almost exclusively full-tier panels and gave a film-like experience. Bianchi is completely the opposite using overlapping, circular, sliver, and even triangular panels - even in scenes where characters were only talking. Warren Ellis’ wordy dialog is quite a change from Whedon’s curt, almost one-balloon- panel-per-pannel style.

I recently got to look at The incredible Hulk vol. 1, written by Bruce Jones, whom I’ll see at the Florida Mini-con when I go latter this month. The storytelling, as always with JRJR is amazing but partially because of the writer, who cuts around seeing the Hulk at all and focused on Bruce (Banner, lol) trying to control becoming the Hulk at all. I have to say Tom Palmer’s inks are my favourite I’ve seen on JRJR, for his current style. And when the inker stayed on and the penciller switched to Lee Weeks (Whom I love as well) after a few issues, Tom held it together very well, which was cool to see, and made the transition fairly smooth, even though the pencillers’ styles were very different.

Above, Inker Tom Palmer makes the transition inking from one artists to the other on Hulk.

It's interesting looking back at the famous inkers that have covered Johnny and how his style has changed as well, my personal favourite was Klaus+JRJR on Punisher: War Journal, his style had gotten so geometric, angular, bulky and filled the page and Klaus’ inks looked so intuitive. Al’s inks over him back on Daredevil and X-men, when JRJR’s style was much more realistic and minimalist by comparison were cool too, and each interpreted his side of pencil shading very differently. I think it was the reason that Eternals didn’t really hit it for me the way I wanted was that Danny Miki was inking him and I was so used to Scott Hanna on Spider-man, or Klaus, etc etc. Similar to how Klaus talks in his DC guide to inking about how Dick Giardinno, and a few others, had their own style in combination, when inking over Neal Adams. Kirby had a few inker’s like that as well. There's a prety cool short visual history of JRJR's work here.

Above, Klaus over JRJR in the early 90's Punisher: War Journal.

Above, Al Wiliamson inks over JRJR in the 80's in Daredevil.

Speaking of which, that brings me to Batman: Knightfall vol. 1
Where you get to see Jim Aparo inked over by himself, Tom Mandrake Bob Wiacek, Joe Rubenstein and Dick Giordano (for the finally, obviously). I like Jim, don’t get me wrong but he has such a straight forward style sometimes especially when he’s rushing that it’s hard not to see the corners her cut, especially to ink himself. Though some of his influences seem to come out, he has a much thicker style reminiscent of Milton Cannif’s Steve canyon. And he looks like he just switched between brush and techpens.

Above, Mandrake over Aparo, would have loved to see this in B+W.

Above, Rubenstein over Aparo.

Above, the man himself, Dick Giordano over Aparo. Notice the hatching that gives him away in the lower left panel, same that he used over Neal Adams.

Above, Aparo inks over himself.

Also I noticed this odd theme of loose back and forth brush strokes surrounding headshots, that was started by Breyfogle the issue before Hanna takes over inking a few other artists, but is used multiple times. I didn’t know if it was to take up space, make it interesting (As Al Williamson has been known to do) or to mean something I wasn’t picking up on.

Above, Hanna imitates the squigggles started an issue earlier by Breyfogle.

Above, Breyfogle.

I never really took to Norm Breyfogle’s work until I saw he always inks himself. Which I think is an amazing feat for any artists to pull off convincingly and skillfully, which is part of the reason I respect Cassaday so much. He experiments with some fun stuff, his panel layouts are always cool in action scenes and I like his anatomy. His inking is so bold in places it is powerful but his drawings fall apart in others, he really stretches reality sometimes but with batman that kind of worked anyway.

Notice how Breyfogle uses such bold lines on the under-side of objects, specifically batman's leg muscles as he inks himself. He alsoways sort of warps reality to emphasize and fit the storytelling.

And of course the real reason I got it was the cover’s are by Kelley Jones, still one of my fav’s, who inks himself though it never shows. Bob Pendarvis once called him the poor man’s Bernie Wrightson but I love his stuff, his hands, his lighting, fabric, use of splatters and and the fact that he does stretch reality most of the time with anatomy etc. like Breyfogle. I just always thought he was so unique to be in mainstream, though his style did pin him down to Batman almost exclusively, though I did see him do a venom issue the other day.

Also, I have gotten Thor vol. 1 with Oliver Coipel, whom I’ve mentioned before as one of my favourite modern artists. Haven’t gotten to look at it much yet but I had already seen much of the original art for the issue on a site selling his original pages. He is kind of a mix between the line work of Stuart Immonen and Adam Hughes with a touch of the eastern influence seen in Jim Cheung’s work, (whom I also love and will be seeing at the Florida mini-con latter this month.)


Also here (above) is the picture I was saying Bruce Timm based the cover of Superman vs Doomsday off of a few posts ago. Here’s a link to Timm’s rendition.


And while I'm mentioning cool modern artists I just had to throw in Deodato Jr. (Above) Whom I've talked about before but I had to mention again. Had seen this DPS in the store and passed, later regretted it and found later. Awesome layouts, awesome pencils and awesome storytelling (from thunderbolts). He only pencils and tweaks them in photoshop to ink, that's why his hatch lines never taper. Very odd, but you can learn more and see a ton of his work and some b+w work on his DeviantArt page.

And what about Xaq? Well I'm working on some new pages for the Florida mini-con, my radio drama is on hold until my sound fx guy gets moved-in to his new place, and I've been writing what could started out as a script and I would love to make a novella if I have enough time. I'm going to be posting more soon, when I get some art done here in the next week. I have swarms of projects I'd love to write and get going on I just need some time, and to take that time I need money. You know how it goes.

Elementals

here's just a couple cool scenes i've found after reading the 1st 8 issues of elementals and a few special issues. when i started reading them i had gotten the writer/creator/artist Bill Willingham mixed up with Al Williamson - who is in my opinion one of the greatest artists that ever lived. I used to get the Star-Wars daily comic book strips that eventually got colored and reprinted by darkhorse in comic book form in the early 90's. Al did do the inks for Powerline saga, Bill isn't great but he gets the job done, he is a great writer, has some very opinionated views on some things but after reading the letters columns you start to understand where he's coming from, and he's a far cry from some of the pencilers he got to replace him on later issues. Even mike mignolla filled in a few guest pages here and there, remember this thing was written in the mid eighties.
I was thinking of books/heroes I always liked as a kid and would like to work on: The phantom, Darkhawk, Moon Knight, The Inhumans, wildcats etc etc.
Anyway back to Elementals, its been great to look forward to these issues, I've also read the 1st two issues of Moon Knight with Finch doing the art, man that guy is such a bad ass, defiantly the Jim lee for the new millennium, so much better than that guy they have on Batman R.I.P. and oh god I just saw the artist they have on spider-man and i guess have had for some time Angel Medina - well now its the Venom Dark Origin storyline but the guy is bad, he looks like Todd Mcfarlane when he was on Spider-man. Okay whatever just check out the pics below, this is some of the type of material you can expect from the Elementals.









I'm ready to start penciling both Jame's comic which it looks like I'll be able to work on issue 2 in Lyle's class this coming semester, and Phil's comic prelude for his film. I have so many people interested in the Terra Novus radio drama that I'm going to have to hold auditions, I also have many people ready to help with art and much else - all of which I was dying for 6 months ago, luckily I finally pulled a trick I had planned a while ago and had forgotten to put into action.

Oh also: Just watched the other Boleyn Girl, wow. Disturbing, amazing, stressful and beautiful. One of the hardest parts to watch happens when Natalie portman's character miscarriages while trying to give a male heir to the king for the second time and tries to convince her brother to bed her so it will be as if it never happened, both their lives depend on it. When they are seen trying they are turned in and even though they couldn't go through with it, both of them physically shaking they are so sad and pressured - they are beheaded. Tough stuff to watch, Natalie Portman is such a good actress.
pss: I also finished the sound fx bible for Terra Novus and my 3rd cover for Star Trek.