Comic Creator Magazine

So, I decided to start this little bit of online blog nonsense to share my individual thoughts on topics that interest and/or irritate me.

Take any and all comments with a grain of salt, seeing as how I will be writing them "in the heat of the moment", when the topic peaks my interest most.

The things with these "Firestarters" is that they should begin a discussion or at the very least begin some studying on YOUR part to see if what I'm talking about is worth anything at all.

So, the first topic is artistsic INFLUENCES.

THE SPARK: A comment I read on Facebook recently, that read "We need the Joe Mads, Jim Lees, Mcfarlanes, and Lifields(sic) to imerge. Out of all those guys I just mentioned, none of them built their careers apeing anyone and that is what made them who they are."
It was in response to a shift Nick Bradshaw made from his animated style to one more closely resembling Art Adams. I will not attribute the quote to anyone, since the person echoes a sentiment I have heard from MANY people online and at comic conventions about originality.

Now, first off, the idea that we as artists EVER lay claim to the term ORIGINAL in the strictest sense, is to deny what it is that can influence an artist and their style. Here are 2 that came to mind:

1) Environment: This can include where we grew up, what we did as emerging artists, and even books, tv shows, films, etc. we liked and absorbed.

I know a lot of artists who grew up around motorcycles or cars and therefore, have a better grasp on the mechanics of them when illustrating them for comics. I also know artists who grew up on farmland with horses who are better at animal anatomy.

My father was involved in the printing and publishing industry and brought home books with various fonts and typestyles in them. I learned to appreciate the design of words in comics and studied lettering as much as penciling and inking. My grandparents had Norman Rockwell paintings in their home, so I began to see illustration as a high from of artistic expression.

Frank Miller brought his love of film noir and pulp fiction writing into play with Sin City. Had he not been aware of them, he may have easily created something very different.


2) Heritage: The artists who come before us have and always WILL be an influence. That is, to say, if we want to be any good. Art is a craft and skill as much as it is a passion.

Suppose you wanted to develope the cure for cancer. You want to be unique and original, so you don't want to study others work in this area. You also don't want to work with others in the field, and... you know what, why go to school to study the human body when the teachers will make you conform to their rules, blocking your originality?

How far do you think you would go in developing a genetic, pharmaceutical, or homeopathic cure for cancer by being ignorant of these HELPFUL influences?

Studying the old masters, the generation before you, or even your peers can be the key to you not making COMMON mistakes of "newbies".

My first copy of The Marvel TryOut Book I got for my 13th birthday. It openned my eyes to things I had not known before. I drew on 81/2" X 11" typing paper until I held the 11" X 17" board in my hands and studied how much detail you can poor into a page that size.I wanted to be John Romita Jr. at that age.

Then I read books about comic book creation; how artists approached their work with light and shadow; learning about avoiding tangents, moving a readers eye on the page, etc.

Then there are the specific artists we have an affinity for. The ones we use as in a goal-oriented way, saying to ourselves, "Boy, if I could draw HALF as good as THAT GUY, I'd be happy."

Which brings me back to the original quote: "...none of them built their careers apeing anyone."

Guess what? In some ways (some, admittedly more than others) we all "ape" artwork. We all learn by viewing and utilizing techniques such as crosshatching, feathering, line-weight variations, foreground-to-background viewpoints, switching "camera" angles, panel layouts, and more, from those that did it WELL way before us.

If we combine more of these traits or techniques from one single artist over others it seems like a cheat to some. This is up for debate.

I can attest to the difficulty of inking as an artform and that, too, is said to be "tracing" by some.

Joe MadFan.com itself says, "Madureira remarked (his) early style was heavily influenced by Arthur Adams in an interview with Wizard Magazine. But his style evolved into one more influenced by manga and anime."