Studio Ed
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Day 23: Something I Need #30daydrawingchallenge
The thing I need most is … to get comfortable with my “style.”
I’m self-taught when it comes to making art. I started out copying cartoon characters from newspaper comic strips, cereal boxes, coloring books and comic book digests starring Little Lulu, Harvey, Archie or Disney characters. I started noticing big-name fantasy illustrators (like Boris Vallejo, Frank Frazetta, the Hildebrandt Brothers and Brian Froud) when I immersed myself in fantasy and sci-fi novels. But it wasn’t until I started reading Cracked magazine and comic books and seeing the work of guys like John Severin, Howard Chaykin, Moebius, Alex Toth, Bill Sienkiewicz, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Mike Mignola and many others that I decided to kick my work up a few notches.
Fast-forward to September 1992. The WB premiered a new animated show: Batman: The Animated Series. The art direction blew … Me … Away! Termed by the show’s creators as ‘dark Deco,’ the neo-noir visual style of B:TAS utterly captivated me and became my what I thought was my first artistic “religion.”
But as much as I subsequently grew to love a range of energetic, frenetic—and sometimes macabre—cartoony styles, my personal style (which I cannot define or label but that everyone says is obviously, easily and immediately recognizable as mine) has defied my heartfelt desire to emulate a more animated, straight-up cartoony look. Many projects have started that way, but at some point, I veer off and start doing something else on a kind of autopilot, and the end product looks like a hybrid of two incompatible species.
It’s taken a long time for me to realize what’s been going on. I had one of those “Of course!” moments that carries with it a welcome feeling of relief, like an itch finally getting scratched. What I’ve been doing for years is emulating my first artistic hero, John Powers Severin. Subconsciously, I’ve been imitating my memory of his work. The more I examine his work now, with mature eyes and a more open perspective, the more I recognize what a profound influence it has had over my own efforts. The best of what I’ve done is, honestly, when I’ve come closest to getting a “John Severin” quality about my work. Luckily, it’s also the art that I’ve liked the most and of which I’ve been proudest.
Now I wonder: What will happen when I move the impulse from my subconscious to conscious? When I make the influence intentional instead of accidental? What will happen when I stopped futzing around, stumbling around blindly, and run straight at it, eyes wide open?
Let’s find out.
I enjoyed doing this commission. The recipient’s name is “hidden” in the image. Just posting it here because (1) I wanted to feature something I’m proud of and (2) I needed to take a break from the 30-day challenge, which is taking longer than 30 days. At least I’m drawing every day!
Day 22: Something I Miss #30daydrawingchallenge
They know who they are.
Day 21: Something I Want #30daydrawingchallenge
A new hat, something lightweight and khaki-colored, and new boots, preferably Durango brand Rebels with the rebel heel and better sole for walking (which I do a lot of).
Day 20: Something Orange #30daydrawingchallenge
This picture represents my ongoing tendency to overthink simple instructions. The first thing I thought of was (of all things) Otter Pops. Anybody else remember them? Orange was represented by a stunned-looking little otter in a tutu, a ragdoll dangling from a limp arm. No, too silly.
Then I thought of the Thing from the Fantastic Four. But the character has never resonated with me, so … No.
When I considered other super-heroes, the next character that popped to mind was Mari Jiwe McCabe, aka Vixen, from DC Comics. In a flash of inspiration, I thought, I’ll draw her in a more realistic style, to defy the ongoing tendency to overly eroticize super-heroines! She’s from Africa and can channel the power of wild animals, so she should look powerful enough to tear you apart—not, as she is usually drawn, as a frail, Caucasian-friendly, Halle Berry-esque damsel with her jumpsuit unzipped to her navel.
Which is just me being stupid. Of course, every comic book artist can draw her this way, but that’s not what the client—DC Comics—wants to see or sell. But, ultimately, it’s how I want to see her and her costume is typically colored orange, so I hopped off my soapbox and honored the day’s requirement.
Day 19: Something New #30daydrawingchallenge
At the recommendation of G1RL, with whom I have watched a LOT of ‘Teen Titan’ cartoons, I colored this fellow as an homage to Beast Boy, because if our family were the Titans, that’s who I’d be (per G1RL’s specific instructions, who has chosen to be Raven; I’m so proud!).
Day 18: Just a Doodle #30daydrawingchallenge
Me, driving the bus. (At least, that’s what it feels like.)
Day 17: Favorite Plant #30daydrawingchallenge
Done. (See what I can do when I’m not in the grip of a raging fever?)
Day 16: Inspiration #30daydrawingchallenge
While I am working on something, I don’t want to telegraph what it is just yet. But I’m starting with a mixture of these two characters. Stay tooned: There’s a heroine on the way!
Day 15 Redux: Family Portrait #30daydrawingchallenge
This picture was going to be the foundation for my 2011 McChristmas card, but I simply couldn’t find the motivation to finish the card. As a result, this image has sat half-finished on my art table since early December. Because I was so appalled by the lousy cartoon I’d done for Day 15, I revisited this picture and polished off the parts that annoyed me most. It’s not great, but it sure beats Day 15 and better represents what I can do when I do NOT have a fever.
