One of the best things about The Black Keys is that Aziz Ansari always introduces the Black Eyed Peas. Then he says that the Black Eyed Peas cancelled and some band was able to fill in last minute.
Funny thing, I was about to illustrate the BEP. But I don’t like them, so here’s this image of The Black Keys instead!
I have a pretty good studio. Actually I love it. I’m always inspired by blogs that show off artists’ workspaces, and I dream of being featured one day in them (that’s when you know you’ve made it!). I’ve had many workspaces when moving around every year as a college student, and I wish I had taken pictures of all of them. But here now is the studio I’m in the midst of leaving. (more…)
Have you ever done a MAD Fold-in? You know, those things on the back cover of MAD Magazine? It was a riddle of sorts, where you read the set-up, folded the page over, and got the punchline!
Now, I wouldn’t ask this of anyone who comes to the website in any other circumstance, but in order to really fully experience this piece, you have to print it. Print it out, and fold it, and laugh or feel enlightened. That’s right, PLEASE PRINT THIS OUT AND FOLD IT TO GET THE PUNCHLINE. You can print the above image, or download the PDF by clicking here.
[UPDATE: It will also work if you print it in black and white. This really is the one and only time I would ask ANYONE to print something from my website, after years of giving my art and comics for free. Thanks!]
Should an artist have a set style?
I was recently uploading my comics to the site and it gave me a chance to look at my old stuff. It doesn’t make me cringe like some old artwork does for creators. But it does make me reflect. It’s pretty amazing how much I’ve grown from my days in high school to where I am at now in college. And its only been 5 years. It makes me hopeful to where I will be at 5 years from now. But I began thinking to myself, I’m not sure if I have a set style. Some of my colleagues have distinct voices and unique looks and their work is to be awed upon. Beautiful stuff.
I’m also unsure whether to feature work of different styles, or should I be displaying only unified pieces? Freelance illustrators usually have to have a certain style so that editors from magazines and newspapers can see what kind of personality they can bring to an article. But I don’t have a fully realized voice. And I don’t want to be locked down into a certain style either. But I do want to have some sort of visual style that people can recognize me by. See the dilemma I face?
By showing off diverse works, I’m not showing that I have a locked down style. But I believe it shows that I am an artist. And I think an artist should always be changing, trying new things out, and not always being locked down into a certain style. The industry hinders art sometimes, because there are those expectations. It would be weird to read a comic book like Scott Pilgrim if it was drawn like the latest issue of Spider-man. But if it were his decision to draw it like a superhero comic all of a sudden, it would be very tough for the audience to embrace. Experimentation will have to be left to the artist to try out in a different venue, maybe within a new comic or side project. But even then, if a new comic were to launch, would the artist style have to look like his previous book? What if after doing All Star Batman & Robin, Jim Lee wanted to venture into the realm of shoujo manga? Should he be stopped? Should we support it? Which also leads to the question, how much of us are fans of the artist, and how much of us are fans of their style?
I follow the advice of character designer Stephen Silver, most notable for designing Kim Possible and Clerks Animated characters. Though he is known for that work, he has a diverse range of styles and nevers bogs himself down to one distinct look, and that in itself gives him his own style. Being able to adapt to a project seems like the best way to go, because I don’t know which field of comics I may end up in. I may do some X-men, or Archie. I could do some faux-manga for Viz, or do cover illustrations like James Jean. So I’m going to try and stay open, take in all kinds of art I can, and one day I’ll have the voice I’ve always wanted.
