Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder who that person is looking back at you?
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I had to write an artist's statement for the upcoming gallery show I'm apart of, an exercise I wasn't too terribly excited about. Here's what I came up with.
"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."
-Thomas Paine
Comics live in a bizarre landscape suspended between art and literature. Since they often have a mass appeal and are mass produced, they are classified as low or popular culture products in America. To many, they are only stories of superheroes, monsters, and adventure; escapist literature that serves no purpose greater than distraction.
Comics are far more than that though. Outside the US, much of the world carries a high opinion of the medium. In France for instance, they are considered the 9th Art. Comics can be easily disseminated and understood; they have the unique opportunity to address a wide array of topics such as politics, philosophy, or even social interaction, something not unique only to comics admittedly, though comics have the ability to be put in people’s hands. These themes are addressed by thousands of artists around the world, from various backgrounds. What’s amazing about that is that these stories remain relevant outside language or cultural barriers, for these things are transcended by the medium in which they all work. Comics speak a visual language, one based on intuition and experience. A skilled cartoonist is like a magician; both have a unique understanding of people and their habits and seek to exploit that knowledge in an effort to create a seamless, masterful and immersive illusion. The written narrative in many cases is the icing on the cake. The layouts, the panels, even the placement of the word bubbles are more important than the words themselves in some cases.
Comics like any art, is a reflection of its creator, a selective re-creation of reality based on what is important to that person. For my work, the hero is central to my vision. I prefer archetypes, instantly known and accessible characters and concepts that have served as mankind’s moral compass for thousands of years. The kinds of stories and characters that give strength to the viewer, that reinforce the best in us, those are the stories I want to draw, more over, these are the stories I want to share.
-Thomas Paine
Comics live in a bizarre landscape suspended between art and literature. Since they often have a mass appeal and are mass produced, they are classified as low or popular culture products in America. To many, they are only stories of superheroes, monsters, and adventure; escapist literature that serves no purpose greater than distraction.
Comics are far more than that though. Outside the US, much of the world carries a high opinion of the medium. In France for instance, they are considered the 9th Art. Comics can be easily disseminated and understood; they have the unique opportunity to address a wide array of topics such as politics, philosophy, or even social interaction, something not unique only to comics admittedly, though comics have the ability to be put in people’s hands. These themes are addressed by thousands of artists around the world, from various backgrounds. What’s amazing about that is that these stories remain relevant outside language or cultural barriers, for these things are transcended by the medium in which they all work. Comics speak a visual language, one based on intuition and experience. A skilled cartoonist is like a magician; both have a unique understanding of people and their habits and seek to exploit that knowledge in an effort to create a seamless, masterful and immersive illusion. The written narrative in many cases is the icing on the cake. The layouts, the panels, even the placement of the word bubbles are more important than the words themselves in some cases.
Comics like any art, is a reflection of its creator, a selective re-creation of reality based on what is important to that person. For my work, the hero is central to my vision. I prefer archetypes, instantly known and accessible characters and concepts that have served as mankind’s moral compass for thousands of years. The kinds of stories and characters that give strength to the viewer, that reinforce the best in us, those are the stories I want to draw, more over, these are the stories I want to share.
I probably should have just said I draw comics because of a deep rooted oedipus complex, brought on by my Teddy Ruxbin that didn't function properly.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Gallery
So its official, I'm going to be in the Gallery Alexa Rose come the First Thursday of April. The show's called "Everything".
280 N. 8th St., Suite 118, Idaho Building, Boise, ID, 83704
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Strongman
I love a happy accident.
I'm working on a portfolio for my comic book work, and in the course of brainstorming character designs for a straight forward fight, I came up with a pretty grand idea for a story. I haven't finished the dialogue yet, but I have most of the main beats worked out for the short story. I think I can squeeze the whole thing into 20 pages or so. VERY excited.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Destroyer
It was a hard day yesterday for Chris the comic book artist. I wanted to destroy every page, panel and piece I had ever created I was so disappointed and frustrated.
This happens every once in a while. I’ll be cruising a long feelin’ pretty good about the comic when suddenly I hit a bump. It usually comes in the form of a panel that I can’t get right, in fact its usually a very simple panel which makes me even more pissed. I’ll erase and erase and no matter what I do I won’t get it right. Yesterday was just a basic profile of a character. I tried it three different ways, with variations on each; I just couldn’t get it. At this point I think I’m just going to stick with the angle I used for the two previous panels with the same character, just a pretty basic close up from the front.
That’s the thing right there that bothers me. I can’t do anything cool. I try to do a basic profile, and then I end up having to do and even more basic close up. No cool battles, no dynamic poses, just two people talking. Which is what I wrote it to be, but I guess I’m having my doubts. I think the dialogue is funny, but does it come through in the drawings? Is it entertaining but also concise? It’s so muddled and grey, its hard to understand why I’m doing it half of the time. I hate, HATE doing things when I’m not 100% perfect at something, so it is absolute torture to put myself through this growth. Its necessary to get better, but I see why so many people give up. It borders on masochism at times for me; I’ll know how much of a challenge a particular page or panel is going to pose and yet I move on with it anyways, I have to. It’s the only way that my expectations will ever come close to equaling skills.
This happens every once in a while. I’ll be cruising a long feelin’ pretty good about the comic when suddenly I hit a bump. It usually comes in the form of a panel that I can’t get right, in fact its usually a very simple panel which makes me even more pissed. I’ll erase and erase and no matter what I do I won’t get it right. Yesterday was just a basic profile of a character. I tried it three different ways, with variations on each; I just couldn’t get it. At this point I think I’m just going to stick with the angle I used for the two previous panels with the same character, just a pretty basic close up from the front.
That’s the thing right there that bothers me. I can’t do anything cool. I try to do a basic profile, and then I end up having to do and even more basic close up. No cool battles, no dynamic poses, just two people talking. Which is what I wrote it to be, but I guess I’m having my doubts. I think the dialogue is funny, but does it come through in the drawings? Is it entertaining but also concise? It’s so muddled and grey, its hard to understand why I’m doing it half of the time. I hate, HATE doing things when I’m not 100% perfect at something, so it is absolute torture to put myself through this growth. Its necessary to get better, but I see why so many people give up. It borders on masochism at times for me; I’ll know how much of a challenge a particular page or panel is going to pose and yet I move on with it anyways, I have to. It’s the only way that my expectations will ever come close to equaling skills.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Phonze
Check out the debut issue (or “furst ishew” according to the cover) of Phonzie Davis' Left Handed Sophie, a story about “a young albino woman corrupted by drug-trafficking and the occult.” You can check out a few of the pages over at the publisher's website http://beehivecomics.blogspot.com/ or check Phonzie on his PERSONAL site, http://phreakhop.com/.
Phonzie's a creator outta Columbus, Ohio where I hail from. Phonzie's style is a frenetic amalgamation of several different subcultures; comics, hip hop, and blacksploitation movies to name a few. He's being compared a lot to R Crumb though honestly they share very little asthetic similarities. The best way to describe Left Handed Sophie would be as a free form jazz piece, or a design canister. You gotta look at the whole thing, soak it in and go back to it again, but when you do, don't be surprised that it reads a little different, maybe sets a different tone with you. Its worth a read for sure.
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