I once read a really great critique of the artistic process that spoke of an artist's tastes versus their sense of their own abilities. The idea is that your taste peaks far before your talent does. So when you look at your own artwork, you do so with great taste, and therefore critique it harshly. The biggest struggle an artist has then is the ability to work through this phase to the point where their own ability reaches this level of taste (or as close as they can come). A lot of artists give up at this point.

For me, I think I'm reaching that point where my tastes have peaked. I know exactly what I enjoy in art, what I don't, and recognize the ins and outs of why I enjoy something. This isn't to say I'm not constantly surprised by art; I'm able to find new artists and artwork more readily by knowing what I'm looking for.

I am of course, not at the point where I believe my ability has peaked. I have a lot to learn, but it can sometimes seem insurmountable. This may be partially due to unrealistic expectations. I of course want my art to be as good as the art I love. I will say though, that I can more readily identify when I feel a piece of my own art has failed.

I will present the following as an example of that. This was originally done for the topic "Scary". For me, it fails. There's aspects I'm pleased with, but the piece as a whole falls short of what I wanted it to be. The biggest thing that stands out to me? It's too much like I'm trying to realistically render it. All the art I love, that gets me really excited, contains an element of whimsy. You can picture the artist with their tongues out to one side, smirking to themselves the whole time they drew it. Just pure joy. That's the type of art I want to make. I think this effort to render it realistically also made me not focus on the composition as much, so it's a bit weak as well. That being said, I think it's not terrible, and that's progress.



Next up is some ink work that's been sitting in my sketchbook for a bit, waiting to be scanned in. I won't say too much, as I think I may still colour some if not all of these pieces, and can speak to them then. Still mostly working with the Pentel Brush Pen, and still mostly enjoying it.

Deciding which plug to pull:

Victorian Zombie Portrait:

Chamber, from the X-Men:

Labels: Chamber, ink, Photoshop, scary, Victorian, X-Men, Zombies

My apologies for not posting sooner, but October has gotten away from me. I started out the month with the intention of participating in Jake Parker's great Inktober this year. Unfortunately, I think what I was doing was hacking together a stream of consciousness story that was ultimately doomed to fail as a whole. I was also cannibalizing one of my other ideas that would probably come out much better given a bit more attention. If you're interested you can take a peek at my first three pages here, here and here.

Sometimes it amazes me to think of some of the projects that could have been, but for whatever reason fell apart. Now I've consciously walked away from a few myself for various reasons, but so many others, be they graphic novels, anthologies, short stories, have fallen by the wayside of their own accord. Getting more than one creative type to agree on something can be a chore in itself, so getting anthologies off the ground must be a daunting task.

Digging through my own graveyard of half starts and ideas, I've come across quite a few short story ideas that almost were. There's some here I'm almost positive I'll get to one day. Then there's this little guy below. This originally came about for a kid's anthology by a few of the guys involved in Popgun. I can't recall the exact reason it never got off the ground, but there you have it. His name is Johnny Arcade. He's always in the back of my mind, and I'm sure one day I'll get his story down. My apologies if I've posted this in the past, it just sort of stood out to me.

Another project that I was asked to pitch, but didn't get off the ground. I won't say too much more (I think you can figure it out)...

Labels: Inktober, Johnny Arcade, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Anybody that's tried their hand at art knows it doesn't take much to get an artist down. Even the great master da Vinci said "Art is never finished, only abandoned.” We walk away because if we continued on, we'd never stop. That's how I feel about my art sometimes. I call it quits more than I call it complete. Don't get me wrong, I love art, but sometimes it's an uphill battle; fought alone at the drawing table with no way of knowing if you're truly making a dent.

I have however been fortunate to receive some very kind words as of late. First off, I received a surprise (but certainly welcome) write up over at Comics Alliance. It's always very interesting to see what pieces resonate with people, and what pieces they're paying attention to. Thanks Brian!

The other day, I also received a nice compliment on this piece by Steve Ogden. Steve and I have been communicating on and off for a few years now, starting with some back and forth on a few forums, some involvement in anthologies that will probably never see the light of day, and some e-mail correspondence. Steve is a renaissance man, dipping in and out of all facets of the arts, from writing, drawing, animating (and even music), all the while making it look easy. Steve makes the kind of art that you picture him drawing furiously away at, tongue sticking out one side of his mouth, smiling all the way. Do yourself a favour and check out his webcomic Moon Town. You will not be disappointed.

Labels: comics alliance, Moon Town, Steve Ogden

I'm not always sure where I get my influences from. It's a questions a lot of artists are asked, and it baffles me a bit. Mainly because I can't honestly see how it matters. I do believe a lot of my ideas about anatomy, setting up a scene or scenery come more from animation than they ever would from comics. Mainstream, superhero type comics have nothing to offer me. I'm certainly not suggesting that they're bad or poorly done; the artists are in a class of their own. It's just that none of it appeals to me. I'm always drawn to more animated artwork, things like the Flight anthologies, or more European style art. I'm digressing though.

In creating this piece, I consciously tried to suss out where I get certain ideas about how things are done, and try to do them a little different. In the construction of the characters, in the colours chosen, the shapes used, whatever it may be. I'm just trying to stay on my toes, put a conscious foot forward in bettering my art, and continue to move forward. Hope you enjoy!

Labels: costumes, disguise, Monsters

I tried to get some colour on these sketches honest, but it was fighting me all the way. I'll try again once I'm seeing it a bit clearer. Sometimes I think I get caught up in trying new things and pushing myself forward, and I will forget the things I'm already pretty good at. It is a continuing cycle I suppose.

This first one is an idea I had an absolute blast with. I think it works as a whole, but may have some parts that could have been a big stronger.


This second one was actually my first idea, but I think it was unsuccessful. There's just too much I see wrong with it, and I found myself falling on some old habits I'm trying to break. Warts and all, as they say.

Labels: disguise, Monsters, punks, suits