Creators: Mike Mignola

Creators

A growing list of influential Artists, Writers, Poets, Filmmakers, and Creatives.

Mike Mignola

This one was a long time coming.  Some of you who know me may have heard me talk about this guy before.  Almost every time I get into a discussion about great comics, I will mention his name.  Mike Mignola is the comic book artist and writer behind the character Hellboy, the BPRD, and many other monsterific stories.  He is a visual storyteller of the highest caliber and a master of his chosen craft.  Secure your goggles and flippers kids, because we are about to dive in!

Creators: Jack Kirby

Creators

A growing list of influential Artists, Writers, Poets, Filmmakers, and Creatives.

Jack Kirby

 This guy has often referred to as the King of Comics, and by gum, he may just be that! 1936 was the year he entered the scene, and even then so much promise could be seen in his work. He worked as an animator, did weekly strips, but eventually he got to do what he was meant do; epitomize comic book storytelling. Creating great characters and stories for both Marvel and DC comics, without a doubt, he left an enormous impact on the art form.

Jack Kirby was without a doubt talented, influential, and prolific, but he also exemplified the quality that all artists, especially comic artists, need: Hard Working. Jack Kirby had one of the most intense work schedules in comic history, and I'm truly baffled at how much he did and how good it turned out. During his heavy days at Marvel and DC, he would complete more than three pages a day and sometimes more than twenty a week.  With how quickly he completed the work, you would think his quality would have dipped, but the opposite was actually true. He always got better.

Creators: Cliff Chiang

Creators

A growing list of influential  artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, and creatives.

Cliff Chiang

Today I wanted to spotlight one of my favorite artists that's currently hard at work making amazing art.  And who should be up today but Cliff Chiang, the fabulous artists behind DC's current run on Wonder Woman (which is awesome by the way!).  Cliff's work is a beautiful balance of classic line-work with a contemporary dynamism that makes his style right for almost anything.

Creators: Alex Ross

Creators

A growing list of inspirational artists, writers, poets, filmmakers and creatives.

Alex Ross

For my return to the blogging world, I will do  my creator piece this week and a favorite of mine, as well as many others, Alex Ross.  Ross has made his reputation for his lifelike watercolor representations of superheroes.  The painting he's working on the above picture is this one.

Yeah, that's watercolor.  His work always looks impressive, and from what I can tell, its a result of an excellent use of reference and a dedication to craft.  In many ways, every one of his images is iconic and eye catching. He goes great pinups.

...beautiful group shots...

...and sweet composites...

Awesome right?  But like I have said before, there are plenty of artists who can make eye popping pinups and groupshots, and others can make killer covers, but the true test of an artists skill are the grueling trenches of interior artwork.  There are plenty of famous artists in the industry (even much beloved ones) that can't tell a coherent story with their artwork.  Does Alex Ross have what it takes?

Yes.

Yes he can.

No Doubt.

Ross does a great job with emotion, expression and body language.  Each image is beautiful on its own.  He has strong compositions which help to make every labor intensive painting worth the effort.

I have a strange relationship to his artwork.  I've often said to others that when it comes to artwork, that I appreciate realism for what it is, but ultimately I prefer stylization and interpretation.  to look at something and draw it as it is strikes me as easier than interpreting what is seen and adding your own flair.  But what makes Ross a special case is his use of composition.  He has dynamic and emotional images that feel at home in a comic book and also feel like your looking into a world not so far from here.  

Though it frustrates me that he is usually put on Cover duty, there are some fantastic books with him rocking the interiors.  A few are: Marvels, Kingdom Come, Justice, the FIRST issue of Masks, and a few large format specials called Batman: War on Crime, Superman: Peace on Earth, and Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth.

Though i don't foresee copying his style, I hope to one day to look down at my art board and see something that I feel as proud of as he surely does when he looks at his work.  There is no shortage of his artwork out there, so go out and look at it.

Look at IT!

See you Friday.

Creators: Bob Kane

Creators

A growing list of influential artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, and creatives.

Bob Kane

I've already covered the creators of Superman, the original superhero, now I'll show my respect for part of the Dynamic Duo that created that weird creature of the night... Batman!  Kane was another Jewish kid with bold ideas and a pen in his hand.  He was high school friends with Will Eisner, and spent much of his earlier career freelancing his skills as an artist (kinda like me).  After Superman bounced onto the scene, Bob along with so many others rushed to create their own costumed superheroes.  Bob's idea came from 3 specific sources:

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro (from "The Mark of Zorro")

Da Vinci's Ornithopter design

and "The Bat Whispers" from 1930, which gave Kane this...

and this...

and whatever the HELL that is.

So, when Kane put it all together he got...

...this.

Needless to say, we're all glad that his writer pal Bill Finger gave him a few suggestions to improve the look of it.  So by May of 1939, kids would get to look on the stand and see something from their nightmares swinging off the page.

 

For 10 cents back in 1939 you could buy the first issue of Batman.  Kane and Finger went on to establish the look, feel, and prowess of their new detective, and quickly found that their character struck a chord with its readership.

Though fairly crude, his artwork became a standard of comic work, and like all artists got better with time.

I love Bob's Joker.  There's no silliness here, he's just downright scary.

and he'll kill you!

Robin was apparently supposed to be the Watson to Batman's Sherlock.  but why didn't he wear pants?

Besides, Batman works better alone.

To make a long story short (too late) Bob the humble artist left a pretty enormous impact on the world with his funnybook idea.  That's my plan too.

 Long live the Bat-Man!

Creators: Shel Silverstein

Creators

A growing list of influential artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, and creatives.

Shel Silverstein

There are some people that just have so much stuff inside them that they nearly burst with it.  And finding just one way to let it out isn't enough, they have to keep trying different ways to let it out.  That "it" is extremely important to them.  "It" is so important that it must be shared any way they can.

That is the way Shel Silverstein was.

There is much to be inspired by here.  By his artistic craft, his poetry writing, and his idea construction.  There is something about the way he writes that makes it whimsical enough for children yet profound enough for adults.  He has a flair for silliness as well as sensitivity.  I once tried to write poetry like he did... I couldn't quite master it.
But, he was not only a poet and an artist, but he was also a playwright and songwriter.

Here's him with Johnny Cash Singing the song he wrote" a Boy Named Sue."  I still laugh whenever I here him sing.
His work is widely known, so I don't think I need to explain it, so I'll just share some favorites.

It doesn't take much to be hilarious.

The giving tree, in search of selflessness.

Some things are worth listening to.

So long.

Creators: Yanick Paquette

Creators

A growing list of inspirational artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, and creatives.

Yanick Paquette

It's been too long since I have done a post like this, but that ended today when I picked up Swamp Thing #18 and knew I had to praise the hand behind it:  The hand of artist Yanick Paquette.

I have had his work in mind since I started doing posts like this, but today, after reading the latest issue of Swamp Thing, I just had to make his post today.  Yanick is the kind of artist I envy and wish to emulate because his work feels like it comes naturally for him to do, and yet I'm certain there is a long and involved process needed to do it.

I'll start with a cover image he did, though I'm well aware that many artists can make gorgeous covers but at the same time have mediocre interiors.  This is not the case here.  I this cover, you can see a great example of Paquette's style: Strong attention to detail and texture, drawing from life and live reference.  Its both realistic feeling yet stylized enough to look somehow better than real.  One thing's for sure, I think this is how Swamp Thing would look in real life.

Just a glance at his Interiors and you can see his strength as an artist goes beyond the cover.  the same care, texture and detail comes out on every page.  For me, one of my favorite tricks of his are his panels, more specifically how he divides them.  These exotic and colorful breaks seem to come out of the titular character himself.  And of course I won't fail to mention the monsters this guy draws.

Yikes!  Those things are fantastically nasty!

But he doesn't just draw great monsters, but also great people. He also knows how to create drama in a panel despite simplicity.  I would call his style more akin to Surrealism rather than a Bryan Hitch-like photo reference realism.  Paquette comes far enough away from his references to allow them to feel right next to his other drawn lines.

I'm a big fan of his double page spreads, he really uses them to show as much as writer Scott Snyder tells.  and that is an excellent balance to strike in a comic.

While Swamp Thing isn't the only thing he has done, it is the work I am most familiar with.  Now that his run on swamp thing is apparently over, I'm very curious about where his career will go.  Personally, I'd like to see him continue drawing monsters.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images.

See you soon.