Creating a Graphic Novel : Art – Food – Photography

Watchmen by Alan Moore and David Gibson is one of the most definitive graphic novels of all time. With the movie (Zack Synder) coming out soon, I borrowed the TPB from the library again. It’s been quite a while since I last read it and I seem to be picking a lot of detail I missed during the first run through. So even if you have read it before, this one is definitely worth re-reading.

It’s not a Green Tea Latte. An affogato is a shot of espresso topped with ice-cream or gelato. The one featured here is with Rum & Raisin ice-cream from a little gelato shop just north of Sydney CBD. The gelato will melt ever so slightly over hot coffee. I think one of the best gelato flavour to add is Baileys as it really complements the coffee. (Or a nice shot of Frangelico if you have some!)

I made a submission to a comic anthology called Tango 8 about two months ago. It was my first attempt at getting published and my first at creating a story in the “comic” medium. Full details of the process to create the story is here.

Received this acknowledgment late last week :
“I ‘m happy to say that your submission was accepted, and it’s being assembled into the book as we speak.

Will let you and the other makers know more when things are confirmed.”

I’m ecstatic! I can’t wait till December when I will receive my copy of the anthology. It’ll be a great feeling to check out how the final printed product looks on paper. It’s gotten me excited to work on my next submission.

For more information on Tango 8 :
http://www.cardigancomics.com/

During Gary Erskine’s visit to Sydney, I had the opportunity to get another sketch done. I opted this time for one of the Authority characters and we settled on Midnighter. Some of the detailing was lost in the below picture when scanned so you’ll have to take my word for it that it looks better in real life.

Gary Erskine (Dan Dare, Authority, Army @ Love) made an appearance at Kings Comics all the way from Europe! Although sporting a cold from climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a hail storm, he was exceptionally pleasant and chatted about his various experiences from his amazement of Dark Knight at IMAX to his love of Indian and Mexican food.

He was happy to discuss his art as well as mention some of the inspiration behind his panels. e.g. The space shipyard in Dan Dare was a photo reference of the vents near the Harbour Bridge! He puts an amazing amount of detail into his inking and work.

Be sure to check out his blog to find out more about him or for any posts or updates. For more information, check his website.

Gary sketching Judge Dredd for me. He mentioned he preferred doing Dredd rather than the female Judge Anderson.

The final Judge Dredd picture!

In Week 2, the class was given 15 seconds per gesture (nonsense) drawing. However as the first exercise in Week 3, the time was extended to 30 seconds then a minute per pose. This allowed the gesture drawings to be more fleshed out. Unlike in contour where the single line is important, in building up a gesture it is the combination of the lines that give the drawing weight and movement.

The below gestures drawings show a greater build up of the model in various poses.

A new technique learnt today was light and shadows. The drawing was built up with by lifting off the charcoal to produce “light” and darkening the charcoal to produce “shadows“. The separation of the light and shadow creates the lines rather than using contours. I found this technique a little difficult although I could grasp the concept. I was working a little slower than I would have liked and didn’t get to finish it in the timeframe. My first attempt at building up the shoulder and the model’s left breast.

Had a little more time with the following attempt to try and build up the face. It’s interesting observing how the light catches someone’s face. If I had more time I would have really loved to have completed some of the neck and shoulders to give the head some proportion. Also, I think completing the eyes would have really given the face some depth.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to make Week 4 so there won’t be a drawing update next week. This is easily one of the most engaging courses I have done. It’s been great to approach life drawing from different perspectives. Looking forward to Week 5!

Jim Lee (All Star Batman and Robin) was in Melbourne (approx. 1000km south of Sydney) doing an appearance for the Armageddon Multimedia Expo Australia. A friend of mine (who’s a comic fanatic) was especially excited to meet him in person but unfortunately due to the long queue was unable to get an autograph or a sketch. However Jim did a Q&A panel and my friend was able to listen to Jim field some questions from the audience. The entire story about the event is here with photos! I have been a fan of Jim Lee since his X-Men days, hopefully he makes it up to Sydney for a convention soon!

On another note, there was a local market in Neutral Bay (approx 5km away from Sydney CBD) where some stalls were selling odds and ends and others selling various foods. Entertaining the crowd was singer songwriter Geoff Williams playing his style of country music. The photo captures his calm and laid back presence as he entertains the crowd.

Rich Hennemann has one of the most incredible art styles. Scroll down to the bottom of this post if you want a quick look at his work. He also maintains a blog where he posts up new pieces of work. I managed to catch up with Rich to ask him a few questions.

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Massachusetts, born and raised. I currently live in the southeastern part of the state, with my wife, who is expecting our first child in just a few weeks.

Congratulations on your first child! All the best, I’m sure parenthood will give you a new perspective on life. In terms of your art who do you consider your influences?

My influences vary. I’m a big fan of comics, and more specifically comic art, so that’s where it all began for me. The first comic I ever read was an issue of Spidey by Todd McFarlane. From the second I opened that book, I knew I wanted to draw. I wouldn’t say that McFarlane is an influence on my work exactly, but he was the one that really made me want to draw.

The biggest artist influence on me would be Tim Sale (even though you can’t really see it at all in my art). He excites me, and inspires me, and just does things that I can’t do, which is what really draws me to his work. He has a style that is completely his own, and I do my best to learn from his masterful storytelling, design and technique.

I also have a great love for the work of Darwyn Cooke, John Romita Sr., Robert McGinnis, Fritz Willis, Drew Struzan, Scott Morse, Bill Presing, Juanjo Guarnido….I could probably go on forever.

That’s a lot of people. Is there someone specific you consider your greatest motivator to pursue this career?

While all of these amazing people inspire me artistically, my main inspiration, and the reason I draw and paint today, is my wife. I spent a good deal of my childhood and early adolescence drawing. From crayon masterpieces for my mom, to doodles on my school textbook covers, to mimicking my favorite comic book artists, even creating my own comic books and magazine covers.

I continued drawing, albeit less and less, throughout my high school years….but as the years went on, and adult life began to take over, I eventually stopped drawing almost completely. That is, until I met the beautiful woman who would inspire me, and encourage me….and who would eventually become my wife. She is the reason I put pencil and brush to paper, and for that, I could never thank her enough.

You’re showcasing two art pieces. Would you elaborate a little bit more on them?

I’m a big movie buff, so I’m showcasing a painting of Jack Nicholson’s Joker that I really like. Jack’s performance is one of my all time favorites, and even though this was a rather quick painting, I had as much fun doing it as any I can remember. This was roughly penciled on an 11 x 15 watercolor board, then painted (and mostly drawn) with watercolors.

Your Joker is amazing! I think it’s fantastic. It’s a very different style to the piece done by Jack Redd. Even though it’s a brightly coloured piece, it still has a very sinister feel to it. Onto the next piece, so how did you create the World’s Finest piece?

This piece was done in pencil, ink and watercolor on colored canson paper. It was done as a gift for a good friend of mine in Hawaii , who is an avid collector of World’s Finest commissions. Superman and Batman are my two favorite comic characters, but being so different, it can be hard (at least for me) to draw them together. Superman is light, Batman is dark. Metropolis is bright, Gotham is not. Getting them to fit in the same mood can be a challenge, but I’m happy with the results.

Thanks for your time! I really like both works of yours. Very different feel to both of them. Wish you all the best on your first child and future endeavors.

FYI – If you like Rich’s work check out his eBay Auctions to grab a piece of original art or a commission.

*Boooo*
Happy Halloween all (or also known as All Hallow’s Eve).
Don’t eat too much candy!

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]

Following on from Week 1, two different techniques were shown this week. The first technique was a gesture (or nonsense) sketch. It’s meant to be disassociative, where you start from the middle and build out, as opposed to contour where you start from the edges. This technique is meant to be able to capture a sense of movement and weight. The below is my nonsense attempt, it’s still a little too rigid though. I still have a lot of work to do to get better at this.

The next technique was foreshortening. This felt very similar to perspective where the picture gets distorted by the observer’s angle and distance to the subject. Trying to establish a measure of relative size was an interesting exercise. The first sketch is the model lying down head first and the second is the model feet first.

The final picture was the standing model. I tried to establish the foreshortening of the feet. It was a quick drawing but needs a little more rework if I had the time. The extended arm doesn’t feel quite right. I like working with willow charcoal but I think next week I might some try some graphite pencils just to get a different feel. Can’t wait for Week 3.