Creating a Graphic Novel : Art – Food – Photography

Jack Redd is an English based artist who has been doing some amazing superhero pin-ups. He took the time out to have a chat with me in regards to his work and allowed me to showcase one of his pieces.

What originally got you into comics?

I originally got into art through comics, I mean like most kids I drew all types of things growing up, but it was comic-books that made me actually start to appreciate the craft of creating art. I am based in England and I grew up in a very small town and comics just weren’t really stocked, so I had to make do with the odd summer special reprint that would turn up in one of the smaller newsagents. It was the X-Men that I really loved, the characters, the stories, the art, the sexy ladies. :)

Haha . . I think Jim Lee’s X-Men helped in that respect. I still loved the way he drew Psylocke. When did you start working?

I started working professionally as an artist when I was 13, designing costumes for some local professional wrestlers. I remember some of them got on a pretty big tour round the UK and I was supposed to go see them, but I ended up getting pretty ill and couldn’t make it. Afterwards one of the guys turned up with this poster that had been signed with get well messages from all the wrestlers on the tour – the highlight being The British Bulldog – Davey Boy Smith. I was so proud!

After college I started to move away from comic art and more into pin-up and portrait art – but regardless of what form – I have always been working as an artist in some form. it was actually only earlier this year that I got commissioned to do some comic-book characters and once I started I couldn’t stop myself. It’s giving me a chance to play with all these new techniques and styles and is getting a pretty good reaction so far.

That’s cool. I’m a big wrestling fan too (it’s a guilty pleasure) and I remember British Bulldog! I’ve seen some of your commissions and they are amazing! Love your showcase piece. Can you tell me a little more about it?

This piece is called A Dark Night and was my tribute to Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker as well as being a real fun piece. The full size of it is is 16 1/2″ tall and 35 1/4″ wide as it’s made up of 3 separate bristol boards. It’s done in pencil and inks. The main concept of it was to have Ledger’s Joker surrounded by the comic book versions of the other Batman family characters. The women all over him and the guys not too happy about it!

I tried to add little details in the piece, such as the interplay between all the characters, like the way the Joker grips Ivy’s hair and in return her vines crawl up his leg, or Catwoman playfully tugging at his tie, but with her claws out and ready – all the while the Joker is ready to stab her in the back! They don’t play nice and that’s the way they like it!!

I liked how the final piece turned out! I think Ledger’s performance is probably the scariest portrayal of the Joker. Thanks for your time and I wish you all the best.

For any commission details or enquiries, please feel free to email him on jack [at] reddlife.com or visit his website at :
http://www.reddlife.com