Why Do It?

Nothing beats accomplishment.

Art is not Fun

Making art doesn't make me happy.

It's frustrating, time-consuming, fraught with failure, difficult, and often lonely.

I get a certain kind of satisfaction out of making art, though. I feel like a more valuable contributor to humanity. I feel like I'm on an upward trajectory.

A satisfying life is more than happiness. Art makes me feel more whole.

You Need to Read Akira

I've just been inspired and I think you can be, too.

Akira.

Not the movie. I'm talking about the Manga. 1982. Katsuhiro Otomo.

I just finished reading Otomo's 6 volume masterwork and was blown away by his mastery of perspective and virtuoso rendering. He draws his characters with real weight. The environments are meticulously crafted and engrossing. The pacing is exciting.

If you want some fuel for your artistic fire, I highly recommend that you dig up Akira and learn from a master.

Here's a taste:

Inking with a Brush

I feel like I'm supposed to be using a brush to ink. The idea doesn't thrill me because I love the way I can bear down on a pen.

Lately, though, I've been using a Prismacolor Premier with brush tip for some of my inking. I still use the pens, but I incorporate the brush pen and the results are nice!

The Prismacolor is nice because the brush tip is very short, bridging the gap between a pen and a real brush.

You've gotta try a brush (at least a brush tip). Something about the brush adds an element of happy accident to the process. There is an unpredictability of line that adds a lot of value to the work.

Happy inking.

The Number One Goal of the Young Comic Book Artist

Get rid of the awkwardness in your drawings (unless it's working for you).

Some Advice from Brandon Peterson

If you read the last post, you know I went to HeroesCon last Sunday and chatted with several artists, asking each one for a piece of drawing advice.

Brandon Peterson, who was putting some watercolor on a tremendously wonderful drawing of a girl in a space suit, said whatever that thing is you don't want to draw...you should be drawing it (my paraphrase, of course).

Some Advice from Jenny Frison

I went to HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday and chatted with several artists. Not knowing what to say to a boat load of great artists, I asked a few of them to share a piece of drawing advice. Jenny Frison (a great cover artist) said to draw all the time, because the only way to get to the good stuff is to slog through the bad (my own paraphrase).

Good advice if I've ever heard it.