Archive for ‘Creativity’
8 items.
A couple weeks ago I decided to briefly discuss my top ten creative influences/inspirations. We’ve already talked about numbers 10 & 9 and 8 & 7, so let’s get the ball rolling on 6 & 5:
06. Craig Thompson – Craig Thompson is the award-winning creator of the graphic novels Goodbye, Chunky Rice and Blankets. He’s currently at work on a new GN, and he regularly updates the status of this next book at his website. I discovered Thompson’s work shortly after Blankets was released, and I picked up the book thanks to a suggestion from a comic news podcast I listened to at the time. Compared to other graphic novels on the market, Blankets is quite a tome weighing in at over 500 pages! I read it in one sitting and it renewed my faith in the comic medium. It was so refreshing to see a creator telling a story without any gimmicks. Blankets is beautifully drawn, intellectually honest, and – perhaps most importantly – very accessible. If you’ve never read Blankets – heck, if you’ve never read a graphic novel – then go pick it up and give it a chance. It’s definitely a “must read”.
05. Jeff Smith – You know Jeff Smith as the creator of the comics Bone and RASL, and there are many reasons why I love what this guy is throwin’ down. For starters, he’s a fellow Ohioan. In fact, he only lives about an hour from my home. The Bone locale “Old Man’s Cave” is an Ohio landmark, and the forest backgrounds in Bone were inspired by the Hocking Hills which acted as my wife’s backyard during her formative years. Secondly, Smith replied to a letter I sent him when I was in the 7th grade. It was a hand-written response on Bone letterhead telling me how much he loved Moby Dick. I framed it and hung it on my wall. Finally, Jeff is just an outstanding artist and writer. Bone is quite an epic adventure, and the art and writing suck you right into the world those characters inhabit. Head over to Amazon and grab the Bone: One Volume Edition. Then let your kids read it because they’ll love it!
Do you guys have any opinions on Craig Thompson and Jeff Smith? Who are YOUR influences?
- Wes
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Last Monday I started a short series of blog posts that briefly discuss the top ten creators that I’ve found to be the most influential/inspiring. This week we’ll discuss #8 and #7!
08. Scott Kurtz – Scott Kurtz is the creator of the award-winning webcomic PvP. I’ve been a fan of Scott’s for close to 7 years now, and his evolution as a cartoonist continues to amaze me. He’s an outstanding draftsman, a great writer, and a pretty savvy businessman. He also gives me hope that there’s money to be had for cartoonists on the internet. Scott has an infamous reputation around the web for expressing his opinions. While I don’t always agree with his positions or how he presents them, I have to say that Scott has been nothing but kind and hospitable to me over the past few years. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with him on the phone a couple times, and he kindly drew the cover of the YHT comic book back in 2007. He even talked me out of changing the name of YHT halfway through its run! He’s a very talented creator, and – in my opinion – a pretty good guy, too.
07. Bryan Lee O’Malley – There’s not much I don’t love about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work. As a cartoonist, he does a great job of packing tons of detail into what appear to be relatively simple drawings. He doesn’t overuse lines and hash marks, but his characters are great “actors” – they emote well, they dress well, and they move well. When it comes to writing, O’Malley is second to none. He has a great imagination, yet he can ground a lot of it in reality. And his ear for dialogue is amazing! I haven’t found very many cartoonists who have so accurately captured the nuances of speech and dialogue the way O’Malley has! If you haven’t already checked it out, do yourself a favor and snap up the Scott Pilgrim series. Go ahead and snag a copy of Lost at Sea while you’re at it, too.
Who are some of your influences?
- Wes
[ 3 Comments ]
Starting today, I’m going to do a short series discussing who I consider to be my top ten influential/ inspiring creators. I’ll briefly write about two creators every week until we get to number 1! This will be fun, so let’s get started!
10. Ben Caldwell -I discovered Ben Caldwell’s artwork a couple years ago via a link from Penny Arcade. I pored over the images on his website, and then immediately went out and snapped up his two books – Action Cartooning and Fantasy Cartooning. Whenever I feel like my artwork is getting stagnant – or I just want a quick refresher on the basics – I’ll grab one or both of these books and slowly skim the pages. Ben is an outstanding cartoonist, and his books and website are wonderful resources for beginning cartoonists and pros who want to hone their craft.
09. Chris Sanders – Chris Sanders is probably best known as the writer/director of How To Train Your Dragon and as the creator/writer/director of Lilo and Stitch. He is also the creator of the webcomic Kiskaloo. In other words, he’s a highly imaginative cartooning machine! I bought one of his sketchbooks at the San Diego Comic Book Convention a couple of years ago, and I often refer to it when I need a little inspiration. Sanders recognizable style is so fun to look at – his characters are adorable, and his linework is fun and spontaneous! There’s a lot of personality in those lines! If you want to see some great character design, you need look no further.
What do you guys think? Who are YOUR influences/inspirations?
- Wes
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