Tim Bradstreet on his Influences and Artistic Process – Part 2

By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault

In part one of this interview Tim Bradstreet opened up his artistic tool box and went through it in detail. In part 2 we get a look inside his process and his artistic (and cultural) influences.

Tim, which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are YOUR masters of ink?

Great question as I am all about the influences, especially when I need to recharge the battery. Guys that get me all fucking girly are (in no specific order) -
Bernie Wrightson, Gary Gianni, Danijel Zezelj, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Alex Nino, Jim Steranko, Mark Shultz, Richard Corben, Timothy Truman, Franklin Booth, Jim Daly, Darwyn Cooke, Serpieri, Quique Alcatena, Gene Day, Jean Giraud, William Stout, Mike Mignola, Dave Stevens, Michael Wm. Kaluta, George Pratt, Tom Yeates, Joe Kubert, Reed Crandall, Doug Wildey, Wow, God I love Doug Wildey’s work.

That’s the main list off the top of my head. I’m leaving important one’s off but you can never absolutely DEFINE the list. I discover artist’s work I love and appreciate all the time. With most all of the artists listed it’s based off the body of work, entire careers. There are also a lot of exciting and bold artists really happening in the now, a lot of folks who deserve a wider audience.

But the thing now too is that with digital there are so many really wonderful artists that work in multiple styles. That’s great, that kind of flexibility is amazing and I’m awed by it, but with varying styles it’s more difficult to define them. I’m drawn mostly to artists who’ve really defined themselves with that one-of-a-kind look, “It couldn’t possible be anyone else’s work but so and so . . .” etc.

A cover for SCALPED, an ongoing DC Vertigo series.

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Could you give us a quick overview of your process?

Awww, c’mon, that’s boring! It’s sometimes different based off the job requirements but my normal M.O. begins by executing a photo rough or ‘key art’. Normally I start out focusing on the main figure (s), getting that right, the idea of it . . . what pose, what position, what props, how to present this character dynamically, iconically. All of that is an automatic flow that begins with the feeling/vibe I get from what the character is, what he/she does, what actions define them.

Then it’s all about composition, telling a story in a single frame, whether that’s a more ambiguous ‘mood’ shot where the tone defines the moment, or it’s an actual scene. Sometimes it’s a superdoodle with multiple iconic elements combining to create a pastiche. I try to get inside the character’s head and then step out and move my eye/camera around. That’s all in my head as I begin to form an idea of what I want to photograph.

Pencils for a BLADE cover

Sometimes I sketch it out, sometimes I go directly to the shoot and riff the idea. Sometimes I’m using reference that wasn’t originally intended for the job in hand – and that’s even more ambitious in many ways because you are creating the actual figure like a Frankenstein, pieces and parts, a bit from this a bit from that, a complete jam. Then it’s all about creating an environment that compliments the human element. It’s ALL composition.

When I complete that photorough to my or my client’s satisfaction then I take it to the light box and translate (over vellum). Once my pencils are finished I flip the vellum over (I print everything backwards) and dry transfer it to my Bristol board. That’s when the real fun begins. Ink, glorious ink.

The cover CRIMINAL MACABRE issue 1.

Then I work the color myself or indicate the color treatment I’d like for my colorist/partner, Grant Goleash, then sit back while he does his magic. Generally after Grant has done his bit I edit and tweak the color again and then deliver.

The cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 27.

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

It’s an iTunes DJ playlist taken from my (Scores Only) playlist. It just runs and runs and runs my favorite scores. I’ve got about a week’s worth of music in there with no repeats. It helps create a mood. I love working to film scores. Right now it’s Jerry Goldsmith – “Jerry in Japan“, a live recording of Goldsmith’s film music conducted by Charles Fox. As we speak I’m listening to a most bombastic kickass version of the Title Track from The Wind And The Lion. Next track up in the que is Merlin’s Spell, by Trevor Jones from the score to Excalibur. This is some sweet stuff.

A piece used for the animated Kuwait sequence in the PUNISHER film.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I actually don’t have a lot of art hanging in my studio because I lack the wall space. There is so much I’d LOVE to hang in here to inspire me but it’s all windows and bookshelves. I have Bernie Wrightson’s “Momentos“, hanging in my bar. To my left is a gorgeous black and white original by Jim Daly. It’s incredible, a neat as shit scene of a dragon rider, framed by a tunnel of darkness, part of some kind of twisted hulk of a structure. In the background are other riders off in the distance, flapping winged leather for some unknown destination. It’s so cool.

The cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 33.

Next to that I have an original Martin Emond page from the Heavy Metal story White Trash. Tom Jane got it framed for me for my birthday last year. It’s one of my prized possessions cause Martin traded me for it years ago. He tragically passed away a few years ago so this one is mighty special. In front of me hangs my 4 year old daughter’s artwork. She draws and paints like crazy. I’m fairly sure she’s going to be in the creative field when she grows up

In my Bar hangs a picture of Chief Dan George as Lone Watie from The Outlaw Josey Wales. I have no idea who the artist is, my dad bought it for me at an antique shop a few years back. It’s just damn cool. I’d really like to get my Doug Wildey page from Creepy hung up in here. I have a Paul Gulacy grey-toned page from a Black Widow story originally published in one of the old black and white Marvel mags . . . Bizarre Adventures maybe? Can’t remember. I’ve got a couple Wrightson’s, Lee Bermejo, Truman originals . . . Geez, there is just so much. I may have to brick over my windows.

The badass cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 45.

What’s the last novel you read and last movie that you saw that you’d recommend? Which movies and books do you always return to?

I just re-read Frank Herbert’s Dune for about the 6th or 7th time. It’s definitely my favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel if not my favorite all-around novel. I guess that also answers the last part of your question because I seem always to return to Dune, as well as the rest of the Dune series. Have to re-read them all every time.

Other books I rotate back to all the time are the Master And Commander series of books by Patrick O’Brian, The Name Of The Rose, by Umberto Eco, Conan, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and El Borak, all by Robert E. Howard. There are others too.

Tim Bradstreet’s character Manfred Gallows from his Red Sky Diaries saga.

Last movie I saw that I would recommend . . . Edge Of Darkness. I’m a HUGE fan of the 1985 original BBC mini-series starring Bob Peck (a tour de force performance) and directed by Martin Campbell. I was drawn to the film adaptation for two reasons, 1. Because Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) himself was back in the director’s chair remaking his own film! and 2. Because I’m a huge Mel Gibson fan. Whatever people think about his personal issues I don’t really have any problem putting that aside to watch the fucking Road Warrior when he’s back on the screen after a 5-6 year absence.

I thought it was condensed (the original was 6 hours) decently enough and enjoyed watching a film that wasn’t assaulting me with ridiculous, over-the-top action and flimsy dialogue. Ray Winstone too, is fun to watch as Jedburgh. There is a fun role reversal from the BBC version, the original is based in England so the Gibson character is English and Jedburgh is American. The character’s nationalities are flipped with the remake taking place in America. Also, just really love the story by Troy Kennedy-Martin.

The original pen and ink cover for the PUNISHER DVD comic.

Current and upcoming projects?

That’s always such a loaded question, primarily because at any given time I may be working on something that is a bit far down the road, like Red Sky Diary. I’m co-writing a novelization and in between working on other stuff I write, edit, work on this massive glossary of terms, do illustrations, etc.

But it’s still going to be a year before this thing comes out. I’m also working on a mondo cool personal project, a book of illustrations which are anything the fuck I feel like drawing. I’ll end up with 15 or so. They run the gambit from ambiguously interesting character pieces, to actual scenes, to montage stuff. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, post apocalyptic, combinations of all of that. Each illustration will be handed off to a writer like Warren Ellis, Bruce Jones, or David J. Schow.

The cover for SCALPED issue 19

The writers will come from many different areas of expertise, comic writers, screenwriters, novelists, etc. They will get carte blanch to write about whatever they want to as long as it pertains to that image I hand to them. It’s the normal creative process in reverse. They will each be limited to around 3 to 4000 words. When they finish the story I’ll add a spot illustration or two in order to round things out. My plan is to print it oversized (like 9″ x 12″) and do it as a hardcover. All the illustrations will be in glorious black and white.

Aside from those “in the works” projects, I’m keeping busy working on a new comic series by Garth Ennis that Dynamic Forces is publishing. Also getting set to provide covers for a new Clive Barker series at Boom! I’m always busy with Rogue Angel, it’s a line of novels that I’ve been doing covers for over the last few years. Seriously I’m looking for something “regular” to do again like I did with Hellblazer and Punisher. I was LOVING doing Criminal Macabre with Steve Niles but it’s been on hiatus for like 8 months now.

The cover for PUNISHER NOIR Issue 2

I’m looking for a gig, someone help and old saddle bum out here! What I’m really looking forward to is production designing this awesome period western-style revenge film set in colonial New Zealand that my pal Andrew McKenzie wrote and will direct. It’s an incredible script. I brought it to Tom Jane and we’re co-producing as well. It’s very close to green light status. It’s called Sweetwater.

Read Part One of this Tim Bradstreet interview.

Come back on Monday, March 22nd for the third and final installment.

For more info you can visit Tim Bradstreet’s website or head on over to his company page for RAW Studios.

HELLBLAZER Issue 188 cover

Tim Bradstreet; A Master Class in Pen and Ink Realism

By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault

*Note* this is part one of an epic 3-part interview. Here is part two.

Tim Bradstreet. What can I say about this awesome artist that hasn’t yet been said by people much more talented than myself? Quite a lot actually. There have been a lot of artists in my lifetime that have influenced me in so many ways BUT overall Mr. Bradstreet has been the single biggest influence on how I work and draw. The first time that I saw his work I was already heading in that same artistic direction. He just helped to take all of the other artists that I loved from my teenage years such as Paul Gulacy, Gene Day and Al Williamson and smack me in the face with the outright bodacity that he was incorporating into his work while still retaining the qualities that I had loved about these other artists but had forgotten.

I have heard from a lot of people that seeing his work for the first time is so powerful that words cannot it describe or do it justice. So, without further babbling on my part I’ll let HIS artwork and words seer into your brain like it did mine. He truly is a MASTER of INK.

Tim, what inspired you to first start drawing? Did you struggle in your formative years or did it come easy to you?

I’ve drawn as far back as I can remember, even pre-Kindergarten. I’m not exactly sure what inspired it or sparked it. I know that I loved to draw dinosaurs and cars, airplanes, battles, little stick-men wars with explosions – arms, heads, and legs flying every which way. You know, the kind of thing that today would likely result in your teacher calling in your parents to inform them they’re ‘concerned’ about you, heheh.

Concept art from The Punisher movie.

I loved to draw hovercraft and other things fantastic, very likely a result of watching Johnny Quest and Star Trek. I was 10 years old when Star Wars came out so at that point all bets were off. I was always a science fiction and horror fan although the horror stuff purely fascinated me at the time, I wasn’t permitted to watch much ’serious’ horror. But I did absorb a lot of it through magazines, Famous Monsters Of Filmland, Star Log, and then Fangoria. Comics too, inspired me but it wasn’t just superheroes. I used to pour over issues of Creepy Magazine on the news stands at the grocery store.

A sketch of actor Ron Perlman from the film Blade 2.

Heavy Metal Magazine blew me away, mostly Moebius and the “Incal” stories. I don’t know if drawing always came easy to me, I didn’t think about it too much until I got serious, around the time I was 14 or 15. Then it seemed very difficult because I was trying to emulate the work of all these fantastic illustrators from Jack Kirby to Frank Frazetta. I had no real concept of the tools these artists used. My choice of weapon was the “Tech Pen”. Talk about a brutal initiation. Obviously you can’t make thick to thin ‘feathered’ lines with a fucking tech pen, so I just drew the outline of the shape and filled it in.

A cover from the Criminal Macabre series

I wasn’t aware of an easier way. Bit by bit I figured it out. I believe I was maybe 19-20 years old before I retired my tech pens and picked up the brush. Wow, that was a whole new world. It was daunting at first. I didn’t feel like I could have the control that a tech pen gave me. But all you really need when using a new tool is a little bit of confidence, and that quickly followed because I drew ALL the time. Those muscles developed with some alacrity because I was using them on a daily basis. I wanted to get better, I made it my religion.

Concept art for a motion graphics sequence in The Punisher movie

What was your first professional work and maybe a quick story behind it?

First real professional work was two illustrations for Game Designers Workshop, a Role Playing Game company. The work appeared in Traveller’s Digest, a support supplement for GDW’s Traveller, sci-fi game system. The year was 1986, not long after I’d graduated from high school. The images were very Star Wars – like, vacuum cleaner droids on a starship, nothing spectacular trust me. They were done in a pencil style drawn on vellum, the same style I employed on the game Twilight 2000, which I became regular artist of on the heels of having done the Traveller tryout.

Cover for Hellblazer issue 211

I was basically taking over that job from an artist named Steve Venters, who had taken me under his wing. He was the interior artist on Twilight 2000 as well as the cover painter and he wanted to spend more time focusing on cover work. I did a few tryout pieces for him trying to clone his style. He was impressed enough to push me to GDW and my entire career began there . . . 24 years ago. It still seems like yesterday.

A ‘rejected’ Bad Planet cover

Were you self-taught or formally educated? Did you have a mentor?

Pretty much self-taught with a mixture of a mentor (namely Venters). I wasn’t really ready for college after high school. I partied like insanely and I blew off getting a portfolio put together to get accelerated courses in college. Subsequently I began in basic courses and was just re-doing stuff I’d already covered in high school. I was bored silly. Hanging out with friends, discovering my burgeoning individuality, and partying seemed much more important to me at the time.

Illustration of Lawrence of Arabia

I ended up dropping out of college not long after I’d hooked up with Venters. I was learning more from him in the course of months than I had in years of art classes. This was also my target field. I regret not having focused more on school but the I don’t regret the reason, it’s territory I had to walk. Growing as an individual, expanding my mind, and truly discovering and embracing pop culture for myself was a necessary evil. In a large way it gave me my edge.

Who’s to say I couldn’t have done both? But everyone has to follow their own path, and I had a helluva lot of fun and life experiences following the path that I did.

Punisher Vietnam cover

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

About two-three years ago I stopped using a brush almost entirely. I NEVER thought I would, but they stopped making my fucking brush! I used a cheap little Loew-Cornell 5-ot liner brush since about 1988. I love that thing. I still have 3 of them and I protect them like they were my children. I break one out every now and then when I HAVE to, to get a required effect where I want it.

What took it’s place is a Hunt #102 – Crowquill nib. A tool I NEVER thought I’d become proficient at. I’d always shied away from pen nibs because I was never very good at controlling them, but again, all I needed was to develop a little confidence. Now I absolutely LOVE using it. I’ve always been a noodler, and you can noodle like a madman with a pen nib. In a way it’s like the tech pen, yet it has this incredible organic quality that technical pens will never posses because of the flexibility of the point, it’s ability to alter line weights with the right pressures applied.

A promotional poster for The Punisher featuring actor Thomas Jane as Frank Castle.

I also use a Raphael #1 from time to time, but it’s mostly the nib. One of my main weapons currently is a Niji Waterbrush. It’s a synthetic brush with a reservoir for ink built into the barrel. I never fill the thing, I dip it. It’s AMAZING as a tool to do dry-brush. You can really batter it and they don’t cost a ton, around $9. They clean easy and they can really last. They have a startlingly decent point on them too, so you can do some really fine work with them if you choose to.

Jim Daly turned me onto them, though they aren’t a whole lot different than the Pentel Color Brush, which was fairly popular in the early to mid 90’s. I remember Mark A. Nelson used to use them exclusively back in the day. I tried them then but it never really took. That’s about it except for a big chisel brush I use for big ink-swash backgrounds. That thing is evil-cool, such a diversity of line, bold as porn star.

Preliminary pencils for a cover

How has your toolbox evolved compared to when you first started out?

It’s basically the same. Different tools but very similar results. My style has evolved a great deal since the early days of professional work, but the vision is essentially the same, just more refined in places and more organic in others. The whole thing is a journey, you have to challenge yourself and not fall into the trap of thinking that you’ve attained some magical power where you no longer need to learn, experiment, or grow as an artist.

The minute you think you have learned it all and you become completely satisfied with your work you’re going to stagnate and become a dinosaur. The process never ends if you have your head in the right place. Resting on laurels of past glory is absolutely the worst thing you can do as an artist, regardless of your area of expertise. The same holds true for musicians, writers, you name it. Times change, people grow and move on, and if your work goes static, technically, compositionally, dynamically, etc . . . Then you’re just old news.

The Punisher

I don’t have to be the best artist, I don’t have to be the most popular artist. I don’t give a shit about that. I draw for myself first, and I love what I get to do for a living. Constant learning, experimenting, even re-inventing is what keeps me refreshed and excited about it. At the end of the day I just strive for my work to have relevance to me, if it does, then I gotta figure it’s finding an audience somewhere among the public. They are my benefactors, bless them every one. I guess that answer qualifies as getting off on a tangent

What’s your favorite brand of ink?

I like about any old brand of waterproof rapidograph ink for paper. I use that with the nibs cause it flows nice and smooth. When I black, I add a couple drops of Japanese Sumi ink to the well. That really charges the black to super black. I like for my originals to stand on their own, I never half-ass it when it comes to blacking.

A pen and ink illustration used as a cover for the French magazine Comic Box

What about papers?

I really love DC’s regular surface 2-ply Bristol (I believe it’s Strathmore). It’s got a touch of tooth and ink dries very quickly so smudging is less of a nuisance. I just flip it over and draw on the back, blue lines really annoy me. I use that when I can get a friendly editor to hook me up. I used to really love a Rising 3-ply Bristol with a regular finish but I can’t find it anywhere in San Diego. Right now I really dig this 3-ply Strathmore Bristol with a vellum finish. I thought ‘vellum’ would be too smooth but it’s more like a regular surface, just enough tooth to give it some guts, and just smooth enough so that my pen nib doesn’t betray me and get snagged. That does truly suck when it happens.

Cover for Marvel’s Luke Cage Noir

I purchase all of my non-comic company supplied paper in large sheet form and have it cut down to 11″ X 17″ boards. You can get 3 boards from a large sheet. I have no idea if it’s cheaper to do it that way, that doesn’t confront me. It’s just that I have never found a paper worth a shit in tablet form. Of course that’s mainly from a lack of searching to any great extent I don’t really populate message boards or confer with others about the subject too often unless I’m at a convention and talk turns professional with a peer. Regardless, I’m sure it seems obvious that I prefer a heavier paper. I’m not a fan of flimsy originals.

Read part two of this interview. Come back on Monday, March 22nd for the third and final installment.

For more info you can visit Tim Bradstreet’s website or head on over to his company page for RAW Studios.

Madam Samurai Looks Like a Badass Little Graphic Novel

File this under cool things that show up in my inbox. Scar Comics is releasing the first of what is to be a two-volume graphic novel series called Madam Samurai. It’s hitting the streets in the summer of 2010.

The first thing that caught my eye was that it was written by Gary Young, the screenwriter for both The Tournament and the Michael Caine revenger, Harry Brown. I’ve seen both films and love them each for different reasons. Harry Brown in particular was an amazing and mean little drama and I can’t wait for the rest of North America to catch it on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Gary Young writes tough as nails scripts so I can’t wait to see what he does when turned loose on a comic book. And comic fans on both sides of the Atlantic will get a chance to see what he can do with the graphic novel form in June.

A quick synopsis for the story reads as follows:

Madam Samurai is a hard hitting historical adventure drama that spans the battlefields of feudal Japan and the crime ridden streets of Victorian London.

Look for it in the April 2010 edition of Diamond Previews.

Here’s a couple of unlettered preview pages by the series artist Dave Hitchcock who has previously won an Eagle Award in 2005 for his artwork on Springheeled Jack.

And here’s a nifty trailer for the book.

A Quick Talk with Comics Legend Tony DeZuniga

Tony DeZuniga is a comics legend who has been working in the industry since the age of 16 or in 1957 if you prefer. In the 60’s and 70’s he moved back and forth between the Philippines (his native country) and New York City working for both Marvel and DC Comics. That means he’s forgotten more about comics than you or I will probably ever learn. Later on he worked as a conceptual designer in video games and now in retirement he does commissioned paintings and teaches art. In 2010 he’s still at the top of his artistic game and it’s a big year for him with the upcoming release of the Jonah Hex movie.

First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

My first work was that House of Mystery, it’s about a Pharaoh and his son, Joe Orlando wanted to try me if my work is as good as my portfolio because he was impressed when I show him my portfolio.

Self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

I was just self taught with the help of Filipino comic illustrators like Coching and Redondo and a few more that’s ahead of me. Always try to ask and make room for improvement. And you have to memorize your anatomy, that’s very important.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

Actually I use everything, and try to be good with everything. But I think pencil is my forte. I started doing fine arts too and I love acrylic and gouache.

Favorite brand of ink:

I am using this sable pen brushes, they’re expensive but I love it they’re so think and so smooth to use.

Type of paper:

I like the vellum kind , the one with tooth, I’m a pencil person so I want something that sticks on the paper.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

I love the works of Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, they’re my inspiration growing up and starting as an artist and I know I’m not alone, a lot of artist feels the same.

Tony DeZuniga Art Exhibit Opening

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job? Could you provide a quick overview of your process?

Doing a commission is very tricky, I wish all customers would tell you that “do whatever you want , as long as I get my character” but the thing doing commissions are, they’re paying you so they want certain things, certain poses, with another character, they want an evil witch…etc. But customer is always right…

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

I love jazz music and Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Michael Bubble.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I love a Joe Kubert spread he gave me long time ago; a picture of me and Bill Gaines in the 70’s; a San Julian pencil and Maroto colored illustration with lots of appreciation and story behind it.

Last novel you read and last movie that you saw (that you’d recommend)?

I don’t really read novels but I love watching movies. I love the Avatar movie. I used to be a conceptual designer of SEGA and how I miss that job.

Current and upcoming projects?

My upcoming project is the Graphic Novel of Jonah Hex. The movie is coming out in June 16, 2010 and Paul Levitz, DC President wrote us a letter that they will give me a credit on the movie and we were invited at the red carpet.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

Just keep on trying, and most important is you have to have your own style, all new artists wanted to be like Jim Lee or Todd Macfarlane, no you have to develop your own style to get there and of course you have to be really good and sometimes….luck.

Read more about Tony at alanguilan.com

Video Interview with TONY DeZUNIGA

Killer new Jason Shawn Alexander Art for Marvel Zombies Return

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the art of Jason Shawn Alexander around here. His pen and ink artwork is quickly ranking up there with the masters and his painting skills are second to none. He’s been updating his blog with a lot of new pen and ink sketches, oil paintings and comic book art.

He’s been working on the Marvel Zombies Return series which features one my favorite renditions of Wolverine that I’ve seen in some time. The artwork has a manic and insane quality to it that fits in with the lunatic humor of the ongoing series of miniseries.

In addition Jason’s been drawing and painting up a storm for his upcoming gallery show at the Corey Helford Gallery coming up on May 8th.

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