There was just something too crazed, twisted and fun about Aaron Crawford’s artwork to not ask him to do a Masters of Ink interview. I love talking to artists who work in the music biz and get a chance to generally be as wild and imaginitive as they want. Especially on art for more underground metal and hardcore bands who would typically seek Aaron out BECAUSE his art is so badass. Aaron and I connected on Twitter and put this together pretty quickly. I have thank him for supplying all of the technicolor eye candy. Let’s get to it.

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

I can honestly say the first thing that inspired me to start drawing was my mom. She would paint these awesome landscapes that just blew me away, and it got me hyped to want to draw. The second thing would be horror movies and shows like Tales From the Crypt and Tales From the Dark Side. I’d see guts, contorted limbs, and eyeballs hanging out, and want to recreate those on paper my own way. Most of the drawings sucked I’m sure, but I guess you learn from your mistakes, right?

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

Wow, never had that question before. I actually had to go back into the long lost files of my old harddrive to figure that out. Turns out it was a piece for a band called Darkened By Reason. They were a local metal band, and great friends. I think that’s honestly the very first shirt design I ever completed, and actually got to see printed back in 2003. The design was a pretty simple muscle diagram I went and redrew and added some stuff to. Nothing too crazy.

Were you self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

I went to a tech school for graphic design for less than a quarter, and quit because there wasn’t anything inspiring about the course, nothing was pushing me. I gained more knowledge by sitting at home and fucking around on the computer and drawing pad and making my own mistakes, and learning from them. I’d just sit around and try and recreate Pushead art and old pictures from Fangoria magazines. I would never tell anyone to not attend an art school, but I think it’s overpriced, and that learning your own way to go about things is the best route, because you’ll probably make a ton of mistakes, and look back, and learn from them. It’s much more fun that way. Also, Persistence and patience, and an open mind.

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?

I mostly use inks, acrylics, and watercolors. For shirt designs, I illustrate on bristol board, then scan it, and do the coloring in Photoshop. A pretty basic method. As for paintings, I paint on whatever I can get my hands on. Everything from canvas, to wood, to old records, anything.

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

I’ve branched out and found other tools and supplies that I never imagined I’d be messing with. Just experiment with different stuff, that’s my best advice. You might find your niche in something you never thought you’d enjoy.

Favorite brand of ink:

I mostly use windsor newton, Higgins, and Faber-Castell stuff, but there’s a ton of different stuff out there that’s just as good.

Type of paper:

Mostly bristol board, but not really limited to that. I draw on everything. I’ll draw on your face if you want.

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

Lately if i get in a stale spot, all I need to do is go to http://www.theartofskinner.com and BAM, I’m on inspiration overload. There’s so many artists that keep me pumped up. Lately it’s been Skinner, Tastes Like Gold, Craola, David Choe, Neckface, my good friend Brian Mcgrath, and a ton of others.

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?

We’ll usually discuss concepts, maybe go over some lyrics, and then HOPEFULLY settle on something we’re both happy with. Then I start with sketches, and if the client approves those, then I go into inking, then coloring digitally. It’s all about communication, man.

How have digital tools affected your creative process over the past few years?

I don’t really try to depend on digital tools as much, but when it comes to shirt designs, you kind of have to depend on Photoshop for the coloring. I think it’s a good thing, but I don’t necesarrily like the way digital line work looks all the time. It almost looks too perfect and robotic, because, it kind of is. You can’t really recreate the style you get by using real ink and your pen / brush.

What would be your best and worst professional experience?

I really enjoy almost every single client I work with. of course, there’s concepts you might not be too stoked on, but you have to make the best of it, and you’ll at least gain something out of it. The worst experiences would have to be when there’s a massive lack of communication, waiting on payments from certain labels for weeks at a time, or just having to tamper with a design over and over to make the client happy, it just ruins the process of creating the actual art. It doesn’t happen very often though, which is good.

What was the best advice you’ve ever received but may not have listened to the first time out?

Something my mom would tell me when I’d draw something, and completley hate it. She would say “you might look at that and think it’s crappy, but in someone elses eyes, it might be beautiful” which is actually true. I’ve done paintings and looked at them and thought “wow, this is shit” but then a friend would come over, and fall in love with it. You never know.

What’s your vital daily ritual?

I wake up, maybe a bike ride, usually get food, then check emails and start sketching. Sometimes coffee and a redbull fits in there somewhere too. My schedule fluctuates so much. Being my own boss is great though. I pretty much make my own hours. It’s all about finding the balance between personal life and work.

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

I’ve been listening to alot of music by a band called Clinging To The Trees of A Forest Fire. I’m an avid music fan, so instead of lisiting every band because there’s about a million, I’d say just check out my last fm page @ http://www.last.fm/user/aaroncrawford

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

I recently bought an American Psycho print by an artist named Erik Jones. His work is beautiful and dark at the same time. Besides that, some random movie posters, and some creepy little characters my friend Tena painted. Besides that, just pictures of stuff that inspires me. Random cut outs from Fangoria and Rue-Morgue, and whatever else I find to be cool or fun.

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 don’t read as much as I’d like to, but the last thing I read was Haunted by Chuck P. The story “GUTS” blew my mind. As for movies, I always end up returning to classics like Dawn of The Dead, Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc. I just went back and re-watched Planet Terror and Death Proof, and I can’t stress enough how much of a genius Tarantino is. I really love most of the stuff Eli Roth does as well.

Current and upcoming projects?

Where to start… hm. I’m working on a ton of new shirts for KITTIE, some shirts for WRETCHED, cd art for an upcoming full length for WITHIN THE RUINS ,and a limited edition print release collaboration type thing (that was a mouthful) with artist Scott Saw that’s going to be released in July at Comic Con! I also have a new urban art project called “THE BOX MONSTERS” that me and my friend (and rad artist) Brian Mcgrath started, where we hide little box monsters around different cities, and photo document them. Just taking another persons trash, and making something creepy and silly out of it. (Follow us on twitter: @theboxmonsters ) We’re also launching something in July, but I don’t want to sound cliché’ and say it’s a “clothing line” cause everyone seems to have those nowadays, but you MIGHT be able to wear it, If it turns out the way we plan. It’ll be fun! Just trying to stay busy.

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 working at whatever you are doing, even if it gets frustrating, and most importantly, have fun with it. There will be times where you feel like everything you make is utter shit, but you have to just work through that, and not give up. Keep creating, no matter what medium or type of art you are doing. I’m terrible at giving advice. I hope that was ok.

What’s been the most effective means of marketing yourself both online and off?

The online revolution has been insane. Between the use of facebook, myspace, Twitter, and blogs, you’re able to now reach all around the world, and it’s giving artists a means of exposure that they never had before. I’m a HUGE fan of twitter, and I think it’s one of the best social networking sites to be in existence at the moment. It’s simple, and allows updates directly from the person’s mouth. (or finger tips I guess). It allows you to connect with some of the people that inspire you, and see into their lives like never before. As creepy as that sounds, it’s a great tool in promoting yourself as a brand / artist.

To find out more about Aaron look for him on Twitter and visit his website.

Aaron Crawford and His Technicolor Artistic Nightmares is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Tim Bradstreet on his Influences and Artistic Process – Part 2 By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault In part one of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The first time I saw Wes Craig’s artwork was on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre comic from Wildstorm and to be honest I had never heard of him before. Once I looked inside though his artwork blew me away. Ever since then I’ve been a fan and I really wanted to share his work with everyone so that you can enjoy his work as well.

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

My first pro job was on “Touch” from DC comics, it’s rare in comics that your first job is for a major publisher, usually you have to climb through the ranks of small publishers and small paychecks at the beginning. I got really lucky on that one.

Although I never really even sent my samples to smaller publishers so, who knows? Maybe I could have started working earlier if I had. But I’m happy with how it turned out. Touch was part of a new line called DC Focus that disappeared pretty quickly, but it was all about the learning experience, and it was really valuable to me.

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

Self taught in terms of the usual tools of comic books: pencil, pen and ink, etc. I made my own comics for years as a kid, full stories, inked on full size board, hand lettered, the whole deal, and when it came time to go to college I took the closest thing I could find to Comics 101 in my area which was a three year course in Illustration and Design, which prepped you for a career in commercial illustration.

I didn’t learn anything new about comics, in fact they were looked down on by most of the teachers, but I did get my first education in acrylics, watercolor, Photoshop, etc, so it was really useful for that.

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?

I use a lot of Faber-Castell Pitt pens and Microns, the brush and calligraphy types. I like the beveled edge of the calligraphy pen. If I have the time I like to use those along with a Windsor-Newton brush and Speedball ink, do some spatter and get messy, the fun stuff.

Favorite brand of ink:

Speedballs the best for me so far, but I’m not an ink snob, you can get cool effects with watery inks too.

Type of paper:

Strathmore, I’ve used the smooth kind for years but i just started using the vellum kind for one project and I love it, lots of tooth, makes the ink very scratchy, if that’s your thing, which for me, it is.

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

Hmmm… I like guys who can bring their own voice to the pencils, it’s a rarity and getting rarer by the day, also pencilers who ink their own stuff, which is one of the reasons I do it myself. Kevin Nowlan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brian Bolland, Paul Pope, Moebius, also Klaus Janson, who I didn’t like when I was a kid but I’ve grown to love, I didn’t like Jack Kirby when I was a kid either… apparently I was a stupid kid.

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?

I sit down with the script, analyze it, try to figure out the best, clearest shots to tell the story, pencil it on 8.5×11 printer paper, keeping it small so I don’t get bogged down with details, then blow it up to 11×17 Bristol board (by that I mean scanning the pencils into my computer, increasing the size in Photoshop, and printing it out in non-repro blue on my big-ass printer), and ink it over the blue line, trying to keep the life and energy of the pencils.

And this may be getting off the point but bear with me, the most important thing to me is getting the emotion of the piece, because above all you want to connect with the readers emotions. Technical prowess and the proper tools are important but to me, emotion is what matters above all, putting your own emotion into the work. It’s like hearing a band that’s the most technically skilled band ever, but that’s all they are, and at the end, you’re unmoved.

I’d rather hear music by a bunch of novices that play it with heart and with urgency and feeling over the technical stuff. Which brings us to our next question…

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

Tom Waits is a constant, every album Radiohead’s ever done, Spoon, Metric, Arcade Fire, Death From Above, lots of other stuff too, some rap, jazz, lots of punk, pulling inspiration from as many sources as possible is important to me.

Looking back on what I just wrote, why does every rock-loving white guy have to mention they like rap so they can seem cool, but they never mention any names? Mos Def, K-OS, Native Tongues.

There, see? I know my stuff.

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

Sadly, I don’t own any original art, but I hope to change that some day soon. On my walls in poster form is an Alphonse Mucha, “Starry night” by Van Gogh, a Japanese print, and just so I don’t get too artsy-fartsy here I also have a Mike Mignola Hellboy, and a Jack Kirby New Gods splash page reprint that I cut out of a book.
But the gold is really on my bookshelf, tons of art books, convention sketch books, graphic novels, etc.

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

This isn’t the last novel I read but the one I’ve read most recently that blew my mind was Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, and in comics I’d say Parker by Darwyn Cooke, and Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli were both amazing. The last good movie I saw was A Serious Man by the Cohen Brothers. And just for popcorn fun, I thought Iron Man 2 was really good, but that’s me.

Current and upcoming projects?

I’m working on a creator-owned series for Wildstom right now, it’s a five issue series, created, written, drawn, inked, colored, lettered, and designed by me. So as you can imagine, it’s pretty labour intensive and it’s taking me about two months to finish each issue, so it won’t be out until early 2011. For updates you can go to http://mojoblender.blogspot.com/

What would be your dream project to work on that you haven’t yet have had the chance to?

Working on my own comics and getting paid enough to live, is my dream, so, check. But aside from that there are certain characters I’d love to work on; Superman being the biggest, also Thor, the Hulk, the Flash, The New Gods, and the Joker.

As an artist you continue to grow and improve with each new body of work, how do you motivate yourself to do this?

Well thank you kindly good sir. I’d say I’m in a constant state of trying to get better, with occasional fits of laziness where the work looks like crap to me. I don’t want to get to a level where I think I know how it’s done and there’s nothing else to learn. I want to keep on learning until I’m in the ground. I’m always studying other artists, practicing different techniques, and trying out new tools.

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?

You’ll never make it and you’re a failure.
Too harsh?
Really, if you’re working your ass off then you will get there eventually, you just have to keep marching onwards. If the next level means company work like Batman or whatever, then you have to hit the comic conventions and show the editors of the company your stuff, if the next level is doing your own work, you can do it right now, put it up on the internet. Right this minute, damn it!

For more info on Wes visit his blog and his original art pages.

Artist Wes Craig on Combining Ink and Emotion is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Masters of Ink with Artist Tim Doyle on Quitting Your Dayjob By Jason Thibault Poster artist Tim Doyle is a creator...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Artist Christopher Williams Draws a Zombie from Jason Thibault on Vimeo.

My longtime friend and collaborator artist Christopher Williams began an imfamous series of custom zombie portraits in 2009. He’s been fascinated by zombies for as long as I’ve known him. He started re-imagining the people around him in his everyday life as the undead in pen and ink.

I wanted to document him drawing one of these illustrations from start to finish. So one afternoon in February, 2010 I headed up to his studio and spent a few hours filming him at work.

I chopped it down to 4 minutes of footage capturing the raw pencils and then ink work. As he progressed throughout the drawing he scanned in each phase. Below is a step by step recreation of one of his portraits. Enjoy.

How to Draw a Zombie [VIDEO] is a post from: Optimum Wound

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

by Jason Thibault

There’s a host of resources, online magazines, and membership sites out there for a comic creator to take advantage of this year. Actually the sheer volume of it on the internet is breathtaking and maybe a little overwhelming for a new creator.

Let’s a take a quick look at four places where you can either hone your skills, sharpen your marketing knowledge or attempt to obtain work in the comics industry.

Our first stop will be at the new Work in Comics site. Nick Defina and the crew at Septagon Studios have done an amazing job bringing this site to life. Nick and company have been working on this for a long time which shows in the polished look of the site. This is where you go to offer up your services as a creator, find a partner or to put a full-blown team together.

The site mission states, ‘Our goal at Work In Comics is to help you find independent creators in all areas of comic development. It is a place where people looking for work in comics can find opportunities or create their own. We have great tools and resources available to help get you started on your way to building your comic team and getting your comic project realized.’

Key Features
• One stop to finding all the people you need to get your comic project off the ground
• Current listings
• Multiple search options
• Lets you upload resumes, demo reels and artwork
• Variety of filters to optimize searching
• Opportunity to look for a jobs or employees on the global scale
• Post your Announcements and Events
• Find help in any area of comic development
• Make some moolah
• Make some friends
• Make a comic!
• It’s all FREE!

Here’s a video demonstration of how Work in Comics operates.

Work In Comics: Demo Trailer from Work in Comics on Vimeo.

Webcomics.com is an info site run by comics creator Brad Guigar. In early 2010 they made the decision to become a paid subscription site as Guigar was putting in almost as much time into it as he was on his webcomics. It’s packed with tonnes of useful articles on every facet and step of creating and marketing your online comic. $30 USD gets you a year’s entry to the site. Features include:

* Frequent updates of news, advice, tutorials and strategies by webcomics veteran Brad Guigar.
* Monthly contributions by webcomics pioneer Scott Kurtz and Penny Arcade’s Business Guy, Robert Khoo.
* Personalized features like a new e-mail-based organizer to help you plan for upcoming conventions.
* Feedback and guidance for your comic and the small business you’ll create running it.
* A fully rounded, indexed repository of two year’s worth of information that you can use to help improve your work.
* A moderated, passionate, supportive community of webcomics creators.
* Inside information on conventions, vendors and other entities that webcartoonists access to advance their businesses.
* Deals on merchandise.

Ian Shires and the crew at Self Publisher Magazine launched the free PDF magazine NEXUS in January of 2010. They’ve maintained a monthly release schedule and have 3 issues out now. The focus is mainly on indy comics and self publishing featuring interviews, features, HOW-TO’s and reviews. Another welcome addition.

And then there’s of course our comic submissions directory of publishers who still accept creator proposals and art samples. We launched it in May, 2009 and did a huge overhaul in December. The writers definitely have a tougher go of it than the artists but there’s still publishers out there willing to look at your wares.

We try to keep it updated as often as possible and keeping track of 70 publishing companies can be a huge undertaking. We aim to track everything at least on a quarterly basis to see if certain guidelines have changed or links have become broken.

Four Great Resources for Comic Creators is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Comic Creators Band Together to form CREATOR-CON Image by Jeffrey Pidgeon A ‘movement’ started on Facebook this...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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. In part 3 he gives out advice to aspiring artists and talks about his artistic evolution and upcoming projects.

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.  And here is part 3 the 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 on his Influences and Artistic Process – Part 2 is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Tim Bradstreet; A Master Class in Pen and Ink Realism By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault *Note* this is part...
2. Tim Bradstreet on Drive, Determination, Craft and Red Sky Diary Part 3 By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault In the first part...
3. Aaron Crawford and His Technicolor Artistic Nightmares by Jason Thibault There was just something too crazed, twisted...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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

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.

Be sure to read part two & part three of this interview.

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

Tim Bradstreet; A Master Class in Pen and Ink Realism is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Masters of Ink with Artist Tim Doyle on Quitting Your Dayjob By Jason Thibault Poster artist Tim Doyle is a creator...
2. The Pen and Ink Intricacies of sAnTos by Jason Thibault I first started noticing the intricate pen...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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.

Madam Samurai Looks Like a Badass Little Graphic Novel is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. Badass Animated Short LOGORAMA is Nominated for an Oscar [VIDEO] Jeff Lein over at News in Film pointed us over...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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

A Quick Talk with Comics Legend Tony DeZuniga is a post from: Optimum Wound

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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.

Killer new Jason Shawn Alexander Art for Marvel Zombies Return is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. The Truly Killer Art of Tim Lane By Jason Thibault Tim Lane blew me away earlier in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Wesley Allsbrook is a very skilled illustrator who has worked with magazines, newspapers and in the comics medium. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and became a freelance artist after graduation.

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

I always drew. I wasn’t always good with it, but I cannot remember ever not wanting to draw. I used it, at first, to see the things that I imagined, and to make a better world for myself. Later, I drew photo real copies of the models in the Coldwater Creek catalog to impress people in middle school. There was another girl who could really throw down, Molly Carlson. North Chatham wasn’t big enough for the both of us.

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

I got my very first jobs from my professor’s wife while still in school. In Chris Buzelli’s classes, there was always at least one assignment that would be published, though every assignment was a competition with a definite victor and loser (we voted during crit). I got second place for the Bells and Whistles job (a half page that appears consistently in PLANSPONSOR Magazine), and then I got hired. At the time I was still doing everything with screen printing, so the revises were kind of difficult for me…

Were you self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

Both. I taught myself how to draw up through high school, but RISD really helped me do something with my aptitude. I had a foundations teacher called Brice Hobbs. Always questing after the most volumetric of blacks and the most visceral mark making, He’d put one of our skeletons through a tire swing, give her a sunbonnet, and address the class: “I want to FEEL this tire RUNNING OVER MY FACE.” If my drawings have any feeling of physicality, it’s because of Brice. Him and Tony Janello. Tony taught me all about the value of pentimenti as drawing tools. We’d use crayola crayons to make a literal neural net of marks around the model before drawing the figure out of the fray. After that I never looked for the outline of a thing straight away. I still draw like this every day. Helps me to see space.

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?

I love the Windsor and Newton Series 7 brushes (0, 1, 2) and the fountain brush pens (Pentel, Kaimei, etc), cheap sumi brushes for dry effects and toothbrushes, foam paint brushes, sharpened chopsticks… And drop-lead pencils for drawing, usually no softer than a 2B. Vellum Bristol for drawing. My boyfriend and I are deadlocked in the debate on the merits of kneaded vs. white erasers, though neither of us like the gums. For mistakes, I like casein.

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

When I began I wanted to use everything. I made my own oil paints from scratch (way less hazardous to your health than making pastels), and found a way to layer inks between oil varnishes (really awkward). I inked over screen prints. I even tried collage. There was not a material by which I was not at one time seduced. The smells, the textures, the line qualities… But I was always a person who thought more in lines than in volumes, so gradually, as my style became more specific my “toolbox” got smaller. The screen printing did help me to understand how to use Photoshop to my advantage.

Favorite brand of ink:

I don’t discriminate, and I buy cheap. No waterproof.

Type of paper:

Vellum Bristol.

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

I love Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates, and the later Steve Canyon), Noel Sickles (emphasis on the Scorchy Smith), Alex Raymond ( Flash Gordon ), Will Eisner, Kurtzman, Kirby… But for your modern influences you’ve got Paul Pope, Nathan Fox… There’s more blood and guts (you know, in a good way) in those inks than maybe I’ll ever got to do. All these guys can draw, and that’s what I love.

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?

I sketch, get approval. Then I scale up the print size by a quarter or a half and start penciling. I don’t transfer directly from the sketch because I don’t have the patience for the light box, and often I’ll like the idea of the sketch, but feel that the composition needs some tweaking. Once the pencil is done and a few quick thumbnails for me to figure out the value structure I want to pursue, I ink. Then I scan my ink along with some textures and perhaps some color swatches that I want to select from, and the rest, as they say, is Photoshop.

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

David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything that Happens.

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

Has to be my boyfriend’s drawings. He inks like a man. And my friend Ze’s prints.

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?

The last book I read was Peter Carey’s His Illegal Self. Le Deuxieme Souffle–The Second Wind, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (or Le Samourai directed by the same guy) for my movie recommendation. And I just saw The Third Man! Talk about great compositions and absolute blacks…. Peter Carey is a very pleasant and familiar place to return to for reading materials. I also love Keri Hulme. Whether it’s her short stories or novels, I’ve never felt closer to written characters–and her commitment to descriptive food details really resonates with me. And anything by Calrice Lispector. And comics.

Current and upcoming projects?

My Comic, Mountains and Valleys, about the tragedy of the love between parent and child, and Nkisi Dolls. I’m hoping I can eventually self-publish. We’ll see.

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?

Keep working, but don’t do it in the dark. Let people know that you exist, and don’t lose your commitment to making the work that you love (as opposed to what you believe your clients want you to make). As a student, Jon Foster told me that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Truer and more axiomatic words were never said, especially when it comes to illustration. A good part of this job is exposing yourself. As a shut-in, I get shaky every time I’m in a room with more than a couple of people. Its worth it to promote yourself, though.

Find out more about Wesley at her website and her blog.

Wesley Allsbrook; An Interview with an Accomplished Illustrator is a post from: Optimum Wound

Related posts:

1. An Artist Interview with the Almighty Godmachine By Jason Thibault Pure badassery. That’s all that came to...
2. Munk One – An interview with a Renaissance Man By Jason Thibault For my money Munk One (Jose A....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.