the very wonderful Matt Broker, commonly know as D'israeli in the comic world, has a blog and there's a link to the left. D'israeli has drawn some great great comics over the years, starting out I believe in Deadline way back when I was more spotty than I am now, and I've loved every bit of artwork he's done. Scarlet Taces features some of his finest work and Leviathan is well worth checking out when Rebellion release the collected edition.
D'israeli combines everything I like about certain kinds of comic art, it's got a lovely clean line European feel but it also has the odd quirkyness of yer classic 2000ad artisit like Mike McMahon and Kevin O'Neill.
Look at his blog, marvel at his skill and go out and buy his books.
4 comments:
I agree with all you say about D'israeli - I usually end up staring open-mouthed at his work.
I'd be interested to know what you think about his use of 3D modelling, especially thinking of some of the computer/art topics we've discussed a little before (mainly lettering issues, which I know is different, but the sentiment is still there).
It does have that effect does't it.
3d modelling? On one hand I'm well aware that it's the end result and the skills of the artist that are the important thing with the tools used being purely down to personal choice and important only in how they get the job done and how comfortable the artisit is with them. On the other as you know I'm a bit of a purist. With lettering it's for the simple reason that computer lettering looks too mechanical (sometimes even if it's based on the handwritten lettering of the artist) but what D'israeli is using it for seems like fair game to me, particularly with the way he puts it - comparing it to Frank Hampson's model use. As per for these things it seems to be used for the sake of expediency and I can understand that.
It'll be interesting to see how it works, IIRC some of John Ridgeway's artwork used computer modelling and it looked terrible as it clashed awfully with his drawing technique. I think D'israeli's very adept at using the computer as a tool and it'll be nicely intergrated into the finished work though.
But, I do think his fully painted work on Lazarus Churchyard was beautiful and I miss seeing the brush strokes!
You're right, there is a difference, and it does feel like even more of a short cut. My own feeling is that I struggle with many aspects of drawing, but the battle is learning to be comfortable with those aspects rather than remove them. I think computers allow artists to jetison those aspects - lettering's a great example, everyone knows the impact bad lettering has on artwork, now artists don't have to learn. The end result is often 'better' but I feel it loses something. There's just more life to things that look a bit 'off', even if it's the geometric shapes of a spaceship.
3D modelling could take away a little of the personality of the artist, even if s/he's designed and 'built' it. It's down to the talents and requirements of the artists whether that happens.
Esquerra's computer art really didn't work for me either, and thinking about it, is probably the reason why it took me a while to get my head round artwork drawn on a computer even though a lot of artists now use it excellently.
I actually felt huge disappointment when I learned that Brian Bolland no longer drew on paper, but straight onto the screen... not sure why, he's as good as ever. I could never go that far though, and love scratching away on paper with pencil and ink. I will always need paper! I do a little cleaning up on the computer though, I must admit. So, paper... and a scanner.
You're right about lettering - I've always been poor at it, and now I let computers do it for me, will I ever get better now? I prefer good hand lattering any day. I'm also a poor colourist, and computers help me there too. Again, I've taken away my chance to practice and improve in that area.
Having said all that, I have recently wanted more to do a strip with my own hand-lettering and colouring, so, in a way, the computer may bring me round to doing that.
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