I love comics. It is a simple fact of my life. The fantasy of it is grandiose. It is a special brand of art. However, my own creative endeavors are quite different. And bridging that divide consumes me.
I grew up drawing. There was a pencil and a plain bit of paper. That would evolve into painting. There was a brush and a canvas. But there always existed a common perspective as to how my creations would materialize and become something I would refer to as "my art". To me, everything is a product of color and light. And in the spirit of honesty, I've always viewed the graphic arts in that perspective. But recently I have been challenged artistically in ways that I am ill prepared to reconcile comfortably.
In the past two months, I have accepted a personal dare to step into the digital octagon. It seems logical enough. But it is very raw and unfamiliar. The fact that this is the first "blog post" I've typed in my life should be ample evidence that I'm the new guy in this digital university. Even more absurd is the reason I'm doing it in the first place. As I stated in the first line of this post, I love comics. Of course the logical next step is to create them myself.
Oh my. What did I get myself into? Right from the start, I'm staring at a monumental obstacle. The perspective I've lived and breathed - my very school of thought throughout my artistic life - is being questioned. Growing up, we didn't really use words like "inking". I know, I know. Up hill both ways etc, etc. We made drawings. Then we made..well...colorings (which I am aware is not a real word). My art stood on the foundation of impressionism and the idea that every shape in this world was evident because of color and light. Now this new world - this MARVELous world of indie web comics - wants me to suddenly outline my environment with life or death giving ink lines?
Let's be completely honest here. An artist can create anything with color and luminosity. Lines that outline everything around us do not occur naturally. Light and color do. Simple enough.
That has been ingrained in my soul. In the back of my mind I think, "Sure. In the comic world inking is extremely important. But how many masterpieces exist out there that do not have a single inked line?" Color has always been the valuable crown jewel. Then I had what Agent Mulder calls a praying mantis epiphany.
Artists have differing perspectives and ideas amongst themselves regarding what is and is not "art". But what I'm encountering now seems especially sensitive. This "inking" word I see throughout my Twitter feed and hear in cartooning circles carries a deity-like weight. I see illustrators and comic artists use that word with such reverence and passion. Essentially, it appears to be the Yin to my Yang. So why am I not so captured by it? It's intimidating. I wonder if I my decision to try what I've always loved is folly.
And therein lies the real challenge. Comparison. Insecurity. Pride. All of the things that are intrinsic to the artist personality. At least to some degree. I have failed to demonstrate the one steadfast thing I know to be true:
An artist has only the responsibility to create what the artist intends. Appreciation is theirs first, the viewer second. And categorically, "viewers" includes other artists.
At the very least, I am content with my own style. I can also say that I'm quite at peace with the three or four digital attempts I've put out there (one of which is Trivial Post #2). They obviously have a color/light bias. But I want to do comic work and nifty children's books . In fact, I will. Anyone who has found my shoes to be familiar has felt the same way, I'm sure.
So that's it. It's a large learning curve. But I am fascinated by the perspective of artists who come from a different school of thought, and I pay attention to them because of it. Inking is what separates the comic world, and since I come from a color perspective, it remains my toughest challenge. I am convinced however, that the best art will be a natural product of both methodologies. We are looking at the same coin, just different sides.
Many comic artists and cartoonist may wonder why I have so many questions, or forever inhabit their web sites studying and scouring the contents. Maybe this honest admission will explain why I might look like the puppy sitting with his head askew, as if to get another angle on something he is still trying to understand.
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