July 25, 2006
Art, Aquaman & Awards

   I was stuck for a better blog title, what can I say? I say let's start off by answering some commonly-asked art questions. Specifically, resolving common inking problems, such as "do you ever have a bad day at the table?" Yes, but rarely. You learn quickly to adapt if you want to make a living in this business. For the first time in many weeks, I had a really crappy inking day last week where nothing seemed to be going right. I kept switching quill tips on my Hunt 104 pen, because sometimes you'll run across one that was forged improperly or mishandled, and you can't lay down a decent line. It was one of those days where you eventually uncover the problem by process of elimination. After much frustration, I finally poured out the ink from my resevoir (my resevoir being an old ink bottle stuck to my table) and poured fresh ink in. Problem solved! I rarely have to switch out my ink, so I forget to consider it sometimes. I still prefer Pelikan ink, although I occasionally dabble with Windsor-Newton ink as recommended by a former CrossGen studiomate, the inexhaustible auxiliary artist on Captain America (who'll be teaming up with Andrew Hennessey on the upcoming Union Jack), Mike Perkins ( www.mikeperkinsart.com ).

   During a typical day, I leave my bottle of ink open, because it's in constant use. As a result, over time, it oxidizes and collects itself in a gummy fashion. You can get a large blob that'll cling on your quill, or bead on the quill so you'll get no ink on the tip. Sometimes the problem can be the ink if you have an old batch, which is why I suggest what they call in the supermarket trade, "rotating your stock" if you've stocked up on ink. Sometimes the inker gets to play alchemist, adding a mixture of inks to get the ideal combination that works best with your individual pen/brush strokes. Another former studiomate (I keep losing them) Ray Snyder ( www.studiophoenix.com ) has a super-secret ink concoction that he guards closely. Sometimes adding rapidograph ink works in a pinch, but it will gum-up eventually too. The same goes for correction fluid. I still like Pro-white. It starts thick, but you can add water, but very gradually. If you go crazy with the water, you'll end up with milk. And skim milk at that.

   Another x-factor can be the climate where you live. Here in the SouthEast, the high humidity can present problems (I won't even bring up the headaches with airbrushing). However, you may notice that what works in the Summer may not work in the Winter.

   On a completely unrelated note, I've been watching the first two seasons of my current favorite tv show, HBO's Entourage, on DVD. It's the latest Hollywood statement on itself, with a lot of fun-poking and guest stars galore. The main character, an actor, gets critical acclaim in his first starring role in a commercial film, then wrestles with his agent to follow up with an indie film, but grudgingly eventually accepts a big-budgeted Aquaman film to pay the bills (btw, run, don't walk, and pick up Aquaman #43 - The legendary Tony Dezuniga inks Guice, and the result is drop-dead gorgeous art). James Cameron guest-stars as himself, having signed on the Aquaman film (too bad the movie is just a plot device, Cameron would be at home with yet another underwater flick).

   One of the underlying themes of the show is making the right career decisions in the entertainment field. There are some parallels with the comics industry, but in a much smaller scale. There are comic writers and' artists who will have a pet project greenlit only after first committing to a high-profile project, such as a JLA or X-Men book. This is a smart gameplan, and generally works in comics. Moon Knight may always be a fan favorite character, but he's not always had a strong track record (his second series, Fist of Konshu, lasted a measely six issues in the mid-80's). With the flood of high-qualtity comics currently available, Moon Knight's recent relaunch would've been an even riskier gamble, if not for the involvement of artist David Finch, fresh from his very successful run on The New Avengers. Charlie Huston does a good job at the writing, but as a newcomer on the comic book scene, he was an unknown quantity, but accompanied by Finch's muscle, Moon Knight's a certified hit!. So now, not only do we have the best Moon Knight series in ages, but it's got staying power, so new MK fans won't be heartbroken over an abrupt cancellation.

   Speaking of high-profile gigs, what's been keeping me too busy to blog lately is inking a few issues of DC's weekly series, 52. Wish I could say more, but I can only say my first issue was week 19 and I'm currently doing some later issues, so this title is way ahead of schedule (for me, anyway), and I couldn't be happier. I'm purposely going for a crisper John Dell style these days, because, frankly, John's got the superhero sheen down pat with his inks.

   Back to Entourage: Love the series, great cast, etc...however...

   At the beginning of the first disc, there's a couple minutes of commercials for HBO's other programs that you CANNOT fast-forward through before geting to the episode guide! So, to endure the commercials only once, you have to watch all the episodes from disc one in a row. That's right, if you watch two episodes, then decide to catch the rest another day, you're subjected to the commercials all over again. The first commecial is a typical collage of all the HBO shows, but the second is an irritating hard-sell for Lisa Kudrow's new show. Her hair may now be red, but she still has that same quirky snarl that passes for comedic nuance. She plays an actress who's trying to revive her career, which must've taken minutes to plot. Like the other cast members of Friends, she's the same character every time you see her. If you can't watch all the Entourage episodes in a row, do what I do: Turn on the DVD player, then take the first few minutes to grab a snack, fold some towels, take the dog out for a whiz, whatever minor work you need to do

   New art added to the site:

   In the Rarities section, Webmaster Chris and I have added a fifth page which includes Micronauts, Sojourn and JLA material.
   In the Pencil-to-Ink Study sub-section titled "Just The Inks" you can get a close look at the intricate art Barry Kitson and I did on last year's Legon of Superheroes #10 in glorious black and white. Barry excels at drawing faces smaller and more detailed than a Lincoln penny! After inking, then erasing the Legion pages, I used my smallest (4x.0) rapidograph to tighten up the facial expressions, while studying the pencil photocopies to nail the faces as Barry intended. I'm convinced I may now have a steady enough hand to perform surgery (don't hold me to this promise if you think your appendix is ready to blow!).

   One last item of business: The final ballots for the Harvey awards are due Friday July 28 at midnight, and I'm very pleased that the Captain America creative team has been nominated in several catagories. I'm especially rooting for Steve Epting as Best Cover Artist! As for the other nominees, I'm ashamed to say that I'm not familiar with Datsun Tran's work, and MignoIa probably already has a toolshed full of awards, and much as I like Frank Cho and James Jean's work, Along with Best Colorist nominee Frank D'Armata, I think your covers this past year have been the most eyecatching of everybodys, so I think this is your year, Steve and Frank! Best of luck!
 
 
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