Last Flight of Arzak

Jean Giraud (1938-2012) passed away this weekend, he was better known to comic fans around the world as Moebius. I found his work during a huge wave of reprinted European comics that hit the market in the mid-eighties. Others in the US were familiar with his work before that in the pages of Heavy Metal magazine, originally flying in Europe under the French banner Métal Hurlant. Although I will remember him more for his highly detailed sci-fi landscapes, and his character Arzak, all of which seem to be a wild combination of 60s psychedelic, the TARDIS, and the organic flow of Art Nouveau…

There are as many fans who will remember him for his old west stories, like “Lieutenant Blueberry”…

It always amazed me how his style would so easily accommodate both the mechanical insanity of the future, and the subtle, gritty nature of the great plains.

At first I wrote him off as one of those great European artists, who could do fabulous renderings of people built like you or I in (admittedly) more elaborate environments, but certainly he couldn’t draw over the top, excitement required for American comics- I was young, and I was wrong.

Marvel Comics commissioned him to do posters with several of their characters and that collaboration included a two issue mini-series of the Silver Surfer, written by the legendary Stan Lee and drawn by him. To quote a dear friend, “It warped my mind!”.

Many of you will not know who he is, but like my recent post on Ralph McQuarrie (also lost to the world recently) you know his work. He designed costumes and sets for numerous films, and was often consulted at the earliest stages for preproduction sketches to help sell the ideas to studios.

The above is work from the original Alien film, but he also did work for Tron, Masters of the Universe, the Abyss, Fifth Element, and more. One can say those are films he worked on, but others, many others, he inspired.

Moebius was a unique vision, which many have tried to copy, but he soared above them, as he does now— forever.

Sad weekend-

Two artistic greats passed away this week, and their influence can not be ignored. Both were inspirations to countless others, and shall be for generations to come— I don’t doubt. My childhood can be summed up by heroes and sic-fi movies, and with that I bid farewell to…

Sheldon Moldoff

The man who drew Batman longer than any other, more than Bob Kane the creator, or Dick Sprang. His work defined the character for more than a decade and his work can still be felt in the character today.

 

And Ralph McQuarrie

If it wasn’t for him, Star Wars might not be the phenomena that it became. His preproduction art helped to sell the idea to studios, and defined the look of the film. It wasn’t the only work he was known for, but it would be a lie to say it won’t be the one he’s remembered for.

Rest well gentlemen- you’ve earned it.

‘Tis Life Draw’n Darlin’

I listen to a lot of internet stuff when working to fill the audio void, since drawing doesn’t really make a lot of noise on its own. Audio books, old radio shows, podcasts, and of course music are the menu, but recently I found a neat website from Dublin that are audio documentaries. Thankfully, most of the podcasts are also available to download for free, so you can take them on the go. One I found is about live model drawing classes in Dublin, and I thought it was very interesting to hear that artists, and models, all over the world seem to have the same issues, goals, and hurdles, when it comes to life drawing sessions. Let’s be honest though, the gripes sound so much more legitimate when you add on that Patrick McGann accent to it (a lil’ shout out to one of my Krav peeps!). So fill up that iPod with some interesting stories, and enjoy a good irish coffee while you’re at it.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-lifedrawing.html

Walt Stanchfield- the OTHER Walt at Disney

I’m not one for enjoying reading things without pictures. As a comic artist that goes without saying, but even as a kid it was more so, than most people know. At the earliest age, I showed a tendency to only see things, not read them. Granted I could read well enough, but I tended to focus on the visual side of books. When my parents saw that I loved to draw comics they went out and got me the “How to Draw the Marvel Way” book. When others look at it, this is what they see on the page.

But for me it always looked like this.

So fast forward 35 or so years, and you see me now. Still drawing, and still hating to read long sections of copy. Most art text books I avoid like the plague, mainly because they don’t seem to acknowledge that artists are visual and need things explained that way, but Andrew Loomis understood this. I think that’s why his books have been sought out by artists more so than any other. His have taught me tons, and I still go back to them on (almost) a daily basis. For years you couldn’t find them, except as expensive collector pieces, since they’ve been out of print for decades. Luckily they’re being re-released by Titan books and the first two, Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth  and Drawing the Head and Hands, are now available.

But at a recent art session, I was sitting near a girl who was just whipping out sketches. There was something that I recognized in the approach, so during a break I asked- “Are you an animator?” to which she said “How did you know?”. It was obvious from the way her pencil skated about the paper and how her pictures were more about capturing the feel of the pose than reproducing it. I noticed that after she had exhausted the pose multiple times over the five minute pose, she would expand to drawing other artists in the room, quickly capturing the essence of their stance. So I started thinking about how I needed that energy in my own work, to loosen up, to capture the feel of the pose, and not get bogged down in detail. To help me achieve this I found the Drawn to Life series by Walt Stanchfield. They’re not so much books, as they are a collection of handouts he did for his drawing/gesture class at the Disney studios.

What’s happened is I’ve been totally taken in by them. I’m reading theory, and further more, I love it. Perhaps it’s age, which has allowed me to develop… oh, what’s the word, ah, patience. They’re all theory, talking about how to see the figure, how to study it, interpret it, and only then convey it onto paper. He talks about not drawing what’s in front of you, acting like a camera, but living the pose, stressing the important elements, and letting the message of it fill the sketch. Sure there are the visual examples of what he’s talking about, and the lectures (completed around the time Disney was doing the Little Mermaid) have drawings by young animators who are now legends in their own right. It’s a concept, supported by visual cues, but ultimately it’s about how you draw in the brain, not on the page. It’s funny that to me, an artist with 20 years of professional experience (crap, now I feel old), can read this, get excited, and learn as much as a first year student. If you feel caught, stagnated, and frustrated with where your art is, take a look at these. It’s the basics, and as with any profession, be it music, sports, or art, you have to go back to the essentials now and then. This is a great way to do that, and still feel like you’re moving forward.  It’s sad that it’s taken me so long to get to an age where I can realize this, but to para-phrase a line from “It’s a Wonderful Life” , “Youth is wasted on the wrong people.” So be a kid, and learn a little.

Ronald Searle 1920-2011

We’ve lost an artist who influenced, not just generations of artists, but countless film makers, designers, and the like. I won’t claim to be an expert on his life or work, but he was one of those whose images were so wide reaching that you’re familiar it, or its influence, without knowing his name. His art was elegant and spastic, refined and rough, beautiful and ugly… all at the same time. Only yesterday I was talking with my wife about him, and considering he was over 90 and still seen as cutting edge as he was in the 60s, that says a lot. There isn’t a cartoonist I know, from editorial, to strip, to graphic novels, that don’t consider him a pioneer and/or an inspiration.

Rest well sir.

Ronald Searle Mar. 3, 1920- Dec. 30, 2011