Time for a little art.
Once upon a time, in the distant past, I had ambitions to become a comic book artist. I wrote and drew my own. My models…well, I am very much a fan of extreme realism, so some of the less mimetic, more representational comic art leaves me unimpressed. My idol when I was a kid, trying to do this, was Russ Manning. He was the ne plus ultra of comics technicians, and not only because of his superb style, but for the substance of the comics he did. Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. was just about everything I ever wanted in a comic book, along with its spin-off, The Aliens, which did not last very many issues.
There were others I liked. Dan Spiegle, who did Lost In Space (before the lamebrained television series and long after it) among other things. And of course the wonderful Alex Raymond of Flash Gordon fame.
There was a time, when I was drawing every day, that I got fairly good. But then photography came along, then I went back to writing, and the rest, as they say….
But I still do art occasionally. Now I think that rather than doing comics, if I’d stuck with it, I’d do illustrations. That leads to a whole other pantheon of greats. In the last couple decades, I sit down to doodle or sketch when I need a break. It’s fun and relaxing and I feel no pressure to accomplish anything beyond satisfying my desire to create something cool.
Below you’ll find a new drawing. You may be able to tell from the technique that I’m a Virgil Finlay fan, though nowhere near his legendary abilities. Below the main, finished, illustration are thumbnails of the work-in-progress. I posted these as they were done on my Facebook page, but I thought I’d put them all up here. (Click on the thumbnail and you can get a larger view.)
I’m going to hang several pieces this year in the Archon art show. I don’t have room to keep everything, but I’ve scanned the pieces into the computer and I can print them out later if I want.
Anyway, enjoy.
Thumbnails of the process below.
