The Avatar Project

Hey guys, I'll be writing my next COMICS Essay on my art style, or to be more specific, why I don't use the exact same art style on every single one of my comics. To those of you who read comics, you know that not every single comic series has the same writer/artist. And many series, like comics made by Marvel and DC, swap out writer/artist teams every so often. Why do they do that? Well... I have no idea. I'm not a professional, otherwise I'd have more money. Anyways, one thing I believe is that when you work in a medium that is as visual as Comic Books, then you need to put as much work into the Artwork as you do in the story. Not every story reads the same, so why should every comic look the same? Now, I love Joe Mad's artwork, but that doesn't mean I want him to draw every comic book. I feel that the artwork of a comic book has to fit the story. No offense to Mr. Mad, but I don't think I can imagine anyone other than Terry Moore drawing Strangers in Paradise (And if you don't know what SiP is then I want you off of my journal and away from my gallery, you clearly have no business watching me). Here's how I come up with a visual style for a comic.

1) I get an idea for a comic.
2) I flesh out the characters, the overall story, and the world it takes place in.
3) Before I even begin the script, I think of how I'm going to draw this comic.
4) Then I think of how am I going to color the comic.
5) and after that I think of how I'm going to LETTER the comic (I'm sure you can see a pattern forming).
6) THEN I start planning story arcs, writing scripts and all that Jazz.

Here's some examples:
"Kninjai Infinity": I see Kninjai Infinity as taking place in a sort of Video Game styled world, let me say that Kninjai Infinity is NOT a Comic within a Video-Game, but I put things in there that you see in games like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Mostly because I would love to see Kninjai Infinity made into a video game (I'll even guarantee that you'll see a Kninjai Infinity video-game LONG before you see a Kninjai Infinity movie) so I thought of things that would make it easier to translate into a game that also strengthened the story/art. So I came up with this art style for Kninjai Infinity ...

Normal pencilling/drawing style, stylized coloring style, stylized lettering (Example: [link]).

"The Ben 10 Project/Ben 10: The 11th Hour": Ben 10 is an animated series, and instead of writing The Ben 10 Project like an episode from the series, I've written it like a move. Like Secret of the Omnitrix or Race Against Time. So to go with the movie feel of the story, I decided to make the comics look like a Hand-Drawn 'Walt Disney' styled animated movie. Like The Lion King, or Beauty and the Beast, or their latest film The Princess and the Frog. So I came up with this style...

Normal pencilling/drawing style, Cel-Shaded coloring style on characters w/ digitally painted backgrounds, Normal lettering Style.

"Blu Rush": Now this comic, I'm excited for. Not that I'm not excited for Ben 10 or Kninjai Infinity, those comics are my baby's. I just can't wait to show you guys Blu Rush because iit is different from anything else I've done before. I imagine the world of Blu Rush to be a mix of the Live Action Speed Racer movie and The World Ends With You (Among other things) so I came up with this art style...

Anime influenced pencilling/drawing style, Stylized Cel-Shaded coloring style on characters w/ Digitally painted background and 'amped up' colors (anyone who's seen Speed Racer should get this concept), Stylized lettering.

"The Greatest Thief in the World": Here's the Mantra I say when working on The Great Thief it's Write it like an Adventure comic, draw it like a Noir comic, color it like a Cartoon. That's my entire process. I (try) write it like a Noir take on the Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider Series, I (try to) draw it in the style of a Noir comic when it comes to layouts and pacing, and lighting; and I color it like an animated series. Here's the style...

French+Noir influenced drawing Style (Huge inspiration: *gueuzav), Cel-Shaded coloring style on characters w/ stylized digitally painted backgrounds, stylized lettering.

I have plenty more, but I don't want to spoil any surprises. So, why do I do this? Why don't I just pump out the same looking art over and over? Because I don't believe that the art should just be an afterthought when I write my comics. Just like I don't think that the story should be an afterthought when I do the artwork for a comic. Comic's are (at the most) 50% artwork, and 50% story. So in order to make that more apparent, I try to balance the art and Story. I use the artwork to not only illustrate the story, but to also pull you into it. To draw you into the world. And honestly, I'd like it if more comics did the same thing (Not to say that no comics do this, I'd just like it if more did).

What got me started on this was Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's run on The Ultimates. Mark Millar created a world that felt real to me. He made each and every one of those characters feel real, and told a story that read like a movie. Don't believe me? Read The Ultimates Chapter Eight: The Experts. And what artist did Mark Millar work with? Bryan Hitch, a man who drew realistic characters, combined with the colors of Paul Mounts, who colored all of the panel borders black, making the artwork look like a movie in widescreen/letterbox format (Something I've considered doing for The Ben 10 Project). So why do I suggest other artists do this as well? Not only will your comics look amazing, but it can also make you a more versatile artist.

During High School, I rarely drew outside of my anime influenced art style. Until I had an assignment in art class where we had to an image in black and white. So, me being a complete geek, I drew the black suited Spider-Man (to be specific, I re-drew the image from Spider-Man 3's teaser poster). And when I was finished, I was amazed. Not to toot my own horn, but the completed picture was amazing. So amazing it was stolen, I got it back though!. I kept thinking "Where the hell did this come from?! I didn't know that I could draw like this!" After that, everything I drew looked like complete crap in comparison. So I sat down, and re-taught my self how to draw. And I'm a better artist for it. My point is, drawing in a new style, trying new things in art can be an incredible experience. You can learn new things about art, and see the talent you never knew you had. I'm better at Cel-Shading because of The Ben 10 Project and The Greatest Thief in the world. and I'm getting better at digital painting because of Kninjai Infinity and The Ben 10 Project. So to all comic artists, to all artists in general, Try something new. You'll have fun and you'll be better off for it.

Well, that's my COMICS essay on art. I may edit this and post it as a News Article, What do you guys think? Think it's up to snuff? Anyways this may be my last essay until I think of something else that needs sharing. So until next time!

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