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BryanBaugh In reply to Skaramine [2017-03-25 18:22:47 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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BryanBaugh In reply to Anastasiy [2016-12-14 07:43:01 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!

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BryanBaugh In reply to MJMJR [2016-12-14 07:42:50 +0000 UTC]

Oh man... First of all, thanks for your detailed compliments.

But secondly, oh let me tell you...
Every wanna be comic book artist like me, has his own "secret wish list" of mainstream comic book characters/ properties he'd love to draw professionally.

Spiderman is definitely one of mine - for the precise reason you suggest - I would draw the hell out of those villains. I have very strong visual ideas about several of them.

Unfortunately, this is not a very realistic goal, for two different (pretty darn obvious!) reasons.

The big one being, when it comes to really popular characters like Spidey - He's on EVERYBODY'S list!! Marvel has countless far superior artists than me, who are lined up to draw Spidey! Really talented guys who would give their left eye to illustrate a Spiderman comic are a dime a dozen to Marvel! But a more personal reason in my case, is that my style is just all wrong for it. Every time I've ever gotten anywhere close to working in mainstream (or even mid-stream) comic books, I've always been rejected, or harshly criticized for my style. "TOO CARTOONY" are the words that will haunt me to my grave. And unfortunately for my own good business sense, I am too stubborn to try and change my crappy cartoony style to be "MORE REALISTIC" or "MORE SERIOUS" or whatever it is, they require these days.

I could tell you so many stories about the times I've gotten thiiiiis close to drawing some really cool comics property (never anything as big as Spidey, but a few cool properties, nevertheless) where some art director met me at a convention and fell in love with my work and enthusiastically showed my stuff to their boss, the publisher, or editor, or whoever... And THAT person, the head honcho, the big cheese, the decision maker... would always shut it down. "Nope. Not that guy. TOO CARTOONY."

This same routine has happened to me so many times it's almost comedic.

Sometimes I wonder if there might be some other reason. Maybe I just suck? Maybe I'm too weird personally? All I know for sure is, the reason I've been given, over and over again, has always been the same: "TOO CARTOONY". Damn, I wish I cared enough (or maybe didn't care enough) about my own natural drawing style, to switch it up and try to draw in a way that would get me more work... But instead, I just keep doing my thing and struggling to improve the best I can along the way.

Oh well, whatever. Not to be all "sour-grapesy"... But the fact that I can't get work in comics is the reason I work in TV Animation instead (which pays much better anyway, and offers things like health insurance and retirement plans, which comics don't...) and has propelled me onto a path of just creating my own freakin characters and writing, drawing, and self-publishing my own freakin comics (see Wulf and Batsy). Which is probably something I will be prouder of in the long run.

Oh don't let me fool you... I've still got my secret list of "mainstream comics property" dream projects... But I am realistic enough to assume the "big ones" like Spidey will almost certainly never happen... and keep hope alive that MAYBE one of the less popular ones... might still be possible someday. I am, luckily, an equally big fan of some really weird mainstream comics characters that only break the surface of popularity every once in a long while and which most other people don't care about.

...Apologies for this long-winded, self-absorbed post.... If you can't tell, I've been wrestling with these issues for years.

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MistahPete In reply to BryanBaugh [2016-12-31 01:15:42 +0000 UTC]

I think you're made for Ditko stuff... I'd love to see your Creeper! (That's a dream of mine, doing an animated Creeper short!)

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BryanBaugh In reply to MistahPete [2016-12-31 20:28:49 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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MJMJR In reply to BryanBaugh [2016-12-14 19:13:38 +0000 UTC]

No problem

See I think if you did a few five page comic with some other Marvel or DC Characters that aren’t the A-Team characters like Spidey and Batman it would help get you hired. The thing is finding ones that suit your strengths as an artist. Like if you can show you can take lesser characters and make them look cool and dynamic in a quick five pager it would help boost your chances.

I used to talk with Freddie Williams III ages ago when I was part of the Wonder Man: Cooler than Superman website and one of the things that helped him was a Wonder Man vs. Martian Manhunter five page comic I helped him with. The whole thing was designed to play to his strengths of drawing intense muscular figures and crazy angles.

Like with you from Marvel I’d go with weird beauty and beast style male vs. female battles. Moon Knight vs. Viper (Madam Hydra) or Spiderwoman vs. Human Fly and with DC I’d go with Starfire vs. Parasite or Hitman vs. Solomon Grundy.

Also I’d throw in some other characters from classic cartoons like Masters of the Universe, G.I Joe, Thundercats, Transformers, Go-Bots… stuff that shows your capable of taking simple animated style characters and rendering bad ass versions of them.

I think the key is having someone make up an action script for you to draw instead of doing it yourself since it really helps work your creative muscles and shows you can take someone else’s concept and breathe life into it.

Also there’s nothing wrong with your art style. I would put your work in the same vein as Kyle Hotz or Kelly Jones. It’s dark and supernatural looking but it works with all kinds of characters.

Also Erik Larsen talked about how he was rejected constantly until he finally broke in to comics. I remember one letter page in Savage Dragon I think where he talked about how he actually wallpapered part of his room with all the rejection notices he got from the comics companies he applied to.

I think you just need to keep at it and try some of the things I suggested and it might help you out. Once you show your versatile enough to handle anyone or anything they throw at you in a script your in.

It’s no problem dude

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BryanBaugh In reply to DANGERcomics [2016-12-13 21:32:07 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! Yeah, I could never decide if I liked Ditko or Romita Sr.'s take on Spiderman best. So my version is this sorta weird mix in between!

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