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LiamRSharp In reply to Brollonks [2016-06-22 23:59:38 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! Very kind. I always have been slightly thin-skinned - I get disappointed at myself more than anything, and start to doubt myself. It's all very normal and common in artists I'm afraid!

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Brollonks In reply to LiamRSharp [2016-06-23 19:17:31 +0000 UTC]

I assume this is very normal for anyone in any field of work, or in general. I once have been very passionate but due to some very negative events the recent years it kinda faded away. I exactly know what you mean with being disappointed in oneself or starting to doubt oneself.
I myself have a hard time to find entertainment products that awake my passion and inspire me, although I am (per example) not a fan of many new games I always appreciate the hard work of the teams that create the products as a whole. (Getting "The Art of" books and soundtracks since I still like the work and ideas themselves that are part of the final product). That way I'm trying to always get something positive out of it.

May I ask how you manage to remain focussed or how you are able to find a new boost for your passion in order to step forward?
I am trying to awake the old passion that I once had, at least I am doing way better than last year.

In any case - I hope that your passion will remain and whoever tries to talk you down won't ever take away what you have created. You add a lot of value to the comic and I will see what is coming next. I really love your ink work. Do your eyes get strained a lot when you have to sit at the same drawing for a while?

Well then - have a successful day.

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LiamRSharp In reply to Brollonks [2016-06-23 22:19:37 +0000 UTC]

I have recently found that enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm - and it's a rare commodity these days! My whole experience on Wonder Woman has been something of an oddity, as it has been fueled by a huge wave of goodwill! On Twitter, Facebook, almost everywhere, people have been incredibly kind and supportive, leading to the best sales and reviews this book has had in decades. I have also heard that it's my enthusiasm that has helped drive that goodwill. I've been excited, and open, and shared a lot of the process, and tried to respond to as many fans as I can. That, in turn, makes me feel energized and even more inspired to do my best! There's too much hate online, and too many armchair critics that mistake their subjective taste for actual knowledge. It's not the same thing. But that negativity can kill any passion in any creator.
My advice - do what you love, and don't force it. If you can take a break. I was largely away from comics for six years while I help found www.madefire.com. At that time I had lost my way, and was unhappy and burnt out. But in the end I had no choice but to come back because I NEEDED (as opposed to wanted) to draw again. It is pure good fortune that Wonder Woman became available, and that I was picked to do it, after that.
And yes - my eyes get very tired and blurry.
Very best!

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Brollonks In reply to LiamRSharp [2016-06-24 10:33:59 +0000 UTC]

Well, it always drags me back to draw and to develop my personal stories, although it has been very difficult recently. I once worked so much that I forgot everything else, which was a mistake. I got dragged away from my desk by my best friend to take a break that time, haha.

Just recently I have noticed that the lack of inspiration and enthusiasm might have grown because I didn't consume a lot of entertainment media. Be it comics, games, movies or TV shows, mainly because I am a very (hope I am using the correct term here since English is not my native language) discerning individual. I see plotholes and inconsistencies very quickly and neutrally looking at the bigger picture storytelling went downhill in a lot of products. This is why I cannot keep watching currently trending TV shows or playing games (mostly because the gameplay is not really well executed). However, whereas very negative people tend to hate on the product I am trying to still appreciate the work that went into it. Buying  soundtracks, artbooks, liking the designs and the overall ideas.
All in all, though, the overall situation unknowingly kept me away from even trying to discover something I like as a whole. I was rather dealing with work, training for improving my skills, and trying to fight that feeling of being not inspired enough. It was a cycle of events that kept running - until, very recently when I got kinda tired (always feeling the weather during summer), I have started to watch some anime and to play some games I like (yes, a very few, but there are games I love). I felt that I missed to entertain myself with stuff I like apart from work. Watching a movie or TV show that I like started to increase inspiration.

I assume that being positive and aiming for enthusiasm is deeply linked to how much anyone is allowing themselves to enjoy.

There is way too much going on in this world that drags us down, so I guess we have to keep what is left of positive things very close to ourselves.

I'm glad to read that your fans as well as anyone who is interested in your work is supporting you that much.

When it comes to being slightly thin skinned it seems that I grew up as a very dry and pragmatic guy. So, I think that anyone who dislikes something can express their thoughts in a civilized manner, and after all should move on as there is nothing else to do. What I want to say is that, regarding comics, both DC and Marvel lost me a long time ago and I just moved on, whereas I witness people who literally search for confrontation just because they dislike a product. That is a sort of negativity that I try to avoid as much as I can.

I kept my eye on the comicbook industry (as well as other fields of the whole entertainment industry) though and am always following the news about characters and stories. I discovered a few stories that I find interesting and when I discovered that you are drawing for Wonderwoman I instantly thought that this is a big win for this comic.
I'm glad you have been picked to work on it. May I ask whether there might be a special edition that is only inked? I really love your drawings and inking, it has this very vivid detail on it that I try to achieve for my own drawings. I need to practice it a lot when it comes to inking.

You will hopefully draw for many more comics and as I have mentioned before no one who tries to talk you down will ever take away what you have created and mastered, you will always have more value than anyone who just wants to be hateful.

Thank you very much for replying to my comments so far, I wish you the very best too.

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LiamRSharp In reply to Neutral-Demon [2016-06-23 22:19:55 +0000 UTC]

It's nice to be back!

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LiamRSharp In reply to SandraMJ [2016-06-23 00:00:38 +0000 UTC]

Hey Sandra!!!! Nice to meet you, and LOVELY colour work!!!!

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