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stalk — A LOOK BACK: GRIFTER DPS
Published: 2011-02-14 05:39:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 2035; Favourites: 24; Downloads: 100
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Going through some files and finding even more old stuff. This is a Double Page Spread of an eight page Grifter sample I shopped around the cons back in the early to mid 90s.This DPS sample is terrible! Weak all around with the lacking backgrounds being the worst of my hacks here. Lesson learned, if I can sit around and noodle on a damn chaingun then I can do a better background. Not to mention all the ticking and hatching which back then I really had no idea why I was doing it other than the fact the Image boys were.
Even though these type of samples got me a lot of attention at conventions they weren't good enough to put me over the top in many cases. I wish I had the originals to these still, if I remember correctly I was trying to pull off all sorts of wacky layout choices while not being clear with my storytelling at all.
Remember, you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. Learn the basics and stop throwing a million lines on stuff to cover up your weaknesses.
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Comments: 22
Thanks man, it's older stuff but fun to look at.
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Well, I think they're pretty good man. I can definetly see how much you've improved and that, in comparison to your recent stuff, this is balls... but this is cool all the same 
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The older stuff is always good for a chuckle and to help put things into perspective especially when compared to an artist's current skill level.
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Man you are truly an amazing artist. I love how much detail you put into everything you do.
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Thank you, Katie! I've actually toned down all the linework rendering in my newer stuff but I love getting as much mileage as I can out of my boards.
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Hey Cait, thanks! This old stuff is just a kick to look over.
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Yeah, I think a lot of people coming up in the 90s were carried along with the enthusiasm of the Image stuff (it was a big deal at the time, wasn't it?) and I remember, for my part, me and the art geeks in high school just trying to do all that stuff . . .not quite realising it wasn't necessarily always the "right way"
That said--great job on the chaingun!
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It's easy to get caught up with artistic trends especially when it comes to media like comic books. It's like everyone wanting to paint like Monet or draw like Leonardo.
(Bonus points if you knew I meant the person rather than the terrapin)
The only thing is that with comics the trends seem to linger quite some time after the fad has ended. There are still tons of guys out there doing the Image thing, Top Cow thing, or the Joe Mad thing but they have fans that dig that sort of style and support them regardless of how cloned it looks.
There are folks who have made really good careers out of being a Turner or Campbell clone and using that style and the spotlight it brings to move onto other stuff. The bad thing is they sort of get typecast and have a hard time being taken seriously amongst their peers.
Let's not even get into the horror that is the manga clones.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to emulate your favorite artist but you have to go beyond just what is on the page and into the thinking behind why it is there. Why does one artist do this while another doesn't? Why does one artist tell a story sequentially better than another?
Once you start going down this path of thought you stop being a clone and start moving beyond just copying that cool shot of Wolverine you saw and hopefully learning much more in the process.
That said--I was really proud of that gun!
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Well, the idea is that you start by walking in the footsteps of the people you respect and admire and gradually--maybe bit by bit at first, there's more "you" and less "them" in your work and then one day you finally break through and you're doing your own thing.
Hell, Campbell's early stuff is essentially a mishmosh of Art Adams and Jim Lee, but soon enough he cut down on the extraneous detail, his figures got a lot more streamlined, and soon enough he's doing Danger Girl and, as a friend of mine once said, making boat chases in a comic work.
The problem is that people sometimes don't ever break out of that. I mean, everyone remembers the Image guys who developed their own styles and broke out from the rest of the studio, but there were a hell of a lot of them who never did.
And yes, the gun is awesome.
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Another great example is Travis Charest. From an insane Jim Lee clone to just insane with the art skills. Now if we could just get him to crank out more books everything would be a bit better in the world of comics.
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He sure needs to work more--I should have mentioned him to begin with. Heh.
Of course, there are times when styles don't really "evolve," like how Salvador Larocca's gone from having a loose expressive style to everything being so photo-referenced it's like he's drawing from life in the Uncanny Valley.
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I can't agree with it being hacky in general, but then I'm a Campos Fanboy.
The background is certainly weak, I'll agree with that for sure, but there is a lot of quality in the angle on grifter in the main panel, likewise there's lots of great detail in the robots. The second panel feels like it takes a bit of a dip, but it's still solid anatomy-wise and I dig it over all.
One thing that does jump to mind, to me, is that if you showed this to Jimmy Palmiotti, he would probably stab you in the mouth. THE REASON?! You pre-inked these with pencils and he hates that from what I'm hear. Haha. Which is understandable. Apparently Amanda disagrees with him though. Haha.
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Damn, I'd hate to imagine what a Campos Fanboy meeting would be like. I picture you sitting in a large room all by yourself going, "Yeah, you're right-the guy is a hack."
Back then I used to draw my figures in first then worry about the background later. Since I had used so much time and energy on Grifter and the Black Hammers I was spent when it came time to toss in a decent background. I think my studiomate at the time roughed the background in for me just to get my lazy ass to do it. Also, I agree, the second panel is weaksauce on weaksteak.
My relationships with inkers have been varied to say the least. I've had many tell me that they hate inking my stuff because it is so finished which is sad because I see that a lot of my work can benefit from a decent inker.
Inkers today though don't have that same...sensibility that older inkers had. Now it's all about the slick line or the sharpest tick and I'm a guy that loves thick lineweights and contours. I love lush brushwork and an inker that takes something I merely hinted at in my pencils (yup hard to believe but it's there if you know what to look for) and brings it to a tight, clean finish. I'd much rather collaborate with that kind of an inker than one who quite literally traces.
I mean, think about it-I get to be lazy with my pencils and the inker makes me look good? What's not to love!
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I sit by myself in large rooms a lot, but I never think "That Campos guy is a hack." I think stuff like "I wonder if he'd want to work on a superhero romantic comedy with me... but he's too busy and cool with his fancy hair... maybe he'll do an 8 pager for an anthology at my local shop... naaaah. He's got stuff to do." Then I resolve to slide it slyly into a comment I post. Hahaha.
Must be nice to have a studio. A lot of the artsy types around me have drifted away a bit lately. Been hell on my willingness to write since I am flush with projects and no artists interested in doing my own stuff or theirs. BUT THAT'S ME WHINING! I'll get there! Writing on one of my screenplays tonight. WOOP!
My friend says that same thing (he's on here, by the by) about inkers. Well not the exact same thing, but that he doesn't trust most of them to do right by how he wants the finished product to look.
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Nice! Unfortunately I dozed off during the first part of your comment because large, empty, and quiet rooms make me sleepy.
Actual studios where folks work around each other can be fun but I don't miss that atmosphere as much as I get older. The whole "too many cooks spoiling the soup" kind of thing plus it can do more harm than good because everyone is always ready to pat each other on the back for mediocre efforts. You have to be able to seperate friendship from business and know when to tell someone to bring their work up a few notches and listen as well when one of your studiomates does the same for you.
It doesn't bother me if an inker changes stuff up or throws their flair on my pencils as long as the work is better for it. When you have crappy inks there is no going back because that is the image that sees print not the pencils. It's like getting great pencils and inks and having a crappy color artist muddy it all up. That sort of frustration this old bastard can do without.
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