For this research task, I was asked to pick examples of work I find interesting in sequential illustration. While I was completing the Graphic Fiction module I was introduced to many different creators, as well as broadening my existing interest in this area. I've selected some artists that influence my taste and approach to comics, as well as some artists that I have found compelling.
Brett Bean
The first artist on my list is Brett Bean, who has taken on the art duties of "I Hate Fairyland" from its creator Skottie Young. Brett's approach shares the same exaggeration and sense of mania that Young puts into his own drawings. In the context of this publication, Bean has incorporated certain affectations of Young like the Burton-esque spirals which tie this new chapter of stories together with the original series and its artist.
I like Bean's approach more generally, it seems to borrow a lot of squash, stretch and exaggeration from animation. I also really enjoy the humour he puts into his work - something I enjoy too but often feel too apprehensive to create work that feels 'silly'. Overall the approach Bean takes matches well to the narratives that he portrays. Whether they are for adults or younger readers, there is a great sense of movement, energy and most importantly fun.
Brett Parson
Another Brett! Parson is probably my favourite comic artist at the moment. Best known for his work as the most recent artist to bring the character 'Tank Girl' to life, I intrinsically find myself drawn to his work. He's influenced a lot by pop culture typical of the Gen X and Xennial generations, and I think that speaks to me as someone born in 1980.
His work has a stronger lean into Americana than my own influences, which is understandable, yet my time growing up in Saudi Arabia in the 80s also allows me to understand and connect to his references. I enjoy the way he covers all aspects of the production process. He controls line weight expertly, and he really understands how to combine this with skilful composition and panel design to allow his stories to read very well.
He's the artist that, despite taking a more cartoony approach which often has aspects of exaggeration and silliness, can apply his approach to adult comics and stories (the example above is from the comic '2000AD'). This is hugely inspiring to me - I don't subscribe to the usual comic aesthetic, and often felt like this meant my work would always be limited to that targeted to children and young adults. His work made me realise that you can be silly and still do grown-up stories. I try to remind myself of this when creating so that I try to embrace my own approach and remember that differences will help me to stand out amongst others who race towards homogeneity.
Cliff Chiang
I have recently been reading the omnibus collection of "Paper Girls", illustrated by Cliff Chiang. I was really struck by his approach. Not only did I find it appealing, but I started to see how economical Chiang is with their line work. There is an angularity I really enjoy, and there is a roughness to the line work I appreciate. It feels like it's been made with bold dip pen strokes and Chiang is not afraid to use exaggerated line weight or large areas of spot blacks.
This would allow panels to read well in just black and white but also creates the opportunity for a colourist to make the panel come alive and pace their own stamp on things. Their work is grounded in a realistic depiction, which works well for the narrative, as in the Cat Woman story above. When in the context of a superhero story, their work reminds me of the Daniel Aja run of Hawkeye. Realistic yet stylised. It requires good observation as well as great skill in knowing how much reduction you can get away with for an image to still read well. I see stylistic short-hands which are more representative than realistic but still read well within the overall semi-realistic approach. I found this useful to note, and I am looking back on Chiang's images with a more analytical eye to see where I can learn to do more with less. I think this will eventually help with the speed it takes me to create, which means I am more likely to create in the first place, knowing I am less likely to get bogged down and lose momentum.
Juanjo Guarnido
Guarnido worked in feature-length animation before he co-created the character and world of Blacksad. This contributed to the success and believability of their anthropomorphic characters. What I think helps to ground these stories is the way that he manages to incorporate realistic environments and backgrounds with characters that have exaggerated and cartoon-like depictions.
Yet even then, the characters are dressed in an impressively realistic way. What is more impressive to me is the way that everything is rendered with watercolour. I've tried to do this on many occasions and I am still to work out how to make it work effectively. This overall approach suits the adult firm-noire tone of the stories, grounding them in an alternate world that is also utterly believable.
Ken H Harrison
Ken Harrison is likely the most unconscious influence on my own cartooning style. I grew up with his depictions of Desperate Dan, Oor Wullie, and The Broons. He can draw realistically as well as very cartoony. I think the style I am most familiar with is the one shown above and also used in his earlier Desperate Dan stories.
His characters are well observed and he can pose his characters with a masterful combination of realism and energy. His line work is gestural, and he's able to depict a wide range of expressions with a relatively simple style. All of this combines to help him achieve expressive and dynamic panels that can convey humour efficiently. His approach also allows him (I assume) to be quite efficient with the production of pages, which must have been a must working in the world of weekly comics.
Lucy Sullivan
I first noticed the work of Lucy Sullivan in her graphic novel "Barking" which deals with the lived experience of severely poor mental health and the treatment and stigma that goes alongside it. Her approach to mark-making is vastly different to mainstream comics. There is a scratchy febrile quality that lends her work to darker stories.
I believe she uses graphite paper to make some of her marks, and I also like the way that she discards conventions. She often takes a free-flowing approach to her page layouts, refusing the use of panel borders, yet still making the reading order logical and easy for the reader. I go back to her work when I need to be reminded that one can work loosely and still create interesting, high-quality work.
Norm Konyu
Konyu is another artist whose work seems to gravitate to the dark and macabre. Yet the way he visualises his stories couldn't be more different. His work is extremely graphic and stylised, comprising layers of vector shapes alongside scanned textures.
He contrasts the colour with darker values to create his worlds that are full of tension and suspense. It's that juxtaposition of the colour and characters that seem like it should be cheerful that makes the images that bit creepier. Like how china dolls can be terrifying in the context of an abandoned house.
I had the pleasure of meeting Norm at a comics fair last year, and he was very generous with his time in explaining how he puts his images together. It allowed me to build on the knowledge I gained in earlier exercises dealing with texture, as well as get a glimpse into how he saves time putting his books together. Now he has accumulated a small library of coloured textures, he can work quickly to experiment and get the effect he is looking for. I found it interesting that he used to work from sketches a lot at first, but now can often build up his characters in Adobe Illustrator directly. He actually used to work in animation, and that helped him to find techniques to be as efficient as possible. One thing he advised when working with vectors is that he can build up the parts of his characters as shapes alongside different clothes, expressions etc. This helps as a character reference sheet as well as being able to assemble his characters quickly in each frame.
References
Bean, B. (2024) Brett Bean. Available at: https://www.brettbean.com/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Chiang, C. (2024) Cliff Chiang. Available at: https://www.cliffchiang.com/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Freeman, J. (2021) Comic creator spotlight: Beano and dandy artist Ken H. Harrison, downthetubes.net. Available at: https://downthetubes.net/comic-creator-spotlight-beano-and-dandy-artist-ken-h-harrison/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Hochwender, L. (2023) Blacksad: They all fall down, part One: Murder and Mass Transit in Manhattan, Comic Watch. Available at: https://comic-watch.com/comic-book-reviews/blacksad-they-all-fall-down-part-one-murder-and-mass-transit-in-manhattan (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Konyu, N. (2023) - mooseboy.co.uk, mooseboy.co.uk. Available at: https://mooseboy.co.uk/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Parson, B. (no date) ‘WeirdKid_pg1Demo’. London: 2000AD.
Sullivan, L. (2024) Comic writer & artist, Lucy Sullivan. Available at: https://lucysullivanuk.com/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
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