Heros and Villains
The Comics Journal is a helluva publication that goes in depth into the lives and careers of the best cartoon and sequential artists alive, and a few not so alive. When I got one that had extensive interviews and samples of the work of four of my art heros, I was so excited! The entire issue was devoted to Ed Sorel, Jules Feiffer, David Levine, and Ralph Steadman.
As I began to read through the interviews, some common threads came up: these guys are curmudgeons, intensely bright, intensely proud, and they produce great art. Sorel especially has some traits that coincide with some of my own, but I'm not close to being the artist he is. And, I'm not close to being the artist any of the other three are, either. I not only lack the training and work ethic they share, I seem to have lost some of my drive along the way to make the most original art I can. Lately, I've been content to keep up with my work assignments and generate income, no small feat for an artist, but not exactly the height of inspiration either.
I began to compare myself with these guys, and of course I fell short in all areas. I then did a sketch for a job, and it was flat. I felt like I was a hack.
My mood changed and lifted, and I realized that I am doing the best I can under the circumstances I've got. If I were to get more intense about the work and training I've got, maybe I'd be sacrificing something else, like my home life. Just the same, I do know that I can dig down deeper and create better work, whether it's on the technical level of pure good draughtsmanship, or making some sort of statement through the art.
Today, we visited Pixar, the home of some of the best animated movies ever made. There was storyboard sketch work on the walls that I felt I could do too. Will I ever get the chance to work under circumstances where I feel appreciated and well paid to do what I do best?
As I began to read through the interviews, some common threads came up: these guys are curmudgeons, intensely bright, intensely proud, and they produce great art. Sorel especially has some traits that coincide with some of my own, but I'm not close to being the artist he is. And, I'm not close to being the artist any of the other three are, either. I not only lack the training and work ethic they share, I seem to have lost some of my drive along the way to make the most original art I can. Lately, I've been content to keep up with my work assignments and generate income, no small feat for an artist, but not exactly the height of inspiration either.
I began to compare myself with these guys, and of course I fell short in all areas. I then did a sketch for a job, and it was flat. I felt like I was a hack.
My mood changed and lifted, and I realized that I am doing the best I can under the circumstances I've got. If I were to get more intense about the work and training I've got, maybe I'd be sacrificing something else, like my home life. Just the same, I do know that I can dig down deeper and create better work, whether it's on the technical level of pure good draughtsmanship, or making some sort of statement through the art.
Today, we visited Pixar, the home of some of the best animated movies ever made. There was storyboard sketch work on the walls that I felt I could do too. Will I ever get the chance to work under circumstances where I feel appreciated and well paid to do what I do best?
posted by Rich Sigberman at
9:51 PM
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