I’ve spoken at length about my creative influences in the world writing, but it occurs to me that I haven’t spoken at all about artistic influences. This is odd, given that I’m a visual artist, and I developed this newsletter initially to sell my illustration services. So, without further ado, here are my top five artists:
Hérge
Tintin was the first comic I got into. My parents bought one of the books for me when I was nine, and I was hooked. I own all of them now.
Hérge (pseudonym of Georges Remi) was the artist and writer behind the intrepid Belgian reporter whose adventures I followed with keen interest. He was a Belgian comic artist of the early 20th century whose bold lines and interesting scenery continue to influence me into adulthood. His character designs draw on traditional caricature art that characterized many 20th century newspaper strips, and in my opinion makes the characters more interesting and distinctive.
Jack Kirby
Without a doubt the most influential figure of American comic books is the artist Jack Kirby.
Jack Kirby has created, or co-created hundreds, if not thousands of iconic comic book characters, including the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, the Silver Surfer, Darkseid, Thor and many, many more. His dramatic shapes and lines and interesting character designs caught my attention immediately. Not to mention his stunning backgrounds; elaborate machines, planets, galaxies, and cities all depicted in bold, black lines. Truly a master of his craft.
Bruce Timm
To say that Bruce Timm animated my childhood is only a slight exaggeration. Bruce Timm was the artist behind some of my favorite animated series of the 1990s and 2000s, including the Justice League, Superman: The Animated Series, and the New Adventures of Batman.
Like me, Bruce Timm was influenced by Jack Kirby, and was a fan of bold, clear shapes and lines. Having grown up on the shows he animated, it’s no wonder I’m still influenced by his work well into my adulthood.
Joe Sinott
I couldn’t mention Jack Kirby without mentioning his best inker at Marvel, Joe Sinnott. Joe Sinnott was gifted with a pen, and to say that Jack Kirby’s work wouldn’t look right without his help is no exaggeration. There were other inkers at Marvel in the 1960s, but none quite as talented as Joltin’ Joe. The man never quit. He only retired from drawing weekly Spiderman comics about a year before his death in 2020.
John Buscema
John Buscema was another artist at Marvel in the 60s and 70s. Buscema was, without a doubt, the master of anatomy. The man knew the human body better than anyone else and I’ve benefited greatly from studying his characters. He was a big believer in dramatic poses for his characters, which has, I hope, rubbed off on my own work.
Those are my top five. There are others who’ve had an influence on that has been more subtle, but these are the main ones.
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Thanks for reading and have a great week!