I'm flying right at you! Duck!The above image may or may not be the cover of my next minicomic which I may or may not have ready for sale in time for Fluke. The may or may not part depends on my printing skills and whether or not I can pull off that much color with the resources I have available to me in the short amount of time between now and Fluke. Cross your fingers.
Because I'm a "behind the scenes" "making of" "how to" nerd, here is a look at the pencil sketch. I inked this with a brush on tracing paper laid on top of the sketch. The inked version came out a lot different and that is a good thing because that is a pretty lousy sketch. I also was due for a new blog banner here at Addicted to Distraction so I'll probably kill two birds with one drawing and use this for both a cover and the banner. My explanation for why I came up with this image has two versions, one of which is a lie.
Version 1: I think a lot about covers and graphics in regards to self marketing. I've realized that there are only a few styles which people tend to lock themselves into with these things. One style is the "superhero/nerd/fantasy" style we see a lot on the introwebnet. That ain't me. Another style is "the look at my mad skillz" style. These are banners and covers that display Frank Fazetta level drawing chops or Pixar level photoshop chops. That ain't me either. Then there is the "look at my amazing body of work" style where covers or banner will have a career spanning montage of images. That is too much work for me. Then there is the "I'm a deep and sensitive artist and you should love me" style. This style is the one you see the most in my world of alt/indie/underground/ comics. It usually displays a strong level of craft but I think it is diminished by the way it seems to say "comics are art please oh please realize that comics are art and please oh please love me". It's just to desperate. I don't want to be desperate. So, with all that said, I have invented a new style of comic cover and banner art. I call this style the "I make comics for people who like comics whether they like it or not" style. It is an unapologetic style that refuses to explain why a 35 year old cartoon man is flying in a world of stripes.
Version 2: It's just a dumb image that popped in my dumb brain.
Which version is the truth? The one you prefer true believer.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
4 comments:
Nice image. Not to be a Debby Downer or anything, but it's kind of Georgia O'Keefe-ish, if you catch my drift.
Ha! I never noticed! Awesome.
It reminds me of one of two things: That SNL skit where someone gives birth to an adult Will Ferrell and that movie where people turn small and enter someone's body (because it looks like you're exiting the body).
But seriously, though, it's really cool and I look forward to new material.
Thanks! I swear that was never the intention but now that you've mentioned it, I can't not see it. Hah! I look forward to new material too. I guess I'd better make some.
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