Years and years and years ago there was a magazine that printed pages from artists' sketchbooks. They asked me to contribute, so I photocopied a bunch of pages, then cut & pasted the sketches so I could get in as many little drawings on the four pages I was given as possible. (I mean, some of the actual pages only had one or two drawings on them -- not very interesting, visually, I thought; plus I couldn't figure out which four pages to use -- so that was my solution; I reduced them & cut out the drawings & fit them all neatly together, with the goal that they just be fun to look at.)
Anyway, I'm kind of glad I made copies of these pages because a few years later these and other sketchbooks were destroyed by water damage. There was a leak in the ceiling directly over the cabinet where the books were stored, which I didn't notice until it was way too late.
So -- here is a glimpse of some of my sketchbook pages from days gone by...
Hello Richard. I'm your Italian fan. Sorry but my English is bad. I love your stuff and you are my reference point for drawing. Several times on my blog I talked about you and your works and I also recently reviewed the Italian edition of "Peculia" for a critique comics site (here: http://www.fumettidicarta.it/2010/06_peculia/peculia.html). Soon I'll write one for "Delphine" edited by Coconino Press.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted you to know my passion for your comics, but especially for your style of design (absolutely superb) :)
Good work and thanks for all.
Thank you, Luigi!!
ReplyDeleteWhat magazine was that? That sounds like a really great idea, showing sketchbook pages. And it's great that you were able to kind of make a collage of sketches to show more of your work. These are really wonderful. I love to see artists sketches, even though I'm never really comfortable letting people look thru my own stuff.
ReplyDeleteRichard, finally got around to reading Cat Burglar Black (beautiful). Went downstairs and showed it to my 10-yr-old and before I could finish explaining what it was about, she was nose-deep and ignoring me. Still reading as I type this. I love having great comics I can share w/ her. Thanks. ~RP
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rex! I hope she likes it. You can tell her that if some of the loose ends bug her, there was supposed to be a sequel which tied them up (K. rescues her friends) but the publisher has now headed in another direction with their graphic novels, away from books by single creators, preferring books by teams (different writer, artists, coloring, etc) for the most part. There may have been other reasons as well, but according to what they told me themselves about sales & critical reaction, that reason makes the most sense... (sigh...) Freelance artists/writers are like gypsies; if you are not wanted in one place, you move on and find another place...
ReplyDeleteBelle Dee -- Thank you! The magazine was called The Comics Journal. Those scans are from it's pages since I didn't save my photocopies either. (Side note to all young artists: Always save everything!). I would love to see your sketches -- although I know what you mean, it can be kind of embarrassing to reveal your process. Sketchbooks are supposed to be workbooks, after all, where artists are learning to get better. But remember you can always leave the really awful sketches out -- I did!
Hi Richard, interesting pages of art! I love sketchbook art. I don't know if you've "read" the sketchbooks of C Ware, they're a personal favorite of mine, and a great addition on his other books.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the "gipsy"part of being an artist (and for the water damage, one of my personal horrors, fire, water, collapsing bookcases etc.).
Still my favorite of your styles! Did I ever mention I managed to get a hold of Night Drive? I didn't realize it was the basis for Invisible Hands, which I have never seen, except for bits on Youtube. (Don't watch TV).
ReplyDeleteCheers
L