I Got Angry Pt.6

Something else that get's me angry...

Why can't artist's be EXPECTED to experiment? To try new things? To be innovative?
Why is it that drawing in the same style forever is viewed as THE BEST approach?
How do we unlearn this?
How do we encourage creators to be daring, and our readers to be more open and daring too?

I admit it.
I chop and I change, and if you're looking for a book that is consistent then you'd better not invest any time in me! As a result I've lost many fans over the years. People at cons sometimes say 'where did you go after The Hulk? I thought you must have left the industry...'
They never knew I was always here, but always changing.

Case in point - 'Captain Stone is Missing...' (FREE on dA here: www.deviantart.com/art/Captain…) may be, in my opinion, the best work of my career, but consistent it is not!!!

For me there are artists that are able to produce work that spans decades in a style that remains consistent, professional and inspired. I envy these guys enormously! Page one of 'Watchmen' drawn by my friend and personal hero Dave Gibbons looks to my eyes as if it was drawn the day before the last page of issue 12. It's an incredible achievement! (He begs to differ by the way!) But then there are artists like the equally brilliant Moebius who would change styles page to page, even panel to panel, depending on his mood, aspects of his life, or a suddenly flash of inspiration.

I definitely fall into the second category!

I'm a jack of many trades, and can pencil, ink, paint in several mediums, and work digitally - even utilizing 3D aspects at one point in my career.
My drawing style is all over the bloody place.
I have no system, no fall-back stylistically, and no attack plan.
I dive in to any project with ebullience and naivety, full-steam ahead and cavalier in a take-no-prisoners way.
I have no idea what I'm doing, but I will give it my all, or die trying, and sometimes these efforts will fail. Sometimes royally!

Is it wrong to do this?

Well - some might say "yes", and others "no".

No - in that it has resulted in a strong regard from fellow creators who get the scope and the inherent daring of what I attempt in my work.
They know how hard it is, and they see a creator that is constantly reaching for something, attempting to evolve; to grow; to learn.
I appreciate this enormously from these people, and it is certainly humbling. It makes me what I would categorize as 'an artist's artist', not a fan fav.

Yes - in that it's a perilous route, as it means editors can be a little wary as they have no way of knowing what to expect.
They have to trust my vision, and naturally they have the eyes of the corporations peering over their shoulders.
Also - as mentioned - it is hard for fans to follow, to get their teeth into. They have no way of knowing if they will even like the next 'Liam Sharp' project, because it could be so far removed from the one before it, the one they really loved.

In practice I veer between the mainstream - like Jim Lee - and the great stylists - like Bill Sienkiewicz.
I'm between a pillar and a post.

So - would I choose to have it any other way?

The truth is I don't have a choice in the matter.
I am the artist I am.
I've loved the opportunity to work such varied material, and have responded to it in the only way I've known how: always looking for a way for my art to best reflect the content.

Slicker artists are more popular.
More consistent artists are more popular.

I accept that.

And I have, on occasion, walked that road and enjoyed the fruits of it. 'Death's Head II', and 'Gears of War' were the most consistent jobs I ever did, and they easily sold the most.

But would I, could I be happy maintaining those styles indefinitely?

No.
Absolutely, unequivocally not.
I, as an artist, care more about my personal growth than I do about fame.
Life is too short, and serving corporations until I burn out and am no longer in vogue - that has no appeal.
So I'll trade mass-appeal for integrity and continue to follow the root my heart has dictated.

It might not be the clever way to go, but - as the cliche goes - it's my way.

It is my view that this growing revolution of creators doing their own thing will change the face of storytelling in visual mediums forever. It will become a global boutique of personal projects - projects that embolden writers and artists, that reinvent the norms, and free us of expectations. They will be honest in way they can not be through the old corporate paths.

They will be YOU stories, and MY stories, and collectively OUR stories.

Meanwhile: This time ask me a question. I'll do my best to give you a straight-up answer!



Note: This was adapted from an earlier journal that seemed relevant to this current thread of journals, so don't hate me for a bit of copy and paste! There will be more as I find relevance in old posts!