ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
I'm a right pain in the arse as far as fans go. 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! 
I'm only half joking. Case in point - 'Captain Stone is Missing...' (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! 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. 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 that I will give it my all, or fail trying.
And I HAVE failed at times. Sometimes royally!
Am I wrong to do this?
Well yes, and 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.
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. And also it is hard for fans to follow, to get their teeth into. They have no way of knowing if they will like the next 'Liam Sharp' project because it could be so removed from the one before.
In practice I veer between the mainstream and the great stylists, like Bill Sienkiewicz. I'm between a pillar and a post.
But 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 and wonderful 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.
But it has impacted. 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.
I'm only half joking. Case in point - 'Captain Stone is Missing...' (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! 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. 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 that I will give it my all, or fail trying.
And I HAVE failed at times. Sometimes royally!
Am I wrong to do this?
Well yes, and 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.
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. And also it is hard for fans to follow, to get their teeth into. They have no way of knowing if they will like the next 'Liam Sharp' project because it could be so removed from the one before.
In practice I veer between the mainstream and the great stylists, like Bill Sienkiewicz. I'm between a pillar and a post.
But 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 and wonderful 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.
But it has impacted. 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.
On Detail
It seems I'm becoming known for my excessive detailing and textures. This is great, and I'm pleased to have a trait that is becoming a recognized feature of my art. But - and it's an important but, because it's to do with the craft of storytelling - I do work hard to balance the detailed pages with others that have a large amount of negative space or much simpler compositions, otherwise it's all just so much noise and the point is lost. I LOVE getting stuck into in all the intricacies that are part of making a, hopefully, believable world for my readers, but I try to leave room to breath too.
A city looks most impressive when you've driven o
It has been too long
Well, what a crazy couple of years! First Wonder Woman with the amazing Greg Rucka, then an issue of The Justice League with Rob Venditti, and after that The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman, which I also had the joy and honour of writing!
It has taken a LOOOOOONG time to get back onto the iconic books of my youth. I never thought I would - had kind of given up hope to some extent, after all it had been decades! I thought I was an almost-ran, somewhat a has-been, so my comeback was very unexpected. And what a comeback it turned out to be!
I'm now mid way through issue three of my latest DC series, The Green Lantern, with legendar
PARADISE REX PRESS, INC
Extremely thrilled about this: https://app.mailerlite.com/j9w9k6
My second prose publication after 'God Killers' is finally available - and with an afterword by the great China Miéville!
I'll be honest - I'm really nervous about it, now it's actually out! It's ferociously honest, very much a soul-bearing.
It's angry, it's odd, it's highly experimental, and it's verging on confessional - which perhaps is no surprise to anybody who reads my journals!
I have no doubt that some people will think it is pretentious, impenetrable crap - a one-trick pony.
But - I know it has also found its fans. China Mieville, for example, spent a long aft
What Are We To Do?
What ARE we to do?
I write to this miniscule bubble of mostly like-minded liberal friends - as like attracts like, and we've all learned the hard way in recent times that we are NOT the consensus.
As we slip into another inevitable age, who survives?
Because we will not change our ways - don't want to, or deny the proof of it - what then?
Do we take up the arms of those we have battled? Do we harden ourselves, cast aside our compassion for all human kind, and look no further than our defensible perimeter?
Do we prepare for the inevitable losses, and stop wasting our time with futile battles against elite institutions so powerful that non
© 2013 - 2024 LiamRSharp
Comments91
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
I worry about this all the time. My style has never really been consistent and I think it's because I want to do everything. Comics, animation, album covers, painting, photomanipulation, cartoons and realism, cubism... you name it.
It's not a bad thing, as it means I never stagnate and can realistically increase my chances to be hired for a variety of projects. That said, having a 'look' means that whether you're on an iPhone screen, Jumbotron, paving slab or tea towel, people will know it's you. I've agonised over getting the balance right. Who would intentionally restrict themselves when it comes to potential new avenues of work? Well, people who are maybe looking to be the dominant artist in their particular field, I guess.
Many of my friends in the Manchester artistic community have very distinct styles and this means their online stores *look* like the work of one artist as opposed to mine which looks like DeviantART lite (in my opinion). One of these guys is a regular contributor to the New Yorker and has a very recognisable portrait style, which looks great when animated. That's the result of years spent honing his craft until nobody can better him in this regard. I went through a period of drawing loads of geometric landscapes but then got distracted. I could be THE geometric landscape guy by now...
Here's a further issue. When starting out as a freelancer, having an inconsistent style can mean that, in order to survive, you take on work from a client who LOVED something you did in the past but which you have been hoping to get away from. That happens enough times and your portfolio is filled with work you'd rather not have done in the first place. Awkward, but only if you are dead set on going against the flow, maybe.
In the end, what really matters is that you are successful enough to keep going and that people like your work, however it appears. That will happen if it is quality work, which can only be harder to create if you are always trying something new. Isn't that something in itself?