Art & Story 024 – The Big Previsualization
February 6, 2008 by Mark
Filed under Art & Story, Podcast
This week Jerzy and Mark planned on discussing how we do pre-planning and how we visualize our work before pencil touches paper, but we end up trailing a bit off topic… but in a good way. Also, if anyone has any other thoughts on our live show drop us a line.
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I’ve been listening a bit to the last few podcasts and it’s nice to hear how two seemingly different artists (in their approaches) get along very well and both have a lot to offer by means of advice and experience WITHOUT being preachy. Guys,..I’m coming from a point in my life that has been very frustrating. I feel as though I have been in a state of suspension now for the last few years. All I have done is jot notes for storylines,..jokes and sketch character designs for the last few years with no direction as to where to start and which way to start as well as which medium to start with,..i.e. animation, comic panels, webcomic strips, etc. I work fulltime as a graphic designer and when I get home,…I’m spent. I have an 8 year old who then gets my remaining attention and my wife gets any that’s leftover. I’m sorry,…but the thought of staying up until the wee hours of the morning is just not an option for me as I have to be ready for work the following day. Sounds like excuses for sure,…as I hate hearing them myself,…but this most recent podcast was a HUGE help for me.
By breaking this whole beginning process down into bite size chunks, I think I can perhaps begin to approach this on my Saturday nights and turn my endless sketching into something that will lead to something.
I know many people dismiss this “state of suspension” as an excuse or sign of a lack of drive, but I’m here to tell you that it has nothing to do with that and more to do with being a real life dad, an attentive husband and loyal employee. Having a plan or a process (in the beginning) to implement one’s strip or comic is paramount. Once a process develops, ideas turn to art, work gets done, goals get met and growth starts to happen.
You may not realize this Jerzy and Mark,..but this last podcast really is worth so much for many who just need that process in writing so that they can turn whatever limted time available to them into time that is productive and beneficial to the process of finished work!
I may be more into “funny animal” art styles (I’m an HB baby from the 60’s-go figure) and not such a big fan of SCiFi or Action Adventure, but we as artists are all in this together and there is a place for all of us. I didn’t think I would get any take aways from this podcast, but I’m happily proven wrong! Great work and keep on talking…we are listening.
Thanks, Todd! While we do our best to remember that we’re just two guys riffing about our process, it is good to know that what we think about is of any help to anyone else. Speaking only for myself, I know that a big motivator in my participation on the show is to evangelize comics as something that we can all participate in more deeply, either as readers or creators. So thanks for the response.
You’re absolutely right that it is hard to juggle a full-time job and familial/social responsibilities in a pursuit of a comics career of any sort. Comics can be a very demanding endeavor, especially when you’re pursuing the work all on your own. And like we discussed on this (and many earlier) episodes, a huge help to us has been breaking down the process into manageable pieces.
I keep repeating that it took me 5 years to finish my graphic novel, The Front: two years to write the story on my lunch breaks at work, then three years to complete it at a rate of a page per week. It was slow, tedious, and at times I thought I’d never get it done, but in the end I found that by keeping my schedule to a pace that I knew I could maintain while still being a good husband and responsible employee, I managed to get it done. And here’s the best part–I can sell copies of The Front for as long as people will buy it. That’s not even mentioning my artistic growth and the pride I feel as a result of the work.
So yes, it’s a long process, but if we find ways to enjoy each and every piece of the process as we work on it, it’s immensely rewarding. At least emotionally, if not financially.
You are so right! Thanks,..
I may be a Saturday night artist for awhile, but that’s OK because I know there is a goal in sight. I think another thing that we tend to forget about is something that you just touched on with The Front. If we didn’t take our craft and talent SERIOUSLY,…time would never be an issue,…but YOU OBVIOUSLY DO and I as well, so there in lies the challenge. Heck,..if we simply gave little thought to this and just wanted to whip out a product that is sloppily thrown on paper or screen, we could ALL do this. We live in a world where Political Correctness is in overkill and tries to make “everyone” the same when in reality we are not and it’s a blessing that we are not!! I can see your work,..Mark’s and many others and no instantly that time, thought and talent when into each panel, each frame, each word ballon and so forth. I can also look at others and see junk!
Nobody wants to call the junk “junk”, and that’s fine,..but we all know it’s there. This is why each drawing for me is a struggle and a long drawn out process,…because I certainly don’t want my name to be out there and synonomous with junk!!!!
There in lies the rub,….It’s important to get my work out there and in front of my peers etc,….but yet we all know after some time, we look back and say UGHHHHH,..I drew that?! In trying to minimize the UGhhh factor,….it can get painfully tedious and slow….it’s the beast we must all deal with I guess.
Would love to hear a topic on this….(THe UGhhh factor) when do we ever get past this and DO we ever get to a point when we get past this????
take care!