On Creative Detachment and Artist of the Month Returning

If you are anything like me, the current crisis has put us all into a fog that we seem to amble through, keeping our hands on whatever railings we can find less we stumble. It has even affected me creatively in some degrees, in other ways it also caused a lot of self-reflection.

Whatever the circumstances or fate that lies before us, I found I needed to tap into my creative energy again, if just to stay sane due to the steady barrage of noise coming from the media, protests and talking heads. A creative form of detachment so to speak.

I fully expected sales to tank during this time, a lot of us do not know where our next dollar is coming from and what dollars we do get goes to essentials. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have sold five shirts on Amazon.  Especially since Amazon is limited what they sell due to the crisis to what they consider essential. Most of my line of shirts, except for three, have been put on hold until things become stable. Fortunately I created a backup via Redbubble, which offers more than just Tees, but journals, masks, prints and more. Though I have only made one sale via Redbubble, I still have hopes for it. I have noticed that due to the crisis it is taking Redbubble longer to ship and being based in Australia I am sure that this is a factor as well.

I will be continuing to focus on the Redbubble shop. If you are interested in journals, and you have a dark sense of humor, visit the Things for the Library Collection that offers everything from journals for your cats to bookplates.  If you are interested in mask that you can either wear over your current medical mask or a simple face covering, these are the masks I have worked up. Now these masks are not medical grade masks, for the most part they are cosmetic. Alone they are like wearing a bandanna over your face, you can wear them over medical grade masks, which I would advise strongly.

221B Baker Street Mask for Sherlock Holmes fans.

221B Baker Street Mask for Sherlock Holmes fans.

Miskatonic University Mask for Lovecraftians.

Miskatonic University Mask for Lovecraftians.

Machinations Mask

Machinations Mask

The Hamsa Mechanica Mask

The Hamsa Mechanica Mask

Note: The Hamsa is an ancient ward against evil and the evil eye.

INK is still coming along and I am now inking Page 8. So begins the backstory of Agatha and Matilda. Also another important note, The Artist of the Month feature will return next month.

In the meantime, I am hoping everyone stays safe, makes sane choices and cultivates some creative detachment during this time.

Artist for the Month of February

Kelly Kyv lives in Greece and was gracious enough to let me interview her for the month of February. When I first saw her work it struck a chord in me. I knew she was someone I wanted to interview and was on my list, I was grateful she responded.

Her drawings and sketches dance between shadow and light and are unapologetic. It is if she continues to nurture her inner child through her creativity. Her sketchbooks are like her journal, conveying emotions, personal and yet innocent in their own way and with just the right amount of weird.

I remember when I first saw your work, I thought, she has the weird that I like. Though I felt that there was a Timothy Burton influence, it also reminded me of some 19th Century book illustrators. I also felt you also had some influences that seemed familiar to me, but your unique style made it hard for me to pinpoint. What artists and styles influenced you the most? What books and  films inspired you the most?

I enjoy his work, but my influences came from a much earlier time than Timothy Burton’s work. What I do have in common with him is that I too was inspired by Vincent Price, especially his voice! But instead of Timothy Burton, I’d say Charles Schulz more so. I grew up I the early 70’s and would watch all the classical Disney movies and any cartoon of that time. 

And your guess was correct, anything of Victorian nature.  This is why I admire your art Ezekiel, and the way you have mastered ‘ 19th century’ in your art .  I  just want to thank you for inviting me to be interviewed by you. 

So yes, the Victorian illustrations in all the classical nursery rhymes. And as for reading books I have a weird relationship with them, I love everything about them, smell, feel looking at the photos. Everything except I find it very difficult to finish one. 

All these things, enchanting were inspiring to me. School also played a big role. For me, there was nothing enchanting or interesting, but rather cramped, forced and confusing. I noticed everyone else seemed to be understand everything just fine and all I could understand was the language of art. Fortunately, to my relief, I did have sufficient art classes throughout all the years. 

Sorry my list is long, but I often mention a teen’s art work that I saw because it was an ‘aha moment’. It could have been a copy from an album cover or something but at that age of 9, but after seeing it, I realized you can be a rebel through art. And lastly I must add that , my brother gave me Jack Hamm’s “ How to Draw Cartoons" for my 13th birthday and I needed nothing more in life after that. (how one angle of a line can give an expression on a face)

I still have it after 30 odd years. 

I notice you do a lot of your work in sketchbooks. I am thinking that it maybe for multiple reasons. I know that sketchbook paper is a lot more friendlier to mediums like ink and pencil, but I suspect you always have a sketchbook with you or near you. I also suspect you are a notorious doodler. Am I right? 

Yes, I especially had to doodle in school. (it calmed and secured me). This way, I don’t have to wait for anything, I don’t have to be able to afford anything or to find time either. Anything that I have at the moment is good enough. 

Excerpts from her sketchbook

Excerpts from her sketchbook

One thing I enjoyed looking at most where your sketch journals, it's like looking into the mind of (and this is in no way an insult) a creative schizophrenic and I actually dig that. In fact, in a sense envy it. People who keep sketch journals are to me at least, those that have to draw. It's like an extension of who they are. It's obsessive in a highly creative way. How many sketch journals do you have? 

I do have many. I’m such a hoarder with my art and do find it difficult to part with them. 

One thing I like about your style is that though it may seem frenzied, it actually accentuates the areas that you focus on the most, like the eyes or expression of the characters you draw. That is what drew me to your work at first, the impact of the expressions on your character's faces or the soulfulness of their eyes. I suspect you are highly observant and that you have a high sense of empathy. That sketching and drawing is how you channel it. What strikes me most is your dark twist in humor, it's like, "yeah I know things can be scary and dark, but I can also play here." It is as if you take situations or memories that could overwhelm some and stand them on their head. Am I on the right path here? 

By nature I tend to over observe human behavior. This is why I shy away from people as well  and when it gets overwhelming , I just have to let it spill out,  onto the paper and just let the unconscious do whatever it wants .. I guess that’s why the art may get darker or absurd. It’s not me being dark, it’s the dark I saw and I’m trying to communicate this information in a more positive form. I need the absurd, it makes me giggle, smile or laugh. They are such a great way to express affection towards yourself and others. And no one can deny that they have not seen the dark and light side of life.

Where do you want to go with your art? Have you ever thought of illustrating a story of your own creation, or are your illustrations, one continuing story?

For the last five years I've been putting aside enough pieces that would fit into a Halloween booklet. I’m not certain if it’ll ever it’ll manifest but  I’ll continue my daily doodles, journals regardless.

You can see more of Kelly Kyv's work on her Facebook Page

If you enjoy this blog and the art, check out my Zazzle Shop. Just click on the banner below. It helps to support what I do. Thank you.

Why INK and Why Now and it is all Hopeless In Maine's Fault

Panels from Hopeless In Maine by Tome and Nimue Brown

Over six years ago I ran across online comic that really inspired me. It was called Hopeless in Maine by Tom and Nimue Brown. Both art and story drew me in also the attitude of the Browns, the go for broke determination that fueled its existence, was ultimately paid off with Hopeless in Maine going into publication, a role play game and other projects that will eventually come to light. The Browns now live in the UK and Hopeless in Maine is thriving well.

Hopeless in Maine RPG

But the seed that Hopeless in Maine planted in me led to an online comic that I began working on called Sanctus Sanitorium, unfortunately after 32 pages I was derailed with cancer and having spent almost a year of going through chemotherapy and treatment, I didn't have the strength to return to it and much of the plot which was in my head got lost in a chemo fog.

Panel excerpts from Sanctus Sanatorium

I have been in remission now for over six years, knock on wood, and I couldn't shake loose of some ideas and characters that have been haunting me for decades. Then tragedy struck again, five years ago I lost my father to pancreatic cancer, one year and one month later, my Mother passed away from congestive heart failure and months after that, my brother died of a rare form of blood cancer. So Sanctus Sanatorium, a Gothic steampunk tale got lost in the ether.







About a year after that, I lost my best friend, someone who had been with me through my cancer ordeal and the loss of my entire immediate family,  my cat Poe. Poe was an exceptional cat, more so, he was Legacy. He was extremely empathetic, read me like a book, knew how to manipulate me, knew how to push my buttons and he knew how to make me laugh. I fought hard to combat his declining health and dreaded his loss. When the decision was to release him for his suffering I broke down and wept as they administered the drugs that put him to rest. If I had not done that, his suffering would have been much greater than I could bear to witness. His ashes now sit in an urn on my shelf.  He was sixteen years old.

Poe

Shortly after that, Lenore, the black Egyptian goddess that was Poe's pal and partner in crime, died of a broken heart, literally, she had what the vet described as an elongated heart.  She now rests in my Mother's garden.

Lenore

Knowing that the best way to honor their loss would be to rescue another cat, I went to Pets and People and found Marlowe, who is the inspiration for INK. Marlowe was a special project cat, being feral and cringing when anyone attempted to pet him made his chances for his adoption slim. But his orange eyes did me in. Now Marlowe is not only spoiled and loves to be petted, he follows me everywhere, kind of like the puppy I never had.

Marlowe, under a year old.

Last September I decided to retire, you see cancer changed me in a lot of ways and one of those ways was not wasting away at a call center job even though it paid extremely well. My life had returned to a cycle that I could not break. Go to work at a highly stressful job, go home, sleep, repeat. I decided to give my creative outlet its voice and return to what I love doing since I really don't know how long I have left to tread this sodden earth. I don't live in the daily fear of cancer returning, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to take the lessons I learned from cancer and make the most of what time I have left. So INK was brought from creative aspirations to paper.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to pay homage to the felines that I have known in my life as well as bring characters that have haunted me for decades and create a world that appealed to me that they could play in and I, myself could get lost in. INK is entirely a vanity project. It takes longer for me to do a page, since I am not relying solely on pencils and digital means to create it, but old school tactics, pen and ink. But in this I am trying to do quality over volume. I started in September and now only have 5 pages done with page 6 near completion. As soon as I sort some other things out in my life, progress may go a lot faster.

Banner for INK

  If you choose to support INK, you can do so in different ways. Either buying a Tee Shirt that has my original art reproduced on it or by subscribing to my Patreon account. Even if you don't choose to support it, I am am hoping you will enjoy it anyway...and at least give it a nod and maybe some attention that you will pass along.

Artist of the Month for January

I was sitting here this morning trying to work out marketing strategies, preferably I would rather put a pencil in my eye. So I decided to detach, let go so to speak. I always feel as though I am whoring a bit when I push my work. I guess I am old school, the work should speak for itself, but in this digital age that simply is not the case. So I return to what one of my original themes of this blog site is, Artist of the Month.

Now not all Artists of the Month have to be artists I have met and I have never met Barry Windsor-Smith. I always wanted to. I have read several of his interviews, own Opus 2, have a copy of the Studio and collected (which sadly are gone and now all I have are reprints) his Conan comics that he drew for Marvel. I have always wanted to meet him, show him the body of some of my work and tell him, "Here, you are responsible for this." Maybe it is better I didn't meet him, if he rejected my work my inner child would suicide on the spot.

I am choosing Barry Windsor-Smith for Artist of the month for a few reasons. One is that it is January, the start of a new year and also coincides with Machine Man which takes place in 2020. A title Barry worked on.

The other is that Barry Windsor-Smith inspired me like no other artist, not just by his style, but by watching his grow. This growth I witnessed from his early Conans to his work in the Studio and beyond convinced me that one can get better with dedication. Barry Windsor-Smith is the heart of dedication. I can think of no other artist that with determination and belief blossomed as much as he. He also introduced me to the Pre-Raphaelites, which broadened my artistic vision. Watching Barry grow made me believe I could too.

There are the stories of how he sent work to Stan Lee and Lee invited him to come to Marvel, which he did all the way from England and ended up drawing his first strips on park benches in New York. Can you think of the determination it took to do something like that?

Frost Giant's Daugher

I first noticed Barry's work in Conan 1, which was unique but his style was in its infancy and you could see that this was someone trying very hard to define his mark. Then came out one of my all times faves, "The Tower of the Elephant". Barry showed that he was developing his own sense of graphic narrative. One of the pages had no word balloons using only panels to tell the scene. To me, it was magic. Then by issue  # 8, the "Frost Giant's Daughter"inwardly I knew Barry was the man to watch. That was in 1970.

Tower of the Elephant

In 1973, Barry did "Red Nails", in a black and white format and also "Song of Red Sonja" which was his last work on Conan. The disappointment in his leaving the series for me personally caused me to drop the Conan titles all together. The replace- ment artists just didn't seem to capture the fantastic as Barry had done. I moved on. The magic had simply gone.

Red Nails

During this era Barry formed Gorblimey Press and began selling prints of his work and then in 1979 he joined Jeffrey (Catherine) Jones, Bernie Wrightson and Micheal Wm Kaluta and created the Studio. Four comic book artists that showed the art world that comic book art should be taken more seriously. This was later vindicated when Barry's Artemis & Apollo sold for $ 75,000 and Bernie Wrightson's illustration for Frankenstein auctioned off for over a million just last year.

Artemis and Apollo

The Studio fired my imagination. Barry's work had opened up a new world for me in the fantastic. All four artists tripped my imagination and fired my desire to create. But behind it all I could see Barry smiling, whispering "take what we do seriously."

Barry's logo for the Studio

Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Michael Wm Kaluta and Barry Windsor Smith

Stan Lee never though Conan would take off. He came close to shutting it down, thought it was a pretty book but would go nowhere. I won't delve into the friction at Marvel that developed between them and Barry. A lot of it is gossip. Barry did continue to do work for Marvel off and on. He wrote and drew the Weapon X backstory and also started his own series for another label, Valiant Comics, Armstrong and Archer and the Story Teller series.

Barry disappeared from the scene for sometime. Apparently he has been working on a new graphic novel entitled Monsters. It is reported to be over 300 pages. Who the publisher is and the publication date is yet to be revealed...but I am anxiously waiting.

Thank you Barry, for your inspiration.

A New Year, Patreon and Begging on the Corner

So Christmas came and went and now we enter into a New Year full of resolve...

...for the record I have already broken one of my resolutions, I am hoping it is not a trend.

Self Marketing has never been my forte. I always feel that inner dialogue creeping in with its insidious whispering...

"You are just going to embarrass yourself"
"You thought you were good enough"
"They (whomever they are) are just laughing at you waiting for you to fail"

So on and so on.

In spite of that self deprecating dialogue, I went and did it anyway. I created a Patreon site. Patreon is an interesting beast, people donate money to you to create or support your project. You in turn, the creator, gives benefits and exclusive content depending on the donation. I like the concept but like anything else on the internet, if no one knows about it, no one comes. If only Field of Dreams' statement of faith were real, you simply build it and they will come. But unfortunately cinema may reflect life, sometimes its through a mirror darkly.

Now, I know I am painting a negative picture, I am really am not, just explaining the tasks of getting noticed. It's not easy and often risking and I have been really good at avoiding rejection, in fact I have turned it into a fine art. In spite of all that, I persisted anyway.

My goal has always been to create and fill a niche that I believe is there, finding the niche takes effort and time that I would rather be creating, but it demands itself to be done. So here I go again, standing on the street corner like a beggar, but instead of a dog, I have a cat on a leash and holding up a cardboard sign with "Help Fund My Funny Book" scribbled on in with crayon. In an odd perverse way, I kind of dig that imagery.

If I have garnered any of your interest, this is the link to my Patreon site. It set up to fund INK, an online graphic novel I have been planning for months and finally set down and began to do it.

So far three pages are up, pages four and five and near completion. You may determine from the style and the amount of ink spilled on it, no pun intended, INK takes a lot of work and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to be able to take all I have learned about pen and ink and use it to create a world that I could get lost in as well as pay homage to cats that gave me friendship and comfort in my life.

If the concept of subscribing to INK is not something you want to commit to, though if you do you will have access to pages seven days before web release, I have created a Tee shirt from one of the panels. The cat is Mistress Lenore, actually based off of a dear cat that recently passed away at the age of fourteen.  Her name was Lenore and she was the queen of the house.Just click on the image below to take you to the Amazon sales page.

Also as a note:

If you noticed that there was no Artist of the Month Entry for December, I skipped December due to the Holidays. It will pick up again this month.