The past two months have been extremely busy between getting the first issue of “The Champion of Clardendon Ditch” comic book/graphic novelization ready as well as preparing for FLAME CON in June. Attached is a sneak peek at one of the characters in the series.
As an artist who has worked solo more often than not, collaboration can be a paralyzing prospect. Creation is a battle. Chiefly with oneself. God, The Muse, or whatever term we wish to give “The Source” of our imagination presents to us a pure (that is to say Perfect) vision of what it would have us realize and our job is to translate. So begins the daunting task of bringing it into existence. It’s hard. The hours are long, the mistakes are many.
Learning to separate oneself from one’s work is my lesson. I am not the illustrations that I draw. The words I’ve read which inspired the visions, were - in turn - written by an author who was translating them from his own “Source”. Perfection is always an unrealistic goal, and yet "Very Good" - even "Great" work is possible when we, as collaborative artists learn to speak: The Language of Our Project.
How is this done? Like most things: Trial and Error. Submission, Rejection, Revision. Sometimes words are inadequate, but a picture does the trick. How lucky are we to live in an age where the Internet has a virtually endless database of images to pull for inspirational essence. Sometimes pictures don’t work and one instead needs to rely on a thousand words. Either way: one is learning to communicate, and in the process of doing so, one is really learning to let go. Separating "The Source" from "The Work". It begins to stand on its own. Soon it will take to the sky.
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My immense gratitude to author Matt Galeone and editor Beth Williams for the opportunity to work on this exciting project that already feels like a great success.
Stay tuned for the next update!
