New Work

In my ever continuing quest to find the right look, the right line, I've always had to look back on those who came before me.

The first illustration, from a picture I'm working on, is inspired by simple, lively lines like Jules Feiffer. I purposefully used sparse background and simple, but bold color statements. I enjoyed drawing that large man a number of times. It's ridiculous the the size comparison between him and the little girl.

The second illustration reminds me of earlier illustrations I did back when I just started using the pen nib for my illustrations. I was looking at Ronald Searle especially (his work is hard to find online, let alone books in the bookstore!). He went on to inspire following artists like Ralph Steadman and then Richard Thompson.

It's amazing how connected all these artists when looking at their work and comparing. The difference between William Steig's line to Ronald Searle, how Steig influenced Feiffer, how Feiffer influenced Trudeau then Berkeley Breathed but before that Pat Oliphant. I love seeing all the connections everyone had on each other, but then what makes each one unique.

I think most important too is that the drawings are only as good as the subject matter or the story. There's a reason why each artist draws the way they do, and that's because of what they got to say.