A game of solitaire, part 1

07-22-2015
Being an artist means having a solitary profession, at least in my case. I'm not complaining about that; I couldn't get anything done if I had to work with other people. I simply would not be able to concentrate. Especially in the first phase, the design of a new drawing. I usually play some calm music in the back ground, like early lute music, or some baroque music, or jazz. All instrumental, the human voice in itself is a huge distraction. But then, if the whole thing is ready in its penciled form, the second, boring phase begins: the tracing. Here I can listen to anything I want, but the best thing is to listen to something intellectual a bit challenging, so you're mind is drawn away from the work. Separating the head from the hands, so to speak.

Twenty years ago, I used to listen to the radio a lot, especially to the BBC world service. But nowadays of course, there is the internet! I can pick any documentary that I like! I can listen to lectures from Neil DeGrasse Tyson, about the universe, I can choose a documentary about Darwin, or I can listen to stand up comedians like Ben Baily, for instance and laugh my head off! I love it!
There is one subject I return to a lot, and within that one, another sub-subject I like to listen to documentaries about my own profession, the art of drawing. Mostly I like programs about the major comic book industries, like Marvel, DC and Image. They can be about the history of the company, or origin stories about specific superheroes or whatever.
But what I like to listen to most, is interviews with or documentaries about the artists. I listen to interviews with Jim Lee, or to documentaries about Jack Kirby. And it strikes me that we all have so much in common. Jim Lee for instance, who says he's hesitant to let himself be filmed during his work because as he puts it:
"Part of the appreciation of the art lies in the mystery of how it is made".
Or the fact that, as a kid he always bought comics based on who the artist was. I still do
the same thing; I am almost totally not interested in the story, just in the art. Or another point that returns again and again: most of us work at night! THE period of the twenty-four hours period for inspiration, concentration and creation!

I'll ramble on a bit more about all this in a later editorial.

Coco

CBAP