John wastes paper

  These studies are done from Raymond's RIP KIRBY newspaper strip, mostly from the 1949 run. They're kind of crappy, but I'm trying to absorb their aesthetic and am posting them here to compare with future efforts.

 Just to put a fine point on my last post, here are a few more example close-ups of comic strip art – these from the BEN CASEY newspaper strip (1962 - 1966). Neal Adams, the strip's artist, was 22 or 23 years old at the time he drew these.  Again, a coin is included in-frame to emphasize the (tiny, tiny) scale that portions of these drawings were inked at. It's my understanding that Adams used a Gillott 290 pen nib to ink the strip, which allowed for fine details at these small sizes. Can you imagine the skill (and sometimes, the frustration) of working with this nib? Here are two more panels... ...and its corresponding close-up. What steady hands an artist must have to work so small with such a flexible pen nib. Dave Sim, of CEREBUS fame has said of the Gillott 290, "It's a temperamental tool, far more flexible than the (Hunt) 102 so it requires a feather-soft touch and 100% accuracy when you're placing it on the page." He goes on to explain that "if b

As a follow up to my previous post about size vs. detail in original comic art, I am posting these photos to illustrate the point more clearly. Just look at these amazing illustrations done in panels no taller than 5 inches! I look at eyes, lips and other facial details and mavel at the fine lines made in comparison to the size of a quarter. What control! My best research says that Stan Drake inked his HEART OF JULIET JONES comic strip (which these examples are from) with a Gillott 290 pen nib, a notoriously difficult tool to use due to its extremely flexible nature. Yet, look at the control Drake obviously had. I have similar samples of BEN CASEY strips, by Neal Adams, and MAD MAGAZINE spot illustrations, by Mort Drucker. Both used the same pen nib and demonstrate even more detail and dexterity. I can't fathom how many hours it took these artists to master their technique! By the way, I found an interesting interview with Stan Drake in issue #72 of the NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY