Here is a list of artists who are doing things I only wish I could dream up. While I promise to not steal from them, they have no choice but to inspire the direction of my artwork.
1. First up is graphic novelist, Adam Warren.
Warren is most famous for his graphic novel series, Empowered. The series has the quirkiest of origins. Get this- Warren was originally commissioned to do racy drawings of tied up females! Eventually he grew so attached to one of these characters that he named her Empowered and began to construct a story and world around the character. Empowered, or Emp, is a painfully self-conscious superhero who feels like the underdog on her team of SuperHomies. She wears a skin-tight suit that gives her super strength but tears easily leaving Empowered powerless and often tied up by villains (full circle). Despite the seemingly superficial plot-line, the graphic novel has so much heart. Empowered is an extremely relatable and charming female character. I always root for her!
I think those who are new to Warren’s style are often put off by his stylization of the facial features. However he is a genius when drawing the human form! The artist handles his fight scenes will such grace and skill and never creates an awkward frame. The motion of his figures are always believable which is a true mark of a graphic novel’s caliber.
It is also worth mentioning that Warren creates these action-packed scenes with graphite! What is considered a preliminary step in the world of comic-books has become Warren’s craft. To articulate such scenes without the use of ink or color speaks to Warren’s talent. In fact, Warren even has a knack for creating stunningly rendered clothes in a field inundated with the laziness of skin-tight spandex.
Thus, what I would steal from Warren is his ability to push and manipulate the medium of graphite. I would love to become proficient in creating different textures in pencil drawings as he does with his clothing. I see Warren’s masterful draftsmanship as a goal to be obtained in my own work.
2. My Photography teacher recently introduced our class to the work of Gregory Crewdson. I was instantly intrigued by his cinematic compositions in the same way I am drawn to the work of Stanley Kubrick.
In this video, Crewdson highlights the importance of light in his images. He explains, “for me, light is the way I tell a story, it’s my narrative.” He uses anywhere between 30-50 light sources per image. Indeed, his strategic use of light creates a tangible mood in his work.
His photographs almost look like paintings. This illusion occurs from what Crewdson explains as “absolute clarity and depth of field.” Crewdson’s compositions are meticulously created. He will often build full sets and methodically select floors, wallpapers and furnitures. In his series, Beneath the Roses, he and his team created fake snow for all the sets!
Thus, what I would love to steal from Crewdson is the intense moods, psychological compositions, and rich detail of his artwork.
3. Lastly, thanks to Nora’s suggestion, I have been looking into the artwork of Sandow Birk. His series, The Divine Comedy, captured me completely. Here, Birk seeks to modernizes Dante’s epic poem “into contemporary slang and set[s] the action in contemporary urban America.”
Dante and Virgil Confront the Minotaur
Purgatorio
On the Steps of Purgatory
Since I work mainly in graphite and pen and ink, I am very drawn to Birk’s brightly colored paintings. Like Crewdson, light is an integral component to Birk’s narrative. While my work will take a different visual route, I would love to steal Birk’s tongue-in-cheek commentary and conceptual wit.
Artist Resources:
Sound & Sweet 