Broken Frontier

I once applied to do a degree in animation. For a long time now I have been fascinated by that craft, so much so, that I entertained notions of doing it myself, however I was rejected because I lacked background in life drawing. Most art degrees in the UK require you to do a foundation course for a year before hand. This course introduces you to a wide range of artistic ideas and genres and it generally supposed to be a good broad base from which to leap into something more specialised. I was interested, because it always includes the compulsory life drawing classes.

Keen and eager, I was full of grand ideas and hopes, maybe look into illustration, leaning more towards the comic aspect of things. I was knee-deep in comics at home anyway (literally at some points as well), revelling in their lurid stories and graphic depictions. They gave me such a thrill when I read them that I wanted to hone my skills so that I could doodle idly myself with ideas and sketches. What I didn’t expect was the wall I ran headfirst into. Tutors were sniffy and aloof about the medium, dismissing it as inferior. A lesser form, only out to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It was quite a shock and an unpleasant one at that. 

It set me off thinking about art in general, what is acceptable and what isn’t. I found it profoundly disturbing that someone could pile junk in a room and be lauded as a modern artist, whereas a simple glance at a comic book results in the comic being instantly dismissed as trashy. My sense of injustice was further highlighted when watching the news on television; there was an article about Roy Lichtenstein, where he was referred to as making comic books into art. Often lost beneath greater names such as Andy Warhol or David Hockney, Lichtenstein was part of the pop art movement that started in the 1950s in England, but quickly moved over to the US, where most of the leading exponents of the style quickly adopted to what was on offer. In a culture rich with advertising, it is not surprising perhaps that pop art, in which ordinary every day images are depicted and used, took such a firm grip. Lichtenstein however is more relevant to the comic world than most, as his basis of inspiration were comic books.

Everyone assumes that because you are a fine artist that you can draw, and draw well for that matter. Which isn’t the case, in fact some highly praised artists today couldn’t draw at all, but wanted to paint so much that they did regardless. It is interesting to observe those same people talking about comic books and their artists. Whilst I was doing my foundation course, I encountered a tutor who was an art snob. He rejected all my research because it wasn’t based on European fine artists for one particular project. I rebelled against the system, which is always a dangerous game to play, as these teachers are the ones who are marking you, and I lost, quite heavily in that one. It is a real uphill struggle. If you want to draw comics for your coursework, you have to do it well, more than well you have to do something incredible.

Is this reputation deserved though? A casual glance through my comic pile, and I can see some beautifully rendered front covers, that if on their own would make fantastic pictures. The quality of the artistry is excellent; the draftmanship is spot on. Animation and pop art are the closest cousins to comics, yet neither of these are belittled. Heck, animation even now has its own Academy Award category. Comics are fighting a battleground all the time, against a public perception that comics are just for kids, that a ‘grown-up’ would get nothing from reading these stories. Interestingly enough, having spent many a Saturday lurking in a comic shop, I didn’t see streams of kids buying comics. Going to a comic convention, I again didn’t see hordes of kids pulling adults along with them. Of course kids do enjoy comic books, the industry needs that influx of younger readers to keep alive. However, it still feels like the largest proportion of comic buyers are in the slightly older teens to twenties. Just as the idea that comics are just for kids is hard to shake, so is this idea that drawing comics is the easy way out for an artist.

An interesting comment, I don’t really see anything easy about drawing comics, with a page count averaging 25 every month, comic book artists are some of the most prolific artists about in the world. Whilst some stick to tried and tested methods, others push the field with ideas and creations that take the comic book world forward in leaps and bounds. The diversity of what can be found leaves the reader with a bounty of goodies to entertain their brain.

You need to be able to draw to make a comic book. You need to be able to do figurative drawing extremely well to draw a comic book, which is a hard thing to achieve.  Practice, hard work, dedication and joy are all ingredients to make a successful comic book. Some comic book artists have managed to transcend this invisible barrier, such as the hugely popular Alex Ross. His incredibly detailed and intricate canvases are top quality paintings, but are all based around comic books.

Art has always been, and always will be extremely subjective, what one person likes another will hate. Whilst some genres have been pushed to the forefront, others have been ignored. Comics however, are not just art for arts sake, but have a driving aim, a purpose to entertain. Mass production sure, on a global scale, but the artist on a comic book will reach and delight every single person who picks up that book to read. An achievement that can’t be said for quite a lot of artists today. Maybe one day comics will be at the top of that pinnacle. They certainly deserve to be.

- Immelda Alty