Hello ,everybody i'm DesI Turner better known as the gecko ,from comicspace and purrsiapress, I draw a comicstrip called Kinetic Kitty and i also draw Thong girl
I am old as dirt twice as ugly and am interested in talking to other cartoonist of color... Hell or anybody else about their adventures in the world of pen and ink.
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URLs?
linky linky!!!??
Xaviar Xerexes Oh yeah... this place is called ComixTalk now.
I don't really have a web
I don't really have a web page (much too poor) I have a gallery on comicspace under venture brother and curse of the jade monkey and under purrsiapress in the thong girl thing also you can see me at atland realm.com and deviant art all under gecko 200.
does white count as a
does white count as a cartoonist of color? and your 'Thing Girl' interests me.
~ jhorsley3
Web-Comic - http://jhorsley3.com/y2cl
Blog - http://jhorsley3/rcoa
holla back
hey man it does , and thong girl can be found at minicomix and at comicspace.com ,holla at me anytime
peace ,the gecko
Re: holla back
hello everybody, I just celebrated a birthday last week and I'm gonna have to change my post age column to the acient one, I realized last week that I am poor in finances but richer than King Solomon in friends and loved ones , but... and I know this may sound selfish but I wish I had some artistic sucess , I mean at what age do you throw in the towel? or do you always fight the good fight? I'm gonna try even tho' my co -workers probably think I'm like Don Quixote battling windmills, any comments greatly appreciated.
Re: holla back
Gecko200:
I'm old as dirt too. I've been drawing and making my own comics since my buddy told me in History Class (with the LOVELY Miss Farquar) that he could draw better than me. I was drawing in class, (History was one of my easiest classes) and I had developed a reputation. That reputation was challenged when I followed him home and saw the "Superman" story he had created. I was floored. All I had ever drawn were single images.
Long story short I went out and bought some typing paper and a Tot-50 stapler. I folded the paper in half, drove staples through the spine and was off and running. That was back in 1967. I haven't looked back since except for the two years I spent in the military after High School.
"Artistic Success?"
Have you ever shown your work to family and friends? Did they like it? Do YOU like it? Have you grown or have you become stagnant? I'm not asking if you can compete with Alex Ross or Greg Land, both accomplished in technique but lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's dynamism. There is something about a Jack Kirby or Jim Steranko page that those two can't touch. Are you satisfied, or are you GROWING as an artist? If you are not growing, WHY aren't you growing?
Is your vision failing you? I had to start wearing glasses to read a few years back. This was very frustrating, but I have adapted and my art seems to be better lately.
Sometimes failure can lead to success. John Romita, Sr. continued to reject my samples to Marvel comics back in the 1970s. This made me feel bad, but I continued with my art. I also had to get a real job. This is the good part. While many who "succeeded" in getting work at Marvel back in the 1970s and 1980s are now hurting financially, I have done very well in the real world. I have had paid vacations, sick days (that I have periodically abused), health benefits for me and my family, and I have made enough money to afford to buy my own home.
Yes, I sacrificed my "art" for twenty years by putting it on the back-burner. Was it worth it? Hell, yes! I took care of myself and my family. Now it's my turn and my wife understands me as I keep a drawing board and supplies in the living room and have taken over a spare room and turned it into my studio. I am living my art right now while keeping it in perspective. My art is a vital part of me and I have grand plans. Some of that comes from decades of experience working for Fortune 500 companies. Where do you get your real money? Have you ever spent any time learning how business is actually conducted? After so many rejections from Marvel I had plans to create my own company and I spent a lot of time learning about the business world. I read books on business and learned how to start my own company as a sole-proprietorship or as a Chapter-S corporation. I learned how my company does business and grew in the organization. Do you have resources around that you can tap in a similar manner?
Is your art growing and are you growing with it? Or are you just growing old and stuck in the mud without change?
Break the mold if you are stuck!
Change the graphite in your pencil, ink with a brush instead of a pen, color your work if you have not before, keep and maintain a sketch book! Are you strong on figures and weak on architecture or landscapes? Draw some damn buildings and trees. They don't have to look pretty. Just DO IT!
CHANGE!
GROW!
YOU ARE AN ARTIST! THERE IS VISUAL STIMULATION WHEREVER YOU LOOK!
If what you are looking for is commercial success, CHANGE YOUR ART! Do what you have to do please yourself. Making money is not bad. Look around yourself. You live in a capitalistic society. You didn't make it that way. You are not responsible. If what you want is commercial success look to yourself and ask yourself what you can CHANGE!
Two people I greatly admire are J. K. Rawlings and Tyler Perry. Both were homeless. Both are millionaires. What is my excuse? I have none. I too seek commercial and artistic success. I look at my work very critically with these objectives in mind.
I will leave with this little note. There was a series of movies filmed in England. The first was called 7-UP, or something similar. This film maker followed several young children from the age of seven as they grew up. He produced a new film about these children every seven years until they hit the age of 35. Some of the children (who came from rich families) did very well. Most were about average. There was this one young man who had become homeless. The interviewer asked him how he felt about his life and his failure. I loved the response he got. It went something like this: My life isn't over yet! My wife and I applauded wildly when we heard that. There was a man of courage.
Your life is not yet over either!
Re: holla back
Cyberlord , thank you for your words of encouragement , I work at a top 30 television station and draw every day and all day on my off days. I drew a comic strip in the black altenative newspaper in Nashville for 13 years and even got lucky enough to sell it to other newspapers in other states for awhile to the point of being semi - self syndicated . I have done children's books illustrations and also stand-up comedy , I have a healthy relationship with a small press publisher out of atlanta and am ready to release book four in my kinetic kitty comic book series, So what I'm saying is I'm okay artistically , and the point that I was trying to make (and obviously not sucessfully) is that there is sucess, and then there is sucsess I cherish my friends and family more than anything and I always have their support but as Kevin Costner said as Elliot Ness in the untouchable " Never give up until the fight is won", and until God sees fit to bring me home that is what I 'm plan on doing ,Once again thanks for your words of encouragement and you keep on doing what you're doing and maybe someday soon we'll meet at some convention where kids are waiting in line to hear our words of encouragement or thanking us for giving them the inspiration that made them an eisner award winner
peace be with you
The Gecko
Re: holla back
You work as a Graphic Artist? And maintain a web-comic?
Wow!
I am impressed.
My education and work are in separate fields. I did that intentionally to avoid burn-out and because my art is best expressed as a comic book, or strip, or something related. I just never saw myself making record album covers or illustrating somebody else's science fiction novel. Everytime I have written something I am overtaken by the urge to illustrate it.
As for conventions I plan to use A. P. E. and/or S. P. A. C. E. as the economy and my budget allows when I complete my story. I live in California, so it's unlikely that I would meet you in Atlanta. But you never know. I may end up in Atlanta this Summer for continual work based education. If that happens I'll let you know. I would love to show you some of my work and get some criticism from someone who doesn't know me personally. You wouldn't have to worry about hurting my feelings. My motto is, I can't fix it if I don't know it's broken. :)
Re: holla back
Whoa, whoa ,whoa no I am NOT a graphic artist at a television station I am an air control operator (I switch the breaks from network to local breaks reconcile the log, and make sure shows start and end on time among other duties) and I don't maintain a web comic , I post a lot of art work on various sites but I do publish small press comics out of atlanta...But anyway, Your words really touched me and if you are in Knoxville in june the weekend of the 13-15 check me and my crew out at Adventurecon and please keep in touch you have inspired me to push even harder.
The Gecko