So, I’ve been pulled into drawing a graphic novel for a friend of mine, and I’m finding my style not-quite-right for the job. I was wondering if anyone could share with me some of their favourite, interesting cartoonists, people whose work I could look at to get a bit of inspiration. Extra points for anything that’s a really good read (or laugh), along with it.
Right now, I have Will Eisner and Ralph Steadman on my list. Can anyone recommend me some artists whose work is expressive and a bit out of the ordinary?
Take a look at his Girl Genius work. It’s distinctive, highly expressive, and rich in background detail. As a bonus, the comic archive covers a long span of time, and you can compare samples from different points to watch his style evolve.
I’m starting with artists from when I read print comics, even though I say that webcomics are not only the future, but the present.
Carla Speed McNeil.
Among other things: In Finder, she subverted the idea of comic-book “sameface” by inventing tribes of people who all look alike. And then found ways to make them look different. http://www.lightspeedpress.com/
I find some of Matt Howarth’s stuff to have interesting compositions. Some of the Savage Henry issues are practically about odd page composition. But his approach varies enough that it’s hard to point to his stuff in general and say what you will get.
I don’t know what you’re looking for exactly, but I like these guys in different ways: