When I attended JMU, I started out as a Fine Arts student. Perhaps the first year isn’t meant to be a good representation of the entire 4-year program, but my spidey-senses told me that I wasn’t going to be able to survive in the real world as just an artist. Reluctantly, I switched from Fine Arts to Graphic Design because I knew I could at least get a job that way and all of my work had a design lean anyway. In the third year I had the privilege of meeting a guy that shaped my focus and interests, Rich Hilliard. We were essentially cut from the same cloth–we both loved Batman, Aliens, Star Wars, and illustration. The sad thing is that after all the work that I did with his guidance I never pushed forward with illustration. I don’t want to lose any business here, but I more or less gave into the design career. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it but it’s not 100% fulfillment for my tastes and interests.
If I reflect even further into the past, the illustrations I did in high school always spurred the same question from my peers, “Are you going to draw comic books when you grow up?” My response was “no,” but bear in mind that comic books and graphic novels had not made their way into movies (and classrooms!) in a mainstream way. I would have been embarrassed to admit that I did want to draw comics. I’m still recovering from the loss of the comics my parents threw away when I was a kid.
So, after years of pondering, bookmarking artists, attending my first comic convention, and falling in love with comics again, the beast is awake. I started drawing again a few weeks ago. It comes along with a few positive changes I’ve made in my life along with my wife. There was also that looming guilt of talking and not acting upon the conversation that I had with Mrs. Jennifer Burt, also known as gaiJen, just over a year ago in regards to starting a comic. The intention was there and the excitement of pursuing a great passion made it seem all too easy at the time. My brain nearly exploded when I also found out that this friend of over four years liked comics, too. What also makes this team-up interesting is that we have different tastes in styles, culture, and genre. I’m more into the American styles and Batman, of course. GaiJen loves Manga and indie comics.
Lucky for all you readers and unsuspecting future fans that the wheels of that comic are turning. I’m thankful to be in talks with gaiJen and helping her visualize HER stories. We’re in the first conceptual stage and tossing ideas back and forth. The character studies you see here are quick renderings of ideas that Jen produced a year ago, along with one or two from recent discussions.
Of course, I’ll keep you updated here on the progress and proclaim the web site address when it launches. Where this all goes, no one knows. I can say this: better get your autographs now or you’ll have to buy tickets to a comic-con and push through a crowd of mouth-breathing nerds to get to us.
Hallelujah!