The Path of the Artist: My Teachers

I think there has always been something romanticized about the path of an artist. We create worlds, we delight imaginations and bring to light concepts that seem infinitely difficult to conceptualize. It all seems so glorious as long as you ignore the difficulties and dangers along the path.

In school growing up I was always "doodling during class." I always had difficulties concentrating and had an immense amount of energy. This activity was something the staff silently conceded to, as drawing quietly was the best concession they made for me. I stayed out of trouble, and they hoped that I was absorbing something. The public forum I was creating in meant that everyone knew that I was an artist. So I had, from as early as middle school, my identity reduced to an occupation, an occupation that I would often fight tooth and nail for many years after.

An extremely old drawing done on graph paper.

It didn't start like that however; my parents thought my talent should be kindled and had me train at an early age with a local fine artist Mrs. Shepherd. A lot of what I learned from her wasn't how to "draw better" rather it was a way of looking at things. Two lessons of hers stand out: The first was about trees, she asked me one day, "What color do you think trees are?" I thought I knew the answer and replied "Brown." She went on to tell me that it wasn't that simple, that they may seem "brown" but that trees were made up of a variety of colors, and that I had to look closely. She then had my draw a tree and color with just the primaries with water color pencils-I drew but saw a colorful mess, that is til' I swathed over it with some water, and the image came alive. With her guidance I was able to make grey green trees, brown trees, and the variety of colors mixed brought the image more alive because of the texture of the colors intermingling. Imagining the world made up of small bits and colors was mystical as a child.

Her second lesson was more concise: we were at an art exhibit together and she asked which painting I enjoyed the most, I told her, and she questioned, "Why?" Her next words won me a certain admiration and respect, "realism is not what makes art great." Those words reminded me at the time of Yoda's words to Luke, "War does not make one great," and reflecting back it is amazing what we think qualifies something for greatness, and how important that seems to be.

I stopped attending classes with her after getting abducted by aliens, and become a cold introverted child. It was only years later that I came out of my shell a bit. I began attending art lessons with a friend and my second teacher, Joe Tomasini, wasn't as philosophical as my last. He believed that it was only through practice and discipline that a person would improve. However, trying to have two 13 year old boys concentrate and practice and do art homework as well as their regular curriculum was as difficult as trying to rub a cats belly, all we were interested in was talking about girls.

The lesson I learned from him was more cynical and grounding. Tomasini was the original creator of Gargoyles! The show came out a year after he presented artwork and storylines to Disney, work I was privileged to see and was astonished in the similarities, Goliath especially seemed ripped directly from his concepts-it was appalling that even
without tweaking any details they could blatantly steal his concept and still win. Win they did however, as after three years and being drained dry by attorneys the judge ruled in favor of Disney. Ideas are valuable and it is sometimes it is in poor judgement to trust someone with them.

During the time I attended lessons a mothers friend of a friend happened to know Dan Jurgans, who has worked with various comic book companies throughout the years. It was the mid-nineties and he was a rising star in the industry. They were able to get me a chance to talk to him on the phone I was hopeful excited and naively idealistic that I would soon be a true comic book artist. He told me that to succeed in the industry I had to be able to draw everything at every angle and be able to do it well--He also mentioned that even if I was able to do that there are hundreds if not thousands of capable artists and getting a job would be even more difficult. He mentioned how even if I was able to get a job succeeding in it was a whole other story, as the 90s were rife with companies struggling, floundering, and going bankrupt, finally he left me with a "Well, goodbye, and good luck."

I realized that this path was not going to be an easy one, and I wish I could say I pushed ahead in spite of overwhelming odds, but I think that's just a phrase used in films and stories. I think that people who push forward no matter the odds are those who have either no literal or psychological other way they can go. They push on in spite of the corpses of those who have tried before, not because they feel they are brave or better able, but because in their core they feel they have no other choice.

SirGryphon is just a guy who doodles. Doodle a lot and it may get you somewhere, as for him he doodles for Gryphon Knights Comics a collective rife with artists and outcasts trying to push forward because they don't see another way to go. You can help them along the way by becoming a patron!

Knighthood: TONY WOLF

These artist spotlights give people a chance to learn about the people we work with as well as insight on what they create and their inspiration behind it.

With a Metal name like "Wolf" you can only anticipate excellence, and Tony delivers. A jack-of-all trades in the entertainment industry, he is constantly pushing himself to his creative limits. He's hosted a webshow, been a host for glamorous celebrity fundraising affairs, performed as voice-over talent, acted in both theatrical and televised media... but before all this, he was an illustrator and especially his work with hand illustrated text make him a talented creator.

A Greenpoint resident for almost two decades and comics aficionado, Tony was eventually inspired to write and illustrate his own autobio comic, Greenpoint of View. 

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Between performance and Illustration, do you have a creative preference or do you simply like creating?

First and foremost, I'm an actor and voice-over guy, and my goal is to be acting and voice-overing full time.  There's something about the full-body enjoyment and expression of performing - plus the joy of the collaboration that performing always entails - that's very special to me.  Drawing and comics come second on the list, but they are certainly dear to my heart.  And creating in general is always fulfilling and exciting, even when - at times - it's frustrating.  Really, I just want to make things.  I'm a huge fan of movies, music, storytelling, and comics, and to have a chance to contribute anything to those fields is really gratifying.

What books are you currently reading? How do they inspire you?

I read a lot of comics and graphic novels, but I always take care to read some prose and novels (especially biographies or autobio books) once in a while so I don't start to view things through an only-comics lens.  Although lately it's been more comics than anything else. Just read a graphic novel from indie publisher Hic & Hoc Press called Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends: A Collection of Unsolved Mysteries, which is amazing.  I'm really digging Silver Surfer by Dan Slott & Michael Allred, Daredevil by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee, and Alan Moore's Crossed +100 series lately.  Seth Kushner sadly just passed away after a battle with cancer, but he'd written several comics that will be completed by the artists and co-creators involved - The Roman Nose with George Jurard and The Brooklynite with Shamus Beyale.

Greenpoint of View is not your first comic project. Can you tell us about previous comics you've worked on?

I wrote and drew an 8-page short story with writer Alex Hernandez about the open-source character Jenny Everywhere, called 'Say The Word'; otherwise, I've worked as a storyboard artist for several indie films and was always writing and drawing my own comics from elementary school onwards, including the very silly 'Super Pickle' (done in 4th grade) and my Gamera ripoff comic series, 'Beware of the Turtle.'  I did a continuation of the Star Wars saga after return of the Jedi based on a weird dream my friend Jason had called 'Return of the Jedi 5.'  Wrote and drew a superhero comic from 7th grade to first year of college which was my homage to 80s superhero stuff a la John Byrne, Frank Miller and such. And I drew a 5-page flashback sequence for your book 'Frankenstein vs. Dracula' where I got to draw the two iconic monsters battling atop the Hindenburg blimp!! That was actually what really got me back into drawing more frequently, so thank you, Gryphon Knights team!

What inspired Greenpoint of View?

I had a lull in my acting and voice-over work last year, and was itching to create something. Something that wouldn't require me being picked for someone else's team. Friends like filmmaker Mike Turney had prodded me for years to get back to making my own comics, and I had always been a big fan of autobio comics like Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, Dean Haspiel's work, Maus, Persepolis, and the Schmuck series by comics creator Seth Kushner.  Reading Seth's Schmuck series (stories about his dating life in the years before he met his wife) inspired me to make my own autobio series... but what would I write about?  I didn't want to do the same autobio stuff we've seen many times before... I wanted to be a brutal editor on myself and at least attempt a new angle on something.  

I had just read one of Harvey Pekar's final works, Harvey Pekar's Cleveland - and he seamlessly (along with brilliant artist Joseph Remnant) wove his autobio material into the history of the city itself.  It was like half the story was about the city, and half was about Harvey. I recalled that anytime I was at a party and told people I'd lived in Greenpoint for over a decade, they would always go 'Whoooaaaah!!'  Once I realized I had a unique perspective, having lived in Greenpoint for (at that point) 17 years, and was there before people even cared about nearby Williamsburg, I figured it might be fun to try the same sort of Harvey Pekar's Cleveland approach, making the comic as much about the environment / neighborhood as it was about me. (This was also a way to get around my perceived weaknesses as a writer and a possibly boring life.)

When I told my friend Mike the basic concept for the series (I hadn't even brainstormed a name yet), he said immediately "And here's your title: Greenpoint of View."  I said "Done! Sold! That's it."  So he got a special thanks in the book itself. 

What other stories do you want to tell in this series?

Greenpoint of View #4 will be about a surprising encounter I had in the subway, on the G train, back in 1996.  Future stories will involve more history from the neighborhood and the time I had to break into my own apartment. I have about 12 stories total in mind for the series.

Are there any other projects are you currently working on that you wish to share?

Having gotten a pretty good reception from the first 3 Greenpoint stories, I got the idea to do occasional autobio short comics stories that have nothing to do with Greenpoint... to open up my storytelling beyond the neighborhood.  I just started work on the first one, which is about being a teenage comic book fan in the mid-80s. Just did a pin-up for Sean Griffin and MJ Steele's crime comic from Gryphon Knights, Getting Away With Murder. Also did a double-page spread for actor/writer Gianmarco Soresi's upcoming charity children's book.

Any nuggets of advice or encouragement for those trying to break into the entertainment industry?

Honestly, the arts are just very difficult in general. You have to just do your best work possible, hold yourself to very high standards and continually put yourself out there. Networking matters a lot - you can be doing solid work, but if no one outside your friends knows about it, it may just end up in a void. Practice as much as you can, and realize that total strangers (in the comics world, editors or reviewers) will need to be moved or excited by your work. It's that balance between making art for yourself and challenging yourself, but also thinking about what might interest your audience. Persistence is key. We've all heard of writers and artists collecting tons of rejection letters from publishers. Also, as we often hear: "Make the story you'd want to read."

Self-publishing is also essential now - even creators like Brian Bendis started out as small press guys and self-publishers of their work. Connecting with other creators who are passionate about what they do - like the Gryphon Knights comics collective - is really helpful as well. Using your time efficiently matters too, especially since most of us - myself included - have to hold down a regular job too. Charles Soule is a practicing attorney and still writes about 3 hit Marvel Comics a month, plus his Image creator-owned project! That demands serious time management. Those 3 hours of the day in which you might usually just unwind and watch TV could be used to write or draw your own comic! So get to it!  :) 

Self-Portrait of TWolf from GPOV

You can find Tony Wolf on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tonywolfness and at his personal site http://www.tonywolfactor.com/

By George He's Got it

By George He's Got it

     So after 14 pages of creating a digital comic "WOW SIGNAL!"  I finally got a hang of the program I am working on. I have been using a mix of an Adobe Illustrator CS 3 (Which is very old at this point) and Adobe Photoshop Elements. 

1st page of Wow Signal

<<< So here is where I started out with the first page I created. It was kinda tough when I had never drawn directly on a computer before (I have colored pieces on the computer before). In fact the first panel of this page was a test to see what I could do when I transferred my pen and ink stills to the pixel realm.

     I was pretty surprised as to what I could do and decided that I would like to keep up with it. I started to create a story to help push me to craft images to go with the tale. Each page I kept adding to my ability of working with these two programs, until I was more adept at creating a more professional piece on the computer.

Page 1 of Issue 2

     After I got to this level I decided to evolve my style so it would stand out and add to the level of professionalism. I was heavily influenced by the artwork of Brandon Graham as well as other artists who worked on his book Prophet  which is a sci-fi tale that was adapted from Rob Liefeld's original story. What I ended up with I truly liked and after a few sketches I made two covers and then the first page of the second issue with this technique. It took me a long time to find a style that I was really confident and proud of, but now that I have you can look forward to some awesome updates of GryphonKnights free webcomics!

I have some demo and instructional videos on the Gryphonknights Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC44OoVir28whelh38eNrnHA

Stylistic Differences and Their Effect on a Comic Book

Today I was thinking about stylistic differences. In fact I was talking with my brother about that very thing. I had mentioned to him my need to refine my art style, and he commented that for the last book I illustrated the art was perfectly fitting for the content.

   
Greasers in Greece is after all a comedy and my style tend toward the cartoonish and silly. Its not that I can't do other styles, but this is the one that really fit the content. If you check out the image to the right you can see that this is the style that encompasses the Greasers and their universe.


One of the final things my brother had said was "imagine if the Greasers were drawn by anybody else?" after a paused he added, "Or more specifically what if it was done by someone like Rob Liefeld?" Its that final comment that got me thinking. Its true that style can totally change the feel of a story. And as is often the case, when a muse seizes you you can do nothing but obey.


For those that are not familiar with Rob Liefeld's style it is very different from my own. His characters are often tall have rippling muscles and more often than not have grim serious expressions on their face. He is at times ridiculed but he became popular and well regarded in the industry so quickly that his style became iconic. Liefeld changing his own style would be Jennifer Grey getting a nosejob all over again. Her look was iconic and changing it made her unrecognizable.

Understanding that detail I took my cartoonish style and replaced it with a more Liefeldian image. It completely changes the effect and the mood of the book.

Style can be intrinsic in creating the right pairing between art and writing. I had to be wary of this for the horror book called The Only Choice by Indie Comics Tracker. I used heavy contrast to set a dark and haunting tone to the book.

Next project you work on keep these concepts in mind so you might have great success!


Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is an artist and plebeian playing at making the next great comic, books like WOW Signal and others at GRYPHON KNIGHTS COMICS.

An Introduction & a WIZARD

So I've been an artist with this team of Gryphon Knights Comics for about a few months now and we've gotten some cool stuff done.

We've redesigned an old site, we've got a Twitter up and running, we have a vibrant facebook with lots of extras and images, and then of course there is our website for Gryphon Knights Comics, to which we have recently added another comic. All in all its a fun gig. I feel like the coolest thing about our site is that we offer most of our books for free to readers with the exception of Greasers in Greece.

My contribution to the site is illustration for the book HERO, and I write and draw the Wow! Signal and I co-write and illustrate the Meanwhile books. You can also find a bunch of my other artwork on my deviantART page.

So introductions aside this blog will be run by the three owners of the company to talk about it, their influences on their art especially what has helped inspire them to create the books they have.

With that said let me impart on you a little advice the Simpsons once gave me: If you are ever in trouble, just blame The Wizard...

Tom Gryphon

"A WIZARD DID IT!"