Patrick Scullin Illustration

I had a hair-brained idea today and I’m just crazy enough to try it. For a while now I’ve been looking for ways to improve my illustration portfolio. For example I want to add more samples of cover art. In honor of DC Comic’s new 52 I’m setting the goal of adding 52 new illustrations this year. Each week I’m going to complete a new cover illustration and post it here on my website. Check back often to see what’s new. If for some odd reason (i.e. work, family, freelance, etc) I miss a week— don’t hold it against me.

It’s that time of year again and San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner. I’m looking forward to meeting you all at my table in Small Press P-02. I have lots of new items for sale and I’m excited to debut the latest collection of the Super Siblings Webcomic “Clark Wars.” Also, don’t miss the latest comic book adventure “Super Science” where our duo faces off at the Bay City Elementary Science Fair. New for this year I’m adding collector sketch cards featuring your favorite comic book heroes drawn in the Super Siblings style and lastly I’ve got a new batch of t-shirts including “For the Horde” and “Who’s Scruffy Looking?.” There’s something for everyone to enjoy and don’t just take my word for it—Tiny Titans and Billy Batson creators Art and Franco say “Aw Yeah Super Siblings!”

I’d like to share my thoughts on this year’s ICON. I had a great time. I enjoyed making many new friends and renewing old friendships. Of note I was excited to hang out with previous instructors both from Cal State Fullerton and BYU. With this post I’ve included a picture I never imagined I’d be taking with two of my illustration instructors who taught me 15 years apart– Cliff Cramp and Richard Hull. It was a real treat to spend time with Richard each day.

In general I enjoyed the speakers and the artist presentations. I also LOVED the animations produced by Jason Holley for the interludes. They were hilarious! Thankfully he was kind enough to post them here – enjoy! Two illustrators I met that I’d like to mention are Mike Cho and Matt Kindt. Matt’s graphic novels were particularly inspiring for me and it was fun to visit with him again at Comic-Con.

In terms of the talks and presentations I’d say that they had a well rounded and eclectic group this year. It was also funny to follow the conversation that percolated through the conference about whether or not illustrators need to jazz up their work with animation. On opening night it was suggested that illustrators need to add “motion” to their repertoire so that their images could excite in the new digital environment. Throughout the rest of the conference, both on stage and in the audience, everyone seemed to have a strong reaction either pro or con. Speaking of opinions I’ll give you mine: What have you got to lose? By no means would I like to imply that “motion” is necessary to the future of illustration. Instead I’d just like to point out that there’s room for it and it may be profitable to add it to your bag of tricks. Perhaps those vehemently opposed to “motion” would be wise to consider it, or at least recognize how it might affect what they’re currently doing.

One of the first presentations I went to was a discussion with film studios on how they utilize illustration. The most interesting one for me was John Quinn from Disney consumer products. I’ve heard on more than one occasion the disdain that some artists have against illustrators and cartoonists that rely on t-shirt and merchandise sales. They suggest that doing that kind of business somehow cheapens their art and diminishes their brand. I can’t disagree more. It was refreshing to see that even Disney, when your really boil it down, is just a fancy t-shirt company that happens to make movies.

My favorite presentation of the show was Kathy Altieri’s closing keynote. Kathy works for Dreamworks. She had a great energy about her and her slide show was very entertaining. I think she really exemplified the dilemma that many illustrators face. How do you make a living and still pursue your passion for art. I think in general folks probably feel like the two don’t go together. I know I feel that way. I’ve always needed to have a “day” job to be able to afford my ambition of being an illustrator and cartoonist. In some odd way I’ve always felt guilty about that. Listening to Kathy it really helped me to recognize that there’s no shame in the “day” job, especially when you enjoy it. In fact your artistic passion probably feeds off the day job and vice versa. If one was missing you might not truly appreciate the other.

There’s more to tell for sure, but for now this is what I’ve got. Thanks ICON 6.