Spider-Man Drawings
Feb 01
My favorite superhero is, without question, Batman. His is the simplest premise with the richest psychological results.
But just as certainly, my favorite to draw is Spider-Man.
When I was a very young comics fan, I was drawn to John Romita’s flawless brushwork. But as I grew older, I became increasingly enamored with Steve Ditko’s Spidey. It felt quirky, jittery, jerky. The opposite of graceful. In a world of sweeping capes, bold shapes and dynamic lines, Ditko’s Spider-Man (and to some extent, Peter Parker) was hopelessly broken and askew.
I would guess at least half of American cartoonists go through a phase of romanticizing superhero comics, and I was no different. I never thought I was very good at drawing superheroes, mind you, but they were really fun.
I recently stumbled upon some Spider-Man drawings I did as a freshman in college. It looks like I was reading a lot of comics by Sam Kieth and Humberto Ramos. I was obviously avoiding the “hassle” of rendering settings or backgrounds (something many young artists struggle with). But these drawings make me smile in spite of their flaws because I had so much fun making them.
And my Spider-Man is definitely quirky, jittery, jerky.
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3 Responses RSS
Peter Wooley said 179 days ago:
And here’s one of the many reasons I respect you. Even in these half-decade-old drawings is a fluidity that you still include in your work today: your logo, Portwit (assuming that’s the bird’s name), and even that new infographic.
It pays to create and love comics!
chriskalani said 179 days ago:
I never cared about comics at all. Still barely do. But your passion has made me take somewhat of an interest over the past few months. Congrats.
Tyler Sticka said 178 days ago:
Peter: Thanks for the kind words. :-)
Chris: If you ever want comic suggestions, let me know.