Lark Q & A Time.

[Donal DeLay]

Just some things I'm always curious about when I like someone's art.

We've seen your list of favorite artists, who are some of your favorite storytellers?

Working from 7-3, about how long do you spend on one page? How many pages per day?

Do you go straight to the page, or do tight layouts and lightbox them?

Any thought of ever doing your own comic? Maybe a crime graphic novel?

Do you seperately spot blacks or just put them down as you work/layout the page?

How much do you use reference? For people, buildings, cars, etc?

What do you think about deadlines? People complain about artists not making quota but still endorse the lateness by buying the product, how do you feel about the hypocracy in that "gimme what I want now, even if I have to wait" attitude?

Your style is pretty dark and moody - Are there stories/characters/books you feel your style just isn't suited for, and would turn down?

Your earlier works didn't appear to have such heavy blacks as it does now. Was that a conscious addition because of titles like Gotham Central, or was it a natural progression in style?

Seeing your pages in B/W, it's amazing. The mood is so clear without colors. Do you keep the colors in mind when you approach the page, or is it just an aftercare?

Seeing that you sometimes photshop alter BG skylines, do you look for the reference/pic after you've drawn the panel, or do you layout the camera shot in the panel according to what ref./pic you've found?

Do you ever think about just switching completely to digital, ala Maleev?

Have you ever done a page completely in PS? Figues and all?

Best con experience?

Worst con experience?

Annoyed yet?

[Michael Lark]

Whoah! Shit, that's "SOME questions"???? At least it wasn't A LOT of questions. :) I'll do a few at a time.


We've seen your list of favorite artists, who are some of your favorite storytellers?

(Ok, I'm just looking at the bookshelf above my drawing board.) Alex Maleev is great. Steve Epting is amazing. Stuart Immonen. Hugo Pratt. David Mazzucchelli. Michael Gaydos. Sean Phillips. Duncan Fegredo. Mike Mignola. Guy Davis. Kevin O'Neill. Alex Toth (of course). Milton Caniff. Noel Sickles. Frank Robbins. Herge. Bruce Timm. Kyle Baker. Bernard Krigstein. Alberto Breccia. Juanjo Guardino ("Blacksad"). Dave McKean. Jean-Philippe Bramanti (http://www.coconino-world.com/modules/mcay/cvg_mcay2.htm). Both Hernandez brothers. there's more, but I can't think of them right now.

Working from 7-3, about how long do you spend on one page? How many pages per day?

Well, for starters, I don't work those hours any more. Now it's more like 9-6:30. I have a kid, now. I try to average a page a day. That's about 22 pages a month.


Do you go straight to the page, or do tight layouts and lightbox them?

No lightbox. As I said in another thread, I do pretty loose layouts. from those, I shoot or find photo ref. I lay out the panel borders and balloons in Photoshop (for some shots I'll also lay the photos into the panel), and print out the borders onto a sheet of watercolor paper. Then, looking at the photos on my computer, I loosely sketch in where the characters will be, and go straight to ink.

More tomorrow.

[Donal DeLay]

I could ask more, but I figured I'd at least wait to see if you'd answer those.

:D

[Michael Lark]

I should add that I don't lightbox from my layouts. I have been known to occassionally lightbox backgrounds.

[Donal DeLay]

I should add that I don't lightbox from my layouts. I have been known to occassionally lightbox backgrounds. From photo ref or just layered pencils ala animation?

I sometimes lightbox in 3 or 4 layers. Foreground, middleground, background and main focus/hero(es)

[Michael Lark]

Just from photo ref. I'm a cheater, I know. But deadlines are deadlines. And I HATE working over my own pencils - it feels like doing the work twice, so why bother?

[KristofSpaey]

Michael, just to be sure I'm getting this correct..
Here's an original page from Pulse 8:
http://www.splashpageart.com/Images/Category_6/subcat_303/Lark%20Pulse%20Iss%2008%20Pg%2023.jpg

The blue lines I see there to divide the panels, those are done on the computer then? I see no pencil sketches for the actual art on there though, are those done directly in ink then on the lightbox from photo ref?

The page I got from Gotham Central 6 is all done by hand, and has everything sketched in loosely in blue from ref. Is your process still the same, or do you grab your brush quicker now?

http://www.splashpageart.com/Images/Category_6/subcat_64/Lark%20Gotham%20Central%206%20PG%202.jpg

[Michael Lark]

The pulse issue was before I started printing out the panel borders.

And yes, I go to ink more quickly now, and I use a pencil that erases well. I used the blue pencil for the panel borders because it doesn't erase.

On the Central stuff, at least the issue you have there, we were still lettering by hand on the boards. That meant the letterer needed pencils to know where to put the balloons. I've eliminated the tight pencil stage from my work.

I guess I should elaborate on my pencils. Sometimes I pencil guides on the board itself, sometimes I do it on other pages and lightbox them. But I do that rarely, and usually only when I have to do something pretty tight becuase there are drastic changes to the photo ref. And on a lot of pages, if you look closely, you can see my pencil lines, if I did it on the page.

When Donal asked about lightboxing my layouts, I assumed he meant my small thumbnail sketches. Some people blow those up and use them, but not me.

[Thomas Mauer]

Umm, really dumb question. What is lightboxing? :Oops:

[Donal DeLay]

Umm, really dumb question. What is lightboxing? :Oops: A lightbox is just that, a box with a light in it and a sheet of plexiglass on top. Also called an animators table.

Lightboxing is taking one drawing (maybe a loose or tight layout) and laying a blank sheet of paper over that, and tracing the layouts. The lightbox helps make the paper more transparent.

A lot of artists use this method for various reasons to various degrees.

[Thomas Mauer]

Interesting. Thanks for the explanation.

[pazaceta]

Michael Lark wrote:
Just from photo ref. I'm a cheater, I know.

I'm so ashamed of you... Not sure if I can talk to you at conventions anymore 8-)

Seriously though I have a follow up...Seems like in your recent work you've added some digital elements. Is that something you do for deadlines or because you want to move into that territory (ala Maleev)????

-P

[Michael Lark]

I'm so ashamed of you... Not sure if I can talk to you at conventions anymore 8-)

Seriously though I have a follow up...Seems like in your recent work you've added some digital elements. Is that something you do for deadlines or because you want to move into that territory (ala Maleev)????

-P

Check out post #10 on this thread (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=36211&page=1&pp=10) for a complete answer.

Regarding the lightboxing: The thing about lightboxing or tracing is that it's not a substitute for drawing. You can use photos, but you can't rely on them. They are guides, and nothing more.

I don't find models who look like my characters, photograph them in costume, and then trace the photos. I use myself for all of my photo ref - men AND women. I'm Ben Urich as well as Captian America as well as The Kingpin as well as *shudder* Jessica Jones. (Go ahead and laugh - I'd be an ugly woman!) And for backgrounds I get as close as I can, but I also change things there, too. The water tower on the DD page is a photo that I took in NYC, but I had to change it to make it fit the composition and the lighting.

So what you see isn't tracing, when I use the lightbox. When and if I use it, it's just as a guide and a shortcut. Deadlines are deadlines, I'm afraid.

I encourage artists who want to work in a realistic style to use photos as guides. Get the details right, or don't bother! But when you end up trying to reproduce a photo, then the work gets stiff and boring. Why not just print the photo - why bother drawing it?

[Michael Lark]

I'm so ashamed of you... Not sure if I can talk to you at conventions anymore 8-)

Seriously though I have a follow up...Seems like in your recent work you've added some digital elements. Is that something you do for deadlines or because you want to move into that territory (ala Maleev)????

-P

Hey, I just realized - you're Paul Azaceta! Hey, Paul! Man, you're doing some nice work on Grounded. Keep it up.

[Donal DeLay]

Check out post #10 on this thread (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=36211&page=1&pp=10) for a complete answer.

Regarding the lightboxing: The thing about lightboxing or tracing is that it's not a substitute for drawing. You can use photos, but you can't rely on them. They are guides, and nothing more.

I don't find models who look like my characters, photograph them in costume, and then trace the photos. I use myself for all of my photo ref - men AND women. I'm Ben Urich as well as Captian America as well as The Kingpin as well as *shudder* Jessica Jones. (Go ahead and laugh - I'd be an ugly woman!) And for backgrounds I get as close as I can, but I also change things there, too. The water tower on the DD page is a photo that I took in NYC, but I had to change it to make it fit the composition and the lighting.

So what you see isn't tracing, when I use the lightbox. When and if I use it, it's just as a guide and a shortcut. Deadlines are deadlines, I'm afraid.

I encourage artists who want to work in a realistic style to use photos as guides. Get the details right, or don't bother! But when you end up trying to reproduce a photo, then the work gets stiff and boring. Why not just print the photo - why bother drawing it? Not that I want to start a war or anything, but then how do you feel about cats that use already established photos of celebs as comic characters in their pages?

Pictures THEY didn't take but almost trace the image, tweaking it for costumes.

What do you think about them being your collegues and peers?

[Michael Lark]

Not that I want to start a war or anything, but then how do you feel about cats that use already established photos of celebs as comic characters in their pages?

Pictures THEY didn't take but almost trace the image, tweaking it for costumes.

What do you think about them being your collegues and peers?

I'm not kidding here, I didn't even realize there are people who do that. I'm not going to criticize what anyone else does - if it works and they get paid for it and people read it and they don't get sued, then good for them. It's just not MY thing.

[Donal DeLay]

Speculation. I've seen a lot of "coincidences" and comparisons but I've never heard an artist say he does that, yaknow?

[Michael Lark]

Time for a few more questions.

Any thought of ever doing your own comic? Maybe a crime graphic novel?

I like collaborating, but there's definitely something attractive about doing it all myself. I don't know that I have the skill to do a whole graphic novel or monthly at this point. I am pretty serious about doing a 3x/week adventure strip, old-school-style, when and if my web-designer ever gets off her ass and finishes my website. (Yeah, I know you're reading this, and I mean YOU.)

Do you seperately spot blacks or just put them down as you work/layout the page?

A little of both. I kind of know, as I'm sketching out the thumbnail of the page, where I want the black areas to be. But sometimes, as I'm inking the page, I notice that something needs a bit more black or a bit less. So I make adjustments as I go.

How much do you use reference? For people, buildings, cars, etc?

Well, we've kind of covered this, but I use ref for everything. Not to reproduce the photo, but as a guide and to help get those little details and nuances correct. I should say I use it for everything that I can.

Sometimes you just can't find the right piece of reference. In those cases, I'll use bits and pieces of things - a chair from this photo, a bookcase and desk from another. When that happens I just freehand it as best I can.

I find that it helps, in those cases, to pencil as little as possible and go straight to ink, and go as quickly and as "sketchily" (I know, I know, that's not a word) as possible. Stop thinking and just draw, and often my mind's-eye will fill in blanks that I didn't realize I knew. Also, although you want to get details in there for the sake of realism, leaving things implied often allows the reader to fill things in in their imagination, and that makes it SEEM more realistic, even though you left stuff out.

does that sound like a contradition? I dont' mean it to. I always try to get the basic forms correct, and the essential details that define the thing or person or pose that I'm drawing - which is what the ref is for. But when I render it, I don't want to put too much detail in there, so that the reader can fill in the blanks with their imagination. Which makes it seem, to the reader, more realistic.

That's why I absolutely hate some artists who work in a "realistic" style, but don't use reference. Instead, they try to over-render everything to make it seem more real, which has the opposite effect. It's why I'm not a fan of Neal Adams's work. Everyone says his Batman was made more real. Well, to me, it looked less real. It looked like a lot of lines put in the wrong places. And there are a lot of people who continue to do the same thing today. I'll take Toth-like simplicity any day - he gets it right, and it looks more real. Just my opinion.

[ds9]

Whats the most recent comic book storyline that really touched you emotionaly? I love your cap issue also and I look forward to your DD run.

[Michael Lark]

Whats the most recent comic book storyline that really touched you emotionaly? I love your cap issue also and I look forward to your DD run.

The last ALIAS trade. No contest.

[pazaceta]

Michael Lark wrote:
So what you see isn't tracing, when I use the lightbox. When and if I use it, it's just as a guide and a shortcut. Deadlines are deadlines, I'm afraid.

I was kidding so I hope I didnt insult you. And I know exactly what you mean. Im always careful not to use photos as a crutch.

Michael Lark wrote:
Hey, I just realized - you're Paul Azaceta! Hey, Paul! Man, you're doing some nice work on Grounded. Keep it up.

Thanks! I'm trying. I got some other things cooking that look like they're gonna be a blast. Things where I can stretch more artistically.

Michael Lark wrote:
I'll take Toth-like simplicity any day - he gets it right, and it looks more real. Just my opinion.

You know it seems like your older work had more of a Toth influence then your recent work. Your work lately (to me) looks more illustrative (is that a word?) and less simplified. Is that a result of maybe trying to make your art more your own?

-P

[Michael Lark]

You know it seems like your older work had more of a Toth influence then your recent work. Your work lately (to me) looks more illustrative (is that a word?) and less simplified. Is that a result of maybe trying to make your art more your own?

-P

It's nothing intentional. I'm just getting into textures and stuff, and having fun with the brushes and pens and other tools. It's still pretty simple stuff, compared to most of what's out there. Look at all the lines and hatching and busy-ness of most comics art, and my stuff is still pretty unusual. Not better, just different.

[Kody]

Not better, just different.

No... trust me. It's better.

:D

[ds9]

The last ALIAS trade. No contest.she grows on you doesnt she?

[Michael Lark]

she grows on you doesnt she?

I loved her from #1, page 1.

Am I gonna get in trouble for agreeing with you? :)

[Michael Lark]

Time for another q and a session.


What do you think about deadlines? People complain about artists not making quota but still endorse the lateness by buying the product, how do you feel about the hypocracy in that "gimme what I want now, even if I have to wait" attitude?

Well, I think we who work in the industry need to remember that what we're working on are magazines - periodicals. And like newspapers and magazines, we have to get the work done so the magazine can come out on time. We're not machines, but we have to do the best we can.

Books - and possibly minis - are another story. I would like to see the publishers be a bit more concientious of this fact, and to not solicit the books until they're done. Like any book publisher, once they start paying the creator money they obviously have a right to expect it to be done within a certain amount of time. I'd just like to see them not put the work on their publishing schedule until they've gotten a realistic idea of when it will be done.

As far as the attitudes of the fans, well, I can't really say. I think some, if not most, people are very reasonable about it if a book ships late. It's not the end of the world. Retailers have a bit harder time. I know how tough it must be for them when that happens. How that's handled, though, is something that the retailers, distributers, and publishers need to work out so that they can find a solution that is positive for everyone.

Your style is pretty dark and moody - Are there stories/characters/books you feel your style just isn't suited for, and would turn down?

Oh yeah. It's happened before. But most editors and creators are aware of this and don't offer me stuff that wouldn't be good for me. They're smart people.


Your earlier works didn't appear to have such heavy blacks as it does now. Was that a conscious addition because of titles like Gotham Central, or was it a natural progression in style?

Actually, if you look back to my earliest work, the blacks were even heavier than they are now. Especially my Raymond Chandler adaptation, which was more like "Sin City" in that it was mostly black, with white shapes to define form.

I made a decision with "Terminal City" to try to lighten things up a bit because of the subject matter. In retrospect, I think it was a mistake on my part to try to alter my style that way. I was NEVER comfortable with it and I think it interfered with my development as an artist. When I got back to "Scene of the Crime" I was so much happier to get back to that noir style, and I think I've gotten better because of it.

Seeing your pages in B/W, it's amazing. The mood is so clear without colors. Do you keep the colors in mind when you approach the page, or is it just an aftercare?

I don't really think in color. I think in terms of values. Sometimes I have something in mind, but it's not necessarily a color as much as a mood. I've been lucky, especially lately, to work with really good colorists who understand the mood and can do it appropriately. The colorists are talented artists in their own right, and collaborating with them, trusting them and being surprised by them, is one of the joys of doing this job.


Seeing that you sometimes photshop alter BG skylines, do you look for the reference/pic after you've drawn the panel, or do you layout the camera shot in the panel according to what ref./pic you've found?

Photo first. I never draw it if I'm not sure what will fit.

Do you ever think about just switching completely to digital, ala Maleev?

Whenever I've tried it, it's looked horrible. Who knows, though. Maybe someday. I can't imagine ever getting away from using pens and brushes. But I never imagined dropping in digital backgrounds, either.

Have you ever done a page completely in PS? Figues and all?

Nope.


I'll answer the con questions tomorrow.

[Donal DeLay]

Since we're gettin' kinda near the end here. Mind if I post a few more curious questions?

I promise there won't be so many this time.

[Michael Lark]

Since we're gettin' kinda near the end here. Mind if I post a few more curious questions?

I promise there won't be so many this time.

Jiminy Christmas! Wait until I'm done with these! :)

[Donal DeLay]

I toldja I didn't post them ALL.

[ds9]

I loved her from #1, page 1.

Am I gonna get in trouble for agreeing with you? :)Im not always bad.

[NaughTibbittz]

So are you drawing all those vehicles, or tracing them in?

[jwood]

Hey Michael,

I've just been looking at a preview of some of your new DD pages over on the Silver Bullet Comicbooks site - they look amazing (I recommend that any fans go take a look http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/rage/index1.htm (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/rage/index1.htm)) and I wanted to ask you a question about something I struggle with - page composition and storytelling.

Your pages always flow so nicely and I was wondering if this was something you have had to work at throughout your career or if it always came naturally - I seem to spend so long trying to come up with how to tell the story and setting out pages.

Your panel at the WWTX convention that I attended last year was really helpful, where you discussed establishing shots and how pages are read and I am trying to apply everything you talked about to my work but I worry about the length of time it takes me to break pages/stories down if I am ever fortunate enough to get a paying gig.

Any tips?

One more thing - How are you enjoying drawing the action in DD, I know you have said in the past that you like getting into scenes where just two people are in conversation? In the page on the Silver Bullet site, I love how you don't get to really see DD, just a fist or leg - it really pulls you into the scene!

Cheers in advance,
Jonathan

[Michael Lark]

I wanted to ask you a question about something I struggle with - page composition and storytelling.

Your pages always flow so nicely and I was wondering if this was something you have had to work at throughout your career or if it always came naturally - I seem to spend so long trying to come up with how to tell the story and setting out pages.

Your panel at the WWTX convention that I attended last year was really helpful, where you discussed establishing shots and how pages are read and I am trying to apply everything you talked about to my work but I worry about the length of time it takes me to break pages/stories down if I am ever fortunate enough to get a paying gig.

Any tips?

One more thing - How are you enjoying drawing the action in DD, I know you have said in the past that you like getting into scenes where just two people are in conversation? In the page on the Silver Bullet site, I love how you don't get to really see DD, just a fist or leg - it really pulls you into the scene!

Cheers in advance,
Jonathan

Thanks, Jonathan. The action so far in DD was fun. That wasn't the way the script was written, I just wanted to take a slightly different approach, and try some new things, rather just have the same old same old superhero action sequence. I'll be doing that a lot, I hope. I wanted to create this idea of a flurry of action, of DD just swooping down in and kicking ass and then disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared. It was really fun to do, and I hope I pulled it off.

I've always considered myself a storyteller before I considered myself an artist. It's only been in the last few years, after I'd gotten comfortable with my storytelling, that I started pushing myself as an illustrator. But the storytelling has never been that difficult for me. I have always just been able to close my eyes and see a movie of the action in my mind's eye, and it's just a matter of picking out the shots that I want to use from that imaginary movie.

The tough part, for me, comes in how I'm going to compose that on a page. I could easily just do little squares, like a storyboard, but that's not terribly exciting to look at. And sometimes I need the wide horizontal shot, or the vertical pan.

I have to admit that in many cases I'm just working with grids. There's nothing wrong with that. I have certain page layouts that I know will work every time, especially if it's just a couple of people talking. I know that I'll be able to keep the visual interest without distracting the reader from the emotions of the characters. I'd love to not have to do that - I'd love to be able to reinvent the wheel every time. But deadlines don't allow that. Sometimes I just have to do what works.

Don't be afraid to do that. If you see a layout that works, use it. Over and over. But also don't be afraid to push yourself when the time comes. Don't be afraid to show a scene a new way, like you've never done before. But pick your spots. Some scenes are supposed to be dull, and it's ok if you do it that way. I don't subscribe to the notion that each page needs a "money shot". Each page needs to tell the story. You just have to know when to push and when to sit back and just let the story happen on its own.

Wow, that all sounds pretty vague, doesn't it. Hmmmm......

Well, maybe it will give you all reason to ask some more questions. Any questions?

[jwood]

I wanted to create this idea of a flurry of action, of DD just swooping down in and kicking ass and then disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared. It was really fun to do, and I hope I pulled it off.[QUOTE]

You did pull it off as that is exactly how I read the scene - I especially liked the way you alternated the angle of the rain in each panel as it added to the confusion of the bad guys and the bang, bang, bang of DD striking - worked a treat!

Thanks for your comments re. storytelling - I just need to develop the confidence to go with my instincts I guess. As you know from the work that I have shown you in the past I was working in a fully painted style and so I'm still trying to find my feet in a new pen and ink style along with trying to work out the storytelling on a short 4 page piece I'm working on at the moment. I'll post it when it's done and maybe you could tell me what you think and point me in the right direction with regards to improving my art and storytelling!

I also have a question for you: Do you have a favourite single page that you have produced from your body of work to date - has there been a page that you remember came together perfectly for you and that you are most proud of from a story telling and art point of view?

Cheers,
Jonathan

[KristofSpaey]

I've got another question for you. In a recent interview Sean Phillips said this:
"I've probably now had all the inkers I'd like to work with except for Kevin Nowlan, who would be great, and Michael Lark. I've inked Michael before on Scene of the Crime, and I'd be interested to see how he'd return the favour."

(The whole interview is here: http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004235 (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004235))

Now that's something I'd love to see! It wouldn't be for the near future, I guess, but one day maybe?

[Michael Lark]

I've got another question for you. In a recent interview Sean Phillips said this:
"I've probably now had all the inkers I'd like to work with except for Kevin Nowlan, who would be great, and Michael Lark. I've inked Michael before on Scene of the Crime, and I'd be interested to see how he'd return the favour."

(The whole interview is here: http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004235 (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004235))

Now that's something I'd love to see! It wouldn't be for the near future, I guess, but one day maybe?

That WOULD be interesting. I've actually done a page of Sean's stuff, just as a sample, but it was years and years ago. I've changed a lot since then!

[Michael Lark]

Thanks for your comments re. storytelling - I just need to develop the confidence to go with my instincts I guess. As you know from the work that I have shown you in the past I was working in a fully painted style and so I'm still trying to find my feet in a new pen and ink style along with trying to work out the storytelling on a short 4 page piece I'm working on at the moment. I'll post it when it's done and maybe you could tell me what you think and point me in the right direction with regards to improving my art and storytelling!

Well, you don't "develop" confidence. You just have to DO it. Trust me on this one - you can't think your way into being confident. And no matter how much you practice, you will still have pages that just kick your ass. You just have to face that fear of the blank page, that fear of making a mistake and doing it "wrong", and go for it.

I know you're English and this may be lost on you, but I use a lot of baseball analogies. When a pitcher is having a bad game, and the manager can't put in a replacement yet, for whatever reason, that pitcher has to keep stepping up to the mound and throwing the ball. Sometimes he works his way out of the jam, and sometimes he gets hammered, but either way he's got to throw the pitch.

It's the same for us. Some days you just have to sit down and draw the page. You have to finally say "This isn't perfect, this isn't exactly the way I want it, but it's time to get it done."

I also have a question for you: Do you have a favourite single page that you have produced from your body of work to date - has there been a page that you remember came together perfectly for you and that you are most proud of from a story telling and art point of view?

I have pages that I DON'T like. Typical artist, huh? :)

I'm actually pretty proud of the way the DD pages came out - I think that's some of the best action stuff I've ever done, and to top it off I was pushing myself and trying some new things.

The car chase sequence in "Batman: Nine Lives" is another that I'm pretty proud of. There are places in there where I felt like I really captured the feeling of cars moving at high speed.

As far as non-action sequences, I like a lot of the stuff in the "Half A Life" story arc of "Gotham Central". Greg Rucka gave me some exquisite silent scenes to draw, and I was really proud of being able to show the emotion and conflict in the characters without a single word being spoken.

[jwood]

I don't really follow Baseball but I know enough to know what you're saying - I just have to stop procrastinating and get on with it!!

Glad you mentioned Nine Lives as being some of the stuff you're really proud of as that was where I discovered your work a few years back - love the whole package - the art, the colouring, the story and the writing - great stuff.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[Michelle Walters]

Michael, how and/or what motivates you to stay focused on your artwork throughout the entire day? Surely there are internal and environmental distractions that you encounter..like the rest of us mortals. :mistrust:

Btw, I don't see it anywhere, so forgive me if it's already been asked, but what's your drawing space/studio like? And do you listen to music or the radio while at work?

[Michael Lark]

Michael, how and/or what motivates you to stay focused on your artwork throughout the entire day? Surely there are internal and environmental distractions that you encounter..like the rest of us mortals. :mistrust:

Sure, but the need for money can be a big motivator. :)

Honestly, I've never had that many problems concentrating. I guess I'm just lucky. I tend to get into my office, sit down to start drawing, and zone out. Plus I love drawing, so it's a fun thing to do.


Btw, I don't see it anywhere, so forgive me if it's already been asked, but what's your drawing space/studio like? And do you listen to music or the radio while at work?

Sometimes music, sometimes I talk on the phone a lot, sometimes I just sit and enjoy the quiet while I work. I tend to listen to music more when my wife and son are home, to cut down on the distractions.

And here's the office, which isn't nearly as big as it appears in this photo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/MichaelLark/Office05.jpg

[Donal DeLay]

Ooh, you play the guitar? What songs can you play?

How much pre-thought goes into the composition of the page?

How about the panel?

You said in another thread you do notes or thumbnails on script pages, you'll even throw out an idea if it doesn't work. Roundabout, is there a set minimum of layouts per page you'll do before deciding on a layout?

Have you ever gotten a page composition/layout in one brain fart? Just KNEW that that particular thumb was the page and rocked out the page in one sitting?

[ClintP]

I haven't seen a lot of your work yet. I just picked up the Captian America run at WWT this year. I have been checking out more things you've done since it was announced you would be drawing Daredevil. I have been impressed so far, and I am looking forward to your run on DD.

I understand you live around Dallas. I am a Waxahachie man myself. Will you be at some of the smaller cons coming up next year?

[Yossarian]

Hey Metal, nice to see another Texan on here, I'm from Grapevine so we probably go to the same cons. :) I know that Michael had to miss the Dallas Comic-Con this year, but he is tentatively scheduled to attend Cage-con ( www.cagecon.com (www.cagecon.com)) this year along w/ David Finch.

Michael, here's hoping you can make it!

[Hot Pink]

LARK!

any clues as to the females that will be in your dd run?

and please can you give us some sneak peeks?

[Michael Lark]

LARK!

any clues as to the females that will be in your dd run?

and please can you give us some sneak peeks?

I wish I could oblige, but if I can't let you see any more, or even answer your questions. Everything would be a spoiler. You'll just have to trust me on this one. :)

[Hot Pink]

I wish I could oblige, but if I can't let you see any more, or even answer your questions. Everything would be a spoiler. You'll just have to trust me on this one. :)

i trust you with my life,
but not with my girlfriend.
;)

[Michael Lark]

i trust you with my life,
but not with my girlfriend.
;)

I hope that's not her in your avatar.