ALL THE BORING DETAILS

My name is Tim Winstead and I've been drawing cartoons of one sort or the other for as long as I can recall. No formal training whatsoever and even less listened to advice just provided more of a reason for me to try and realize my goal of cartooning for a living, albeit....life itself did pose some hurdles...... which I stumbled over countless times. I still don't 'toon for a living, but strangely enough I have been very fortunate to encounter certain people who have left an indelible impression on me. First and foremost is Phil Yeh, a highly creative person with volumes of very colorful and imaginative illustrations and experiences that very few will ever know. This profoundly creative man has enough energy to light up a stadium and the kind of commitment to a craft that is rare by today's standards and it's HIS commitment to our craft ,which is a quality I have always admired.
I have also 'met' some other great artists as well via social networking. Off the top is a highly talented graphic artist, who by day .....dons the guise of a school teacher, Mr. Johnny Hamm. The work this man can produce is exceptional and though we have never met...I have known him for quite a long time.The kind of art he produces is unlike the mainstream stuff we all see. I call him a mixed media maestro. I am blown away by the composition of his work. Now, we shift to another exceptional cartoonist, Mr. Coleman York, who is the creator of HUGO comics. Outstanding in his own right, he has always struck me as someone of class and style. A very humble attitude mixed in with a little sage advice and a bit of ' We all gotta look out for one another' persona.Then there is Karl Zorowski, who is a devout priest....and a very exceptional person and..... just so happens to be the creator of ' Church Mice'. I have never met Karl, but he is another of the great people I know from the message board I mentioned earlier. And last but not least, there is Andrew Bos, who employs his cartoons in ways I hadn't seen before. A huge talent, of which I hope to see more of. In between all of the tiny little, gaps in my life, which are way way too many to try and list here....one thing has ALWAYS been a constant. That is I love to draw cartoons. Always have....always will, and chances are I may NEVER make a living drawing cartoons, but one thing is sure.....I will ALWAYS love my drawing cartoons and even though my life didn't exactly play out as planned, I'm very grateful that it took the direction it did. My life in ' toons has been....creative. But then again....aren't we ALL creative in our own way ? Please feel free to visit any time and should you have a question about cartoons/cartooning, or any of the topics you've seen on this blog.... please let me know at otb666tw@gmail.com and Ill post your question with an answer. If I can't answer it. I'll find somebody who can. If you have a topic of your own, I'll be more than happy to post it, and see what kind of responses we get. That's pretty much the crux of this blog. My aim is to provide a forum for anything and everything 'toon. Thanks and come back often.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Go ahead....give it your best shot.

Well gang, it's time for another post by yours truly. I have made considerable strides in my learning curve for using the 'paint' program that came with my laptop. Over the last year or so, I have stubbornly begun to come to grips with the possibility that technology can indeed assist me in delivering a much better product at a more advanced level than that which I had done strictly by hand. One of my very first posts to my blog was that of someone who stood his ground at his opposition to this technology-based world we live in. It was a friend of mine, who is in his own right, a phenomenal cartoonist....who commented on this particular post. In that reply he made it very clear that ,that in this fast paced world with the dying off of certain media..which for now I won't touch on, that I had..and I'm going to paraphrase here..." Get my head outta my butt and get with the program"..or I would deny myself the edge that seemingly everyone else in this industry has managed to benefit from. That bit of advice did not fall on deaf ears as I have already started to take advantage of the tech side of cartooning. Albeit in no way, am I fully adept at doing an entire cartoon via my 'paint' program or any other.....I have been aware of just how much time I can save if only just by using these tools on the editing portion of my 'toons. I have even created a few CGI's, if you will and have utilized them in various ways throughout the design of my ever changing blog....and ever expanding display of art from myself as well as some very unique 'toons from a buddy of mine. Those 'toons will increase in number over time as well. There is even a collaboration between us that will stretch our 'boundaries' and I believe aide in improving both our skill sets. However, details regarding this is not something I want to touch on at this time. What I trying to say here is....never be afraid to expand your limits and try that one thing you've always told yourself you couldn't do...and do it anyway. Yeah, the possibility of a 'crash and burn is real and yeah...those who try the risky stuff sometimes fail. But, you have to ask yourself..."What if I had never tried at all?" or " Could I have made a go of it ?". Nobody but you will ever know the outcome if you hide behind the ' Why even bother ?' or ' I'm too scared to try ' excuse. Remember, there was that one time that this self- taught cartoonist, who swore up and down that old ways were the best way....took advice from someone else who had 'walked the same walk", and took a chance on himself. Not only did he surprise himself, but he plans on surprising alot of other people in the near future...and he will never again have to ask himself " What if I had never tried at all ?"
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 1, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    Hi Tim,

    I jumped on to the Paint accessory which you are talking about years ago. In fact, Hugo Comics are drawn completely in the paint accessory. Now I wouldn't call myself the best artist in the world but technology has helped me become a better drawer. It also helps to keep a portfolio of Hugo in his various poses which I can choose for that certain strip I'm creating. Although you still need to draw from scratch and it may take some getting used to, you will soon become a pro at using Paint and enjoy the possibilities it offers.

    Coleman York
    Creator of Hugo Comics

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tim Winstead / CartoonistNovember 1, 2013 at 2:41 PM

      Thanks so much Coleman, for your comment to this post. Any advice I can get from another cartoonist is a huge plus for me and be assured I utilize each and every tip I can. I certainly can appreciate your insight and while I have seen vast improvements in my finished 'toons, I am still hard pressed to completely give up hand rendered artwork. Albeit, I do understand the clean look to a finished drawing when edited via a program such as the 'paint' program, I have noticed that certain steps or procedures, if you will.. in 'paint' are quite different and in some cases seems too many steps are involved to accomplish the same effect.Now, I am in no way trying to discredit your advice. In fact, I have actually begun to favor the use of these programs to aid in the finished piece even more so than in the past.
      However, I believe that it's the physical process of drawing itself that has me hooked. I have always drawn by hand and find it very enjoyable. It, to me is what the creation process is all about. I would like to thank you though,for opening my eyes to possibilities I was not allowing myself to benefit from. Who knows?, maybe somewhere down the line, I'll be a better cartoonist for it. Thank you

      Delete
    2. Tim Winstead / CartoonistNovember 1, 2013 at 2:42 PM

      Thanks so much Coleman, for your comment to this post. Any advice I can get from another cartoonist is a huge plus for me and be assured I utilize each and every tip I can. I certainly can appreciate your insight and while I have seen vast improvements in my finished 'toons, I am still hard pressed to completely give up hand rendered artwork. Albeit, I do understand the clean look to a finished drawing when edited via a program such as the 'paint' program, I have noticed that certain steps or procedures, if you will.. in 'paint' are quite different and in some cases seems too many steps are involved to accomplish the same effect.Now, I am in no way trying to discredit your advice. In fact, I have actually begun to favor the use of these programs to aid in the finished piece even more so than in the past.
      However, I believe that it's the physical process ofdrawing itself that has me hooked. I have always drawn by hand and find it very enjoyable. It, to me is what the creation process is all about. I would like to thank you though,for opening my eyes to possibilities I was not allowing myself to benefit from. Who knows?, maybe sometime down the line, I'll be a better cartoonist for it. Thank you

      Delete

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Great times at Mega-Con 2003
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The Florida crew of Cartoonists Across America.
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