Inspiration, Information, and Resources Part II: Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023

Phoenix Fan Fusion was a blast. The bottom floor of the convention center held the massive exhibition hall. Anything you could possibly want was there. Comics, model kits, action figures, books, T-Shirts,  original comic art, etc..

I usually seek out my favorite comic artists and strike up a conversation to find out art tips, advice, and industry survival secrets. The two gentlemen I ran into this year were Alan Davis & Arthur Suydam. Here is what they said.

Note: some art links below may contain nudity

Alan Davis
Check out Davis's work here.

Davis began his career in comics on an English fanzine. His first professional work was a strip called The Crusader for a revamped Marvel UK line.

Davis's big break was drawing the revamped Captain Britain story in Marvel Superheroes. He considered drawing as a hobby until Alan Moore (later to create The Watchman) took over writing duties on Captain Britain. Davis and Moore formed a close working partnership as creators working on 2000AD (home of Judge Dread).

In 1985, Davis received his big break in the US when he was hired by DC Comics to draw Batman. In 1987, Davis accepted an offer by Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont to work on Marvel Comics' X-Men books. Davis bounced between Marvel and DC during the 90’s till now working on JLA, The Avengers, Marvel’s Killraven, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Conan. Davis is “self-taught”, and credits the fantastic British artists Frank Bellamy, John M Burns, Jesus Blasco, Syd Jordan, and Frank Hampson as influences.

Check out Davis's influences page here. 

 

Alan Davis Tips page

- (About the comic business)
  Do this because you love drawing.

- Build your knowledge carefully.
- Don't try to learn everything at once.
- Take things a step at a time, a piece at a time.

Arthur Suydam
Check out Suydam's work here.

Arthur Suydam is an American comic book artist known for his work on Marvel Zombies, Deadpool, and Black Panther. He has done artwork for magazines including Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and National Lampoon, while his comic book work includes Batman, Conan, Tarzan, Predator, Aliens, Death Dealer, and Marvel Zombies.  

In high school, Suydam discovered a collection of workbooks from the Famous Artist Correspondance Course from which he discovered Albert Dorne, and Norman Rockwell. Some of his other influences are the classic illustrators Franklin Booth, Henrich Kley, and the amazing Frank Frazetta (also take a look at galleries 2-3). Frazetta's bio is here

Suydam  Tips

- Develop your skills as an artist. Work at your craft.
- Your work should be comparable to the pros.
- Hit your deadlines.
- Show companies their characters only.
- Suggested learning resource - Proko (YouTube) 

Must See - Here is a free link to the Famous Artist Correspondence Course.

A fantastic learning resource!

Want more resources?

The Cartoon Production Resource Guide has over 200 more resources for comic artists, animators, character designers, and illustrators. Get it here.

Inspiration, Information, and Resources Part I here.
Enjoy. More to come!


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