“2000 AD” has been a comic that has seen a lot of artistic dynasties in its more than 35-year history. Names like Bolland, Ezquerra, Smith, Burns, Kennedy, and McMahon can make the mind boggle when it tries to think of a time when these names didn’t have years worth of Progs under their belts. But every droid has to start somewhere, and part of the fun over the years is to watch new ones transform into real artistic powerhouses. While only time will tell how far Jake Lynch will go, “2000 AD” editor Tharg the Mighty has given Multiversity an exclusive look at his cover to next week’s Prog 1895 so we can show you just how far Lynch has already come in less than a year since he started on the comic. We were even given the opportunity to talk to the art-droid himself!
Can you walk us through your process for creating this cover? It looks like, with the exception of your roughs, you worked completely digitally, is that accurate?
Jake Lynch: Spot on – I haven’t used a pencil in years! I tend to thumb in a pad, I really like the ‘immediacy’ of a pen on paper and the ‘mind set’ that puts me in, same with stylus on Intuos. I use Manga Studio EX5 for working up and inking and Photoshop for colouring.
Normally, if I’m colouring, I’ll work the whole thing up in Photoshop, but this pic was very quickly inked in Manga before hand (I have literally no idea why I did this!?) then it’s just a case of working it up, first tonally then building up the colour. I flip the canvas horizontally regularly throughout to keep the eye fresh and point out any huge errors (if you draw on paper, place a mirror behind you so you take stock – it really helps!).
That’s some pretty sound advice! Looking at your process, I get the feeling that you have some real world experience with air brushing. How much of what you do digitally is a translation of real world techniques you’ve studied?
JL: I could never afford an airbrush when I was growing up (is that violins I hear..?) but the principles seemed pretty straight forward. My background was not in art but is was my love and hobby. Indeed, my first copy of Photoshop was gained when I met a designer who was building a new studio. As I had a load of building site experience then, I helped him and he paid me in kit and knowledge. That kindness changed everything for me and started me on a path that leads me here (yeah, definitely violins…!).
When I was a kid and you wanted to draw, you would buy a fishing tackle box and constantly fill it with art kit. When I finally got hold of a computer it occurred to me that I now had the biggest tackle box in the world stuffed full of all the kit I could never afford. For me, to now make a living in art is a dream come true and really not where I thought I’d end up!
This is the first time we’ve seen you work in color for 2000 AD. Until now you’ve done primarily black and white sequentials for 2000 AD, so this is the first time your color work has been featured in the magazine. We’re seeing a touch of late 80s Colin MacNeil here and were wondering what sort of influences fed into the cover’s colour treatment?
JL: You’ve got a good eye. Yeah, I spotted that too, but did not consciously set out to do it, it just sort of happened – I tend to draw as I ‘feel it’. The ‘style’ actually came out of me not having done any colour work for ages and wanting to practise. I guess you could say my influence was ‘getting rusty’. When I do it, it’s coincidence, when Colin MacNeil does it, it is THRILL POWER UNLEASHED!!
So who are some of your big influences? What sort of stuff do you look at to get inspiration?
JL: That’s a really hard question! Not because I can’t name names, but because it would be unfair to the hundreds I would accidentally leave out. As a child reading 2000AD (back in the early ’80s) it was people like Cam Kennedy, Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon, Steve Dillon, Ian Gibson, Ron Smith… There are just too many to list. I ‘grew’ from looking at their stuff as did my art appreciation generally and I still admire them greatly. These days, there are so many people I admire, non more so than Henry Flint whom I consider to be one of the greatest working comic artist England has ever produced. Those of you who don’t yet own his ‘Broadcasts’ book buy it now!! He also once gave me the most useful and Zen advice for inking, ‘think of a chess board, White allows black, black allows white’. Seems obvious, but it still blows my tiny mind!
Continued belowI also have a little obsession with Storyboard art that I love for its looseness, speed and expression. Artists like Marcos Mateu-Mestre, Joe Johnston, Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Ridley Scott (‘Ridley-grams) to name a few…
Looking back on stuff like your Orlok strip and your run on Sinister Dexter, readers can see that this cover is a pretty substantial departure from your previous work. Besides the color, which is obvious, you’re also laying down greytones and using what seems to be a finer line. Did you see this cover opportunity as a chance to show off a different side of your work?
JL: I feel truly fortunate to be an art droid, I have gone from only being able to draw for a couple of hours a week to doing it full time, I owe it to those who have kindly given me that opportunity to ‘explore’ that freedom; right now is just ‘growing pains’. My motto has always been, ‘the best piece is the NEXT piece’, so I don’t set out with any particular intention other than to try and improve and hope it’ll be enjoyed by others as much as I enjoyed learning.
What’s next? Where will readers next see your work?
JL: My next commission will be for 2000AD and is quite a biggie that’ll probably see me drawing up to Xmas, for print in the new year. I can’t tell you what it is yet as The Mighty One would rain Rigellian Hotshots upon me (all hail Tharg!). I will say that it is with one of my favourite script droids (Arthur Wyatt) and what I have produced so far is very pleasing… Oh what the hell!? My next commission will be – ARGHHHHhhhhh….!
What was that last part? I couldn’t quite make it out. Hello? Jake? Huh, line must’ve cut out…
We’ll be covering both Prog 1895 and Judge Dredd Megazine 351 in full next week in Multiver-City One, our weekly column for all things 2000 AD. But until then, feast your eyes on the Lynch thrill-power!
