Yesterday evening local cartoonist Paul Madonna gave a talk about his work at the Mechanics' Institute. Though the visual aspect of his art makes the biggest impression, most of his strips actually start with the text. He explained that he does not want the images to illustrate the text redundantly. Rather, the text should qualify the image. Amazingly, he never pencils in first, & he uses a rapidograph drafting pen on the wrong kind of paper deliberately to get an erratic line. He's started making larger drawings, as big as 3' x 4'. These cannot be completed on site, so he sketches on site for one to three hours, blows up the sketches, then finishes the drawings in his studio with the aid of photo references. Despite the freshness & immediacy of the images, some may have been in progress for a year or more before being published. Mr. Madonna emphasized the constant discipline required for him to produce his work. Once he left school, it took him 10 years to get published, & he comes across as very happy with his current success.The Mechanics' Institute recently knocked out a wall in their meeting room, making it much more comfortable for these gatherings. Wine, coffee & snacks were available, & the room smelled of warm cookies at the beginning of the event.
§ Everything Is Its Own Reward: An All Over Coffee Collection
Paul Madonna
The Mechanics' Institute
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 6:00pm
No comments:
Post a Comment