Mego Collector/Artistic Connection?

[Adam West]

There are a lot of awesome artists, writers, sculpters, and just creative people here that also collect Megos.

Just wanted to do an informal poll to see if my instincts are right.

I do accounting as a profession but am not really passionate about it. I have always been good artistically and in writing but never developed either. I look at drawings I did as a teenager or stories I wrote in High School and can't believe I actually wrote that story or drew that picture. I always have these crazy story lines going through my head thinking that it would be a great book but never put thoughts on paper....one of these days.

I have seen some great drawings, know that many of you do this as a profession or at least a passion as well as those that write or do some other art form and can't help but wonder if there is some connection between the art and collecting.

[thunderbolt]

yeah, definitely influnced me to make custom dollies.

[4NDR01D]

I think kids that were really into action figures use their imaginations more. The toys provide an outlet for creativity (storytelling etc). As adults we probably still need an outlet for our creative desires so we create art.

[Figuremod73]

i think its the whole comicbook, star trek, star wars connection. usually those with wondering minds (the creative folks) are drawn towards the work of other likewise creative people and it has a influence on what they like. Almost everyone here is inspired by Lucas (even if they get annoyed by him) and in some way want to be more like him. I know personally im inspired by comic artist like Byrne, Romita, and Kane and things they like have offspringed into things I like.
Not sure if that makes sense but i tried .....

[jimsmegos]

Mego's are the miracle elixir of creativity, Those that were exposed young couldn't help but better the world with their creations. Newcomers are so strongly influenced by the essence that Mego's still put off 30 years later that they themselves are enhanced by the magical and mystifying power of Mego's.

Well, that's what i think anyway

[kingdom warrior]

I think as a child, playing with my megos,big jims, Gi Joes etc...and my deep love for comics influenced my artistic side and my imagination. I grew up to be a freelance Illustrator and also I became a professional Chef for a few years before I started having health issues caused by the high stress......
I've been a freelance Illustrator for over twenty years.....I actually done other jobs to supplement my freelancing work........

[megoscott]

Well, toys and pop culture in general inspire creativity. The Star Wars experience of our generation launched a hundred thousand art careers.

Megos have their own particular spin in that you are playing with and/or creating a model of what a person dressed up as a superhero looks like. I think the connection between the Mego impulse and the work of Alex Ross is pretty obvious--visualizing what a real costume looks like.

[kingdom warrior]

Almost everyone here is inspired by Lucas (even if they get annoyed by him)

I wasn't at all...I was influenced by, Kirby,Kane Utamaro,henri toulouse lautrec, Nagel,Shuster, Picasso, Dave Stevens the Hernandez brothers......

[Figuremod73]

Very nice illustrations!
I was wondering if any artist suffer from the Scultz vs Alex Ross complex. This of course is learning to draw from imagination over real world objects. I have never really been able to draw from imagination to well and it discouraged me many years ago from trying harder to start becoming more serious about illustration professionally. (i guess i could do drafting easy enough, but that wouldnt have been no fun,lol)

[kingdom warrior]

Very nice illustrations!
I was wondering if any artist suffer from the Scultz vs Alex Ross complex. This of course is learning to draw from imagination over real world objects. I have never really been able to draw from imagination to well and it discouraged me many years ago from trying harder to start becoming more serious about illustration professionally. (i guess i could do drafting easy enough, but that wouldnt have been no fun,lol)

Ross although works his ideas out from his imagination or doing an homage.
works a lot off his photography. Although this is fine it seems that lately his poses seem to be the same over and over this is because of the limits of the photos and the poses he uses....

Fran frazettas approach was based on life drawing knowing the human anatomy and then pushing the body to do the impossible since in fantasy Illustrations a sense of realism stops existing.

Frazetta knew that many of his poses and animals he drew in real life, many of those poses and creatures could not be done or achieved in real life...which he said he didn't care convincing illustrations were more important than getting the horses anatomy right....he thought photography was dull.

There are no limits to what you can do from your imagination......it's about how to actually put it on paper is the real challenge...that's where sketches upon sketches working the idea out comes into play........

sorry got a bit off topic......

[Figuremod73]

I totally agree. Ever read Scott McClouds Understanding comics? He talks about all this good stuff in it. (I think Eisner did in his books as well)
I remember back in the '90s John Byrne and Mcfarlane use to always go at it back in forth in their letter columns. Really what it came down to was Byrne was trying to explane that Mcfarlane would have been a much better artist if he had learned the fundimentals of art/illustration. No matter what some people may say, old Todd really is a good artist, he just either took to many short cuts or didnt know "what to put in, what not to put in" To make a long story short that was my problem.
Who do you consider to be the best comicbook illustrator tech wise?
I think it was Gil Kane. (I really like this guy!)

[Figuremod73]

were off topic, but its still fun

[kingdom warrior]

I totally agree. Ever read Scott McClouds Understanding comics? He talks about all this good stuff in it. (I think Eisner did in his books as well)
I remember back in the '90s John Byrne and Mcfarlane use to always go at it back in forth in their letter columns. Really what it came down to was Byrne was trying to explane that Mcfarlane would have been a much better artist if he had learned the fundimentals of art/illustration. No matter what some people may say, old Todd really is a good artist, he just either took to many short cuts or didnt know "what to put in, what not to put in" To make a long story short that was my problem.
Who do you consider to be the best comicbook illustrator tech wise?
I think it was Gil Kane. (I really like this guy!)

I met and sat down and spoke to Gil so I'm fond of his work. IMO he is one of the greatest technical artist ever. He knew his anatomy like the back of his hand.....George Perez is possibly the second greatest techinal artist ever who could draw about anything he put his mind on......the amount of detail in his art for a 9 panel grid is amazing....
Berni Wrightston and Neil Adams were also pretty amazing
Also Alex Raymond work is IMO breathtaking......his lush brush work are something every artist should study....

Todd IMO was a good layout artist and had lot's of style but really had lot's of anatomy issues that he covered with that itchy scratchy look that many 90's artist aped.

[ctc]

Byrne was trying to explane that Mcfarlane would have been a much better artist if he had learned the fundimentals of art/illustration

That's kinda funny, considering what Byrne's earliest stuff looked like.

>old Todd really is a good artist

He's not bad. Of the Image guys he was the best 'cos he was the only one that had any real expression to his stuff. (Other than "GRRR!!!! ANGRY!!!!")

>he just either took to many short cuts or didnt know "what to put in, what not to put in"

I think a lot of it was his personal style. What he did wasn't wrong, but it didn't conform to what a lot of folks thought was "good," so it became "bad." McFarlane's stuff tends to be cartoony; which is cool 'cos it lets you get more variety from your designs.... but it puts a lot of superhero fans off.

'Course, I suspect part of the critique came from folks just hating the guy personally. (He IS a ******bag.)

Don C.

[enyawd72]

Fantastic stuff there Kingdom Warrior!

I got sucked in by the whole McFarlane Spidey thing in the 90's, but I find his stuff unbearable to look at now.

The true masters as you say, were Gil Kane, John Romita Sr., Ross Andru, George Perez, Gene Colan, and of course one guy that is so talented IMO he makes me sick...Brian Bolland.

MY GOD his line work is incredible.