doodleaway:

This first post in a while will announce that this is to be a doodle-blog, where doodles are abundant and present exclusively. Any style is allowed here. I think the most interesting drawings are made by doodling.

I usually steal my style from some artist I admire, I try to emulate someone so much that I make believe it’s my own. Most of the time, though, certain styles aren’t really personal, as when it comes to commercial illustration, where many times the artist has succumbed to the imaginary (or real) power of art-directors and editors who wish to erase any controversy out of the artists’ contribution (owing to sponsor-sensitivity and so on).

I did a job for a major US-newspaper the other day, and they were really good to work with, incredibly nice and encouraging: But even if the piece was full of controversial subject-matters I wasn’t allowed to address these issues graphically. That’s a bit confusing at first, but then you get the hang of it and start acting with your new censoring brain-function.

Anyway, I just thought that I should mention these heroes of mine so as to point you in the right direction of where to find brilliant art and artists:

In no particular order (I think):

1. Kazuo Umezu. Anyone not getting his weird, ugly world will have a problem with my world as well. He’s the godfather of horror-manga and everyone in Japan knows his work.

2. Aleksandra Walizsewska. Her work can be seen on tumblr alot (at least on my channels), for a good reason. She’s amazing. I can’t say I try to emulate her style but I want to learn from her. She is a major talent.

3. Stéphane Blanquet. Maybe the most interesting contemporary french artist/comic-artist. He’s superb in his horror-surrealist style. There’s no-one like him. I made some art for his Tranchée Racine-zine last year, an immense honor for me.

4. Marco Corona. I have gotten to know him a bit even though my Italian sucks. The stuff he did for Le Dernier and Coconino Press is amazing. He’s developed a more subtle style lately. He’s a genius at drawing.

5. Finsta, Pike and Leolyxxx Three of Swedens’ greatest and perhaps, except Pike, unfairly overlooked graphic artists. At least Pike and Finsta have graffiti-background. I know them all, really cool and interesting people. I have learned tremendously from them, and stolen quite a lot. Pike showed me things that were essential to my development as an artist.

6. Igor Hofbaur. The above doodle could be reminiscent of his style, though I’d say that he has something that I don’t- he’s from Belgrade. He’s goddamn amazing. Such bloody cool stuff.

7. Craoman. I’ve met him and he acts as crazy as his drawings, which are the most insanely beautiful things imaginable. There’s no-one remotely in the same league as Craoman. I’ve tried to draw in his style, which failed in an embarrassing way. The technique he has is out of this world. He’s French, meaning that he’s got comics in his bloodstream.

There are more, but this’ll do for today. There’s only one woman there, but this isn’t about politics.