Questionable Comics is a series where Dan Hill surveys professionals from every corner of the comics industry about their methods and experience. Up first is Steve Lieber, whose work has been published everywhere from DC to Marvel to Image, where he can currently be seen on The Fix, volume two of which comes out tomorrow, April 12th.
What current projects are you working on?
The Fix at Image Comics, and commercial projects for various clients.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Continuously?
What’s your workspace like?
I work at Helioscope in Portland, so I’m surrounded by a whole bunch of other busy cartoonists. My space is a standing desk with an eight year old Mac and a ten year old Cintiq. Lots of props and books and art supplies and shipping supplies everywhere. Original art by various art heroes on the walls nearby.
What do you listen to when you work?
Audiobooks, mostly non-fiction because it’s less of a problem if you need to zone out for a bit while you concentrate on your drawing. Podcasts like 99 Percent Invisible, Life of the Law, and Radio Diaries. Some tv.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Joe Kubert told me not to worry about style, that it would eventually emerge from the choices I made as a storyteller, and that what mattered was focusing on the story.
How do you get into art mode?
Not being in art mode is a luxury I haven’t had in a long time. When you do something every day for decades, you don’t ever get too rusty.
A sequence from The Fix that showcases Steve Lieber’s impeccable storytelling skills.
Is your work paper or digital based?
These days, it’s almost all digital. I’m doing pages with lots of small panels. Digital allows me to zoom in and get the gestures and expressions right on small figures.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I wish I was better at caricature. It’s a huge slice of cartooning that I never got good at.
When’s the best time to work?
I used to be a midnight cartoonist, starting after dark and going to bed after sun-up. Now I prefer to work something close to business hours, in the company of my studiomates.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Fine art: Rembrandt, Degas. Sargent.
Illustration: Robert Fawcett, Al Dorne, Al Parker, Charles Dana Gibson. Comics: Joe Kubert, Jaime Hernandez, John Stanley, Carla Speed McNeil, Jorge Zaffino, Frank Robbins.
Chandra Free broke out with her 2010 Archaia graphic novel The God Machine, which is now in print via Titan Comics with a second volume on the way.
What current projects are you working on?
The God Machine vol 2, SKIN (writing), and TBA.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Colorful!
What’s your workspace like?
Currently it’s two small desks- one has my iMac and the other has my 21 inch Cintiq on an arm. I currently do not have a drafting table anymore. 🙁
What do you listen to when you work?
All sorts of things! Industrial, synthpop, swing, old Japanese pop from the ‘20s-70s, witch house, traditional Japanese music, and more! I also love to have movies and TV shows running in the background. My all time favorite background chatter TV is Mystery Science Theater 3000.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Just get it done.
A page from Chandra Free’s The God Machine OGN, showcasing her wild and unique style.
How do you get into art mode?
Good music, coffee, and do away with distractions beforehand (ie.Twitter, Tumblr..etc.)
Is your work paper or digital based?
It used to be a mix of paper and digital. Currently I’m looking into making my comics all digital. The transition is hard for the comics bit, but it’s never been hard for me to do illustrations all digital. I don’t know why I have a mental block like that, but I must overcome!
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I want to be better at perspective. I’m always working to be better at it, so a “wish” is irrelevant when you have the drive to make it happen.
When’s the best time to work?
Late at night when the distractions of life are less. Plus I’ve always found nighttime I’m most creative.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Sean Murphy. His lines/inkwork are phenomenal! He has such a way with backgrounds and keeping his art kinetic. I strive to be as good as him in my own way (there can only be one Sean Murphy and one Chandra Free.)
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