Questionable Comics is a series where Dan Hill surveys professionals from every corner of the comics industry about their methods and experience. Up first this week is Matthew Dunn, an incredible artist working on a number of independent comics who has also done album covers and merchandise for bands.
What current projects are you working on?
I’m about to dive into the final issue of a four issue creator owned series I’ve been working on since the end of last year. The first issue should be out in the second half of the year (still waiting on the official dates from the publisher).
I’ve been developing a few different projects with Emmet O’Cuana that are all in various stages. Our collaborative process is very free-flowing and things tend to mutate well beyond our initial plans, so it’ll be exciting to see where it all ends up.
I’m wrapping up a short story with Ryan Lindsay at the moment, part of his series of bizarre political short stories.
There’s also Fever Vine, something I’ve been working on for awhile with Kris Saknussemm. It’s a story soaked in southern blues and dark magic.
I’m currently writing my next solo series which I’ll be starting to illustrate in a couple of months. It features my gas masked character Leroy and will include a music element to it (similar to my first comic Lonely Monsters, which came with a soundtrack).
Use one word to describe how you work.
Inky
What’s your workspace like?
I work from a home studio that I share with my wife. The walls are covered in the work of other artists, the shelves are stacked with books and vinyl, and the tables are covered with a mixture of artwork, sewing materials, and other bits and pieces being worked on.
There’s always a cat or two hanging around to keep an eye on things.
What do you listen to when you work?
It depends heavily on what I’m working on at the time. Today I’m working my way through a pile of old gospel and blues vinyl. Tomorrow it could be Godspeed You! Black Emperor or The Black Heart Procession or C W Stoneking or Soulsavers or Mogwai or The Jesus Lizard or Dirty Three or Augie March or Johnny Cash or Fugazi or Cat Power or Daniel Johnston or Son House or Russian Circles or Nina Simone or Alexander Spence or Mark Lanegan or Silver Mt Zion or Butthole Surfers or Fly Pan Am or Black Sabbath or The Kinks Or The Flaming Lips or Something For Kate or Pink Floyd or Wu-Tang Clan or Tom Waits or Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds or Eels or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or…well, the list is nearly endless.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Focus on what you want to achieve and don’t get caught up in comparisons/competitiveness.
How do you get into art mode?
I go for a 1 hour walk around Brunswick, listening to music that inspires me and working out story and art ideas till I get home and hit the drawing table.
A pin-up Matthew Dunn did for Ryan K. Lindsay’s Deer Editor
Is your work paper or digital based?
All my ink work is on paper, as are most of the textures and some colours. I tend to colour most of my work digitally and also add in extra texture layers. Digital can also be a real time saver for doing a quick edit or rearranging a page.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I’m always trying to improve everything, sometimes succeeding and other times failing miserably, but that’s the best way to learn and improve. I used to rely a lot of heavy blacks with my inked pages, something I’ve changed a lot with the horror comic I’ve been working on. By stripping that back it’s helped me to better understand when it is and isn’t good to use, so I’m looking forward to applying it more thoughtfully in future books.
When’s the best time to work?
I try to work 9 – 5 Monday to Friday. I used to work much longer days, often 7 days a week, but you need to make sure you have some separation from the work your doing, and you need to make sure that your art isn’t taking you away from the other aspects of your life. Since cutting back to regular hours I find I’m a lot more motivated and excited about starting work in the morning.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Sergio Toppi, Barron Storey, Bernie Fuchs, N C Wyeth, Robert E McGinnis, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Dave McKean, Jack Kirby, George Pratt, Mike Mignola, John Paul Leon, J Muth, Kent Williams, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ashley Wood, Walt Simonson, Ted McKeever, Jason Shawn Alexander, Mike Huddleston, Jim Mahfood, and more.
I remember going to Sydney in my teens and visiting Comic Kingdom, the first time I’d ever stepped foot into a comic shop (having purchased my comics from newsagents and second hand bookstores before then). That day I grabbed an issue of Havok And Wolverine: Meltdown, written by the Simonson’s and featuring art by Kent Williams and J Muth. That artwork changed the way I saw comics from that moment onward. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen in my life and that experience still influences me in numerous ways to this day.
Alex Cormack is an artist whose work has been published by Bliss on Tap and Comix Tribe.
What current projects are you working on?
As of right now, issues #13 and #14 of Future Proof written by Brian Phillipson and Alex Murillo, one shot Space Noir book I’m working on with Ryan Lindsay, RiverBoat Rumble written by Andy Arnott, Sink written by John Lees which we’re Kickstarting, and Dead Stick written by Jeremy Melloul.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Furiously
What’s your workspace like?
I have an office in my house, posters and instruments hang on the wall and I have a big chalk board painted reminding me of what I’ve got to do. Lots of books floating around too.
What do you listen to when you work?
Lots of music and audio books. For example I have Son House playing right now and earlier I was listening to the book Conquistador by Buddy Levy.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I’ve gotten a lot of great advice going from how to draw this better and not to give up, I’ve been lucky that my wife and my family have supported me in being an artist. But one story sticks out that I don’t know if it’s really advice, but I’m going to tell it anyways.
It was early in my career, I had a couple things published at this point and I was splitting a table w/ my friend at a comic con. At the show there was a guy looking at portfolios representing a big company so my friend and I line up to see what he has to say. Either this guy was in a bad mood, or he didn’t give a shit, or whatever, he was ripping everybody apart. After art school I can take it, but I know my friend was really hurt. He looked my stuff over and basically said I suck and as we’re talking he tells me that trying to have a career in comics is like the scene in Poltergeist at the end when the mother is running to the bedroom door but it keeps getting further and further away from her. Pretty much telling me don’t waste your time and quit. So this bugged the hell out of me for the rest of the day, and that night I couldn’t sleep. But then I thought of something and conked right out. The next day I saw the guy again and reminded him that she does make it to that door. He tried to let me know that’s not what he meant but that’s how I took it. And as of now I’m working full time as an artist. So remember keep going for the door otherwise Poltergeist will eat your kids or do whatever it was doing in the TV, I should watch that movie again.
A page from Hardcore Akan, a tie-in comic to the smash film Hardcore Henry
How do you get into art mode?
I wake up and drink coffee.
Is your work paper or digital based?
Digital. I draw on a Cintiq pad using Adobe Flash. Once in a while I’ll run it through Illustrator and Photoshop as well. I will add some real elements like ink splatter and scan that in to give it some life.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
Lots, but off the top of my head, since I work digitally everything I hand in is already inked, so really working on being a better inker than I am. Shadows, anatomy, guns, backgrounds, I’m doing my best dammit!
When’s the best time to work?
First thing in the morning, If I don’t get started quick it messes with my whole day.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Ryan Ottley, Frank Miller, Ashley Wood, R.M. Guera, Joelle Jones, Juanjo Guarnido, David Marquez, Eduardo Risso, Greg Capullo, to name a few.
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