Master Digital Color Talent Search 2010 – Part 2: Bruce McCorkindale

The Master Digital Color Talent Search 2010 is coming along amazingly so far!  I hope you’ve had a chance to get over to the Pixel Shrine section of www.HueDoo.com and look over all the colored pieces that have been posted so far.  You won’t be disappointed!  And I hope that if you haven’t started coloring one of the four available pieces of art that you’re planning on making time for it ASAP.  I don’t want you to miss out!

Today in the Council we’re talking to the second of our four artists who so graciously provided us line art for the MDCTS2K10 (hhmmm…that sounded a lot less nerdy in my head) a good friend, Bruce McCorkindale.  Bruce is long time comic book artist and graphic designer who has worked on books for every major comic book company around as well as design work for huge corporations such as Mattel, IBM and McDonalds!  Several weeks ago I had posted a question on twitter (@geekywhiteguy) that I needed some art…and a few moments later Bruce and sent me a message offering on this beautiful piece. Needless to say…I was (and still am) thrilled!

Tribal Council: As always…first question: What’s your favorite color and why?

Bruce McCorkindale: Probably blue.  Even ‘tho it’s a “cool” color, it seems like it can run the gamut from icy/tech-y to calm and soothing.

TC: Tell us a little about you and your body of work.

BMcC: I’m kind of a strange mix of artistic interests.  In comics, my professional work has been mostly inking.  However, I’ve also done a fair amount of writing, pencilling, coloring and lettering as well.  I’m pretty mercurial in terms of interests…but, luckily, it’s a diverse field!  I’ve kept my hand in comics, but I’ve spent the past several years mostly doing a lot of editorial/advertising/animation work.

TC: How did you first start out working in comics?

BMcC: I started working full-time in comics after landing a gig inking a book called Twilight Avenger for Malibu.  After that, I got a pretty steady stream of work from them, as well as gigs from Marvel, DC, Image, etc.

TC: What’s it like collaborating with creators like Phil Hester?

BMcC: Phil’s definitely one of my favorite guys in comics.  He has that great blend of crazy-level artistic intelligence matched with kid-like enthusiasm. It’s hard to beat that mix.  We tend to work together on the more alternative projects like The Wretch, Golly, etc…which is always a lot of fun.

TC: You’re a versatile artists who pencils, ink AND colors.  How does the experience of creating sequential art change for you when you’re doing ALL the work as opposed to when you’re just penciling, inking or coloring?

BMcC: I’ve done whole books by myself, but it’s a pretty labor-intensive task. However, there’s nothing like having a vision and then being able to see that vision come to completion exactly the way you saw it.  Of course, the problem is…if something doesn’t work, you can only blame yourself!

TC: Is there one part of the process that you like the most?

BMcC: The parts of the process that have to do with storytelling.  So, imagining a story and then writing it is probably the most rewarding.  In art, it’s always fun to be the “director” and try to plot out how the story is going to be told  in the layout stage.

TC: How much of your work is done digitally and how much is pencils and inks on paper?

BMcC: It depends on the project.  Most of the time I pencil and ink traditionally, and then scan the art in for digital coloring/lettering.  However, recently I worked as finsiher on Phil Hester’s Golly! book, and digitally “inked” Brook Turner’s pencil art using various tools in Photoshop.

TC: Your design studio, Action Impulse Studios, creates comic book-style artwork and animation for advertising, book illustration, storyboards, comps, and concept art. How does the process differ when creating comic art for an advertisement than it would for pages in a comic book?

BMcC: Again, it all depends on the project.  One thing I like about the commercial art world is that I never know what to expect!  The genres, mediums, are always different.  One constant between comics and any other field is the storytelling.  Any work has to convey an idea in the most clear, imaginative way possible, and that’s always the main thing I have to achieve.

TC: You’ve got five minutes before the giant space lizard lands on earth and starts eating all human life.  What three comic books do you read before the carnage ensues?

BMcC: Well, I’d have to skim them fast, but it would probably be Watchmen, a TPB of Miller’s “Born Again” Daredevil run, and just for diversity…Asterios Polyp!

TC: If you were a Roller Derby Girl…what would your name be?

BMcC: Funnily enough, I gave an Omaha Roller Girl named Danelle the name “D’Naille Inya Coffin!”  Mine would be “Bruise McCrackYerSkull.”

TC: Any other projects that we should be on the look out for from you?

BMcC: I inked & colored Golly #5 (on sale now!), and have a short story coming out in IDW’s Negative Burn anthology.

TC: Where else can we find you on the interwebs?

BMcC: www.brucemccorkindale.com is where I post the comics news and www.actionimpulse.com is the site where I feature the commercial work done through my business Action Impulse Studios!

HUGE thanks to Bruce for the artwork and for taking time out to speak with us.  Look later this week for more interviews by creators Tracie Mauk and Kevin Church of FIGHT! as well as Tyler James, Ty Tyner and Matt Zolman of EPIC.  Not sure what the Master Digital Color Talent Search 2010 is all about?  Well as it turns out we sent out our official press release yesterday.  I’ll finish up my column today with that.  Don’t be surprised if you see this around over the next couple weeks.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Master Digital Color Talent Search 2010

Calling all aspiring comic book colorist.  MasterDigitalColor.com is offering you the opportunity to see artwork colored by you featured on trading cards that will be given away at Comic-Con International 2010. Thousands of fans could be collecting cards featuring your digital coloring! Enter the Master Digital Color Talent Search 2010, sponsored by Hi-Fi colour design & HueDoo.com

How to enter:  Join the comic colorist tribe at HueDoo.com where you will find 4 categories for the talent search:

• Science Fiction Style featuring artwork by Tommy Patterson

• Superhero Style featuring artwork by EPIC!

• Pin-Up Style featuring artwork Bruce McCorkindale!

• Animation Style featuring artwork FIGHT!

Color the artwork and post it on HueDoo.com before the submission deadline of Wednesday June 30, 2010 at 11:59 pm Central.  You can enter up to all 4 categories if you like and increase your chances of being featured on a MasterDigitalColor.com trading card!

Winning entrants will enjoy:

• Your colored image featured on trading cards that will be distributed exclusively at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego, CA. Your name will be prominently featured in the credits with the other creators. The trading cards will be given away at the Impact Books Booth, World Famous Comics Booth and anywhere else Hi-Fi makes appearances at SDCC. Thousands of fans could be collecting trading cards with your color work!

• The winning artwork will be featured on HueDoo.com, and in a feature story on MasterDigitalColor.com and HiFiDesign.com

• The winning artwork will be featured on the big screen at Hi-Fi’s how-to color panels at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego, CA.

• Each winning entrant will receive a complete set of the Comic-Con International-Master Digital Color Trading Cards

• A HiFi swag bag filled with signature Hi-Fi items.

• A coloring portfolio review by Hi-Fi creative director Brian Miller.

More information and full details at MasterDigitalColor.com where you will also find videos tutorials, how-to color books, and everything else you need to learn how to color comic books including the new books by Hi-Fi’s Brian & Kristy Miller Hi-Fi Color for Comics & Master Digital Color published by Impact Books.

Deadline entries: Wednesday June 30, 2010 11:59 pm Central. Entrants are free to any of the 4 categories and may enter as few as one category or as many as all 4 categories.  One entry per category please. The judging panel will consist of representatives from Hi-Fi, HueDoo.com , MasterDigitalColor.com and the creative teams responsible for the line art in each category.

Winners will be announced one July 14, 2010.

Visit MasterDigitalColor.com for full details.