How close was that artist?

Oh, yes, me too! I really enjoyed Lorraine Reyes's art. I think hers was the only non-Wendy drawn stuff that felt whole.  Though there were some "Hidden Years" that worked pretty well too. The one with the insects that everyone was allergic to, for example.

The artist from the first post is pretty good, yes.

Lunacat, that is a great drawing!

I disliked most of the other artists, but the one from the story where Sunstream got his new name was pretty good. There are some Elfquest series that I never bought because they were just too ugly.

Yes; the problem with the other artists is not, that they don't draw like Wendy, the problem is that they (with honorable exceptions) fail at drawing.

I like it in other comic book series, when different artists bring their own style into it. It would've been much better if the other EQ artists didn't try to copy Wendy's style but were good at their own style.

Yes, another style can be an improvement, if the artist is good! Sometimes it is fun to see an entirely different take on characters and story's.

Dang, Lunakat, that drawing is fantastic! I bow to your skill!

The only official EQ artist other than Wendy who I thought really captured Wendy's style was the gal who drew Full Circle (can't remember her name, dangit).

Steve Blevins and Lorraine Reyes didn't draw like Wendy, but I did enjoy their art, with some reservations. Blevins' characters suffered a bit from sameface, and I didn't really start liking his art until it was B&W only, but his poses struck me as naturalistic and solidly drawn, his backgrounds were lovely, and he did GREAT crowd scenes in his work on Wavedancers.

Also really liked the Black Mermaid people, artwise. Disney-esque in a good way.

ErinC1978 wrote:

The only official EQ artist other than Wendy who I thought really captured Wendy's style was the gal who drew Full Circle (can't remember her name, dangit).

I think this was Carol Lyon.

Davrille wrote:

This close: (Yearnings Cover)

Ah, Yearnings! That's a fanzine which is hard to come by these days, isn't it?
It's sad that these days fanzines ... have gone? Everybody is busy, stressed, nobody seems to be willing to invest time in things like this. :'-(
Or am I wrong?


I think there are a few people who got close to the original style. I wonder if it was always intended to be close (in official EQ publications, drawn by "3rd party" people), or if they wanted the artists to keep their own style.

I think it's very likely not impossible, and I've seen iirc. Brandon McKinney draw live and he was really quick and met Wendy's style well (as far as I can tell). But I guess practice is a key.
She made her EQ style (even though it changed from early pre-publications, the OQ series until FQ) and did that so often - I guess if one did a few comics that style one could manage to get close, too.
Besides, at least in my eyes, you also need a feeling for the very character you're drawing.

But in the end I think the most important part is to capture the character in a way that he/she is recognizable and somehow "in character".

Lunakat wrote:

It is not that hard to draw her characters. They are designed to be able to be drawn by other people.

That sounds a bit like it's coming off a high horse. A lot of people would like to capture "the spirit" of it and struggle. And I wouldn't say all characters are equally easy to draw.
But I see you "delivered".
(However, if I wanted to do some nitpicking, I'd say the faces and mabye proportions of the elves in your Christmas picture are a litte more towards a slender build than hers. But your style is very close to the official one, indeed.)

But if it is so easy for you - especially if you're able to bring it to paper or computer so quickly - why not do some artwork? E.g. participate with calendar art...? *hint-hint*
(Or did you already do under a different nickname?)

The thing is- I draw for a living. I just barely have time to get my work done and do any part of my own projects -- so to do fan art is taking out a lot of time I always feel should be more diligently spent. But maybe you are right-- it would be fun. I promised to do something g after new year, and I believe there was a request-- so I'll deliver soon!

Yeah-- i get that it sounds cocky. But the thing is-- I was trained as an artist. So I'm speaking as someone who does this a lot and professionally. I'm only talking about the published comics-- not fan art. Fan art is a different thing. I don't expect fan art to hit the nail on the head style wise-- I just look for it to be fun and expressive and convey what the artist is trying to convey. Its better, even, when someone reinterprets the characters their own way-- it's interesting.

But mostly, it's a lot like me playing piano. I enjoy it and I can knock out a few tunes. But I'm not trying to perform at Carnegie hall-- I'm not even trying to play under a Xmas tree in a the mall. I'm just having fun. If you hire someone though, you sort of expect a certain level of skill. I'm just saying that I would have expected professional artists to hit closer to the mark.

It always surprised me that they couldn't find someone who could draw better to do their comics. Carol Lyon did a great job-- but everyone else (except, I think, the wild hunt series-- which totally had its own style and ran with it) just seemed mediocre... and I don't understand why they didn't hire better people. Because there have to be people out there who can do it. Remember how bad the non-Wendy segment of Wolfrider was, for example? It makes no sense that they couldn't find better people.

It's like hiring me to play piano at a wedding. Like... You'll get some sound and I'll probably be able to knock out the song-- but how well? And wouldn't it be worth your while to find a professional pianist instead?

@Jarf-- yeah, I always draw male characters too feminine!

Lunakat wrote:

I draw for a living.

Okay, that explains a lot. The practice, your more professional eye for how things are done but also that you might want to spend your spare time with something different than doing artwork. Being creative can't be forced and the creativity batteries need a recharge every now and then.

Lunakat wrote:

...and I don't understand why they didn't hire better people.

I don't know on which ones you actually relate to but e.g. the first issues of new blood were actually "new blood", a mix of totally different styles and views on the topic. Of course it somehow feels strange if this is to continue official storyline.
Moreover, I guess you need to find people willing to do the very job (salary is good? not?), maybe move or travel for an occasional meeting (back in the days electronic networks weren't as widespread) and of course you need to find artists that are aware of ElfQuest at all. Furthermore they must be available at the same time and need to be professional, means, they can get a page done per day (or even faster). I guess that reduces the number of possible people. And WaRP need to get along with them on a personal level.

Lunakat wrote:

I always draw male characters too feminine!

I wouldn't say they're exactly feminine, just relatively slender. Besides, elves of various fantasy backgrounds often feature some androgyny. So that's totally fine.

Strolling through the net I found a few more pieces of art that were very close to the WP style. Sometimes it seems you need only a few lines - but the characters are already recognisable. Maybe that is due to some basic proportions and head schemes. Iirc. in one of the Flesk art books was also this table with the head shapes (apple, pear, heart, whatever,...) for different elves. The face is probably the first thing to recognise characters, so if that fits, add some typical hair and maybe one or two iconic items (or colours) and there you go.
At least I suspect something like that behind matching a style.

Davrille wrote:

This close:

Rumor has it that a friend of the artist (Terrie Smith) showed Wendy this picture, with his thumb covering the signature. And that Wendy tried to remember when she had drawn it.. until the friend removed his thumb.

That is pretty spot on. The ONLY place I could even tell it's not Wendy is their faces. Both Cutter and Skywise seem to be missing something Wendy was able to do (back then).

As for not being able to mimic Wendy's style; I believe her original stuff (OQ) is very, very, very difficult to mimic. SaBM and KotBW were also very clean, and very hard to mimic. Her current stuff, I feel, has lost a lot of the impact it had before. (It might be because now it's colored vs B&W, where I think EQ works far more superior in B&W rather than color). But for Wendy's old art, I have seen a lot of people come close, but something was always off. People trying to mimic her current art, not so difficult for those with talent in art.