That Signature Look

All the best comic book artists have their own personal style. That signature "look" that defines every panel and page. And when you're just starting out, you might be asking yourself how to go about developing your own signature look.

It would be so much simpler if there were a series of steps to follow, but I just don't think it works that way.

Let's use Bruce Timm as an example!

He's one of my absolute favorite artists, and he also has a very clear and identifiable look to his work. But what exactly is the Bruce Timm look? Some people would describe it as minimalist and angular. Others might go for the term “art deco” as a more appropriate descriptor. Bruce Timm, a self taught artist, with no formal art schooling, lists two of his influences as Jack Kirby and Harvey Kurtzman. It’s not surprising. There’s definite Kurtzman in Timm’s work.

No matter how one would like to describe Timm’s style, he takes his cues from artists before his time, as they took cues from artists before their time. Then he makes his art his own. Timm isn't Kirby or Kurtzman. He's something else. Something new.

Good artists steal their look from the past and make it their own.  They never quite become the artists they admired, instead they build upon that style, until their version becomes something unique.  Their...  For lack of a better word...  Signature look!