Monday, May 21, 2007

Me...a Bastard?!

Back in March at the Salon del Comics de Granada in Spain, I was told a story by my buddy Lance (www.lancetooks.com) that one of our spanish compadres related to him while we were there.
It happens that one of our friends Javi was at the salon also and, a day before, was in a conversation at one of the stands with a
friend of his and the subject of Kevin Taylor came up. At this point someone else at the stand joined the conversation
by saying "Kevin Taylor es una cabron!" ("cabron" being" the spanish equivalent of "bastard") Javi, being puzzled by
this, asked "Why is Kevin Taylor a bastard?" The newcomer explained "I met him at a salon some years ago and asked him to do a drawing for me, and he did. But while he was sitting there doing my drawing, he couldn't take his eyes off of this girl standing next
to me and kept looking at her. I was expecting the worst drawing from him, but when he finally finished it, after signing it to me, I
looked at it and it was a perfect drawing. I couldn't believe it! He's a bastard!"
How could I not laugh at that?
But wait...this is even funnier.
That same night after the salon, we cruised to a pub which was where all of the guests, and anyone else, would meet for a round of copas (drinks - and, man, I mean drinks!) and I met some other young spaniards who were guests of the salon. One of them worked with KISS, the music group, as a graphic designer, and the other was an art director. I thought, "Man, these guys are getting younger and younger", meaning, to me, people in those positions used to be wizened old chaps with thick grey hair billowing from ginormous ears. After a few copas, and watching a bunch of drunk American girls try to dance to Abba, I showed some new and old work to the new guys and talked a bit. As it turned out, the art director was taking a class in erotic art in comics at the university in Madrid and he told me that he knew about my work because his professor used it regularly as (I'm not making this up) a "how to" method in erotic comics. He also told me that his professor is an erotic comics illustrator and we've both worked for the same spanish magazines-and I'm very pissed that I don't remember his name. Like I said, there was lots of drinking done by then and those goddamned American girls were loud-but at least they knew the words to most the disco songs playing.
I told my buddy Lance this latest story and, after laughing for five minutes he said, "Aw, man-you're part of the curriculum!"
I share these stories because, as a graphic artist, it's difficult to know the impact my work has on anyone, if at all. I spend an unnatural amount of time behind a drawing board, trying to do the best work I can-not only to give something to fans, but something I can look at later and say, "Yeah, that came out pretty good." But the only way I know if my work is well received is if or when I do a comic book convention, something I just don't like doing anymore. Now I just like to go as a spectator and telling people what a bastard Kevin Taylor is.
I don't know what I can accomplish by doing a blog because I hate typing on the computer. I did all the lettering this way for the first volume of GIRL: The Second Coming and my eyes were never the same from staring at this goddamned monitor. Maybe I can communicate with you this way and figure out a way to explain why it's taking so long to finish my last GIRL book or how they make Fig Newtons. I just don't know.
I'll write here as often as time allows and put up a new drawing or two to keep you updated on what I'm working on.I'm hoping I can do this at least once a month. Trust me, for me that's a lot. Mainly because I don't have much to say.
I'm trying to get my work done.

4 comments:

Bob said...

AAHHHH. Kevin Taylor artwork being discussed at the college level. Warms my cockels.
It's nice to know that what many people in the USA roll their eyes at is appreciated and held in high regard in Europe. At a university, no less. Whan will they be awarding the honorary doctorate? Kevin Taylor Esquire has a rather nice ring to it.
Personally, I've known you were a bastard for a long time now. A talented one at that. Miss ya bud.

Bob

Josh said...

Wow, great first entry Kev! You are indeed a Bastard, but like bob said you're a very talented one. You're probably a bunch of other kinds of bastard as well, but well leave that be for future blog entries...ha ha.

I've never heard anything but high praise and admiration from your fellow artists concerning you and your work. You ain't the "old man" yet, but you are the one quite a few up and comers look to as an inspirational model.

I would kill to see how you work is used in the classroom. That has to be one cool prop and one fantastic discussion, never to be seen on the far side of the Atlantic....gots ta love our progressive American culture.

Looking forward to your updates here, this is a great idea and I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Josh

Eric said...

you are my favorite artist and i'm glad to see a blog by you finally. both bob and josh have it right, you are the best.

i am excited to see this site develop, but i wouldn't have found it if someone hadn't posted a link at serendipity, any chance you can get a link posted on your black lace site?

anyway kevin, your a terrific artist and i look forward to reading your posts.

Unknown said...

That is too funny!! But it must've felt so good to get that kinda artistic verification... that is some serious kudos.