Star Wars Artist David Michael Beck
Sith just around the corner, it seems like an appropriate time to highlight
the work of one of the most popular Star Wars artists working in comics
today, David Michael Beck. A veteran illustrator before he ever entered the
comic book industry, once on the scene Beck quickly established himself with
strike, evocative cover work on G.I. Joe, Aliens Vs. Predator and
other projects. Scoop talked with him as he readied himself for next
week’s Pittsburgh Comicon.
Scoop: What’s the first thing you can
remember drawing, and what were the circumstances?
David Michael Beck: In
my 5th year of grade school, my teacher had a conversation with my parents after
a PTA meeting had adjourned. She indicated to them that I was showing an
elevated aptitude in my art class. She stated that it would be beneficial to
encourage my interest in art and to watch my progress at home.
That same
night upon returning home, my father, who was a bit of an artist himself (he
used to draw cartoons for pastime enjoyment while serving in the Navy), took me
aside. He picked up a pencil and paper and a Mickey Mouse comic book laying on
the coffee table in the living room and with me looking on sketched the head of
Mickey. I was shocked! He said to me, “Do you think you’d like to try doing
this?” I followed his suggestion and labouredly drew a very crude version of the
same head. He said, “Keep trying. You’ll get better with practice.” Needless to
say, I did.
Before that night I had always drawn images from my
imagination without direction. It never occurred to me to draw from observation.
From that point on, I drew constantly from comic books and newspaper strips.
That following summer, my parents enrolled me in a summer drawing
course at a local art academy where the class would go out into the neighborhood
with large pads of newsprint and chalks, to draw anything we saw as well as
drawing still life constructions in the class studio.
Scoop: When
did you first think of illustrating for a career?
DMB: Before attending
art school, I had drawn and painted at home for pure pleasure trying to emulate
great masters such as Michelangelo, and Rembrandt, as well as material from
comics. I knew I wanted to grow up to be an artist, but had no idea of what
kind. When I got into art academy I was exposed to the work of great
illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth, J.C. Leyendecker, Maxfield Parish, Norman
Rockwell, Bob Peak, Bernie Fuchs, Neal Adams, and Frank Frazetta, and numerous
others of that elite. I then began studying every kind of illustration past and
present, as well as many various movements in the history of art. I developed an
insatiable lust to study every kind of painting, illustration, design,
sculpture, architecture, etc. I could get my hands and eyes on. I still have
that great passion to study art in all its forms.
Scoop: Did you
have formal training or are you self-taught?
DMB: I attended four years
of art school. I spent I year at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, I
year at The American Academy of Art in Chicago, and two years at The Chicago
Academy of Fine Art, majoring in animation. The Chicago Academy was where Walt
Disney graduated from. The work of the Disney artists have also been a great
influence in my work.
I have experimented a great deal with a vast
variety of art mediums coalescing that knowledge into a working process that
I’ve used all of my career. The lion share of what I know about art and it’s
processes, I’ve learned through self-investigation.
Scoop: What kind
of steps did your career take before coming to comics?
DMB: My career has
touched nearly every market an illustrator can tackle. I’ve worked with many
Fortune 500 companies producing art for ad campaigns, annual reports, and
company identity programs. I’ve worked with publishing companies, design firms,
institutions, and state and federal branches of government. I’ve worked
extensively for the entertainment industry producing art and design for theater
companies doing promotional, and set design, design boutiques illustrating movie
posters, toy companies working on product design, promotion, and packaging,
music festivals and the like.
My work experience includes projects for
the Greatful Dead, The Grammys, The Playboy Jazz Festival, The U.S. Marines, The
America’s Cup, The Olympics, Walt Disney World, The National Football League,
The NCAA, and the list goes on.
My original art hangs in the collections
of notables such as Gerry Garcia, and Mickey Hart of the Greatful Dead, Hugh and
Christy Hefner, Bill Cosby, The current Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld,
The National Italian Museum in Washington, D.C., and a couple of prominent
political figures in Chicago
Scoop: How did you come to work in
comics?
DMB: I began working into the comic industry about seven years
ago. At that time a large part of the national mainstream illustration market,
where I had worked for 25 years, collapsed. This was largely due to the
advancement of computers, stock illustration, corporate downsizing, and a move
away from traditional styles.
Comic art has always been a part of my
development, and enjoyment, so I began a diligent plan to procure work in
comics, gaming, toys, and the entertainment industry at large. I continue to
work in a variety of art markets.
Scoop: When did you become a comic
book fan?
DMB: I became a comic fan when I was very young, say 4 or 5. I
remember following the comic strips in the newspaper before my mother bought me
comic books. My first comics were Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck,
Mighty Mouse, Hot Stuff, Fox & the Crow, Casper,
Superman, Magnus Robot Fighter…whew,….and too many to name
were other favorites of mine. Many of the TV cartoon shows of that day had their
own comics on the stands, and racks, I collected many of them, such as the
Disney, Hanna – Barbera, Warner Bros., Tex Avery characters. Later on I became
hopelessly hooked on Batman, and Tarzan.
Scoop: Your G.I. Joe
and Star Wars covers have been high profile projects. What else have you
worked on?
DMB: Since 1998 when I began working in comics, I’ve produced
covers for many of the Chaos! titles like Lady Death, Lady Demon,
Bedlam, Jade, Evil Ernie, and more. I’ve illustrated covers
for Thor, Red Star, Primate, Aliens vs Predator,
Rising Stars, Road To Perdition, and limited edition lithos for
Dynamic Forces.
I’ve also illustrated for the gaming industry working
for WizKids, (MageKnight, and Creepy Freeks), Sony Online
Entertainment, (EverQuest Online Adventures), Wizards Of The Coast, (G.I. Joe,
& Eberron), and Journeyman Press.
Scoop: Do you have an ideal
project? If so, what is it?
DMB: My ideal comic project would be
illustrating the covers for a popular tile such as Batman, working with a top
creative team. I would like to have the success that Wonder Woman gave
Adam Hughes, of Glen Fabry’s Hellbalzer, and Dave McKean’s
Sandman. This kind of project hopefully generates continued good money,
exposure, and acceptance from fans, and professionals within the industry. And
hopefully leading to more high profile, creative projects.
Scoop:
What’s your studio like? Clean, cluttered?
DMB: My studio is a converted
master bedroom upstairs in my house. It is always quite organized, and full of
artwork, books, statues, action figures, and props. I’ve acquired a passion for
collecting statues resulting in a collection of 48. I need to stop.
Scoop: What’s an average workday like for you (or is there such a
thing)?
DMB: My workdays are routine. I get up early for work around 4:30
– 5:00 AM and work until 5:00 – 6:00 in the afternoon. I take breaks to do
errands, taxi kids, go for a workout, do housework, etc. If I’m under the gun
schedule wise, I’ll get up earlier rather than work late at night.
Scoop: Do you like music or TV running while you work, or do you like
quiet?
DMB: I never watch TV while working. I’ve tried it, and I can’t
get anything done. I do listen to music often while working, mostly when the
pressure of the job is off, and I’m in the execution stage of the finished art.
I like things quite when I’m researching, conceptualizing, or designing.
Scoop: What projects in comics have brought you the most
satisfaction?
DMB: Working in comics has been fun altogether. The higher
profile projects tend to be most rewarding in regard to earned money, exposure,
and acceptance from fans, and professionals within the industry. My work with
G.I. Joe and Star Wars has been very rewarding.
Scoop:
What about outside of comics?
DMB: The most rewarding projects outside of
comics have been with The Greatful Dead, and The America’s Cup. Both gave me
great money, exposure, purchased original artwork from prominent personalities,
and perks that you just don’t get on the job every day.
Scoop: What
are you working on at the moment?
DMB: I am still working on the Star
Wars books, Empire and Republic. I’m presently working on the 4th
of 5 covers for a Star Wars: Empire series called “On the Wrong Side of
the War.” I also have a cover for a Star Wars: Empire trade paperback
coming out in a few months. I’m working on a cover for a Dark Horse title called
Jack Hightower, written by award winning animator Will Vinton (California
Raisins TV commercial). I have covers coming out soon on Genie,
Kolchack- The Night Stalker, and Belle Starr.
I’ve
recently completed painting the premium cards for wave 1, & 2 of the G.I.
Joe collectors card game, and two blk/wht print portfolios that I’m selling
online, and at a couple of conventions this year. Within the past several months
I’ve completed illustration projects for the Boy Scouts of America, Barrons
Financial/ Dow Jones, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. Marines, and the American
Medical Association.
In addition to the Pittsburgh Comicon, Beck will
be attending Wizard World Philadelphia, GenCon, Origins, Comic-Con
International: San Diego, Wizard World Chicago, and Mid-Ohio
Con.
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
Star Wars Artist David Michael Beck
Sith just around the corner, it seems like an appropriate time to highlight
the work of one of the most popular Star Wars artists working in comics
today, David Michael Beck. A veteran illustrator before he ever entered the
comic book industry, once on the scene Beck quickly established himself with
strike, evocative cover work on G.I. Joe, Aliens Vs. Predator and
other projects. Scoop talked with him as he readied himself for next
week’s Pittsburgh Comicon.
Scoop: What’s the first thing you can
remember drawing, and what were the circumstances?
David Michael Beck: In
my 5th year of grade school, my teacher had a conversation with my parents after
a PTA meeting had adjourned. She indicated to them that I was showing an
elevated aptitude in my art class. She stated that it would be beneficial to
encourage my interest in art and to watch my progress at home.
That same
night upon returning home, my father, who was a bit of an artist himself (he
used to draw cartoons for pastime enjoyment while serving in the Navy), took me
aside. He picked up a pencil and paper and a Mickey Mouse comic book laying on
the coffee table in the living room and with me looking on sketched the head of
Mickey. I was shocked! He said to me, “Do you think you’d like to try doing
this?” I followed his suggestion and labouredly drew a very crude version of the
same head. He said, “Keep trying. You’ll get better with practice.” Needless to
say, I did.
Before that night I had always drawn images from my
imagination without direction. It never occurred to me to draw from observation.
From that point on, I drew constantly from comic books and newspaper strips.
That following summer, my parents enrolled me in a summer drawing
course at a local art academy where the class would go out into the neighborhood
with large pads of newsprint and chalks, to draw anything we saw as well as
drawing still life constructions in the class studio.
Scoop: When
did you first think of illustrating for a career?
DMB: Before attending
art school, I had drawn and painted at home for pure pleasure trying to emulate
great masters such as Michelangelo, and Rembrandt, as well as material from
comics. I knew I wanted to grow up to be an artist, but had no idea of what
kind. When I got into art academy I was exposed to the work of great
illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth, J.C. Leyendecker, Maxfield Parish, Norman
Rockwell, Bob Peak, Bernie Fuchs, Neal Adams, and Frank Frazetta, and numerous
others of that elite. I then began studying every kind of illustration past and
present, as well as many various movements in the history of art. I developed an
insatiable lust to study every kind of painting, illustration, design,
sculpture, architecture, etc. I could get my hands and eyes on. I still have
that great passion to study art in all its forms.
Scoop: Did you
have formal training or are you self-taught?
DMB: I attended four years
of art school. I spent I year at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, I
year at The American Academy of Art in Chicago, and two years at The Chicago
Academy of Fine Art, majoring in animation. The Chicago Academy was where Walt
Disney graduated from. The work of the Disney artists have also been a great
influence in my work.
I have experimented a great deal with a vast
variety of art mediums coalescing that knowledge into a working process that
I’ve used all of my career. The lion share of what I know about art and it’s
processes, I’ve learned through self-investigation.
Scoop: What kind
of steps did your career take before coming to comics?
DMB: My career has
touched nearly every market an illustrator can tackle. I’ve worked with many
Fortune 500 companies producing art for ad campaigns, annual reports, and
company identity programs. I’ve worked with publishing companies, design firms,
institutions, and state and federal branches of government. I’ve worked
extensively for the entertainment industry producing art and design for theater
companies doing promotional, and set design, design boutiques illustrating movie
posters, toy companies working on product design, promotion, and packaging,
music festivals and the like.
My work experience includes projects for
the Greatful Dead, The Grammys, The Playboy Jazz Festival, The U.S. Marines, The
America’s Cup, The Olympics, Walt Disney World, The National Football League,
The NCAA, and the list goes on.
My original art hangs in the collections
of notables such as Gerry Garcia, and Mickey Hart of the Greatful Dead, Hugh and
Christy Hefner, Bill Cosby, The current Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld,
The National Italian Museum in Washington, D.C., and a couple of prominent
political figures in Chicago
Scoop: How did you come to work in
comics?
DMB: I began working into the comic industry about seven years
ago. At that time a large part of the national mainstream illustration market,
where I had worked for 25 years, collapsed. This was largely due to the
advancement of computers, stock illustration, corporate downsizing, and a move
away from traditional styles.
Comic art has always been a part of my
development, and enjoyment, so I began a diligent plan to procure work in
comics, gaming, toys, and the entertainment industry at large. I continue to
work in a variety of art markets.
Scoop: When did you become a comic
book fan?
DMB: I became a comic fan when I was very young, say 4 or 5. I
remember following the comic strips in the newspaper before my mother bought me
comic books. My first comics were Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck,
Mighty Mouse, Hot Stuff, Fox & the Crow, Casper,
Superman, Magnus Robot Fighter…whew,….and too many to name
were other favorites of mine. Many of the TV cartoon shows of that day had their
own comics on the stands, and racks, I collected many of them, such as the
Disney, Hanna – Barbera, Warner Bros., Tex Avery characters. Later on I became
hopelessly hooked on Batman, and Tarzan.
Scoop: Your G.I. Joe
and Star Wars covers have been high profile projects. What else have you
worked on?
DMB: Since 1998 when I began working in comics, I’ve produced
covers for many of the Chaos! titles like Lady Death, Lady Demon,
Bedlam, Jade, Evil Ernie, and more. I’ve illustrated covers
for Thor, Red Star, Primate, Aliens vs Predator,
Rising Stars, Road To Perdition, and limited edition lithos for
Dynamic Forces.
I’ve also illustrated for the gaming industry working
for WizKids, (MageKnight, and Creepy Freeks), Sony Online
Entertainment, (EverQuest Online Adventures), Wizards Of The Coast, (G.I. Joe,
& Eberron), and Journeyman Press.
Scoop: Do you have an ideal
project? If so, what is it?
DMB: My ideal comic project would be
illustrating the covers for a popular tile such as Batman, working with a top
creative team. I would like to have the success that Wonder Woman gave
Adam Hughes, of Glen Fabry’s Hellbalzer, and Dave McKean’s
Sandman. This kind of project hopefully generates continued good money,
exposure, and acceptance from fans, and professionals within the industry. And
hopefully leading to more high profile, creative projects.
Scoop:
What’s your studio like? Clean, cluttered?
DMB: My studio is a converted
master bedroom upstairs in my house. It is always quite organized, and full of
artwork, books, statues, action figures, and props. I’ve acquired a passion for
collecting statues resulting in a collection of 48. I need to stop.
Scoop: What’s an average workday like for you (or is there such a
thing)?
DMB: My workdays are routine. I get up early for work around 4:30
– 5:00 AM and work until 5:00 – 6:00 in the afternoon. I take breaks to do
errands, taxi kids, go for a workout, do housework, etc. If I’m under the gun
schedule wise, I’ll get up earlier rather than work late at night.
Scoop: Do you like music or TV running while you work, or do you like
quiet?
DMB: I never watch TV while working. I’ve tried it, and I can’t
get anything done. I do listen to music often while working, mostly when the
pressure of the job is off, and I’m in the execution stage of the finished art.
I like things quite when I’m researching, conceptualizing, or designing.
Scoop: What projects in comics have brought you the most
satisfaction?
DMB: Working in comics has been fun altogether. The higher
profile projects tend to be most rewarding in regard to earned money, exposure,
and acceptance from fans, and professionals within the industry. My work with
G.I. Joe and Star Wars has been very rewarding.
Scoop:
What about outside of comics?
DMB: The most rewarding projects outside of
comics have been with The Greatful Dead, and The America’s Cup. Both gave me
great money, exposure, purchased original artwork from prominent personalities,
and perks that you just don’t get on the job every day.
Scoop: What
are you working on at the moment?
DMB: I am still working on the Star
Wars books, Empire and Republic. I’m presently working on the 4th
of 5 covers for a Star Wars: Empire series called “On the Wrong Side of
the War.” I also have a cover for a Star Wars: Empire trade paperback
coming out in a few months. I’m working on a cover for a Dark Horse title called
Jack Hightower, written by award winning animator Will Vinton (California
Raisins TV commercial). I have covers coming out soon on Genie,
Kolchack- The Night Stalker, and Belle Starr.
I’ve
recently completed painting the premium cards for wave 1, & 2 of the G.I.
Joe collectors card game, and two blk/wht print portfolios that I’m selling
online, and at a couple of conventions this year. Within the past several months
I’ve completed illustration projects for the Boy Scouts of America, Barrons
Financial/ Dow Jones, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. Marines, and the American
Medical Association.
In addition to the Pittsburgh Comicon, Beck will
be attending Wizard World Philadelphia, GenCon, Origins, Comic-Con
International: San Diego, Wizard World Chicago, and Mid-Ohio
Con.
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
