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Comics Artists: J

Online Art Board Supplies

Comic art for the major companies such as Marvel or DC is drawn on special art board that includes 'blue line' indicators so the artists draw to the correct size proprotional to the final US comic book art size. Artists contracted to the companies are provided with this board, although I am not sure if this is still supplied gratis, as it was in Paul Neary's day as Editorial Director at Marvel UK, or if they have to pay for it.

Page measurements apparently vary slightly from company to company, so using ordinary Bristol board and a ruler may be a better option for the aspiring artist than seeking down this specialised board.

2000AD is now published pro to US comic book size.

BlueLine
There is a type of Bristol board called BlueLine which features these the official comic page measurments printed on it. It's solicited through Previews and, therefore, most comic shops should be able to order it. Some artists don't like it.

Bristol Board
• Most art supply shops in Belfast sell Bristol board in A3 20 sheet blocks.

Art Supplies

• Blink Twice
28/10/05: The Blink Twice Art Product range sells everything a professional comic artist/aspiring new comer needs to do the job! (Well maybe not everything, but the Blink Twice boys are bigger than me).
The initial range includes: the Blink Twice Comic Book Board is £10 for a pack of 12 sheets; the Blink Twice Sketch Books are £3 and come in either Pink or Blue; the Blink Twice Layup Book is £5
All products can be ordered directly through the site at: www.kennel17.co.uk/
malcolm/orderform.htm

• Great Art Supplies: www.greatart.co.uk
Gerstaecker UK Limited / Great Art, Normandy House, 1 Nether Street, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1EA
Telephone Order line 0845 601 5772 (Local call rate)
Described as Europe's largest and brightest catalogue for art materials, this company says "Whatever your angle - whether you're an art student, leisure painter, art teacher or professional artist - we're sure that you'll find that we are full of all the supplies you need." They publish a variety of catalogues for each country -- one artist I know orders material from their French rather than UK edition.

• London Graphics Company: www.londongraphics.co.uk
16-18 Shelton Street, Covent Garden London WC2H 9JL
Tel: 020 7759 4500 Fax: 020 7759 4585
London Graphic Centre was established in 1973 as a specialist graphic materials supplier to the London Design and Advertising market. The last 30 years have seen dramatic changes in working methods. We have maintained our unrivalled reputation for outstanding service by adapting to industry changes and expanding into new products and markets.

Dip Pens

• Hans Presto: hans.presto.tripod.com
This Swedish (with English translation) site apparently stocks and sells just about every dip pen ever made. It also has sections on Lettering, Comics and Handwriting. (thanks to artist Kev Hopgood for this one)

Comics Artists J

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The NormMichael Jantze
Official: www.thenorm.com
Creator of the The Norm, a daily strip distributed by King Features Syndicate to newspapers worldwide which The Comic Journal describes (rightly, in my opinion) as one of the the best drawn strips in America. Michael now publishes a regular comic book based on his characters and offers subscription-based access to new Norm strips on his web site. If you know The Norm from your local daily newspaper, you know how Norm playfully battles the world.
The New York Times has called Michael's web site thenorm.com one of the most innovative comic Web sites in a July 2002 report on online journals.

Damien Jay
Official: damienjay.com
Damien Jay lives in Brooklyn and publishes a comic book called "Plates are Cult."

Stuart Jennett
Official: www.stuartjennett.com
Stuart now works in the games industry but you may recall his strips for Marvel UK's Warheads title back in the 1990s.

Anthony Johnson
Official: www.mostlyblack.com
Author, designer and illustrator. Comics include Frightening Curves and Midway.

Staz Johnson
Official: www.stazjohnson.com
Staz Johnson was the Resident Superhero Expert on Channel 4’s Zero To Hero (my mate Bob Brown, who now designs stuff in Second Life, was in that). His action-packed pencil art has featured in Robin, Batman-Aliens II, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Cable & Deadpool. He has also drawn online episodes of Heroes, the hit CBS American TV show.

Jock
Official: www.4twenty.co.uk
Artist on The Losers, 2000AD and much more.

Cole Johnson
Official: www.sleepovercomics.com
As a youth, Cole Johnson was an avid devotee of his local newspaper's comic page, especially Fred Basset and Hi & Lois. Comics meant the world to young Johnson, but soon faded from his consciousness like an image scrawled into an Etch-a-Sketch. Speculation has attributed this to the plethora of formulaic and ultimately disappointing "superhero" pamphlets with which he amused himself through the painful years of adolescence. Thankfully, Johnson became deathly ill and bedridden for two months in his early twenties and became reacquainted with the world of graphic literature.

Dave Johnson
Official: www.devilpig.com
Comic book covers (including Micronauts), illustration and designer

J Bradley Johnson
Official: www.jbradleyjohnson.com
J Bradley Johnson is the great-great-grandson of John D Loucks, the founder of Sheridan, Wyoming. Since winning Amazon.com's grand prize for Flash animation three years ago, he has been largely unemployed.

John Jett
Official: The Art of John Jett
John Jett is an artist currently living in the Northern California Bay Area. He's been a comic fan and creator since his early school days and is currently doing graphic design and production art commercially.

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