by
Benjamin Ong Pang Kean Nervous
Breakdowns: The Art of LeSean Thomas Vol. 1 is an ambitious
"sketch bible" that features various works of the artist from 1995
to the present. The perfect bound book retails for $40 and is about
400 black and white pages with a full color wraparound cover and
includes doodles, breakdown sketches, illustrations, thumbnails,
pencil tests and tutorials from the artist. Nervous Breakdowns
also carries a foreword by Warner Bros Animation Studios Producer/Art
Director Jeff Matsuda (The Batman).
Thomas, who also serves
as Supervising Character Designer/Co-Director of Cartoon Network's
Adult Swim animated TV series, The Boondocks, took time off
his hectic schedule to talk about his first ever sketchbook and
provided an update on Cannon Busters and spilled the beans
on other new projects.
Newsarama:
Now, you've been busy with Adult Swim's The Boondocks. Comics-wise,
you'd worked on Arkanium, TMNT: Animated, Street
Fighter and your creator-owned comic, Cannon Busters.
We'll get to CB in a while so let's discuss about Nervous
Breakdowns: The Art of LeSean Thomas Vol. 1, your ambitious
sketchbook project. Why publish a sketchbook of such scale now?
LeSean Thomas:
Well, part of it is because the convention season's here and I wanted
to drop something comprehensive and heavy for the summer. Since
Cannon Busters and many other things take up my time, and
because I couldn't really release much of what I'm currently working
on, I wanted to have something to tie fans of my stuff over till
I drop CB. The other, and also happens to be the main reason,
is because I think it's long overdue.
I mean, it's a sketchbook.
My comic peers like Skottie Young, Khary Rhandolph all the way to
Dave Johnson have dropped hard-core sketchbooks year after year.
I own them. [laughs] I've even put out a couple with the Artxilla
crew. But as long as I've been in comics and to conventions, I've
yet to put out a real sketchbook with just my works. I get asked
all the time doing sketches at cons about when am I going put one
together and I just never got around to it because I didn't have
the time. Also, I knew I wanted to do something a bit more epic
than the standard "fold and staple" deals you pay $15-$20 for at
conventions.
NRAMA:
Nervous Breakdowns includes various works from 1995 to the
present. Why are they so important, why are you proud of them?
LT: A lot of
the earlier drawings in this book are what I consider "bad" drawings.
[laughs] To be able to include them in this compilation is a humbling
experience because most art-guys I know usually showcase their best
works only. But to me, "best" is entirely subjective when it comes
to art, and that being said, as artists, we always tend to be our
own worst critics, so I figured I'd get it off my chest and show
my range. Some I'm proud of, others I'm not.
It's pretty much a nod
to illustrator Claire Wendling, who released her old drawings next
to her new drawings in her Iguana Bay books. It's definitely
an ego blow, but at the same time it shows an honest view into the
progression of an artist. That's what I'm hoping to achieve with
this first outing.
The
name Nervous Breakdowns to me is self-explanatory, even the
double meaning of the phrase, because as working professionals,
we've all experienced nervous breakdowns at the drafting table,
at some point in our careers. Y'all artists out there reading this
knows: the 4am crunch to meet a deadline, and thinking, "this is
the worst," or the pressure of trying to outdo your last drawing.
NRAMA: In your
opinion, how much has your style changed/evolved over the years?
After all, who better to critique your own work than, as you've
said, you i.e. your own worst critic…
LT: Hmm. That's
a first. Never got a "style" question before. [laughs]
NRAMA: Hey, you
said it yourself, pal. Who better to critique your own work than
you, your own worst critic…
LT: I think my
style's changed a lot. Not only from a personal standpoint, but
by default because I'm a professional. It's my job to adapt to different
projects styles, especially as long as I've been working in animation
production with all the various show styles, how they differ from
each other and what the level of standards for any said show demands.
To keep that job and gain experience is to adapt. That's not really
welcome in a small culture like comics it seems because one style
change can end your career or at least your following, especially
if you're known for that style.
I've
always had an animated flair to my works over the years. I think
the change could have been in content. Like, what any individual
project's content and style requirements demanded. If we're talking
comics, I don't think my style has changed that much at all. This
is because my approach to sequential art is what I think mainly
defined my style. It's safe to say, in comics, I'm a kinetic dude.
I like to draw movement. I go for energy and I'll break whatever
rules I need to do to get that result. When people talk about what
they like about my style, to me I hear a technical observation,
not a cosmetic one. Because that's where I usually hear my greatest
praise or harshest critiques: how much my stuff moves. [laughs]
Any cosmetic approaches,
like line treatment, the way I draw folds or even fingers, fingernails
and hair, is an amalgamation of all the things I like about other
works I see. I just make it my own. It works for me. And the people
who see my stuff, and possibly emulate that, it works for them.
It's like a cycle. We tend to change our styles based off what we're
into at the time. Or that's probably just me talking crazy.
NRAMA: Well,
you're the one who's worked on The Boondocks, Kim Possible,
Lizzie McGuire and other animated series. And the comics
projects that you'd done speak for themselves…
And speaking of comics,
Cannon Busters is now going straight to the OGN format and
is scheduled to be released at the end of the year, right? Why did
you opt to go with such a format?
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