When I look at my old sketchbooks I'm always amazed that I had the balls to keep going. Who would accept this type of crap? Surely not any art buyer or editor with taste. But somehow, for some reason, I soldiered on. Maybe it was sheer force of will. I surely wasn't prepared for any type of art career in my schooling or background. I came from a neighborhood of Longshoremen, Sanitation Workers and Shoemakers. Who in their right mind would let this little greaseball into the art world?
As it turns out; my first boss in the advertising field was a third generation Italian-American like I was, who probably saw a bit of himself in me when I interviewed for a "Paste-Up Artist" position at Gem Studio. He took a chance on hiring me, and ultimatelly I wound up being the first on-staff Illustrator in the studios history,for that I will always be grateful, and willing to bet on any creative person who has a burning desire to work in the creative arts.
I encourage anyone who may not be "there yet" to keep at it, because you never know... maybe someone will take a chance and hire you. Then, years later, you can look at your old crappy drawings and smile.
8 comments:
Even if the genesis of this style is clear, I admire how loose and freely you managed to put together the lines of this drawing.
THIRD BASE vinny. YOU UP?????????? yes i know it well. im grateful too that joe brought me in. all the best my friend. your fan tommy flu
Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Grillo. I appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment.
Hey Kid in the "Green Suit"- I knew you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you. ;)
Love your latest post. Great insight to your working methods.
God Bless Mr. Joe Blangiardo, he helped a lot of people get started in this wonderful trade.
You are way too humble, vince. We all started with crappy drawings. You know, us artists are a sensitive and insecure lot. But isn't wonderful that we can make a living doing this? My dad was a migrant strawberry worker who was hated by then America because he was Japanese. Who ever knew that artists could make money? Thanks for sharing!
Kimzam
Thanks for the nice words, and sharing your own experience in rough beginnings. And I agree, it's a privilege to be able to make a living as artists.
I may have humility now, but in the '70s I was dead set on becoming an artist and musician. John Lennon was my role model. That was a man who could do it all, in spite of, or perhaps due to his hard-scrabble beginnings.
The search for beauty is in itself the most wholesome of all quests.
-Louis Comfort Tiffany
Thank you for the wonderfully appropriate quote, Mr. Dress.
Just a final entry on this post; In the dark days that this piece was created, any positive reaction, or ANY reaction at all was unimagined. I was creating in a vacuum, a caveman chipping out images on a stone wall. I can't thank you enough for the validation.
May God bless all of you, as he has me, with your involvement, kindness and encouragement.
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