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This week’s artist is Brian Wingrove. His talent is incredible and his dedication to his art is unmatched. I met Brian in a costume design class in college. I would sit next to him in class sometimes wondering how he got to be so good. His talent was already great back then, and he never stopped honing his craft. I am pleased to be able to introduce him to you all. Brian is among many things a comic book creator and cosplay artist.
BoJ: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the reason you decided to become an artist? Also, can you tell us about cosplay and what that is?
Brian Wingrove: I fell in love with comics as a child and always had the drive to create them myself. As an adult, it is a passion and creative outlet I need in my life.
A lot of my works are called Cartoon Cosplays, which are basically taking pop culture characters, and having them dress up (or cosplay) other characters. Usually, by matching similar characters, or taking 2 characters who are so radically different, it creates a comedic reaction.
BoJ: What is it about animal characters that draws you to them as a subject for your work?
Brian Wingrove: The animals I use in my work are characters from Cartoons, comics, movies, tv, really anything that people remember from childhood or is popular now. I've found people have a genuine love for those characters and enjoy seeing them in other creations.
BoJ: How long does it take to go from concept to finished work? Do you always follow the same process, or do some pictures form more easily than others?
Brian Wingrove: The works that I do can vary wildly, Small drawings can be as quick as about 2 hours, but a large painting I recently completed took almost a month. The process is usually the same, but each character comes from its own world, with its own style of drawing that has to be matched. Some animation styles are a lot harder to emulate.
BoJ: Who is your favorite artist? What about their work speaks to you?
Brian Wingrove: Van Gogh is my favorite classical artist. It is the passion and frantic feel of his brush strokes that fade away into a peaceful feeling as you back away that is most fascinating to me. Of the more modern/comic related art I would name Will Eisner who was capable of giving the most elaborate settings and backgrounds, evoking movement, feelings, and mood with seemingly minimal effort.
Vincent Van Gogh's "First Steps" 1890 Will Eisner's "The Days of Yesteryear" 1988
BoJ: Last question. Who was your favorite animal to paint? Why?
Brian Wingrove: My favorite animal to draw are bears. I do them a lot because of a bear character in one of my comic books. I've drawn him so much over the years, that anytime I can draw a bear it is very enjoyable, like coming back to an old friend.
I had a hard time deciding what pictures to use for this article. Brian is very prolific and there are so many characters in so many different costumes. If you would like to go through Brians's library of work, or better yet buy a piece that speaks to you, click on the links below, or meet him at Comicon in Greenville, NC Aug. 13th from 10 am-5 pm tickets are available online @ WWW.greenvillenccomicon.com