![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Styled in Manga format, each of the two volumes will be 200-250 pages long. He plans Kaiju as the longest comic he has ever written. Images from the packet hang on his studio wall, inspiring him and working themselves into his thoughts. I mix and match.”įor “Kaiju Effect,” he created a pitch packet, a proof of concept, to market the idea to publishers. “Some techniques are easier in the traditional medium, like dry brushing. “I use whatever will get the look I want – pen and paper or straight digital,” he says. Some pieces are completely designed on paper and then scanned in, while others he transfers to his iPad earlier for completion. While technology is an integral part of Oquaye’s art, most of the work begins with him putting pencil to paper. Bryce Oquaye, sketches, storyboards, and panel layouts. “The storyboards give me a nice skeleton, and by laying out the environment I build the sandbox first,” he explains. His world-building and narrative preparation are extensive. Oquaye’s stories begin as concept sketches, storyboards, and panel layouts. Top to bottom, Bryce Oquaye, three stages of page development for Kaiju Effect. The story speaks to our differences but shines a light on one of Oquaye’s favorite themes – how connected we all truly are. He also wrestles with his identity and the difficulty of working in a career that has a history of brutality to his own people. Kaiju fights with monsters and saves the city. The tale centers around a Black police officer. His current project, a graphic novel called “Kaiju Effect,” illustrates the way his message underlies the narrative action. Mind you, Oquaye’s messages are subtle, hidden among monsters, superheroes, and action-packed storylines. “One of my favorite things about comics is they entertain with substance, but without preaching.” “Comics mesmerize you with visuals and give a message all at the same time,” he says. Not only were comic books the first way Oquaye learned about string theory, but they also made thinking about sensitive topics like racism more palatable to him as a young reader. The format of comics gives an inroad to explore difficult subjects with unsuspecting readers. “The visual is not a crutch the narrative is there,” says Oquaye. Comic artists are not just drawing pictures they are translating the visual representation of a full narrative. It is more specific and complex than people might realize. “When they see the time and energy we put into it, it elevates comics as art.” “When they see creators working right there, it gives them a different level of appreciation,” he says. Local live shows have helped build a bridge for people. He knows many don’t hold it on the same level as fine art, but contends he has spent much time and energy honing his craft, aiming for the 10,000 hours of experience that writer Malcolm Gladwell says is required for mastery. Oquaye often finds himself living in an in-between place creatively, forced to defend the legitimacy of comics as both art and literature. It features one of his handles, “MAD Hundreds”, indicating his intent to support other creators along the way. Bryce Oquaye, cool-down board for the end of the day. Oquaye joined this summer as an artist in residence. In discussions, the two discovered common goals and a shared sense of mission. This juxtaposition is fully intentional, the product of both his own search for studio space as he launched a freelance business and of the Art League’s goals to support diverse local artists working in a range of media. “It is where I stretch myself as an artist, my creative yoga,” says the illustrator, sequential artist, and animator. One wall is his cool-down board, a spontaneous collection of superheroes and monsters with a ninja and dragon thrown in for good measure. Located in the Lexington Art League’s elegant and historic Loudon House, the artwork that fills it is anything but. Artist Bryce Oquaye’s studio is a study in contrast. ![]()
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