Website Review:
Cartoon & Illustration Paradise
In the course of my stumbling and bumbling Mr. Magoo-like through this thing we call the internet, I occasionally come across a website that I think is of particular interest.
Well, I recently came across the website of one Shane Glines, a cartoonist/illustrator. I've seen quite a few websites for cartoonists/illustrators, but this one really stands out for a couple of reasons.
Like a lot of personal website, Shane Glines puts up a short autobiography. But unlike most, Shane Glines's bio is actually a very interesting read. Shane Glines got his start in the business under the one and only John K., working on the original Ren & Stimpy cartoons. He went from there to working under Bruce Timm on all of the animated Batman cartoons. As such, his drawing style is very unique, running the gamut from the iconic, graphic style of the 50's-inspired Jonh K. stuff, to the stylistically realistic Batman-style stuff, to comic-booky realism:
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Shane Glines is also very interested in old-school cartooning from the 30s through the 60s, and has many, many pages about the illustrators and cartoonists who inspire him.
Shane has an online portfolio of over 50 drawings, and another almost 40 unfinished works from his sketchbooks. You can really get a sense of his entire range, and it is rather impressive.
It's also very impressive to know that a several of the drawings in his portfolio were inked and/or painted by the likes of Glen Murukami and Bruce Timm. In fact he has a few drawing of his work on the Batman cartoons.
The Joker from Batman and Dana Tan from Batman Beyond
But by far the best part about Shane Glines's website is the "Drawing Board." This is a message board community where you can post your own drawings and get feedback from everybody. And since everybody else is also posting their drawings, you can look at their drawings to see if you can trust their opinions.
Sure, most opinions are of the "Cool" or "That's really great!" variety, but every so often you get some actual criticism, such as "I can't tell what his hands are doing" or "her right knee is in a different plane than her left."
So if you're somewhat serious about your drawing, putting stuff up on the Drawing Board at least can help you feel good about yourself, because most people there are going to like it.
Basically, Shane Glines's Cartoon and Illustration Paradise more than any other website I've ever been to has made me want to take up the blue pencil and technical pens again. I'm going to go out and buy a little sketch pad and start up. Hopefully I'll be half as good as the drawings here.
Click the big picture of the cute girl below to go to Shane Glines's Cartoon and Illustration Paradise.
