Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Alan Fishman.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My story is less ‘unique’ as much as it’s simply a tale of ‘driven kid find his passion for art, and decides to commit fully to it’.
That being said, my story is as follows:
In high school, I was an honors student with eyes set somewhere between a tech job or maybe law school. But then I took an art class and found a challenge mentally and physically I didn’t get in a book. My love of comic books carried into the classroom as I found a passion that I’ve not left since initially finding it.
That love of pairing my words with my art took me to the Herron School of Art. Shortly after graduation, I was solicited by an old friend who recalled me as “the Comic Book Guy” to work with her mother on an original graphic novel. The thing was… while I’d found my love of pairing art and words in high school, and honed my craft in college. I’d never taken the plunge into an actual product before.
“You still make comics, right, Marc?”
And I’ve been faking it well ever since!
Since 2006 on, I’ve dedicated every ounce of my free time pursuing the creation of original comic books, graphic novels, and similar works of art!
Please tell us about your art.
I make original comic books — both with my studio, Unshaven Comics — as well as individually. Each piece I’ve done tends to carry a different meaning or inspiration that is wholly related directly to the piece itself. For example, Unshaven Comics’ series “The Samurnauts” takes the tropes we loved from our childhood and reinterprets them for a modern all-ages comic book. We explore themes of friendship, responsibility, teamwork, and the power of an individual’s self-worth. Elsewhere in my life, I’ve come to immortalize major life milestones with “mini-comics” that retell the touchpoints of my family’s personal narrative and elevates it into creative non-fiction. In short? Why tell someone the story of how your kid was born when you can literally turn it into a tongue-in-cheek funny comic book?
My art style marries the space between photo-realism and a love of retro-simplicity. I enjoy shooting my own reference photos, and then using those to digitally ink directly into panels. I then (most currently) color very simply; adopting a color palate from vintage comics, and eliminating a lot of the ‘digital trickery’ I used to heavily lean on.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
How much room do I have?!
The best advice I could give is to adopt the mindset that you NEVER stop learning. Art is often reduced to commodity in our culture — our time, energy, and efforts reduced to logos, t-shirts, or Instagram posts — but that doesn’t discount their value.
Try every medium available to you. Collaborate with artists who adopt dissonant styles to your own. Put time aside each week to do a project for yourself. Ultimately, be responsible in acknowledging that our work as artists is as much about challenging ourselves (both in content and execution) as it is about challenging those who view and participate in our art.
And when it comes to being able to send a message to myself in the past? Well, that’s simple: “Forgive yourself for your faults, and just work harder.”
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People are welcome to check out UnshavenComics.com, as well as join our daily conversations on Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/UnshavenComics). Our books are available digitally on ComiXology. My work can also be seen currently on the Blue Line as well as http://www.ThinkHomewood.com, where I created an ad campaign for my hometown that was covered by the associated press!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.UnshavenComics.com, http://www.MarcAlanFishman.com
- Phone: 708-921-6202
- Email: marc@unshavencomicsonline.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/MarcAlanFishman
- Facebook: facebook.com/UnshavenComics
Image Credit:
All images copyright Marc Alan Fishman, 2018
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
