"Karats for Kari" ("Oceans 8")
Heist films, at least the exceptional ones, involve a character or a group of characters pulling off what appears to be an impossible feat to steal a certain object. Through an intricate woven plan, the protagonists must overcome many physical obstacles; each one carrying more risk to be thwarted than the last one. And if the characters (and the movie) has done its job well, moviegoers will leave the theater amazed how well the caper was pulled off.
It was with this spirit in mind I decided to do the impossible. I was going to try my hand at drawing like Darwyn Cooke.
Darwyn Cooke, for those unfamiliar, was a master artist and storyteller in the realm of comics and animation. His crime noir art style was uniquely his own as was his sensibility to the medium. He wasn't afraid to forge his own path and do things which only interested him. While other artists dreamed to be the regular artist on a top 10 comic book series, Cooke's ambition was to create finite series like "Justice League: A New Frontier"; a love letter to silver age comics. When the animation studios saved money by having the opening credits to their cartoons be clips from existing episodes, Darwyn created 30-second mini movies such as the opening credits to "Batman Beyond". And when the major comic companies only ventured into adapting current hot properties into the printed medium (aka "guaranteed sellers"), Darwyn preferred introducing the next generation to lesser-known ones such as the exception series of "Parker" novels.
I bring up "Parker" because it was the series he was born to work on. You see, Cooke could have easily fit in Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack. The man never mixed words, enjoyed his martinis, revealed in all things from that era, and was fiercely loyal to his friends and family. When he interacted with fans, he was extremely humble and offered no-nonsense advice. And again, his dialogue and art style perfectly captured the feel of that period.
So, there was no question. If I was going to homage a heist film and try to pull off an impossible task, I would try my hand at drawing like him.
That's another thing about heist films: the job never goes exactly as planned. In the case of this picture, the result came out looking less Darwyn Cooke and more Chuck Jones "Looney Toons". Granted, it still looks cool and the basic structure I originally envisioned is still there. But you can see where in the middle (or second act) everything went south.
However, it remains an illustration I'm completely satisfied with. You'll hear no complaints out of me whatsoever. I dig it! And although I'm not the most gifted artist in the world, let this be another example out of the millions of others who have tried that nobody can draw like Darwyn Cooke. - Jake