March 28, 2024

Josh Skeel: Super Illustrator

Aug. 13, 2015

He grew up reading Spider-Man and X- Men comics in the late ’80s and into the ’90s, but while many people expand this interest to a comic book collection or a man cave, Charlevoix/Petoskey native Josh Skeel took it a step further.

Today, he’s a comic artist in his own right, and he’s toughing it out locally in the hopes of reaching bigger artistic goals.

BOX OF INSPIRATION

Skeel grew up and attended school in Charlevoix, where his family still lives, before moving up the road to Petoskey.

“I’ve always had a pretty active imagination and, when I was a kid, I would spend a lot of time drawing,” he said. “I’ve been into comics for just about as long as I can remember.”

An older cousin had a box of comics stashed away; Skeel made a point to dig out that box every time he visited.

“And, of course, I was hooked on any kind of superhero cartoon, like Masters of the Universe or the Superfriends,” he said. “I remember the first time my dad brought me a handful of comics on his way back from work. I looked through them until the covers came off, even though I was too young to read them yet.”

That was the turning point for Skeel as a comic book artist. He would sit for hours copying the panels and pictures from the comics into his own sketchbooks, eventually adding his own ideas and characters.

After high school, Skeel majored in art at Central Michigan University.

“I pretty much always knew that I wanted to do art for a living, and comics were my favorite subject matter by far,” he said.

PENCIL PROCESS

Today, Skeel continues to be inspired by other comic artists.

“Guys like Todd McFarlane (best known for Spawn) and Jim Lee (Marvel/DC illustrator) struck me early on,” he said. “Then, as I got older, I became a huge fan of Sam Kieth (The Sandman/Zero Girl) and Bill Sienkiewicz (also Marvel/DC).”

“As artists, we’re all kind of stealing from the masters,” he continued, “whether it’s Picasso or Jack Kirby (DC), and I’m no different. So the art that I see is what makes my wheels turn artistically.”

Skeel’s favorite medium of pen and ink is “very traditional,” he said. Depending on the project, he uses whatever he feels will properly capture the look he’s after.

“For coloring work, I use anything from computer coloring to markers or watercolors. My usual process is to first do a quick sketch and lay out the page, place characters, and plan how I’m going to tell the story,” he explained.

Then, a fresh 11-by-17 illustration board is taped to his desk, and the serious comic drawing process begins.

“The design is worked onto it with a nonphoto blue pencil. Then I get into the graphite pencils to tighten and detail the drawing, then inks for the flat black lines. Then, finally, I add the color.”

But first, there has to be a story to tell.

STORIES AND HEROES

Some of Skeel’s projects have very short stories, such as the unique craft distillery beverage labels he designs for Rusted Crow Distilleries of Detroit, each with its own distinct character. This is part of how he makes his living and it’s not too bad for a day job.

“I love working for them,” he said. Other stories are far more complex and personal, like his own “Detroit Memoirs” comic, which features a superhero of Skeel's unique invention.

“My stories are usually based on personal experiences, at least loosely,” he said. “I came up with the idea for ‘The Detroit Memoirs’ when I was in college playing football at CMU and I thought it would be great to see a superhero from the view of an athlete, the way that injuries build up and the way you live with pain.”

The main character tells his life story in retrospect from a nursing home, where he’s crippled from injuries he sustained. The completed comic is now available from Skeel’s comic business Facebook page (Skeel Ink, Inc.) and he’s already begun promoting it, most recently at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi.

“It was a big thing for me to finally get ‘The Detroit Memoirs’ published and out there,” Skeel said.

“I had done a few other comic projects that people had hired me for that I spent a lot of time working on, but that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. I finally just decided to do it myself.”

TALES OF AMBITION

Networking at places like the Con has helped Skeel make more contacts, in turn enabling him to put more focus on his own projects. The next will be a collection of short illustrated stories in a comic book tentatively titled “Arbitrary Tales of Utter Inconsequence.”

His long-term ambitions include getting his work out there so that more comic fans can find and read it, and to continue telling stories that are important to him.

“I’d certainly love to work for Marvel or DC someday, but I think right now I’d really love to do a book for Image Comics,” he said. “They’re doing a lot of comics that aren’t superhero based and their characters are still owned by the people who created them.”

Skeel has a new storyline that he’s going to dig into after he completes his book, and he plans to take a leap and submit it to Im age

Comics. In the meantime, there are more characters to invent, illustration boards to ink, and panels to color.

“My goals are to continue to become a better artist and writer, and hopefully do what all storytellers want to do, which is to tell a great story that lets the reader see things in a different perspective,” he said. “And since comics don’t make enough to support me as of yet, I do have to have a day job right now. I’d like to eventually make art full time, but it has to be art that I'm proud of.”

“Sure, my vision of the future is full of comic books and movie deals and awards, but mostly it’s just me, some music playing, and a paper and pen all day long.”

To learn more about Josh Skeel’s comic book art, visit www.facebook.com/skeel76.

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