Recently, I was able to interview artist Peter Overstreet (a Bay Area native currently living in San Francisco where he plans to take over the world with an enlargement raygun and his evil parakeet minion, Gonzo) about his new ongoing event, the Comic Book Art Slam (fb page here https://www.facebook.com/CBASlam).

Mab:  “Hey Peter!  Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today.  I understand you are the mind behind this Comic Book Art Slam in San Jose, CA (and also San Francisco, CA) I’ve been hearing so much about.  It’s described on the Facebook page as:  “a monthly figure drawing class focused on giving artists the chance to draw fantastical figures from live models!”   That sounds pretty awesome!   Can you tell us a little more about the event?

Peter:  Absolutely. As our slogan says, “This ain’t yer daddy’s art class!” It’s much more than that. It’s a mix of a figure drawing workshop, a cosplay fashion show, a geeky trivia night, and an artists’ gathering. It’s a place for artists of all ages and experience levels to network, help each other improve their skills by using techniques that comic book legends like Bob Kane and H.G Peter used to do a long time ago – working from costumed models. It’s one thing to just kinda wrap the spandex around a naked frame of a human body … but it’s another thing to truly capture the movement, folds and stretches that occur even in skin tight uniforms.

P:  I’ve been a professional illustrator for nearly 20 years. During that time I’ve found real value in meeting other artists, finding common interests (and annoyances), while at the same time honing my observational drawing skills working with live models. The idea really came to me when I was teaching a figure drawing class and some of my students starting talking comics – which characters they liked, artists that appealed to them, etc.

That’s when I thought, “Aha! What if we combined the two interests. Everyone tends to do nude or nearly nude drawing classes…what about fully clothed superhero drawing?”

I mean, you go to just about every convention…and there are cosplayers everywhere! It’s great! I love the creativity that goes into some of their outifts! But I notice that some of them look like they want something more than a camera-wielding public stopping them on the convention floor. What if they had the chance to pose for actual comic book artists (professional and beginner alike).

I think the combination of a drawing workshop and a geeky costume show really makes for a fun evening. Our first night was a small crowd, but everyone walked away with some great sketches and trivia contest prizes…each one with a smile on their face. Even our models took some time to sketch each other. What a hoot!

P:  I hope to establish the Slams into a monthly event … or a set of monthly events spread over Northern California – each night a unique set of artists and models. I’ve already thought of bringing something like this to the local Sci-Fi/Comic conventions. The dream is to throw a “Mega Slam” at San Diego Comic Con. But we’re young, still…one step at a time. LOL!

P:  Absolutely. We already have plans in the works to have full fledged sets erected (with lights…smoke…etc.) so models and photographers can really show off their abilities to great advantage. We’re mostly keeping the photography to a minimum so the artists who are sketching don’t have to compete with line-of-sight with photographers. Stay tuned…the sets for the photo Slams are already in the planning stages.

P:  “The Comic Book Art Slam” is a catchy title…but notice I didn’t name it “Super Hero Art Slam”. Comics cover a wide-range of genres and interests. So yes! We’re already planning a Slam centered on a certain time traveler who is rapidly approaching his 50th birthday! We’re also looking at zombie, classic monsters, high fantasy, and more. The sky is kind of the limit with this. Anything can happen!

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