Kasra Ghanbari, CEO of Comic Art Fans, interviews sculptor Carlos Soca on his Comic Art LIVE channel to discuss appearing in next year’s OAX.
Interview With Comic Art LIVE
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Born Artists
There’s a great documentary about the late, great fantasy artist, Frank Frazetta called, “Frazetta: Painting with Fire” that every fan of the man or his medium should see, if somehow they haven’t already. The film makes it clear that the man, despite having received classical training, was a natural talent. Thousands of people might study and practice painting, but people like Frazetta—though they learn technique and theory—don’t learn how to do what they do. They don’t become artists; they’re born that way.
Late in his life, the painter suffered a stroke that made painting with his right hand challenging, if not impossible. So Frazetta taught himself to use his left instead, with the same results and level of craftsmanship as he’d generated with his dominant right. Despite his age and the years of relying on and developing his right hand, he basically willed his left hand to match it.
Incredible.
And you can watch him do it, so it’s verifiable.
But as incredible as it is, it isn’t a miracle. It’s proof.
The art, the gift, the talent—none of it—was in his right hand. It simply was him.
Greatness wasn’t a matter of learning or training, though those things are important, and they do refine and help develop the remarkable artist, as well as the mediocre one. The great ones are born with something amazing in them, but it isn’t in their hands.
The Korean artist, Kim Jung Gi, a prodigy we lost too young, was another example of how artistic ability is simply an intrinsic element in certain rare individuals. If you ever want to walk the fine line between being lifted up by the belief that there are no limits to the artistic proficiency a person might reach, and the sobering/humbling realization that no matter how much you practice, those heights are actually reserved for a scant few, go down the rabbit hole of Kim’s drawing exhibitions on YouTube.
Watching him work is mesmerizing, not solely because of the perfect precision of his output but more so because it all seems effortless and faultless. The old chestnut about pencils having erasers for a reason doesn’t seem to apply to a person who simply generates faultless illustrations at lighting speed as if they’re speed-tracing another genius’ work.
There are others, like Carl Barks, Alex Toth, Jean Giraud (Mœbius), David Mazzucchelli, Simon Bisley, Brian Bolland, Hayao Miyazaki, Katsuhiro Otomo among them, that keep us modestly grounded while inspiring us to dream with no limits…
Because if even a tiny bit of that spark of genius lives in each of us, what might we achieve if we gave into it completely and went for it…
The art, the gift, the talent—none of it—was in his right hand. It simply was him.
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Please note, all Manifest Sculpt work is completed with traditional sculpting techniques—modelling and carving—rather than through modern digital techniques and programs. Consequently, the resin and bronze castings in this edition were also produced through traditional mold making and manufacturing processes. Final Manifest Sculpt commissions are available in a variety of materials, but they are not 3D printed and are not available as printable files. Copyright Notice: all work, including ideation, concepts, stories and their development, character design and production are the property of Carlos Soca unless otherwise noted, and all rights are reserved. Should you wish to discuss collaboration or licensing of an intellectual property or its design, please contact Manifest Sculpt.