Mike Kunkel is know to many for creating HEROBEAR AND THE KID as well as working on BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM. When we heard he had a Kickstarter project up for funding, we immediately needed to find out more.
Mike Kunkel's SQUIGGLE PROJECT is a fascinating idea creating art from a single line. Actually, watch his Kickstarter video so you can hear more about it and how it'll look.
We also asked him a few questions to find out more.
COMIC VINE: In your Kickstarter video, you mentioned doing sketches your whole life. When did you start creating characters out of your "squiggles"?
MIKE KUNKEL: I've sketched and scribbled on any paper I could find since I was real young...often I would play the squiggle game. Nothing too official, just explorations and fun ways to stay motivated and inspired. I'd even do it while I was on the phone. Then, I began to play it with my kids when they were younger and with their friends at birthday parties. It's so simple and so fun . . . and it always starts the same . . . draw a line or have someone else draw a line, and then create something out of the single line. It helps spark my imagination, and also, when I'd create it with someone else, it was a fun to see them feel part of the creativity. Everyone should try it. It's a great game to play with friends at parties aaaaaand in boring meetings too. Heck, lotsa Italian restaurants have paper table clothes and those are fun to draw squiggles on at meals. ;)
CV: Have any of these sketches made their way into comics or projects you were working on?
MK: No, not in this form . . . but the process has helped me design characters. It can help to push my ideas and help my creations. I even used it a little bit in the designs of the 7 Deadly Sin Creatures in my BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM series. However, in it's purest form, this will be the first time they will be in publication. I'm very excited to share them as art pieces in a fancy-shmancy Art Book..
CV: Is taking the squiggle-challenge a good way for young artists to find their own style?
MK: I think that starting with a simple line is a great way to explore your imagination. i think young artists will find that when they approach a creation or drawing in this way, they don't come at it with any pre-concieved notions. In fact, they have to come to a solution in a way that is natural to their abilities and talent. So yes, this would be a way to explore their natural style and creativity, and also a way to push that to be stronger and more creative.
CV: What sparked the idea to put out this book?
MK: I've had so much fun creating the images and sharing them with friends and family, that I wanted to find a new way to share them with more people. The book seemed like the right way to present them. I like the "reveal" aspect that the layout of the book will give the reader.
CV: Are there any challenges with the format of using the transparent paper to show the original squiggle in the drawings?
MK: Still working some of that out. I want to get the very right type of paper for the book. It's going to be really cool.
CV: Perhaps someday we could get a Squiggle Art exhibit featuring the art from you and the guests you get on the book?
MK: I would LOVE that! I actually have that as the next event I'm planning for this year. More info on that sooooooooon. :)
Click HERE to head on over to Kickstarter right now to become a backer. It's like pre-ordering the book. Plus there are the cool incentives to check out (I'm a backer myself!). This project must be funded by January 31. More incentive "stretch goals" are added when the funding surpasses certain goals.