RIP Jean Giraud AKA Moebius

Last weekend, we lost a true legend.

If you look at my drawings, you'd probably be hard pressed to see how much influence Moebius has had on my work.

Unless you see me draw the desert. When I draw the desert, I draw Moebius' desert.

His influence is there in other little ways too, but his biggest impact for me, is inspiration. I look at his work a lot.

No, A LOT.

Seriously.

No other artist INSTANTLY inspires me to start drawing like seeing a Moebius drawing or painting does.

It's like inspiration hard lined right into my veins. Euphoria, a rush of adrenaline, and the intense desire to find a drawing implement.

The first time I discovered his work, I didn't know it. In the pre-internet era, we looked at a magazine called STARLOG to get our Sci-Fi movie scoops. They were talking about a feature film version of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, and there was a little sketch of what the movie He-Man would look like. I wasn't that interested in the movie. He-Man was a little past my time, it was 1987, and I was in Junior High. I was too busy being rejected by cute girls to play with futuristic muscle man toys.

That drawing though. I stared at it. And stared at it. I had no idea who drew it, but I knew I liked it.

Fast forward to High School. I was lucky enough to have ANOTHER DIMENSION, a local comic shop right across the street. One day I saw a Hardcover Graphic Novel of a Stan Lee Silver Surfer story. Leafing through it, I was blown away by the art. Mainly by things that young, aspiring artists are blown away by, use of perspective, rendering, and he seemed to draw without a ruler! How was this possible? The colour was different than what was on the stands as well.

What's a Moebius, and how does it draw so amazingly well?

A long talk with my buddy Imran (an awesome comic artist in his own right at the time) in Art Class, and I learned all about who Moebius was.

I saved up for a few weeks and went back and bought that Silver Surfer book. I remember there being some roughs and rejected/redrawn pages in the back. I couldn't believe the pages that he thought weren't good enough.

I was hooked. A week later I went back and bought MOEBIUS 3: THE AIRTIGHT GARAGE, one of those big albums that  epic released in the late 80's or early 90's, and I have been a fan ever since.

I will miss seeing new work from the man, but he left a wealth of inspiration for us all.

His ability to morph into different styles I have always admired, but it is his loose, confident drawing that I admire most. He is one of those artists at a level that I hope to some day attain myself.

In truth though, he was a genius, and has a skill that few can attain, but if you're gonna take aim, you might as well aim high.

Thanks for the inspiration Moebius, I hope where you are is even weirder than you imagined.