WILDSTORM SKETCHBOOK ART DIRECTION INITIAL THOUGHTS

Ever since 2016 with my innovative run into Inktober, every sketchbook I handle, touch, and pour my soul into follows one core precept: to make it as unique and individual as possible. Solid, thoughtful Art Direction is the only method that makes this possible. For the Wildstorm Sketchbook, there was a certain spirit I wanted to emulate—I wanted this sketchbook to capture the essence of Wildstorm Productions under Jim Lee: fast-paced, professional, but—as we saw glimpses of in behind-the-scenes stories and even MTV’s The Real World connections—fun as hell. Young creators getting paid to hang out together, collaborate, and make groundbreaking comics in that electric ’90s studio environment.

To achieve this, the Art Direction demanded an impulsive approach: grab whatever comes to mind, any product at hand, to get the effect I desire. The perfect direction to copy what it must have been like to rush into the Wildstorm Productions studios with a burrito half in your hand and half in your mouth, throwing the sketchbook on your drawing table, racing to get the idea out before it vanished.

With this spirit, we arrived at SPEED—SPEED would be a defining part of the character of this sketchbook.

Now for the material side of the Art Direction. The sketchbook paper not only lends itself to speed but excels with markers—alcohol markers specifically. Discovered right here in Philadelphia at the basement of a Five Below store (the ultimate Philly retailer for affordable creative tools), I thought it was the perfect time to truly test the capabilities of their line of Alcohol Illustration Markers (also designated as Illustration Markers). In the spirit of speed and that impulsive Wildstorm Productions energy, I decided to exhaust other art materials too, embracing the attitude of “grab anything to get the effect.”

To review, here is the Art Direction for the Wildstorm Sketchbook—channeling Jim Lee‘s revolutionary Wildstorm Productions legacy through a modern, Philadelphia-born lens:

Style Draw as if you are in an intense comic book studio of the ’90s—Jim Lee‘s Wildstorm Productions at its peak—and you have little time.

Theme Draw a universe. Draw a history of a company. Find new visuals to showcase this world born from Jim Lee and Wildstorm Productions.

Materials Five Below Illustration Alcohol Markers Five Below Colored Pencils Sharpies Anything else that grabs you in the moment

Methodology Draw with SPEED

This Art Direction isn’t just guidelines—it’s the heartbeat of the project, turning a simple Five Below find in Philadelphia into a tribute to the fast, creative chaos that defined Jim Lee‘s Wildstorm Productions.

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.