The Ross Campbell appreciation thread (IDW, WE WANT HIM BACK!)

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Maybe, but I don't think artists need to overly worry about making them look "kidly," at least insomuch as it might apply to what we think when we think of human teenagers.

Because they're not.

fair enough, you're right, but that's also really subjective. just a personal preference.

Which might even be stemming from the old Palladium sourcebooks with the Turtles' stats. Don was the tallest there, too.

ha! that's true, i totally remember that now, i got my dog-eared soda-stained copy of the core book right here. i remember as a kid being confused why Raph's PB was 5 when the others were much higher, like how is Raph so frickin' ugly compared to the others when in the drawings they all look exactly the same? haha. and how does Baxter Stockman have 0 SDC?!?

Or maybe it's not-so-coincidentally.

i'm not sure what you're implying, that i purposely drew my stuff like Nick Turtles or Nick was somehow influenced by mine...?

[Princess Anri]

He was definitely implying that Nick could have been influenced by you.

I wouldn't be surprised. Like I said before, your character design is really great.

That Raph you posted was fantastic.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

fair enough, you're right, but that's also really subjective. just a personal preference.

Oh, it is, and you strike a great balance that -- to me -- is completely unique and doesn't make me think of any other TMNT artist or seem derivative of anything else. When I say it reminds me of A.C. Farley, I only mean that the feeling it evokes is similar... these actually seem like living, breathing Turtles.

ha! that's true, i totally remember that now, i got my dog-eared soda-stained copy of the core book right here. i remember as a kid being confused why Raph's PB was 5 when the others were much higher, like how is Raph so frickin' ugly compared to the others when in the drawings they all look exactly the same? haha. and how does Baxter Stockman have 0 SDC?!?

Well... I never said they held up to scrutiny. Some very interesting stuff in there, though.

i'm not sure what you're implying, that i purposely drew my stuff like Nick Turtles or Nick was somehow influenced by mine...?

Originally Posted by Princess Anri

He was definitely implying that Nick could have been influenced by you.

Yeah, this. They're basically Ross's TMNT with an extra toe and some wraps strewn about.

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

these actually seem like living, breathing Turtles.

This.

Although, I like the teenaged appearance Ross makes them. It fits their height

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Oh, it is, and you strike a great balance that -- to me -- is completely unique and doesn't make me think of any other TMNT artist or seem derivative of anything else. When I say it reminds me of A.C. Farley, I only mean that the feeling it evokes is similar... these actually seem like living, breathing Turtles.

thanks, man!! that really means a lot, i know you're a hard man to please. Farley is great, so any comparison is high praise. i will admit to shamelessly taking the mask-hung-down-around-the-neck look from AC Farley, like on the Shell Shock cover or his piece on the old Mirage volume 2 trade with the Turtles scaling the building. for some reason they look more badass to me like that than when their masks are actually on their faces.

Well... I never said they held up to scrutiny. Some very interesting stuff in there, though.

like Eastman & Laird's drawing of the mutant porcupine?!?!?! so awesome: http://roaringshark.com/wp-content/u...Pporcupine.jpg i appreciate the lack of mutant animals in the Mirage stuff but i remember dying to see that character in an actual TMNT comic. or Fred Hamster.

Yeah, this. They're basically Ross's TMNT with an extra toe and some wraps strewn about.

ah, whew! i was about to throw down there, ha! but yeah it is weird how similar they are, except cleaned up/glossed up of course. i guess i would be honored and flattered if i found out somebody at Nickelodeon had seen my stuff and was like "make the Turtles like that" or something, but i'd also be kind of bitter because if that did happen then why didn't they just hire ME to design the characters?! i'm not expensive! ****, i probably would've done it for free.

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

like Eastman & Laird's drawing of the mutant porcupine?!?!?! so awesome: http://roaringshark.com/wp-content/u...Pporcupine.jpg i appreciate the lack of mutant animals in the Mirage stuff but i remember dying to see that character in an actual TMNT comic. or Fred Hamster.

Holy moly! That looks awesome! Also, great job on the issue Ross. I hope to see more great things from you, dude.

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by TurtleTron

That Raph is beyond awesome!!!
I loved this issue! Ross's artwork is amazing! The turtles looked great, to me they actually looked like teenagers. Leo looked young and also not too human like. One of my favorite parts is where he ducks into his shell to protect himself from some knunchucks What I liked best about it was the slight differences in the closeups verses the far away shots, for example when Leo is struggling to fight the foot the look of it is sort of cartoony (in a good way!) but then there is that close up of Leo on the floor with the tear in his eye, The detail and emotion in that one shot is awesome! It still looks the same Leo, but in a more detailed, less cartoony, and more real way!

Thank you Ross!!!
Cowabunga!

thank YOU! i appreciate the kind words, i'm glad you dug the issue! i love doing those grainy close-ups, i did ink wash/watercolor on them to give them extra oomph and give them kind of an emotional singularity separate from the rest of the proceedings. here's what it looks like without the color: http://greenoblivion.com/stuff/LEONARDO-tear.jpg

[MikeandRaph87]

Mr. Campbell,while your lurking,it varies of course, but to you do the turtles have height differences are all the same height? Always wondered what one of the artist think.

[TMNT is cooler than MOTU]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

me again! here's a Raph i just drew.

Amazing as always. I hope Michael Bay sees it.

You should try doing a group shot and maybe some villains.

[Plasticplayhouse]

I'll back Ross for more turtle action. His rendition is amongst my fav tmnt renditions of all time!

[1984TMNT]

Ross, I'll second most here and say your art is friggin fantastic and I loved your work on the Leo micro. Please, please do more in the future! Your Raph pic is now my wallpaper at work.

Quick question for you - given that you enjoy the Nick designs, what do you think about the limbs getting thicker toward the ends, instead of having them look more traditional? Also, any thoughts on the 3rd toe?

Just curious to get your thoughts as an Artist. They don't "break" it for me, but I'm not in love with that part of the design.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

ah, whew! i was about to throw down there, ha! but yeah it is weird how similar they are, except cleaned up/glossed up of course. i guess i would be honored and flattered if i found out somebody at Nickelodeon had seen my stuff and was like "make the Turtles like that" or something

I fully believe they probably sat in a room with pictures of various covers and Mirage imagery, Fred Wolf imagery, 4Kids imagery, and all that, and your pieces ended up floating to the surface. In these meetings. The resemblance is uncanny.

[Xav]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

like Eastman & Laird's drawing of the mutant porcupine?!?!?! so awesome: http://roaringshark.com/wp-content/u...Pporcupine.jpg i appreciate the lack of mutant animals in the Mirage stuff but i remember dying to see that character in an actual TMNT comic. or Fred Hamster.

That porcupine reminds me of the porcupine enemy from the first TMNT video game.

[nickn]

Hey Ross, just wanted to say I really enjoyed this issue. I hope this NOT your last doing interior work for TMNT, I thought it was really good... I really thought Leo's fighting was good.... I love the way you draw the martial arts sword style. Not kissing butt just because you are here but I was the most pumped up for this issue, with the foot being back. You did not disappoint. I'm a huge fan of your work you posted on your blog, the mask-less Leo I love it. I commented on it already( I said this was the first work I really enjoyed of the mask-less turtles). I'm sure that someone has done this, but I'm linking this thread and emailing it to who ever I can at IDW. People here are serious, we want more of your work.

[DrSpengler]

Not to overwork you, Ross, but I'd love to see you color your own pencils and inks in future stories. I thought Jay Fotos did a great job (and said as much in the comments, as I forgot to give him props in my proper review), but your coloring is one of my favorite parts of your unique style.

I think it definitely elevates your pencils/inks, so I'd love to see an all-Campbell joint somewhere in the future (though not if the workload drives you intot he ground).

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by mikeandraph87

Mr. Campbell,while your lurking,it varies of course, but to you do the turtles have height differences are all the same height? Always wondered what one of the artist think.

even though their heights are listed as different in TMNT & Other Strangeness which was one of my first exposures to the Mirage Turtles as a kid (i don't know if that's considered "canon" anyway, but their height differences are pretty negligible in that), i never really thought much about their heights since they've always been drawn the same as each other. i like the slightly different heights and physical builds as long as it's nothing too drastic from one another, so it's cool to see Nickelodeon doing that.

Originally Posted by TMNT is cooler than MOTU

Amazing as always. I hope Michael Bay sees it. You should try doing a group shot and maybe some villains.

thanks!! i've doodled a few villains here: http://mooncalfe.deviantart.com/gallery/24484975 nothing rendered up and painted like that Raphael piece or my Leonardo drawings, but it's something. i was planning to do a bunch more characters in that daily digital sketch series in that deviantart folder, but i never got around to it. i really want to draw a new Shredder and do something cool with him, and i want to draw Complete Carnage, the Shredder Clones, and Rat King. hopefully someday.

Originally Posted by 1984TMNT

Ross, I'll second most here and say your art is friggin fantastic and I loved your work on the Leo micro. Please, please do more in the future! Your Raph pic is now my wallpaper at work.

thank you!! really glad you liked the Leo issue, and it's an honor to have my Raph as your wallpaper.

Quick question for you - given that you enjoy the Nick designs, what do you think about the limbs getting thicker toward the ends, instead of having them look more traditional? Also, any thoughts on the 3rd toe?

i really like the thicker/tapered limbs, but i prefer the legs to be thicker than the arms like i've drawn a few times, like my Venus (yeah yeah, laugh it up) picture here from a couple years ago: http://mooncalfe.deviantart.com/art/...enus-154012453 and this older Don drawing: http://mooncalfe.deviantart.com/art/tmnt-don-154011622 the way the Nickelodeon Turtles and the 2007 CGI Turtles hands and feet are almost the same sizes, even though real turtles' limbs are all the same size for some reason it makes them look more like frogs than turtles to me, i don't know. but i really dig the chunky, blocky limbs overall, especially the big feet.

i guess the 3 toes is okay, i suppose it makes more "sense" since the Turtles also have 3 hand digits, but i think the 2 toes are much more striking design element, it looks way less muddled to me than 3, and i also like how the 2 toes mimic ninja tabi. i think 3 toes in themselves are fine but the way Nickelodeon designed them looks like hooves to me, which i guess they did so they wouldn't have to rig the toes on the 3D model. definitely doesn't break the design for me, though.

[Sophie Campbell]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I fully believe they probably sat in a room with pictures of various covers and Mirage imagery, Fred Wolf imagery, 4Kids imagery, and all that, and your pieces ended up floating to the surface. In these meetings. The resemblance is uncanny.

man, you're probably right, i didn't even think of that. i have no idea how shows like this get put together.

did you see those really early TMNT character shots that Nickelodeon released, they were all monochromatic with a single splash of neon color? those looked pretty similar to my digital sketches, i remember somebody saying i ripped those off even though i drew my like a year before those dropped. i wonder if Nick saw those somehow. diabolical!! still pretty cool to think i may have inadvertently influenced the new show, but i guess we'll never know.

[Sophie Campbell]

sorry for all the posts, you guys!! i'm trying to answer everyone i can. is it a faux pas to quote multiple people in the same post or not? hehheh.

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

Not to overwork you, Ross, but I'd love to see you color your own pencils and inks in future stories. I thought Jay Fotos did a great job (and said as much in the comments, as I forgot to give him props in my proper review), but your coloring is one of my favorite parts of your unique style.

thank you!!! i would LOVE to do an entire issue myself, i'd kill to do my markers and watercolors, or a combination of that and digital, on an entire issue. the main obstacle is time, though, it would be time-consuming to do and i'd need a few months to do it, and i don't know if i could ever get that kind of time in my schedule, or get that kind of time in IDW and Nickelodeon's schedule. that's a tall order, we'd have to really plan far ahead. maybe someday!

Originally Posted by nickn

Hey Ross, just wanted to say I really enjoyed this issue. I hope this NOT your last doing interior work for TMNT, I thought it was really good... I really thought Leo's fighting was good....People here are serious, we want more of your work.

thank you so much!!! that's really great to hear, you made my day. hopefully it won't be my last interior work, keep your fingers crossed i'll be able to get some time out of my schedule with Image Comics and that there'll be an issue available. i'm hoping IDW will do even more micro issues beyond these initial 8, like do a new set of micros about the same characters down the road and revisit them, like have a second Leonardo micro a year or so from now. i think that would be pretty cool. or maybe when i convince IDW to let me introduce Venus... YOU READING THIS, BOBBY? ;D bwahaha

[1984TMNT]

Originally Posted by Ross Campbell

thank you so much!!! that's really great to hear, you made my day. hopefully it won't be my last interior work, keep your fingers crossed i'll be able to get some time out of my schedule with Image Comics and that there'll be an issue available. i'm hoping IDW will do even more micro issues beyond these initial 8, like do a new set of micros about the same characters down the road and revisit them, like have a second Leonardo micro a year or so from now. i think that would be pretty cool. or maybe when i convince IDW to let me introduce Venus... YOU READING THIS, BOBBY? ;D bwahaha

Whoa, whoa, whooooooa. Love your work, Ross....and you seem like a very nice guy (especially for taking the time to respond to us fans - thanks!!!) - but, let's not get crazy here. Venus belongs in the past, as an idea that may have seemed cool at the time...but....well, we all know how that turned out. We definitely need you back for more work though. Would love to see you as the artist on a good long story arc, as soon as your schedule and IDW's permit.

Seriously though, I'm a big believer in a 4 turtles only universe. I feel that any additional turtles just takes away from the brothers and their uniqueness. Loved Slash as a kid in the OT, but honestly, don't want him around going forward as a result of my belief.

[Redeemer]

I finally picked up the issue today and I read it as soon as I got home. Now just to give you a heads up Leo is my favorite turtle so I had high exceptions for Ross coming in.

but I have to say that the art work was disappointing to say the least. I felt that the action scenes were to crowded, obscured, or over-drawn. I just felt like the scenes had too much going on at times.

I loved the "shredder" fight though it was really well drawn and revealed many things, also it set the tone for shredder for the rest of the series.

Ross I think you are an amazing artist and wish I could learn how to draw comics from you, but I just don't like the way you drew the fight scenes, the last few panels seemed ten times better.

But again great job, still loved the issue, the story really saved it for me and I would also like to see Ross do a second Leo Micro.