Artist in Residence: Batman '89 comic artist Joe Quinones

Joe Quinones is a comic book artist and illustrator who has worked on several beloved titles including Howard the Duck, Spider-Man and more. Most recently he illustrated DC mini-series Batman ‘89. Below Joe explains, in his own words, his approach to art, influences, reflects on recent projects and takes us around his impressive studio.

Inside Joe Quinones' studio

I’ve been working in the comic book industry for 16 years now, and much of that time has been spent in my Somerville apartment where I’ve had an ever-rotating and rearranging studio. The space is always evolving to suit my needs and improve upon my artistic workflows.

Since I work from home, I try to maintain a studio that is as utilitarian as it is inviting, adorned in objects that will inspire and fuel me creatively. My shelves are packed with comics, graphic novels and manga, as well as several books that serve more directly as reference tools, such as highlighting my favourite artists, anatomy, drawing, painting and colour theory.

Also prominent are my collectibles: figurines, LEGO sets, sculptures and artwork. Being a life-long fan of the medium, I’m an unabashed nerd, so to a degree this is simply my hobbies colliding with my professional life.

However, these items truly do bring me joy, and help to inspire and inform my work. I’m lucky to count many artists as friends and we’ll often trade or gift our artworks to each other. This accounts for much of my original art collection. I just love looking at these, getting up real close and poring over their every detail.

Okay, yes, I do own an inordinate amount of Batman paraphernalia, but hear me out. I love him! As a kid I’d already begun to discover a love for comics, but when Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film came out I was hooked. I was entranced by his otherworldly vision of the character and that love was reflected back to my interest in comic books. I dove deeper into the hobby afterwards and have never left since.

In 2020 things came around full circle when Sam Hamm, who was the screenwriter for Burton’s two Batman films, and I paired up to craft a six issue mini-series for DC Comics, titled Batman ‘89. The series served as a direct sequel to the events of Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. It was great fun and so satisfying to return to a world that helped set me down my path in the first place. So really all those Batman collectibles work as reference material, while still looking great on a shelf, of course.

My workflow is also something that’s always evolving. I tend to jump back and forth working traditionally and digitally. The immediacy of digital makes it indispensable due to time, but nothing can replace the feel of working traditionally.

I think a lot better with a pencil on paper, so often initial sketching and / or thumbnailing will be done that way. I’ll then switch to my iPad and Procreate, where I do the majority of my finished drawing both for single illustrations and sequential work. From there I’ll transition over to inking my pencils. Depending on the time constraints, I’ll either complete inks digitally, or I’ll print out those pencils on board to then ink traditionally. The latter is definitely my preference.

I find that nothing can replace the feel of putting pen and brush to paper and I love the unpredictable happy accidents that will occur without the benefit of an Undo button. Things will then port back over to my desktop and Photoshop, where I’ll scan my inks and add digital colour.

Discover Joe Quinones' art

Visit Joe Quinones' website for more of his fantastic comic art. This content originally appeared in 3D World magazine. Subscribe to 3D World at Magazines Direct.