Since the other day when I posted those cover sketches I did for Gold Key Comics, I've received a number of e-mails like this one from Don Baynor…
Those drawings you did looked pretty good. I didn't know you drew and I wonder why you don't draw more. If not, why did you give it up?
Well, I never really thought of artwork as a career. Since about age six, I wanted to be a writer — and that's really all I ever wanted to be or felt I could be. I drew because it was fun and because when I came up with ideas, there was no one else who'd draw them. Back when I was younger, I used to make up adventures and put on puppet shows…but I never really thought of becoming a professional puppeteer. It was just a way of presenting my stories since no one else was going to perform them in any way. Once others were around to "present" my stories, there was less reason for me to do it.
For my first decade or so in comics, I kinda thought of myself as a writer who could draw a little when necessary. When I edited comics, I did the art direction, lettering corrections, some logo design, some art fixes, etc. Once in a while in a pinch, I'd draw a cover or ink part of a story. I did the pencil art on a number of covers like these two — though I protected myself by assigning the inking of them to Scott Shaw!, knowing he could make anyone's art look good…
I also did all the hand-lettering you see on the covers including the title logos. I used to joke that was because I was the editor so there was no one around to stop me but really, it was mostly because I didn't have anyone else available to me I trusted to do those things the way I wanted.
Still, I was aware that I was pushing the upper limits of my ability and that I did so little drawing that I was always rusty. To be even a mediocre artist requires a lot more hours than I was willing or able to put into it…and I could practice forever and not be a hundredth as good as some of the artists who I could get to draw for me like Dan Spiegle, Owen Fitzgerald, Pete Alvarado and Scott. I've just never been one of those "I can do anything if I put my mind to it" kind of guys. I find it more workable in life to be at least somewhat aware of my limitations, especially since there seems to be no limit as to my limitations.
The more I was around people like Jack Kirby and Sergio Aragonés and Dan and Scott and Alex Toth and Mike Sekowsky and so many others, the more I realized that my drawing did not come from an organic place within me. It was natural to those guys. It was labored and forced and unnatural to me. Those cover sketches I ran here before took me a long time and a lot of erasure…and of course, the two I ran here were the two best ones I had. On the covers above, Scott was there to rescue me.
I see so many creative people around me who don't seem to be aware that they can't do anything. It's fine to try and stretch and to do things you've never done before. Some people are multi-talented and it would be a shame if they limited themselves to only one of the many things they can do. But some people do one thing a whole lot better than they do another…and are oblivious to it. I'd rather minimize the chance of me being one of those folks. I prefer playing games where I figure I have a decent chance to win.
So basically, the answer to your question is that writing feels to me like something I should be doing whereas drawing never really did, even if now and then someone would pay me to do a little of it. And it's more fun when I do it now because I'm only doing it for fun.