Durwin Talon (born in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

) is a

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, illustrator, author and professor of

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

Early life and education

Talon developed an interest in art at an early age. He received his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (BFA) from the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

(SCAD), then received his ISDP Master's Degree (MA) from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in the United States. In 2007, he received the terminal degree of Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration from the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

Career

Durwin worked as a professor at the

. He taught in the

Sequential Art In comics studies, sequential art is a term proposed by comics artist Will EisnerWill Eisner, '' Comics and Sequential Art'', Poorhouse Press, 1990 (1st ed.: 1985), p. 5. to describe art forms that use images deployed in a specific order for the pur ...

Illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

and

Computer Art Computer art is any art in which computers play a role in production or display of the artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, video game, website, algorithm, performance or gallery installation. Many traditi ...

departments. After almost a decade at SCAD, Durwin moved to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

to teach at

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

. In August 2007, Talon left IUPUI to resume teaching at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2010, he took a position as Associate Professor of Illustration at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. In 2015, he took the position of Head Professor of Illustration at

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

. Talon's first book, ''Panel Discussions'' from

TwoMorrows Publishing TwoMorrows Publishing is a publisher of magazines about comic books, founded in 1994 by John and Pam Morrow out of their small advertising agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Its products also include books and DVDs. List of magaz ...

, is an overview of techniques for developing sequential art by some of the most notable names in the comics field. It has been described as "indispensable reading for anyone interested in the subject of sequential art." His second book, '' Comics Above Ground'', also from

, features top comics professionals talking about their inspirations and training from the comics profession and its effects in "Mainstream Media," including: Conceptual Illustration, Video Game Development, Children's Books, Novels, Design, Illustration, Video Game Animation, Motion Pictures and other media. His artwork has been featured on the covers of ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' ("Officer Down"), ''

Skinwalker In Navajo culture, a skin-walker ( nv, yee naaldlooshii) is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. Background In the Navajo language, ' transl ...

'', and ''

Queen & Country ''Queen & Country'' is an American comic book published by Oni Press and written by Greg Rucka with various artists illustrating. It was inspired by the British ITV television series ''The Sandbaggers'' (1978–1980), which was created and prima ...

''. A review of ''Skinwalker'' No. 3 commented that " e covers by Durwin Talon are a wonderful blend of pastel and oil that prompt you into wishing we could read a whole book that looks like this." He has contributed artwork for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

and

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

as well as worked on games and trading cards for

Upper Deck The Upper Deck Company, LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated, Ltd. in the UK), founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards. Its headquarters are in Carlsbad, California, United State ...

White Wolf, Inc. White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant

and

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...

. His sequential artwork has been accepted into the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

' 49th Annual Exhibition. He worked on his own comic '' Bonds'', and ''Beautiful Scars'', in collaboration with Guin Thompson. The first two issues of ''Bonds'' were released by

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

in 2007 and issue No. 3 shipped and completed the series in 2009. ''Beautiful Scars'' is an original graphic novel being published by

Archaia Studios Press Archaia Entertainment, LLC, commonly known as Archaia (formerly known as Archaia Studios Press), is an imprint of American comic book and graphic novel publisher Boom! Studios. Archaia Entertainment, LLC was originally an American comic book publ ...

, and will be released in March 2014. Until August 2007, Talon was an Associate Professor, in the New Media Program at the School of Informatics at

, before returning to the Illustration department at Savannah College of Art and Design. Currently, he is The Head Professor of Illustration at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mi, USA.

Bibliography

Books

*''Panel Discussions: Design in Sequential Art Storytelling'' (

, 2002, reprinted July 2007, ) *'' Comics Above Ground: How Sequential Art Affects Mainstream Media'' (

, 2004, )

Comics

Interior work

*'' Bonds'' (

, August 2007) *''Beautiful Scars'' (with Guin Thompson, Original graphic novel,

, March 2014, forthcoming)

Cover work

*''Batman: Officer Down'' (

) *''

'' (

Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...

) *''

'' (

)

Games

White Wolf, Inc. White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant

References

Inline citations

General references

*
RPG Database profile

New Media professor receives recognition from prestigious illustrators organization
February 12, 2007

External links

Profile site
*

Interviews

CBR News: Durwin Talon "Bonds" with Comics

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

, July 11, 2007
Interview
Slushfactory, July 16, 2007
Announcing: Stories Take on New Meaning in Archaia’s “Beautiful Scars” Exclusive
Multiversity Comics, December 9, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Talon, Durwin Artists from London, Ontario Canadian illustrators Canadian comics artists Canadian academics Savannah College of Art and Design faculty Living people Syracuse University alumni University of Hartford alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis faculty