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chasen S Grieshop
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Michael Turner RIP

Wed Jul 2, 2008, 11:31 PM
  • Mood: Joy
  • Listening to: Battlestar Galactica by Bear McCreary
  • Reading: Menel: The Spirit of Adonai
  • Watching: Battlestar Galactica
It was Saturday morning and we were getting ready for the big day at Wizard World Chicago. A friend's knock at the hotel room door delivered the bad news that a man whom I had admired long before many fans out there had passed on. Michael Turner had died at age 37 on Friday June 27th 2008. The news came as a shock to me as I'm sure it did to so many others.

As many of you know, or at least can obviously tell by looking at my work, Michael Turner has always been an inspiration to me, and my work since I started following his career in 1998. His Tomb Raider comics first caught my eye, and then in 1999 I picked up my first issue of Fathom his first creator owned property. His work inspired me to draw comics like no one else's had. I found myself going to the comic shop only to pick up his work. I used his work mostly to teach myself how to draw. But on that Saturday a shiver came over me when I realized I would never really have a reason to go back to the comic shop. The man who's work inspired me for so long would never again have new work out in stores past what he did before he had died.

On that Friday night, the world was robbed of someone who gave more of themselves than anyone else I have ever met in the comic industry. The first time I met Michael Turner was at Wizard World Chicago 2003. He was so happy and full of life back then, he looked genuinely happy to see me even though we had never met before. He made time for me to show him my work, like none of the other comic editors had. I knew at that moment that he was someone different. In an industry that was jaded and generally grumpy, here was a man who always put on a smile, and enjoyed what he did in life, he always made time for his fans even when he wasn't feeling well.

Unfortunately I didn't get to know him as well as others did, and for that I will always feel cheated, but even though I didnt get to know him well in person, I think I got to know him very well through his work. A person's work speaks volumes about who they are, and what values they uphold. Michael most certainly had high values if we are to judge him by his works.It had been my hope to one day draw with Michael Turner but that will never happen. Now, I like so many of his fans have to look to the future and carry on his legacy. Maybe not in our works, but in our hearts. Michael gave anyone who knew of him a piece of something that is special, and everyone of his fans should keep that and continue to be inspired from it now more than ever in memory of him.

Email me at

chasen@particle9productions.com





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deviantID

My name is Chasen Grieshop and I was born at Eglin Air Force Base on November the 5th 1982 to Bruce and Nancy Grieshop. Most of my life has been spent in pursuit of creativity in as many of its forms I could get my hands on. When I reached age 16 I took my entrence exam and enrolled in college. At age 17 I decided I would pursue three main professional fields, the first being comic book work, the second being acting, and the third would be filmmaking. Since I was self taught, and my interest in my subjects had already carried me far, I found that I was at a more advanced level than my peers. Even though I felt as though my work was at a different level, I in no way have ever felt as though I am superior to any one in any regaurd. My mom always taught me that God made all of us equal, and I sincerely believe that. A couple years went by in college until I decided my work had reached a semi professional level, at least to the point where I was comfortable showing it to people so I wouldn't be laughed at. It was around this time that a friend in one of my classes introduced me to Deviantart.

I made an account but really didnt get into if for nearly a year or so. I submitted a few pieces here or there but I didn't get any feedback from people and my highest number of comments on my work was 3 comments. I like many other people I suppose gauged my public approval ratings on the amount of interaction I got from the site. But of course back then the idea I would have to get out there and acctually talk to people to let them know about my work was kind of a foreign concept to me. I tried to get people interested in my work, and I soon realized that alot of people dont really get pageviews unless there is color. Of course there are those gems out there that get hundreds of comments and all they show is pencil work, but I was not one of those. I figured I needed work that was colored so it would stand out better. so I looked for people interested in coloring my work. no one was serious about it, so of course the old saying.... if you want something done, do it yourself.

I had a history in graphic design and I knew photoshop well at this point, so I used my knowledge to teach myself to color. I took hours each day looking for the right tutorials to teach myself comic techniques, and when I thought there was a better way to do something I relied upon my own knowledge and not just what some one else was saying is the proper way to do things. I've never been the type to just accept what some one else is saying without a logical explaination as to why.

Eventually through interacting with the community I started to acctually recieve traffic on my DA page, and my highest comment skyrocketed from 3 to 8.... yeah not that big of a jump for most of you, but for me back then I was astounded there were people who were taking note of my work. Now here I am a few years later, Ive had many kind comments by many kind people. I've also had some unkind comments from people who I simply believe to be jealous. Through all of the good and the bad comments I've relied on God to keep my head strait so that I never become like the people who I cant stand. The arrogant people who feel they are better just because God gave them something to work hard for, or the pridefull people who just think they are all that and then some because of who they are. I completely disagree with that mentality and I've faught with people like that my whole life.

When I was learning to draw, back before my college and DA days, few people know this, but I acctually learned the basics from the work of an artist at Archie comics simply named Spaz. He used to draw Sonic the Hedgehog, which in my youth I was completely obsessed with. In my opinion Spaz was the only Archie artist that caught the essence of how to draw Sonic, and like any good artist in training, I began to mimic his work. Of course eventually as I got older I got a little bored with drawing Sonic and his pals and wanted to learn how to draw people. For this I went to my local comic shop and looked for artistic work that inspired me like Spaz's work. I found one comic called Fathom, which was drawn by a man named Michael Turner. I fell in love with the style, because it was like Spaz's style in a more mature manner. I started to learn Turner's technique, and the style came easily because I had learned similar texture techniques because Spaz and Mike seem to have a kindred spirit in drawing. So aside from porportions I already had a style of drawing. Back then my quest was to understand what made people's faces different and I eventually came to the conclusion that it was a combination of alot of things and not just one; however, when I dug a little deeper to discover what I really wanted to know I found it. I really was seeking the technique to depict beauty, in a way I could understand it.

I am still on my journey of discovery, and I don't suppose I will ever find the end to my path, but finding the end is not why Im searching. There are questions that I asked when I was a little boy, but when I found the answers to those, I only asked more questions, and at some point I realized, there will never be an end to questions for one who seeks knowledge and wisdom, only more questions. So why bother to take the journey if it will be unsatisfying? I realized that it is only unsatisfying if you are unsatisfied with the knowledge that you will be forced to ask more questions. And if you can be satisfied with that knowledge, and the knowledge that it will be impossible for you to uncover every secret in the universe, than asking questions becomes like breathing, and you dont really feel bothered by it any more. Years down the road you will look back at how you used to think, and will realize that the limited ammount of information you had based all your opinions on is now obsolete because you didnt have the information you have now, because you bothered to continue to ask questions. I never have all the answers and I know I never will, but I will tell you this and I hope that my life is a testamant to what I believe, and that is that one should never stop asking questions, and thinking about one's own self, and how all aspects of life intertwine and influence other aspects of life.

Well if that all didn't tell you exactly who I am I don't know what would. I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope that you came away from the experience asking questions. Until next time... thats me...

Chasen Shane Grieshop

Devious Info

  • Current Residence: Navarre Florida ( its in the panhandle)
  • Interests: filmmaking, illustration, graphic design, photography, and acting
  • Favourite movie: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the rings
  • Favourite band or musician: Nickleback, Sarah Brightman, Bear McCreary, E.S. Posthumus
  • Favourite genre of music: Trance, Opera, and soundtracks
  • Favourite artist: Jesus
  • Favourite poet or writer: JRR Tolkien, and Moses (he wrote 5 very famous books)
  • Favourite photographer: dont have one
  • Favourite style of art: minimalistic design work
  • Operating System: windows XP pro
  • MP3 player of choice: WinAmp 5
  • Shell of choice: hey now, I live under a rock not a shell
  • Wallpaper of choice: ones I make ( thats why I make wallpapers)
  • Skin of choice: well Im kinda partial to my own
  • Favourite game: Dr Robotnik\'s Mean Bean Machine
  • Favourite gaming platform: plastation 2
  • Favourite cartoon character: Strong bad, Kronk, and Stitch
  • Personal Quote: he who loves his work never works another day in his life.
  • Tools of the Trade: my pencil, click eraser, and photoshop 7.0, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere 2.0
http://www.particle9productions.com

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Comments


~gometricnow:icongometricnow: May 31, 2009, 10:53:43 AM
Hey Chasen, heard through the grapevine that you weren't feeling too well. Hope you're doing better.
~NightPhoenixPress:iconNightPhoenixPress: May 23, 2009, 9:12:37 PM
This is great stuff. Check out our take on the Mike Turner Darkness cover.

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~loztheworm:iconloztheworm: May 7, 2009, 2:21:20 AM
i cant get over how cute youve gotten your i.d picture makes you look so handsome

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"my friends let us fight together again" - the boss from metal gear solid.
"may the force protect you always" - obiwan kenobi starwars.
"im the girl that will kick your arse'
"you think you can change me think again ill make sure you suffer".
*particle9:iconparticle9: May 7, 2009, 11:16:30 AM
haha thank you.

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~loztheworm:iconloztheworm: May 7, 2009, 12:21:04 PM
your welcome youve grown quite hadsome made me blush when i saw it

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"my friends let us fight together again" - the boss from metal gear solid.
"may the force protect you always" - obiwan kenobi starwars.
"im the girl that will kick your arse'
"you think you can change me think again ill make sure you suffer".
=mechangel2002:iconmechangel2002: May 3, 2009, 2:41:50 AM
Shoot, DA bumped you off my list again... darn glitch... oh hi! :D

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Diana Greenhalgh, professional inker
*particle9:iconparticle9: May 3, 2009, 7:50:42 PM
haha Hi!! its ok these things happen dont they :)

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Give us some feedback and visit. [link]
Or just visit the rest of what we do [link]
~VivianMckenzie:iconVivianMckenzie: Mar 22, 2009, 10:55:28 AM
Wow, cute and talented... Don't come by that too often... ;)

I really love your work.

:heart:

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Vivian McKenzie*
~thedarkentity:iconthedarkentity: Mar 7, 2009, 3:42:32 AM
Nice write up...I enjoyed reading it..i think i'll watch you..And oh..i would really appreciate it if you could come by gallery and offer some input...

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