Remembering as far back as I can, being a kid in the little town of Lindenhurst, in Illinois, I always wanted to do something in the "arts" field. Everyday I'd RUN home from the bus stop after getting let off the bus from school and put on cartoons until I had to go to bed. Doing my homework during commercials. On the weekends, I'd watch my Saturday morning cartoons religiously and try to draw the characters. Of course the drawing weren't the greatest, but I never gave up. I kept on pushing forward until I got them to look like how I wanted them. I did this for YEARS! Even as an adult.
I had a Preschool art project I had to create about the outdoors. I think it was some kind of show and tell. I didn't want to just bring something in and talk about it, I wanted to think outside the box and create something. Both my parents and I came up with a "television" type of thing. Where you take an empty shoe box, flip it on its side, cut a rectangle out of the bottom take receipt tape, draw on that and with 2 pencils attache that to the inside of the shoe box on either side of the cut out rectangle and roll the pencils to where it looks like you're watching a moving scene. I'm pretty sure I'm not explaining that right, but ask me about it when I see you next, and I'll tell you about it in person..lol!
But this was my first introduction to "ANIMATION".
Many many years later I was honored to become a professional comic book colorist working for companies such as Marvel, Image, Storm King Productions, Zenescope, After Hours Press (who gave me my break) and many more. I've worked 10 years full time as a comic book colorist. Winning and being nominated for numerous awards. But in 2015, I woke up, almost shot straight up and said "I want to do animation". From that day on, I went forward with creating my own studio..Jeff Balke Studios.
When you go to comic book conventions as an artist and sell the art you worked on, you kind of get sucked into this machine where you create prints of characters you don't own. Like Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and so on. It can be decent money at times, but, even though it's your art (or in my case colors), it's NOT your own characters. And that's what I was looking for. My own characters to bring to life. Not only in comic form, but on the big screen.
This year was the final year for me selling any of the "superhero" type prints of characters. In 2018, I'm really bringing Jeff Balke Studios to the front of the line. Bringing my own characters and stories to fans and people all over the world to enjoy. It's going to be a challenge, but, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. I'm ready for the challenge. This is the NEW chapter..or really..BOOK of my life. And I HOPE, you will follow me on this new adventure.
