kumerish
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Q&A
🕑 Added 2023-02-28 19:48:26 +0000 UTCHello!
I recently received an email from a high school student who had to interview an artist. I figured I may as well share my answers to the questions here in case there's anything of value or interest. Feel free to ask any questions you may personally have after reading this! Making art in this world is strange and, at the very least, I'd like to be an open book in order to potentially aid in others along on their artistic journeys.
All the best,
Adam
- What are you currently working on?
I'm currently finishing up work on a young adult graphic novel which will be out in the spring of 2024. I'm also always working on my comic strip Blind Alley.
- What is your preferred medium?
Despite enjoying painting, I'm at my happiest when I am drawing with a pen or pencil on paper.
- Do you have any work you're especially proud of?
I'm quite proud of the book I am currently working on and I can't wait to share more about it. Working on my comic Blind Alley has been such a joy as well - I can't believe people like it as it's such a personal project that I started at a low point during the pandemic. The fact it's "what I am known for" is flattering.
- How do you come up with ideas for your illustrations and comics?
For stories, I get my ideas just through living my life and observing. I love going on a long walk with no destination - I've always found that to be a time where my brain just automatically starts telling stories. When an idea recurs I know an idea is potentially worth pursuing! Trying to force a story from scratch is impossible for me but I find knowing why I want to tell a story makes it much easier; sometimes a whole plot comes just from knowing what I want to say or what I care about.
For illustrations, it just comes from spending time drawing in my sketchbook. Landing on something worth illustrating is an intuitive process. If I am struck by an image I just hope others will feel the same. I love drawing so most images are just an expression of that.
- How do you go about narrowing down ideas and choosing concepts for your work?
If I have an idea for a story and I find myself adding to it or shaping it I'll write it down.
Personally, I just love drawing - I find the literal process of looking at the world and interpreting it in different marks so satisfying. I think to make work with interesting ideas you have to be interested in experiencing all the world around you has to offer; people, the sciences, philosophies, histories, and different lived experiences of all things. This could be as literal as being interested in looking at the world and trying to draw it; how you can express something as complicated as wind rippling through the branches of a tree using only line? Or it could be as conceptual as expressing some personal philosophy with abstract cartoon characters. The concepts or ideas in my drawings are shaped by own interests and experiences but it's not so specific as "choosing a concept". I feel drawing is such a personal experience that these interests just inherently come through as opposed to being specifically chosen. I think if I am interested in what I am drawing it usually seems interesting to other people. However, keeping your sketchbook private takes away the pressure of having to make "good" work which is creatively freeing. I try to not judge what I draw as I draw it. I'll later flip through my sketchbook and if I am struck by an image amongst the bad doodles I'll redraw it and that'll be the final image.
- What artists influence you?
There have been so many but the ones I always return to are Ben Shahn, Taiyo Matsumoto, Hayao Miyazaki, Charles Schulz and Maurice Sendak.
- Was there anything in particular that inspired you to make comics?
My father is an animator and there were always comics around. I've loved comics since I was little so it's hard to pinpoint something particular that encouraged me to keep going. I honestly have just always enjoyed the process of making them! As someone who loves to draw, it's always just felt like a natural extension of my desire to express the stories I tell myself in my head haha.
- What mistakes have you made and what did you learn from them?
So many!
I used to be incredibly hard on myself while drawing. I'd compare myself to others, feel envious of their skills, and judge my own work while I made it. It was so creatively stifling and it made me hate something I love. While I learned a lot from doing so, comparing myself to others also made me chase styles or use mediums I wasn't totally comfortable using. I think experimenting and copying others work is part of finding your own voice but it's hard to know if the existential turmoil of creating that work was worth it. Maybe it's something that can only be gained through confidence and age but I am now a lot kinder to myself; it's important to enjoy the work you make. Clinging to the fact that I enjoy drawing and that the simple act of doing so is a unique expression has been enough to keep me going since graduating university. That said, I can't be certain this is good advice - I think becoming good at art involves accepting a lot of discomfort; you have to practice drawing things you don't want to or looking for new ways of expression. A lot of the struggle and experiments undoubtedly made me better and shaped how I see and think about art so...¯ \_(ツ)_/¯
When I first graduated from art school, I was quite rigid in what I expected my career to look like. To the point where some successes didn't register as they weren't the success I had hoped for. I've learned to plan a lot less and just be grateful for any success that comes my way.
- How did you start making art?
My dad is an animator so I was always encouraged to draw. It's been something I've done for as long as I can remember.
- Why do you make art?
I sincerely enjoy it. It's endlessly engaging to me. I love the feeling of opening my sketchbook and interpreting the world around me. Trying to find new ways of expressing the feeling of the world I see is intoxicating and, at the very least, is a meaningful act to me personally. I feel very lucky that I am currently "making a living" off of it as I absolutely have no clue what else I could do without going crazy.
- What advice would you give to an art student?
Be kind to yourself, give yourself idle time, and disengage with social media if you find it stifling. Having a follower count is nice but creating work for yourself should come before creating work tailored to an audience; if you chase the latter you'll quickly burn out.
