Can I interview you for a school project?

I can't help you with this, sorry! If you’re looking to write a profile of me for school you’re welcome to peruse this FAQ or any number of interviews I’ve done for information about me.

What advice can you give an aspiring comic artist?

Anyone can do it! IMO cartooning is one of the most egalitarian mediums out there. It’s fine if you’re not the most technically proficient artist or most natural writer yet. The important thing is to develop your own voice, and the way to do that is to get started. Almost everything I do in my comics now is something I learned while drawing webcomics as a teenager and have built on or improved over the years. You learn who you are as an artist, what tools you like, what parts of the process are easy or hard for you. Another thing I recommend is finding peers in comics, either online or at local comics or zine fests. Having people in your life who inspire and support you will carry you through all the harder parts of being an artist and challenge you to keep improving.

If you’re interested in publishing, I also recommend finding an agent! Having someone who knows the industry will help you immensely in finding a good home for your work and make sure you’re not taken advantage of.

I’m in high school and not sure if I should apply to art school. What do you recommend?

This is a complicated question, because the answer will be different for everyone! Some people really thrive under the structure and environment an art school provides, others not so much. I personally did not attend art school, but I kept drawing comics through my college years and that was my arts education. I went to comic shows and zine fests, put comics online and made friends with lots of other cartoonists my age (some in art school, others not). They were my peers and the people who kept inspiring me and challenging me to get better at what I do. In the meantime I got a social science degree because that was something I was also interested in. Even though I don’t work in that field now, it was an important period of my life and I think that experience has made my work stronger. But again, that’s me! A lot of cartoonists I admire have gone to art school and found it invaluable. The point is there’s no one way to break into an art career if that’s what you really want. Consider your own situation/needs and what’s best for you!

What materials do you use to make comics?

I do almost all my comics in natural media still, mostly because that’s how I learned to draw growing up and what I’m used to. All my books are drawn with a standard mechanical pencil on size 9”x12” Bristol vellum paper. For In Real Life and The Prince and The Dressmaker I inked with india ink and a Raphael Kolinsky or Winsor Newton Series 7 brush. For Stargazing I inked with an assortment of ball point pens I bought off JetPens. I wanted a quicker more naturalistic look that was also easier on my wrists and ball point pens were what I used to ink comics with as a teenager, so it was very easy to use. All three books were then scanned and colored in Photoshop with either a Wacom Intuos or Cintiq. Ash’s Cabin was inked with a ball point pen and watercolored on Bristol vellum paper.

I have a comic script. Would you be interested in doing the art?

Generally, no. If you’re a publisher or author with a proposal, please send it to my agent at hansenliterary @ msn.com!

I have an idea for a graphic novel series but I’ve never done a comic before. I have lots of character designs/development art but I don’t know how to get started. Help??

Start small! A lot of people have huge epic ideas they’ve been building for years and feel intimidated about getting started. You can still work on this project! Just think in smaller batches. Instead of worrying about that 600 page epic, start with a short story with these characters. Write or draw 10 pages, 5 pages, or even a single page. Whatever you can manage. As you become more familiar and comfortable with your own process, the less scary completing larger number of pages will be. The work doesn’t have to be perfect. Even now my work gets edited and I throw things out all the time. The important thing is you are able to complete a thing and learn something about your process along the way. Making art is a lifelong process!