How long have you been making comics?
All my life, but I got serious and directed about it when I turned 25. A big wave of graphic novels hit shelves around this time (2005-2006), with a wide variety of subject matters and aesthetics, and there was suddenly an area of comics for which I was well-suited. I decided to go to graduate school to learn the fundamentals of comics-making. I attended the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design in its second year, and the teacher-to-student ratio while I was there was 1:2. I got loads of attention and guidance from Shawn Crystal and Nolan Woodard, my two primary professors, and also learned quite a bit from Animation dept chair Matt Maloney and Sequential Art chair Pat Quinn. In the lead-up to grad school and during my first year, I made lots of mini-comics and short stories, and during my second wrote and drew my first professionally published graphic novel, a pirate story that earned me my first Eisner nomination, and a position on the faculty of the school upon receipt of my terminal degree.
I taught at SCAD for five years, publishing along the way, and in 2013 decided to turn my attention to making comics full-time (along with other art-related stuff like illustration and production design work).
All my life, but I got serious and directed about it when I turned 25. A big wave of graphic novels hit shelves around this time (2005-2006), with a wide variety of subject matters and aesthetics, and there was suddenly an area of comics for which I was well-suited. I decided to go to graduate school to learn the fundamentals of comics-making. I attended the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design in its second year, and the teacher-to-student ratio while I was there was 1:2. I got loads of attention and guidance from Shawn Crystal and Nolan Woodard, my two primary professors, and also learned quite a bit from Animation dept chair Matt Maloney and Sequential Art chair Pat Quinn. In the lead-up to grad school and during my first year, I made lots of mini-comics and short stories, and during my second wrote and drew my first professionally published graphic novel, a pirate story that earned me my first Eisner nomination, and a position on the faculty of the school upon receipt of my terminal degree.
I taught at SCAD for five years, publishing along the way, and in 2013 decided to turn my attention to making comics full-time (along with other art-related stuff like illustration and production design work).
What tools do you use to draw?
When I work digitally, I draw using a 2006 Wacom Cintiq with a Mac computer, and the program I use is Adobe Photoshop. When I work traditionally (on paper), I use these:
When I work digitally, I draw using a 2006 Wacom Cintiq with a Mac computer, and the program I use is Adobe Photoshop. When I work traditionally (on paper), I use these:
Usually, unless I'm traveling, I do my pencils (the rough underdrawing where it's okay to make plenty of mistakes) digitally, and then either print them out in very light blue or orange and do my final inks on top of that, or I'll print them out and use a lightbox and ink on a fresh sheet of paper.
I almost always ink and paint on a coated printer cardstock, usually Hammermill Color Copy Digital Cover (80 or 100 pound).
Who are your influences?
I'm always slightly influenced by whatever I might be reading or looking at, but the folks who have had the longest-lasting influence on me are Jeff Smith (general pacing and storytelling execution), Stan Sakai (structure and character), Bill Amend (dialogue pacing), and Guy Davis and Brian Hurtt (aesthetics). In non-comics arenas, the folks whose work has had the biggest impact on mine are authors Rosemary Sutcliff and George MacDonald Fraser, costume designer Sandy Powell, and archeologist/illustrator Peter Connolly. I'm also indebted to the guidance and instruction of many friends, especially my grad school mentor Shawn Crystal, my friends Matt Kindt, Brian Hurtt, Lucy Bellwood, Benito Cereno, and Dr. Eric Newsom, and my frequent collaborator and talk-out-story-details friend Kyle Starks. In terms of works that have had the biggest impact on me, I can point to the films ROB ROY (1995) and GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002), the TV shows DEADWOOD and AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, comics USAGI YOJIMBO, THE SIXTH GUN, TEXAS COWBOYS, and BONE, novel series THE FLASHMAN PAPERS, and the scholarship of fellow Kentuckian Benito Cereno as all having direct influence on the kind of stuff I do/make.
I'm always slightly influenced by whatever I might be reading or looking at, but the folks who have had the longest-lasting influence on me are Jeff Smith (general pacing and storytelling execution), Stan Sakai (structure and character), Bill Amend (dialogue pacing), and Guy Davis and Brian Hurtt (aesthetics). In non-comics arenas, the folks whose work has had the biggest impact on mine are authors Rosemary Sutcliff and George MacDonald Fraser, costume designer Sandy Powell, and archeologist/illustrator Peter Connolly. I'm also indebted to the guidance and instruction of many friends, especially my grad school mentor Shawn Crystal, my friends Matt Kindt, Brian Hurtt, Lucy Bellwood, Benito Cereno, and Dr. Eric Newsom, and my frequent collaborator and talk-out-story-details friend Kyle Starks. In terms of works that have had the biggest impact on me, I can point to the films ROB ROY (1995) and GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002), the TV shows DEADWOOD and AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, comics USAGI YOJIMBO, THE SIXTH GUN, TEXAS COWBOYS, and BONE, novel series THE FLASHMAN PAPERS, and the scholarship of fellow Kentuckian Benito Cereno as all having direct influence on the kind of stuff I do/make.
Do you take commissions?
I mostly only do commissions (that's where someone pays an artist to draw something specific for them so that they might own that piece of art, though that does not convey publishing rights to that art, which is a different thing) via Patreon, which is a crowdfunding platform where folks can financially support an artist that they like via a monthly pledge, and in return for pledges of different amounts they receive different rewards (kind of like supporting NPR). I have a limited number of commission tiers available, and whoever is pledging in those tiers receives a commission for each month for which they are charged.
Outside of Patreon, when my schedule permits, I usually announce if I intend to take on commissions via social media (twitter and facebook, usually, as well as via Patreon. I also do quicker, simpler drawings for people at conventions at which I appear.
I'm a teacher or professor, can you do a visit with my class?
While my schedule doesn't permit putting together a presentation for a class unless I'm teaching it (or being compensated for the presentation), I'm always happy to do a virtual/zoom Q&A with college-level comics and animation classes, or any level classes that have been prepped for the visit (i.e. the students have prepared questions about a career in narrative arts, or read a book I've done, etc). Q&A's require little-to-no prep time on my part and can be useful to students, but they do take time out of the work day, so while I'm over the moon to offer any help or context that I can to rising storytellers and artists, I do ask that, if you're interested in having me join your class, you make sure that the time is well-spent by prepping your class for it ahead of time (and send me a reminder e-mail the day before). Contact me via the e-mail on my contact page.
I mostly only do commissions (that's where someone pays an artist to draw something specific for them so that they might own that piece of art, though that does not convey publishing rights to that art, which is a different thing) via Patreon, which is a crowdfunding platform where folks can financially support an artist that they like via a monthly pledge, and in return for pledges of different amounts they receive different rewards (kind of like supporting NPR). I have a limited number of commission tiers available, and whoever is pledging in those tiers receives a commission for each month for which they are charged.
Outside of Patreon, when my schedule permits, I usually announce if I intend to take on commissions via social media (twitter and facebook, usually, as well as via Patreon. I also do quicker, simpler drawings for people at conventions at which I appear.
I'm a teacher or professor, can you do a visit with my class?
While my schedule doesn't permit putting together a presentation for a class unless I'm teaching it (or being compensated for the presentation), I'm always happy to do a virtual/zoom Q&A with college-level comics and animation classes, or any level classes that have been prepped for the visit (i.e. the students have prepared questions about a career in narrative arts, or read a book I've done, etc). Q&A's require little-to-no prep time on my part and can be useful to students, but they do take time out of the work day, so while I'm over the moon to offer any help or context that I can to rising storytellers and artists, I do ask that, if you're interested in having me join your class, you make sure that the time is well-spent by prepping your class for it ahead of time (and send me a reminder e-mail the day before). Contact me via the e-mail on my contact page.
I'm a convention or conference organizer/librarian/educator/bookseller, and I'm interested in inviting you for an event. How do I do that?
Please feel free to contact me via e-mail with the details.
Conventions:
I tend to exhibit at only about four or five per year, as they dramatically cut into my work schedule, and I'm unlikely to exhibit at events with fewer than 25,000 attendees. This isn't an ironclad rule, but it's very rare that I do smaller shows. I do like to try and couple my convention appearances with local visits (taking in museums and such), so if a convention is in a place I'm keen to visit (especially outside the US) and you're willing to cover my travel and lodging, I'm far more likely to attend a smaller show.
Library Visits:
If your library is within an hour and a half drive of Hopkins County, Kentucky, I'm happy to attend any author panel discussions or to do a Q&A with a librarian. Unless I'm currently promoting a book or project (I'll say so here), any presentations requiring advance preparation would need to be compensated. For non-local libraries, I would need for the library to cover my travel costs, and, unless I'm promoting a book, compensation for prepared presentations.
Free Comic Book Day:
I tend to keep local for FCBD when I participate, but if you have a store and are interested in having me, please get in touch with the details. I don't charge for sketches or sell my own stuff at FCBD, so my main concerns are not going out-of-pocket on travel or food costs, and visiting stores that make an effort to sell titles that I work on, or my books (especially shops who work to cultivate a kid and family customer base).
Store Visits:
I tend to only do store visits when I'm promoting a book release, but please feel free to reach out with details.
Please feel free to contact me via e-mail with the details.
Conventions:
I tend to exhibit at only about four or five per year, as they dramatically cut into my work schedule, and I'm unlikely to exhibit at events with fewer than 25,000 attendees. This isn't an ironclad rule, but it's very rare that I do smaller shows. I do like to try and couple my convention appearances with local visits (taking in museums and such), so if a convention is in a place I'm keen to visit (especially outside the US) and you're willing to cover my travel and lodging, I'm far more likely to attend a smaller show.
Library Visits:
If your library is within an hour and a half drive of Hopkins County, Kentucky, I'm happy to attend any author panel discussions or to do a Q&A with a librarian. Unless I'm currently promoting a book or project (I'll say so here), any presentations requiring advance preparation would need to be compensated. For non-local libraries, I would need for the library to cover my travel costs, and, unless I'm promoting a book, compensation for prepared presentations.
Free Comic Book Day:
I tend to keep local for FCBD when I participate, but if you have a store and are interested in having me, please get in touch with the details. I don't charge for sketches or sell my own stuff at FCBD, so my main concerns are not going out-of-pocket on travel or food costs, and visiting stores that make an effort to sell titles that I work on, or my books (especially shops who work to cultivate a kid and family customer base).
Store Visits:
I tend to only do store visits when I'm promoting a book release, but please feel free to reach out with details.