Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Vanessa Bettencourt

by Mike Rhode

Last weekend, I briefly stopped in the Hooray for Books bookstore in Alexandria on Saturday to meet Portuguese cartoonist Vanessa Bettencourt who was doing a drawing workshop for children, and I enjoyed seeing her interact with the kids in the audience. She agreed to answer our usual questions about her journey from Europe to northern Virginia.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

My comics have a lot of humor and fantasy and a mix of manga and Disney styles together. When I'm not working on commissions for business, websites or people who want their portraits as comic characters, I work diligently on my personal projects.

I work daily on my free webcomic series, Notfrombrazil.com.

It started as an effective way to communicate with Jon, my fiancé in a long-distance relationship, and became a way to share my life with those who stayed behind at home after I moved from Portugal to the USA. Now I share my daily adventures as a freelance artist in the USA.

In 2015 I set a goal of a year to write, illustrate and completely finish a graphic novel on my own. I accomplished the goal. Polly and the Black Ink is 520 full-color pages that I divided into five paperbacks. The first three volumes are already available.

Sometimes I take commissions to do political cartoons (as happened with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence), but between social and political I favor social issues.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

For Polly and the Black Ink, I drew and wrote it all in paper for a few months first, then I scanned it and edited before the digital process of inking, coloring and adding the text. I write the text as I draw the scenes, instead of having a script. This way I have a better sense of space and where the text will fit in each panel.

This is my first graphic novel and I learned a lot, especially about writing short but meaningful sentences when sometimes I feel the character has so much more to say. For notfrombrazil.com I only work digitally. I have my format and I stick to it. Commissions can be digital or traditional. I use Photoshop and I recently upgraded from an Intuos3 to a Cintiq 13HD.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in December, 1979 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I moved to the USA in 2015. I met my fiancé in 2012 when he hired me to draw all the covers for his epic fantasy series Heir of Scars, including chapter illustrations and maps. A few years later we started the K1 Visa (fiancée process), which I describe with a lot of humor in notfrombrazil.com. He was currently working in DC so we decided to stay. I'm a freelance artist so it's easier to adapt. We live in Alexandria near the Potomac river. As a Portuguese soul, I miss the ocean a lot, so the river is nice to have nearby.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I have a degree in Portuguese and English literature. I became a teacher and worked for publishers as a fantasy illustrator Then, I returned to college for Fine Arts while I worked. I'm self-taught when it comes to comic books and cartoons. I started drawing this style for fun. A simple away to share my day with Jon then it became more serious. I intend to continue to learn, share and create more stories and worlds.

Who are your influences?

For fantasy illustration: William Bouguereau, Larry Elmore (and all D&D art), Luis Royo, Donato Giancola, Prince Valiant by Hal Foster…


For comics and cartooning: Calvin and Hobbes’ Bill Waterson, Bones by Jeff Smith, Asterix, Turma da Monica by Mauricio de Sousa, Hagar the Horrible by Chris Browne, W.I.T.C.H fantasy series, Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), Akihiro Yamada (Junni Kokki - The Twelve Kingdoms artist), all Disney, many manga, anime and fantasy books.

And for the surreal humor with a lot of nonsense: Mortadelo & Filemon by Francisco Ibanez Talavera, Guillermo Mordillo, Janguru wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu manga.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Sometimes I want to go back and retouch finished work. In the beginning, I wished I had more time to finish a cover or a project, but to get the commission we have to go with the publisher's schedule.

What work are you best-known for?

Notfrombrazil, because for the past two years I’ve been uploading thrice a week online, on the usual social media and in platforms such as tapastic and LINE Webtoon.

What work are you most proud of?

Polly and the Black Ink. I am really happy that I was able to create a compelling world, story and characters with a lot of adventure, action, mystery and fantasy parallel worlds that children, teens and adults feel compelled to read and discover. Also, the new art for the Heir of Scars book series.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

Continue to get as many commissions as possible so I can make my dreams come true. HaHa!
I will focus on finishing my epic novels so there’s not a gap between publishing Polly’s 5th volume and my next project. I will continue to work on the next covers for the Heir of Scars book also. My husband and I decided to agglomerate our projects under the same name, Violet West Entertainment, as we build our brand together.

I want to be proud of my projects, control the outcome as much as possible and be sure it's something memorable. I might return to Polly and the Black Ink for a second arc too later.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

Because I work in so many different projects and styles I got used to having an escape, but there are times that I can't work at all and I need to watch animation, movies, read, learn a new technique, go to a museum or a park, do something completely different from my daily routine and refill my batteries.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

Things change so quickly now. Everything has an up and down side. The system or the rules change without notice, and we're forced to go with the flow or stay behind. Artists and authors will always create and try to reach their audience.

The Internet allows us to publish our books, to see people engage daily with our process and become part of the process. What we do is starting to be seen more as a job. We are professionals.

Also, the audience is starting to learn how to give back. It balances all the free entertainment or work they've been having access to. That's why it's important to support artists. Kickstarter and Patreon are good examples of making it possible for an artist to work full time on their craft and support themselves.


What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I attended Katsucon last February as an artist with Polly and the Black Ink debut. I got a table and it was a great experience. The audience reacted very well to the books. We'll be attending Awesome Con DC again in June with Polly and the Black Ink and the Heir of Scars books and art. I will have book III available at our table.

Next event will be Small Press Expo. We've attended it as visitors before, but this time in September we will be managing a table with our books, including Polly and the Black Ink volume IV. The downside of having a table is to be stuck behind it and miss the panels, the contests, etc.

I also attend local events as much as possible, from bookstores to street art festivals when schedule allows. I had a great opportunity to publish one comic page on the Magic Bullet #14 and I intend to keep going.

I also have an invitation from Alexandria's Duncan Branch Library, where I taught a comic book workshop last year. I will be drawing people's portrait in my cartoonish style on the street and raise money for the library during the Del Ray Street Art Festival next September 7th, 2017.

Polly and I are available to attend schools, libraries and other events to share my experience as an independent author, but also to share my process and give some tips (ages 5 up). You can reach me on my official website www.vanessabettencourtart.com or contact me at vanessabettencourtart@gmail.com.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I love the free museums and the food diversity.

Least favorite?

The business, political stiffness and mood of the city.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

The Lincoln Memorial. The size of the sculpture helps, but the entire area has soul. There are many good museums. The National Museum of Natural History is my favorite to visit over and over. I get so much inspiration from it to draw and come up with new storylines. And I have to visit the Zoo. I haven't had the chance.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

I love food. It's hard to pick. Each day is a different mood. From Asian to Americana. There are good seafood places in Old Town, but being Portuguese, I also miss some of the fresh and diverse seafood that we don’t have here.

Do you have a website or blog?

I keep two websites. One as an artist and another for the free webcomic series notfrombrazil.
My website www.vanessabettencourtart.com has a blog where I share news of my creative process, tutorials, articles with events and book releases.

People are free to subscribe to get news of the next events or book releases.

For those who wish to get a weekly reminder of notfrombrazil.com subscribe to the website www.notfrombrazil.com. I add new episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

You can also find the following pages on Facebook: @pollyandtheblackink, @notfrombrazil, @vanessabettencourtart and @heirofscars up to date.

On Instagram: @vanessabettencourtart where I host giveaways.

Kathleen Brenowitz - An Artomatic update interview

 by Mike Rhode


A few years back we interviewed Kathleen Brenowitz about her cartooning. She's currently exhibiting her work at Artomatic, and we checked back in with her.

How did you decide to exhibit at Artomatic?

Oddly enough, through LARPing! (Live Action Role Playing). Wyrd Armories (https://wyrdarmouries.com) - the duo who make up the rest of the room I'm displaying in - are friends of mine I met while LARPing with my significant other. When talking shop, Cynthia mentioned Artomatic, and that we all should try to get a room together - and once I'd seen some pictures of previous shows, I was hooked!


As a sequential artist, how did you decide what to include in the show?

While I'm most known for my comics, I'm also known for my prints - most of them being of characters or worlds I plan to develop as part of my stories. Also I'd been working on stand-alone pieces for a pal's choose your own adventure - the finished "From Out of a Dream" and the current "Back Alive or Maybe Dead".  So all the pieces may have been more illustrative than my usual, there is a theme and a story up on the Artomatic wall.

Has exhibiting at an art show been different than a comic con?

It has been wonderful to get out from behind the table, hands down. At the last meet the artist night, it was a delight to wander from small group to small group, answer questions, and generally move around. Cons have you standing in one place for hours, and it's hard to not get ansty. I also felt like less of a carnival barker - I waved to some people who passed by the room, but I never felt the need to shout to slow down a hurried seeker. At a con, you end up with people walking past a row of  booths simply because it's more of a market - and you're not the booth they're trying to find; as a seller, you need to catch attention, usually with a loud greeting. I may have nearly lost my voice at the artist night, but it was from chatting, not hailing.

The crowd is also a little different - most of my experience of larger cons has been one of younger crowds and a great deal of shopping. Artomatic has the shopping element (in fact, my pieces are available for sale!) but with the motion of going in and out of each little room, there's a urge to linger that comes from passing a threshold. The Artomatic crowd is also very diverse in terms of ages - teenagers stopped by due to the free admission and curiosity, young couples on date nights, middle-aged artists who wanted to see what new stuff had been made, older folks who had great commentary on ink lines. In depends on the con, but I'm used to seeing fewer families and the age range as tilting towards younger - it was nice to have it flip for a change!



Has it been successful for you in reaching an audience?

Well, half of the art scene in DC knows my day job (art store minion) now, and I ran out of business cards. Time will tell if this brings in more sales/views/general eyeballs-on-my-work overall, but it's been a nice stretch of my boundaries. I'd love to do more long-term shows like this!

Nishith "Nish" Pandya - An Artomatic Interview

by Mike Rhode


Nishith "Nish" Pandya's illustration style, as on display at Artomatic, is somewhat cartoony, but his use of the web-handle "cartoonish" led us to decide to reach out to him. (all images from his websites, as my photos from Artomatic did not come out well).

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

Lately, my drawing style has been combining my characters and my love for nature and hiking.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I mainly work in pencil, charcoal, or pen-n-ink. I think these mediums tend to enhance the mood I try to create in the drawings.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in 1970 in Baroda, India.


Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I moved up to DC for a software job and I have been living in Capitol Hill.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Aside from watching cartoons on tv...none.


Who are your influences?

I think Bugs Bunny did this to me! I would religiously watch Loony Toons on Saturday mornings.

But somewhat-recent animation programs that I love include Invader Zim and Ed, Edd, and Eddy.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

My day job is software and sometimes I wish I had focused more on my art.

What work are you best-known for?

Lately, I think I am known for my nature-inspired drawings.

What work are you most proud of?

I have few personal favorites. One of them is on display at Artomatic. It's an illustration of a girl reading a book by a tree.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I am currently learning oil painting. I have tons of sketches that I would like paint...and finally work with color.

In addition, I keep saying I would like to write and illustrate a children's book.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I get drawing blocks and many times I'll go on nature walks to get ideas and inspiration.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I have not attended any cons. I think I need to attend some!

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I think DC is a great walkable city and I definitely do a lot of walking.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to? 

Neither a monument nor a museum, but I like to take visitors to Great Falls if they have never seen it before.

Which side?

I like both sides.

I prefer the hiking on the MD side for myself.

But if my parents come visit me, I ll take them to the VA side since its easier for them to walk around.

Least favorite?

Easy answer...the summers. it gets too hot here.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

It's a chain but I like Matchbox.

Do you have a website or blog?

I am on Instagram. My username is cartoonish2.

I also have a few drawings on www.coroflot.com/cartoonish

Rockeats Alcoreza - An Artomatic Interview

by Mike Rhode

Rockeats Alcoreza's exhibit at Artomatic is heavily-influenced by graffiti and popular culture, especially animation. We reached out to him to ask our usual questions, some of which are less relevant to a painter than a cartoonist.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I do a mixture of urban street art and realism.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

Acrylic paint, sometimes oil.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I'm from DC.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in? 

I live in Arlington, VA's Green Valley.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

No training or education, but I feel if I take classes my talent will develop greatly.

Who are your influences?

Hip hop, anime, people

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I would've took art more serious back in middle school. I had a conflict with my art teacher at the time. I didn't continue with art. I completely dropped it. I recently picked it up again.  I know for a fact if I continued doing since middle school to high school, my art would be amazing beyond amazing because I would've learned so many techniques and been guided to produce better art.

What work are you best-known for?

My backgrounds (the patterns you see in majority of my art is called THE 88's).



What work are you most proud of?

Nothing really I feel like I could do a lot better when I look back at my work.

What would you like to do or work on in the future? 

Make comic strips, funny crude humor or create a book for kids. That would be the dream.



What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I hate when that happens; listening to music sometimes helps.



What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

Awesome con, but I would like to attend more. I'm not that informed about when these events happen.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

Our go-go music. Our sense of style, the way we talk, and also the fact we are at the nation's capitol.

Least favorite?

Traffic

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

Corinto gallery

How about a favorite local restaurant?

El Pollo Rico -  it's in Arlington - it's crack.



Do you have a website or blog?

Websites would be https://www.facebook.com/24mobrockeats
https://www.instagram.com/24mobrockeats/
Later I will create my own website.

Eric Gordon, the D.C. Creeper - An Artomatic Interview

by Mike Rhode

D.C. Creepers's Eric Gordon's work is usually based on live sketching of unaware subjects. He's sharing a room at Artomatic in Crystal City and agreed to answer our usual questions.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

My comics are all over the map. I've done giant robots, abstract collage stories, and dogs gambling. Most of my published work has been in DC's own Magic Bullet and I also self-publish a number of mini-comics and zines which sell at local shops and fests.  A few titles: Better Know a Ramen, Thank You For Your Cooperation, Mr. Squibly, Verse Scribble Verse, Vinyl Vagabonds and others.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I do as much of my black and white work by hand as possible. I feel the most control of the medium that way, even the mistakes. I prefer brush and ink, but will use various pens as well. I try not to discriminate that much and work to seize the creativity when it happens.  I'll do some manipulation and color work in Photoshop after as needed.  I've been adding some watercolor to the process lately as well.


When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

1975.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

Born and raised in Bethesda and have roots in the Silver Spring area which is where I currently roost.  I stay here mostly to be near my folks and because I have a good job in the arts with Art Enables, vocational programming for adults with disabilities who are artists.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Background in illustration and further studies in social work and mental health.  I interned at Marvel for a while and have worked in animation, graphic design, and gallery management.  I also credit my comic and cartooning experience to the local comic shop, Big Planet in Bethesda, as well as Atomic in Baltimore. Lots of good influences there.  I also was in a cartooning club at the local JCC for a few years growing up, which was pretty formative.

Who are your influences?

I've always been in deep debt to Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan and Jack, Brian Ralph, Daniel Clowes, Scott McCloud, and Berkeley Breathed.  Many others, but these are the first that come to mind.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Wish I could have been at Marvel in the 60s instead of the 90s during the bankruptcy.  Also, would have gladly skipped the dot-com boom and bust.

What work are you best-known for?

Probably Mr. Squibly, a gum drop headed every man type. Made at over a dozen mini comics with him.  Also DC Creepers, which is a long running action sketching project I've been working on.

What work are you most proud of?

Mega Turg, my giant robot comic that was in Magic Bullet #3 and 12. Those comics are ridiculous, challenging, and mega fun (see what I just did there?).

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

Keep challenging myself to make comics (and art in general) that is honest and full.  There have been a few invites to do comics that just didn't make sense for me and my voice. I'm excited about a four-page project for a Cartoonists Draw Blood compilation that is coming together, and a continuing series of paintings inspired by the local music scene.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

Procrastinate? No, that's bad. Usually I call my brother, a close friend in Queens, or talk to my wife.  They always seem to know the answer or give me such a wrong answer that it fires me up. Either way I am very lucky to have them for support.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

Small press publishing/self-publishing. Print is being killed by the internet so it's up to local art scenes, zine fests, comics clubs, art studios, and individuals to make the comics of the future. Online is a part of it, but the power and quality of paper is just impossible to ignore.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

DC Zinefest -  one of the best I've ever tabled at - great books and crowd. SPX - been going since it began and tabled for the first time last year. It's crazy, but great. Richmond Zinefest - great people and books.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

The Maryland part... seriously though... it has to be the diversity. The Silver Spring area is insanely diverse culturally. That makes for great art, food, music, and life...  so many great subjects to draw from.



Least favorite?

Tourists and DC haters.  Don't like it here?  Please leave.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

National Arboretum, Portrait Gallery, Art Enables galleries, and #1 is Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Quarry House.

Do you have a website or blog?

www.dccreepers.blogspot.com

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Beth Varni

by Mike Rhode

Beth Varni is new to the comic book world, and has agreed to answer our usual questions about her work and life.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do? 

I do inking, pencils, and colors.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination? 

Computers, traditional, and combination.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born? 

1989.

What neighborhood or area do you live in? 

I live in Woodbridge Va

What is your training and/or education in cartooning? 

I have a BFA in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University

Who are your influences? 

Adam Hughes, Tomm Cooker, Mike Mignola, Paul Azaceta, and far too many others to name. I am actually pretty shitty at names.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? 

Early on I had an internship comic job with a company near George Mason. I'm not going to name them, and it was all around not a great experience. I was used to make logos as an unpaid intern as the ONLY logo designer they had and they advertised it. I was stolen from the company by my art director who more than likely cut my convo with the owner and took me, and then threw fits when I wanted to be paid for my colors. All around terrible.

The Witch art by Paul Moore, colors by Varni

What work are you best-known for? 

Um, I am actually very very new to comics only a year in and I think for The Last Hunt with Amigo Comics I am getting the most inquiries about. I did the colors; Paul Moore did the gorgeous pencils and inks. I also work on colors for The Shepard by Calibur comics which I've gotten positive feedback from.

What work are you most proud of? 

I think it's my non-comic works involving my niece and nephew. I do regular art, paintings, sculptures- I think what I love the most are the paintings of my family. They mean something to me. A birth, a quiet moment with a nana, a smiling baby for the first time. Those I love.

What would you like to do or work on in the future? 

Varni colors over Paul Moore art

Character design and colors are what I love in the realm of comics and games. I really want to work with my co-artist Paul Moore on some more stuff. I'd like to do colors for an Image series and of course for Marvel. A big dream of mine is doing concept art for a Bioware game. (Mass Effect lover here).

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block? 

Play video games. Go out with my friends. Cuddle with my dogs.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

It looks like it's headed into big growth right now. My generation's moving into the creation and profit fields- they like comics and games and movies. Of course we have different opinions than the old school creators so the art styles, panels, covers, even methods of story telling are being tested and changed. I hate when people say "this is the way we do this" well yeah, it's YOUR way to do it. Not the only way. It's fun to see what new paths comics and art in general will take in the future.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

McKinnon Chronicles art by Matt Trinh, colors by Varni

Haha. I've actually NEVER gone to a con as an artist. I went to Otakon a long time ago with my friends... Tiki and the Revolution? Took home the best sketch trophy. Martial artists and Streetfighter work well together.

What's your favorite thing about DC? 

I love all the restaurants and the shows at the Verizon center. Initial reaction was I love the Cherry Blossom Festival - and the Beer festivals nearby at the Washington Harbor are very fun as well.

Least favorite? 

Traffic. I travel a TOOON so I can say we have some of the worst traffic in the world sometimes. Istanbul has us beat from what I've experienced but still DC traffic sucks.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to? 

I love to take them to the Mall and show them all the museums. Native American, Art, Natural History, Space! All so fun and fantastic.

How about a favorite local restaurant? 

In DC it's Zaytinya over by the Verizon Center. Took my dad there for his 60th bday- he loved it and so did my whole family. Great place; I cannot recommend it enough. 

Cunning Folk by Varni

Do you have a website or blog?

I have a website, it's my online portfolio. It has comic art, video game art, and just regular art for the sake of art- www.bethvarni.com

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Lenora Yerkes

by Mike Rhode

I met Lenora Yerkes recently at a local art book festival where she was selling two minicomics.


What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I write stories inspired by my life--you might call it personal or observational narrative drawing. 

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I'm all analog--pens and paper and nothing fancier than a nice Japanese pen and a kinda busted scanner. 

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

My favorite Dolly Parton song (9 to 5) was a Billboard #1 hit the year I was born--in Los Angeles, CA. 

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

This is my tenth year in DC and my seventh in Bloomingdale. I came for graduate school and stayed for love--of this weird place and its weird people.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning? 

Twenty Six Days

In cartooning? None at all. My drawing has always been narrative and it's always told stories. I've drawn comics over the years, along with big narrative drawings and prints, but recently I'm devoting more time to this "comix" format that brings writing and drawing together into more literal narratives. 

Who are your influences?

Lynda Barry, for sure, but also Vanessa Davis and Evan Dorkin and Kathe Kollwitz (OG narrative printmaker!) and the surrealist painters Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I would have worked more. There's always room for more work. 

What work are you best-known for?

This season, I shared a lot of a mini-comic I made called "Hibakusha." An interesting thing happened in sharing that book that I didn't expect--a lot of young people were interested because of the ostensible subject, but a lot of older folks were drawn in by the title, which is a word not that commonly used anymore. Response to that story has been great. 

What work are you most proud of? 

"Twenty Six Days" turned out beautifully and was a bear to compose. The process of writing that one is something I hope to improve on and then bottle. 

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

Longer works! I'm a long-winded, round-about lover of analogies and metaphors, so I work a lot on making complex ideas concise. I'd love to build the patience to compose and draw a longer story. 

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

Twenty Six Days page

These days, I go for a swim. My father-in-law tells me we get more ideas when we're in the water. 

What do you think will be the future of your field?

Comics or narrative drawing or cartooning--whatever you call it--can be used to tell any kind of story. We're situated to redefine what people think when they hear these words and move these kinds of drawings into every field. 

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I tabled at SPX this year for the first time and was lucky enough to participate in the first ever DC Art Book Fair. It's a huge, diverse community of a lot of artists doing different things. 

What's your favorite thing about DC?

Hibakusha detail

DC is like no where else and every where else, all at once. 

Least favorite?

Rent. 

What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

Actually, the view from the top of the 13th Street hill is one of my faves right now. 

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Meats & Foods at 247 Florida Ave NW--a beautiful simple store making great food. 

Do you have a website or blog?

The best place to see my work is Instagram @lenorayerkes, but you can also see it at lenorayerkes.tumblr.com. 

 

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Sean Causley

by Mike Rhode

Sean Causley attended SPX this year, and kindly agreed to answer our usual questions about his work.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

My current comic work is my self-published book, Panda Force. It’s about babies from the future that battle evil forces, but they usually just end up destroying everything in their path. There are a lot of one-liners, some potty humor, and a good amount of cute and crude moments. It’s a fun, lighthearted, zany project that gives me a lot of laughs as I work on it. It’s essentially a big love letter to my daughter, Rowan. I have several other projects that I have various roles on, but I do everything on Panda Force, which is nice because it gives me 100% creative control.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

It’s evolved into a combination of traditional and digital. I sketch everything on the computer with my Wacom tablet. I then print out the rough sketches on cardstock and traditionally ink the page. Once that’s done, I scan the page and then finish it on the computer. It’s a crazy process, but I still enjoy the tangible, tactile part of creating at least a portion of the art away from the computer.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was raised in the 80s and 90s — also known as THE greatest decades — in Fort Hunt, Alexandria, VA. I have many fond memories from growing up where I did, so I’m very thankful to my parents and grandparents for that.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I live out in Chantilly, VA. It’s a great family-friendly area. Super wholesome and what not. Most of my family still lives in the area, so that’s a big reason we’ve stuck around DC.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Fairfax County in my mind is very progressive when it comes to education in the arts. I spent several summers at the Institute for the Arts (IFTA) which opened me up to computer art, airbrushing, character design, all these really obscure ways of creating art which expanded my vision for what art can be. I owe a lot to that program. West Potomac is where I attended high school. Their arts program in the Springbank building was really awesome—and I hear it still is. It was one of the first schools with a dedicated computer lab dedicated solely to creating art. We had a whole bunch of Apple Quadras. Google image search that if you want to truly understand how ancient I am.

This isn’t education or training related, but the Pearl Arts and Crafts store that used to be on Telegraph Road was an amazing place to me when I was a kid. You could get everything under the sun there, and the tools you use are just as important (if not more) than any training you can ever receive, since so much of creating art is based on experimentation.

I studied graphic design and illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. That was a great experience, as well. It’s almost intimidating how many amazing artists come in and out of that place. Being surrounded by all that creativity was inspiring and motivating.

Who are your influences?

I’ve always loved surreal art, and there are a variety of artists and creators that I’ve admired from afar, but none that I feel like I’ve tried to draw inspiration from. So in that sense, I don’t know if I have any real artistic influences. My main source of inspiration is family, friends and everyday life occurrences and experiences. Oh, and pizza. Definitely pizza. I’m more creative on a full stomach.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Nothing. No regrets! I try to keep the mindset of, “what awesome things can I create today and tomorrow” as opposed to dwelling on things I could’ve done differently in the past.

What work are you best-known for?

I did a good amount of tour and gig posters in the late 90s and early 2000s for the band 311 and a bunch of other random groups. I’m also the Creative Director for ROIAdvertising, so you can find a lot of my graphic design work online. My tumblr site that I curate with Julian Lytle called Long Boxes on 22s has a solid group of followers and fans. It’s a blog where we mash-up comics with pop and hip hop culture. I guess that is more what I’m “known for”, at least according to Google. Now that I’m getting Panda Force out there and some of the other books that I have lined-up, I’m hoping I can become better known for my visual storytelling.

What work are you most proud of?

Anything that I am currently working on. Like most artists, I’m horrified of any art that I’ve created that is over a couple weeks/months old.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I’m about 75% of the way done with Panda Force, so I’m kind of excited about the “unknown” after that. I’ve got a bunch of ideas swirling around in my head of things I’d like to create, but right now I’m very focused on completing this first series before I get ahead of myself.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

Stop creating. Take a break and enjoy life. Recharge.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

I think the future will be the acceptance that both digital and traditional forms of media, and creating things can coexist together. That one is not going to completely take over the other, as we like to try and predict. 

I also feel the future will be more focused on quality over quantity. I think right now that we as creators are too focused on producing as much content as possible, as opposed to focusing on the quality of the craft. 

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I just got into the whole convention rigmarole this year. The local ones I’ve done are Awesome Con, Baltimore Comic Con, and SPX.

I have to say, it’s been a lot of fun. I really enjoy meeting new people, and seeing them excited about Panda Force. I have to send a special thanks to Julian Lytle, Shawn Pryor, Ronald Wimberly, and Carolyn Belefski for their guidance and support with the conventions and comic book business. An extra special thanks goes to my wife, Tracy who’s the one to actually get me off my posterior to put my art out into the world and not leave it in a closet gathering dust. High fives, all around.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

It has a little bit of everything for everybody. You also get all the seasonal changes. In comparison to most places, it’s pretty diverse and progressive.

Least favorite?

Interstate 66. Metro delays. Mondays after the Redskins lose.

What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

I usually just direct people to the National Mall and say “peace be with you”, but if I had my own choice it would be a toss up between the Hirshhorn — or my own personal favorite — the National Museum of Natural History. They have dinosaur bones, the Hope Diamond and an insect zoo. I mean, how rad is that?

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Minerva in Chantilly is our go-to if we want some good Indian cuisine. My family can put away some wings, so we hit up Buffalo Wing Factory pretty frequently. When we do it up big, we go to Tuscarora Mill out in Leesburg. I also can’t forget the Silver Diner. I’m a complete sucker for a burger and shake.

Do you have a website or blog?

I’m on Twitter at @causleyconcepts. That is probably the best way to follow everything I create. If you’re a hip hop head, you can check out Longboxes on 22s at longboxeson22s.tumblr.com. You can buy book one of Panda Force at pizza-bandit.com.