Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts

Monday, June 16, 2025

TCAF answers! from Alex Lupp

 by Mike Rhode

A few local cartoonists were selected to attend TCAF in Canada this year - it's a curated show, and not a lottery like SPX is. I think it has invited guests and people who apply to exhibit. I reached out to ask about their experiences. Alex's profile interview is here and when I saw him recently at Fantom Comics, he said new issues of Sand are coming.

How did you get selected for this show? Did you have to apply?

I did have to apply and was selected. TCAF is a curated show, and from what I can tell a lot of thought goes into that decision making process. I also applied last year, and was not selected, but that rejection came with an email explaining their decision. This is relatively rare in my experience. They specifically took the pains to explain that they reviewed my work and would consider me a stronger applicant this year, and encouraged me to apply again. These application processes can often be fairly opaque, so that small touch truly went a long way. 

Was this your first time?

Yes and no. I've been to TCAF many times starting in 2015, but all prior times it was either as a table helper, with maybe one comic on the table, or just attending for fun. Even though this was my fifth TCAF, it was the first where I applied by myself and was accepted. 
 
 Why do you go to TCAF so often? It's got to be a fairly expensive trip from the DC-area....
 
 Initially it was because my partner at the time was accepted to table, and I tagged along to help out & cover the event for my blog at the time (now defunct for years). That fist time I just fell in love with the show & Toronto, so tagged along again in 2017 & 2019. It's really one of the premier shows of its type & size. Finally in 2022 I went for fun, and it was honestly part of what motivated me to return to Sand and finish writing the story. There was a hiatus of six years between the first issue and the second, which was then finished the following year in 2023. After all that, I was fully motivated to be accepted on my own, and so here we are!

How was the experience? How does it compare to SPX or other local cons?

TCAF is always a great time. Comics are frequently a solitary experience, so these periodic pilgrimages we undertake to shows like TCAF are a good reminder that we're not alone on this creative journey. 

TCAF is in many ways very similar to SPX, but with some clear advantages. Whether previously when it was located in the Toronto Reference Library or this year at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, TCAF has always been located fairly centrally in Toronto. It is also free to attend. All of which makes it much easier to attend and makes for a very diverse & receptive audience. It is also much more carefully curated, while the SPX lottery feels very arbitrary. I've only ever tabled at SPX thanks to being able to share a space with friends. I've never won the lottery myself, meanwhile it feels like other creators are there every year. 

That said, I live about five minutes away from SPX, so it will always have a special place in my heart. 
 
 

How were your sales? Did you reach a new audience?

Sales were okay. I reached the minimum amount where they didn't feel bad, but I definitely had higher hopes. It was actually somewhat shocking that I did better at Zenkaikon, a smaller anime show in Lancaster, PA. Some of this might have been due to the general uncertainty of the times, or maybe just that I was located at the back of the smaller room, which may have impacted foot traffic. It also did not help that I was in the room that literally had a waterfall spring from the ceiling. My own table was not damaged, but some were, and from what I understand TCAF intends to refund table fees for those individuals. It is worth noting that this was TCAF's first time in a new space, and clearly that came with some growing pains. 

That said, it's always great to engage with a new audience, and see their excitement for your work. One person in particular returned on the second day to buy all of my comics, after buying & reading one the day before. How can that not feel great? 

How did Canadians react to Americans in light of the current administration's misbehavior to our ally?

People were exceptionally friendly. It was actually impressive how little the current administration's misbehavior actually impacted things. There were some remarks for sure, but all in good jest like people mentioning the Trump/Musk breakup. It was also interesting to note that I did have a couple of expats come by my table, and mention that they specifically left the US due to the volatility of the past several years. You hear people joke about that, but I was surprised to see it manifest. 

Lastly, I did attend a baseball game while I was in Toronto (and specifically as a Nats fan enjoyed seeing the Phillies lose to the Blue Jays), but was genuinely surprised at the amount of people genuinely clapping after the American anthem played. I would have expected either a lack of response, or even booing. 

Thursday, June 12, 2025

TCAF answers! from Angela Hsieh

by Mike Rhode


A few local cartoonists were selected to attend TCAF in Canada this year - it's a curated show, and not a lottery like SPX is. I think it has invited guests and people who apply to exhibit. I reached out to ask about their experiences. Angela's recent interview is here.

How did you get selected for this show? Did you have to apply?

I applied back in January and was accepted at the end of February. The TCAF application was fairly straightforward: they want your portfolio and your bio, and notably, they're interested in what comics work you'll be debuting the year you apply. I believe I was selected this year because I had a graphic novel come out this year, plus I'd never been to TCAF before.

Was this your first time?

First time at TCAF, not to mention first time in Toronto! I went a few days in advance so that I could explore the city, but I tired myself out even before the con began. Unwise? Perhaps. Regrettable? Not in the least. 

How was the experience? How does it compare to SPX or other local cons?

This was my first international con. I tend to stick with local cons and festivals, so this was by far the furthest I've ever traveled for one—and probably the biggest con I've ever tabled at. Imagine SPX times ten. It's frankly overwhelming how much talent is on display. I wish I had more time to walk around and admire all the incredible work.

How were your sales? Did you reach a new audience?

I did pretty well! But because this was my first TCAF, I have no previous experience to compare to. For what it's worth, I heard some people who exhibited in the past say that sales were slower this year compared to previous years. 

I saw a couple of familiar faces, and I met a whole lot of new people. Plus, I finally got to meet some artists I've been mutuals with for years but have never met in person. Definitely one of the highlights. Another highlight: meeting kids and their parents who'd borrowed Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology from the library and stopped by my table to tell me how much they loved reading it. 🥺


How did Canadians react to Americans in light of the current administration's misbehavior to our ally?

With sympathy, when it came up, which it rarely did. People generally assumed I was Canadian, and when they found out I wasn't, the most frequent response was a nod of commiseration before we went back to the thing we showed up for: comics. 



Thursday, April 24, 2025

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A brief chat with Cara Gormally

by Mike Rhode

I only recently realized that Cara Gormally is in DC. I reached out to them for an interview. Since we haven't met in person, I'm going to quote from their website for this background information (and use the photo from there as well). 

Cara Gormally (they/them) is a cartoonist, researcher, and professor. Cara’s narrative nonfiction comics remix autobiographical stories with research about socio-scientific issues to make science relatable. Their comics have appeared in the Washington Post, Mutha Magazine, Spiralbound, and other places. Their debut graphic memoir, Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder, a story about an unexpected healing journey to come home to themself, is forthcoming in April 2025 from Street Noise Books. A second book of braided comic essays about the emotional inheritance of estrangement is underway. 

A professor at Gallaudet University, in Washington, D.C., Cara is fascinated by questions about belonging. Their interdisciplinary research focuses on questions related to making science relevant and accessible to increase students' belonging in STEM. Cara studied philosophy at St. John’s College where they first became fascinated with questions about the ecology of home and belonging. Cara earned a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. Cara has been honored to receive grants, fellowships, and artist residencies from the National Science Foundation, Playa Residency Fellowship, the American Association of University Women, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Hodson Trust Foundation. 

A DC metro area resident, Cara is an avid morning person, loves nerdy research deep dives, and has more questions than answers. 

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I make narrative nonfiction comics that remix autobiographical stories with research about socio-scientific issues to make science relatable. My debut graphic memoir is coming out April 15, 2025—Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder.

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

I am mostly a Procreate-on-my-ipad artist these days. But I do love some pen and ink when I’m drawing just for myself.

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

I’m here for my day job—I’m a professor. I live in Maryland, near the DC border.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I’m mostly self-taught. I’ve taken several classes through the Center for CartoonStudies and Sequential Artist Workshop, as well as with some cartoonists directly. I love taking new comic-ing classes and connecting with comics community.


W
ho are your influences?

Oh, gosh, where to begin. I’d say for my graphic memoir, I had a few #goalbooks in mind: Erin Williams’ Commute; Teresa Wong’s Dear Scarlett; and Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? Or rather, how are you hoping your career will develop?

If only I could make comics full-time—that’s the dream right? And, I do very enjoy many other parts of my career, so there’s that.

What work are you most proud of?

I’m so delighted and proud of my graphic memoir that is soon-to-be-released. It’s my book baby. So much has gone into making this book. It’s been a labor of love.

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

I’m excited to work on new projects; they’re still evolving, but one involves a kids’ graphic novel. I can’t wait to play with my comics style—I love how style evolves for different needs.

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

So much of this is about trusting the process. One of my dear friends reminds me “we never regret rest.” I co-sign that for putting aside comics projects when needed.

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?


I love graphic memoirs. I am big DC library fan and I also deeply love browsing local bookshops. Some of my favorites include Little District Books, Politics and Prose, Big Planet Comics, Busboys & Poets, Solid State, and Kramer’s.


What's your favorite thing about DC?


I’m continually grateful for community here and I love the easy access to the outdoors, even in the city.


Do you have a website or blog?


https://www.caragormally.com/

Instagram @cara_gormally

My zoom book launch is happening on May 12 @7pm EST–sign up here for the zoom link!


Selected Press & Work 

Illustrated interview about Cara Gormally’s creative process | Spiralbound

An interview with Cara Gormally | Autobiographix

Biology professor is drawn to creating comics | Gallaudet Today

Making science more inclusive | Wall Street Journal







Thursday, December 19, 2024

Chatting with Matt Madden, Constraint Cartoonist and an SPX Mainstay

 


By Mike Rhode

photo by R. Carter Studios, 2022
Matt Madden is one of the defining indy cartoonists of the early 21st century, and he has been coming to SPX for decades. He has a new book out this year, Six Treasures of the Spiral, so I used that as an opportunity to ask for an interview.

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

I was born in May of 1968 in New York City, in the midst of student riots at Columbia University and in Paris. My mother was finishing her college degree at Columbia but was pretty oblivious to the student activism—she just remembered the riot police being alarmed at a pregnant young woman showing up to class.

Where do you live?

I've been living in Philadelphia since 2016.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I’m entirely self-taught, though I have benefited from advice and resource-sharing with peers and mentors throughout my career. I learned how to draw and tell stories visually by reading a lot of comics, drawing copies of panels I liked, and above all by making comics before I was “ready” and self-publishing them as photocopied minicomics to sell and (mainly) trade with other artists.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I would say I'm part of the world of indy comics or alternative comics or maybe literary comics. I love doing one-pagers and short stories, strips more rarely, and I do book-length comics even though I'm very slow.   I work on paper and I always have books in mind even if I share a lot of stuff online.

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

I do a combination. My final pages are India ink on Bristol board using a combination of different nibs and watercolor brushes. Some correction with Deleter white #2. Then I scan and do more clean up in Photoshop.

Increasingly, I use the computer and my iPad to write and plan my comics: I lay out my stories in InDesign using a technique developed by Alison Bechdel and I do a lot of my pencils on my iPad using Procreate, which I then print out and lightbox on to final pencils on Bristol board.


What's your new book about? How does it build on your previous works?

Six Treasures of the Spiral: Comics Formed under Pressure is a collection of short comics I’ve drawn over the last 25 years, all of them made using some kind of formal constraint or conceit: one story uses the letters of the alphabet to generate the art and story; another is a narrative palindrome; some were made by adapting fixed poetry forms like the sestina and the pantoum to the comics page.

These stories weave through my entire career as a cartoonist and show how formal experimentation has been a uniting thread in my work since even before my discovery of the tradition of constrained writing as exemplified Oulipo and Raymond Queneau, which led to my pivotal book, 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style (2005)

You're probably best known as a 'constraint' cartoonist. If I have that term right, can you explain it and how you got into it?

Yes, "constraint" is the term I like to use, and what that means for me is a rule or structure that you impose on yourself as a combination of prompt and creative challenge to create a work of art. We use constraints or limitations all the time when we make art, for example you might decide to make a wordless comic or a comic with the exact same panel grid on every page: how do you tell a good story that makes use of those restrictions? Maybe it's an interesting challenge to try to convey a scene of dialogue in a wordless comic, or to try to create a sense of wide open space in a comic with a 12-panel grid on it. These kinds of constraints are kinds of parameters or guidelines, part of the decision-making and planning of any comic (to stick to one medium—these principles apply across the board, though).

What I like to do is add a weird, often arbitrary constraint on top of whatever pre-existing format constraints there are because I find it forces me to hone my creative problem solving and discover surprising solutions for drawings and stories.

For example, the lead story of my new book is called "Prisoner of Zembla" which was created by making drawings for each panel that evoked the letters of the alphabet, in order, meaning there are 26 panels (plus a title panel for 27 total, which makes for a neat 3-page comic using a 9-panel grid). As I doodled shapes of letters and tried to make them into faces, bodies, and spaces, a story started to suggest itself to me which was about alphabets and language.

The short version of how I got into using constraints is that I owe it all to Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style, which I adapted into comics between 1998-2004. Drawing the same comics 99 times really sensitized me to how significant and how fun these formal decisions are that we often take for granted. It's been my primary creative focus ever since.

For a longer explanation, I invite you to read the afterword to my new book, "Thinking Inside the Box, or: The Method to My Madden-ness," which you can also read on my Substack: https://mattmadd.substack.com/p/thinking-inside-the-box

Who are your comic art influences?

To stick to comics, here are some major formative influences in no particular order:

    George Herriman

    Winsor McCay

    Hergé

    Julie Doucet

    Carol Swain

    Daniel Clowes

    Muñoz and Sampayo

    Edmond Baudoin

    Gary Panter

    Art Spiegelman

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

A creative career is always a crapshoot full of would-haves and could-haves so I don’t like to dwell on that stuff too much. The two things I sometimes wish (and which are probably incompatible) are that 1) I had committed to regularly and only producing comics instead of branching out into teaching, editing, making textbooks, etc., and 2) that I had gotten a decent day job early on that would have allowed me to separate the desire to make art from the need to make money.

What work are you best-known for?

That's easy: I will probably always be best known for 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, my riff on Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style (1947), where I redrew the same story 99 times using different points of view, different genres, different formal approaches, and so on.

What work are you most proud of?

 These days I feel most proud of my short story "Bridge" (first published as a standalone mini by Kuš and collected in Six Treasures). It is an excellent example of how constraints can draw entirely novel and surprising stories out of you: this comic was created and drawn as a 24-hour comic (24 pages conceived, written, and drawn in 24 hours) with the additional constraint that there had to be a 10-year time gap between each page. Despite that straitjacket of a challenge, I was able to summon up a story which I believe is the best single piece of fiction I have ever created.

I’m also happy with the drawing though I’d like to point out that I completely re-drew the story a few years after the 24-hour version.

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


My kids are in high school and the prospect of being an empty nester is on the horizon. I have several older artist friends whom I’ve seen really thrive with that new freedom and I plan to do the same.

I have two book-length projects that I’m already working on (slowly but surely) and several other projects on deck.

Mostly, I want to keep making comics but as time frees up in the coming years I’d also like to devote more time to playing guitar and making music, doing more translation, and doing drawing or printmaking projects.

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

I usually have more than one project going on at a time so if I get stuck or disenchanted with one I’ll switch to the other for a while. Often, by the time I get back to the stuck project after a break I can see it with fresh eyes and find a new way to approach it. The creative process is cyclical and any given work is always in a stage between near-finished and near-ruined.

I don’t really get writer’s block, that’s one of the appeals to me of constraints: if I’m not sure what I want to draw or write about, I can set myself an arbitrary constraint (say: make a one-page comic using only triangles and circles) and that puts me in problem-solving mode rather than worrying about whether I have anything to say.

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

Overall I think comics have a great future—creatively, at least. So many new artists are bringing all kinds of new energy to the art form all over the world and the combination of the internet and the ever-growing network of small press-focused comics shows means that it's easier than ever to share your work. Then again, that also makes it harder than ever to get your stuff noticed amidst the tsunami of impressive minicomics, graphic novels, translations, and archival reprints that come out every week, but I think that's a healthy problem for an art form to have.

I'm speaking here about author-driven independent or "art" comics, not necessarily mainstream genre stuff.

Matt at SPX in 2024

What cons do you attend besides The Small Press Expo? Any comments about attending them?

SPX is my main annual con. One addition in recent years has been the Philly Comics Expo (PCX), organized by our amazing local store Partners and Son, which also happens in the fall. The show has a local focus but increasingly brings in out-of-towners like Bubbles Zine or even my tablemate this year, Johnny Damm, who came all the way from California.

I go to MoCCA from time to time and will be there in 2025 but I don't really have a sense of what it's like these days.

I think the vibe of these American indy festivals has evolved over the years to something pretty different from the 90s—which is a good thing. It's a very young scene and much more diverse than it used to be. I admit that I sometimes feel like a bit of an outsider in my own scene as an old grayhair with my books amidst a crowd of risograph zines, t-shirts, and stickers, but I'm happy to see the scene grow and I plan to stick around long enough to see the current youngsters find themselves as befuddled as me in 10-15 years' time.

I was lucky enough to regularly attend the Angoulême Comics Festival four years in a row and again in 2023 and that remains a whole other beast. It's like SDCC if there were no toys or video games (which is to say: it's nothing like SDCC). It's as exciting as everyone says it is, despite its commercialization and the brouhahas that pop up every few years.

You spent time in France as cartoonist invited to live there? How did that come about?

In 2012, my wife Jessica Abel and I were both accepted for residencies at La Maison des Auteurs, a studio residency for cartoonists in Angoulême, France. It's not directly associated with the festival, rather it's part of a whole institution that has grown in parallel called La Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image. We initially went for a one-year residency, then renewed for a second year before finally extending to four years total—the maximum allowed!

Our children were two and four when we moved so we dropped them in the local public school and they quickly became fluent French speakers.

It was an incredible experience to be able to live abroad as a family in a country that places value on the arts (and on families: we received a monthly stipend from the French government simply because we had two children, through a quasi-UBI program called La Caisse d'Allocations Familiales). Angoulême is a quiet, even dull, place but it's great for a young family and it is within hours of Paris and Bordeaux or even Bilbao. We were able to travel all over Europe by car and train, often to comics festivals that invited us: Helsinki, Stockholm, Luzerne, Gijón…

You and Jessica Abel are a long-standing married comics couple. Do you talk about work at home? Share projects? Both teach professionally? Have different views on making comics? Have similar ones?

Jessica and I met through the comics scene and the early years of our relationship in particular were steeped in one long conversation about comics. These days it's more of a background part of our everyday lives (I write that even though tonight we are going out to the closing reception for "Philly Comics Now," an amazing exhibit of local artists that features both of our work). Our comics have always been quite different but complementary: my work is very formally experimental but I love a good story and try to populate my comics with well-rounded and interesting characters, whereas her work is very much focused on people and their relationships above all, yet she has a keen feel for the formal aspects of cartooning and uses experimental techniques regularly.

We have only rarely collaborated on creative projects but we have taught side-by-side for years, wrote two textbooks together, and we were also series editors of the Best American Comics for six years. She's a great editor and problem-solver and she's always my first reader on new comics.

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?

My local store is Partners and Son (https://partnersandson.com/ ) and it is not just a shop but a social and cultural hub for the Philly comics community since it opened in 2020. I don't really read any serialized comics (even with indy comics, I'm a wait-for-the-trade kind of guy) but here are a few more-or-less recent releases I would recommend:

    Sunday by Olivier Schrauwen

    Blurry by Dash Shaw

    Unwholesome Love by Charles Burns (a floppy produced by Partners and Son!)

    Processing by Tara Booth

    Cutting Season by Bhanu Pratap

    The Gull Yettin by Joe Kessler

    The Great Beyond by Léa Murawiec

Do you have a website or blog?

I'm mostly concentrating on my new Substack (https://mattmadd.substack.com/ ) these days and I invite all of your readers to subscribe--it's mostly free content and I share a lot of thoughts and resources related to comics and constraints there.

I also maintain my website, mattmadden.com, where you can find information about my books, my comics coaching and other educational work, and other news. It's also an easy way to contact me.

What's your favorite thing about visiting DC?

Unfortunately, I rarely make it down to DC proper during SPX. I have some good friends in Alexandria but we haven't gotten together outside SPX since before the pandemic. I remember a nice trip to Eastern Market…

Matt at SPX in 2023

How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?

I feel pretty lucky about how the pandemic played out for me and my family. No one close to me got dangerously sick and my kids were at an age where they were old enough to take care of themselves at home yet not so old that they were going to stir crazy. Jessica and I were already mostly working at home already and I spent the lockdown year refining my last book, Ex Libris, and eventually pitching it to Tom Kaczynski, who published it in the fall of 2021, just as the lockdown was easing up.

I would say I definitely took a hit professionally as I had pretty regular gigs traveling to schools to give talks and workshops and all of that is basically gone now. On the other hand, I was forced to finally reckon with how to teach and interact using Zoom and that has led to online opportunities—teaching regularly for SAW, offering one-on-one comics coaching to authors—that I might not have pursued otherwise.

All that said, I feel like it's going to be years before we fully absorb the weirdness and trauma of that first year in particular. I remember crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into New Jersey (in search of a loaf of fresh bread!) and not seeing a single other car for most of the ride. My heart was pounding as if I was in 28 Days Later or some other apocalyptic movie…

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Meet Antonio Alcalá, USPS stamp designer

Credit: Cade Martin Photography

by Mike Rhode

Early this fall, I got a press release about the US Postal Service’s Holiday Joy stamp, which noted, "Antonio Alcalá, a local DMV artist, is being honored by having his work featured on the Postal Service's upcoming Holiday Joy stamps. This is a rare and prestigious recognition that celebrates Antonio's unique contribution to art and Americana." What made this of interest here is that he was a designer on two stamps by cartoonists, Charlie Brown Christmas (2015) and Message Monsters (2021) with art by by Elise Gravel. Mr. Alcalá has a studio in Alexandria, VA, and answered a version of our usual questions.

What type of artwork do you do?

Most of what I do is traditional graphic design. On rare occasion, I will create some simple brushwork art, or will create some hand-lettering. Of course, when I’m generating ideas, I will do simple pen sketches in my notebook or on a piece of loose paper.

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

Ha! I was born in the 1960s!

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

When I was still in graduate school, I was offered a job working as a design for Time-Life Books in Alexandria, VA. After graduation, I moved there and have stayed there ever since. I live and work on Old Town, with my office six blocks from my house.



Do you have any training and/or education in cartooning?

I have an MFA in graphic design, which, unfortunately, did not include any education in cartooning. But I did follow some underground publications like RAW and learned about people from R. Crumb to Art Spiegelman to Linda Barry and so on.

Who are your influences?

My graduate school education was shaped by twentieth century modernists—both American and Swiss. But when I started teaching, I learned about a much larger range of important designers. I learned a little bit from all of them.

 

 
How did you begin working with the USPS? Is this your full time job?

I began working with USPS, in a way, almost 14 years ago. I was appointed to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC)—the group that selects subjects to be made into commemorative stamps. After a year, an art director was retiring and USPS asked if I would be interested moving from CSAC to the art director position. I accepted without a second thought!

Working with the USPS is not a full-time job. Most of my day is spent running my graphic design studio, Studio A, Inc.

You've worked on at least 2 issues featuring cartoonists - Peanuts' Charlie Brown Christmas and Message Monsters. Can you give us an idea of the process involved when it's another artist's work being featured?

With Peanuts, I was working with probably the most iconic and beloved comic in history! No pressure! For that project I watched and rewatched the television special making screen shots of scenes I thought would work at stamp-size, reflect the highlights of the show, and make sure each individual stamp would be something the public would want to put on their envelopes.

With Message Monsters, I approached the artist (Elise Gravel) about the project and explained what I was looking for. She figured it out immediately! She sent sketches and there were a few small adjustments needed. But after that, it mostly became a layout question. She sent a bunch of options for the extra stickers, and I figured out which ones worked and how they best fit on the sheet. I also ended up creating the lettering for the title “Message Monsters.”


The artists almost always understand it’s a collaborative process and I’m doing my best to preserve their vision. But it is a long process from start to final stamp with a lot of review by various parties and sometimes, adjustments need to be made.


Do you have direct contact with the artist if they're still alive?


Yes.

Are you a Peanuts reader? If so, did working on these stamps have any resonance for you?

Yes, I am. I still have several Peanuts books from my childhood including the Peanuts Treasury and others. It’s always a thrill to work on subjects where I have a personal connection. I also had the opportunity to design “Snowy Day” stamps using the original artwork by Ezra Jack Keats. Another favorite!

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? Or rather, how are you hoping your career will develop?

I wouldn’t change anything because things both good and bad are what got me here today. I’m pretty happy with where I am. As for the future, I hope to continue what I’m doing now.

What work are you best-known for?

I’m best known for my stamps, but I don’t know which one is most well-known. It probably depends on the audience being asked.

What work are you most proud of?

Probably my daughters. But of my design work it is hard for me to say.

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

I’d like to have a little more “free” time to be creative and spend a little less time on the “business.” I’ve also become interested in learning letterpress printing.

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

Sketch. Go for a walk. Doing something/anything different. Try not to worry too much as something will turn up.

Designed by Alcalá, art by Michelle Muñoz




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


Wow. Good question. I wish I knew. My sense is it will bring some challenges to some and creative opportunities for others. I know, not particularly original.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

That there are so many FREE cultural events and institutions that are available to anyone!

Least favorite?

Traffic.




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

Snowy Day

I’m a big fan of the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian (especially the National Postal Museum)!

How about a favorite local restaurant?

So hard! Maybe sitting outside at Ada’s on the River on a beautiful day!

Do you have a website or blog?

www.studioa.com


How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?

My wife and I were in Northern Italy when the outbreak happened. That was eerie. We would be the only diners in the restaurant each evening. What we didn’t know!

But back home I was extremely lucky. My employees could work from home. I could walk to my office so my routine didn’t need to change. USPS and museum work continued. We got a PPP loan. The biggest change was learning to adapt to client meetings on Zoom.