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| Taken by India Brookover |
True story: I once called Sina Grace a “she” on our video podcast 4 Color News and Brews video podcast. In reality, Sina is a he, and the remarkably talented artist of Image Comics’ title Lil’ Depressed Boy as well as one of the friendliest people in the industry.
We chat with him about how a huge Michael Turner fan went indie, how he hooked up with S. Steven Struble on LDB, how long he’ll be working on it, and a whole lot more on today’s Artist August interview. Check it out after the jump.
Is there a single moment in your life that made you realize you wanted to work in comics? Or was it more of a natural progression that led you here?
Sina Grace: I wish I had an amazing, insightful answer for that. All I can remember at this point is that my first comic was a Sam Kieth Detective Comics Annual (still have it), and that my fifth grade yearbook has “Comic book illustrator” as my dream job. As long as I can remember, I wanted to do comic books, and have spent every day of my life trying to accomplish that.
Who or what has influenced the development of your art?
SG: Oh man, Michael Turner FTW. I used to intern at Top Cow, and I was just in love with Mike’s art. Fathom is still one of my favorite comics, hands down. Same goes for Joe Mad and that entire Cliffhanger line. (Editors Note: Yes, that image to the left is a fan art picture of Aspen of Fathom fame by Sina)
As I got older, and leaned towards SUPER “indie,” I became enamored with Dan Clowes, Adrian Tomine, Paul Pope, etc. All of that really fueled my first comic, Books with Pictures, which, in retrospect, may have had all these gray washes because of The Walking Dead.
Nowadays, I try to branch out and look to other art forms, so that way I can avoid being a “so-and-so” knock-off. We’ll see how well I do with that one!
Lil’ Depressed Boy started as a web comic from you and S. Steven Struble and transitioned its way into print with Image. What are the origins of the original idea, and how did it make its way to Image?
SG: The origins are all Struble. I know that he’s had the character and the idea floating around for more than a decade, based off a drawing he did in high school. He brought me along because he was coloring covers for Books with Pictures, and wanted a slew of rotating artists to handle the art duties.
LDB had been in print in various forms, either on the backs of Books with Pictures, or in his stories in A United Front… but he never had his own title.
When we started doing a long-form story arc together, we had enough material to approach a publisher, and Image Comics’ Eric Stephenson was awesome enough to publish us. It’s been such a great atmosphere, and they truly have been the best fit.
Has Team LDB’s approach towards the comic changed at all once it transitioned from a primarily web comic to a print comic?
SG: The main change is the scheduling (woof!), and duration of artist participation. When I came on to do a long form story, it was that each artist would take on a few issues at a time… but I don’t want to leave, so it’s going to be a while before I let that thief Zach Trover have at my throne!
LDB is an ongoing series, but the question is this: how long do you and Struble want to run with it? Please say forever…
Continued belowSG: FOREVER AND EVER. Ideally, if I could do this book and still have the time to pursue some of my own projects on the side… that would be rad.
I know that my personal commitment started out with 12 issues. I’m having a great time, the fans are the nicest… so I don’t see why I can’t stay longer.
One word we (or I really) love to throw around when we talk about your Lil’ Depressed Boy art is personality. Your work just has a real sense of joie de vivre in it (which is interesting given the title of the book). How do you channel that type of joyous feeling into your art? Is that your intent?
SG: That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! Maybe that happens from whatever I’m absorbing at the time? Maybe it’s from the fun I’m having drawing the book. I try never to feel like drawing is a drag, so if I get that attitude, I try to snap out of it and be stoked that I get to draw a ragdoll boy for a living.
What exactly is LDB? Is he a Little Big Planet style ragdoll? Or something else?
SG: He’s you, he’s me… he’s LDB. I don’t know how to answer that one!
Music is a huge part of LDB. How do you and Struble factor the music into it, and how do things like the appearance by The Like come together?
SG: Struble is Captain Music. He’s never consciously trying to cram bands in the book for the sake of cramming bands, but it’s more like “these characters are going to a concert… which concert?” Then he stares at his iPod and goes “a KEPI concert.” The Like appearance happened because I desperately wanted to draw them, and when I suggested the band, he’d been listening to the album for months without telling me.
Not only are you the artist of our favorite Lil’ Depressed Boy, but you’re the editor of the books of one Robert Kirkman. How difficult is it for you to balance your editorial hat with your artist hat? How is it working with Kirkman?
SG: It’s super difficult to balance everything. Working with Robert has proved that it’s all possible- juggling multiple responsibilities. He’s an amazing guy, and truly is an inspiration. The Skybound editorial duties are my day job, and a priority. Evenings and weekends are devoted to drawing pages. Any time I have beyond that is dedicated entirely to mad chilling. It’s incorporating that third aspect that makes life super difficult.
In the digital age, new tools are available to artists of all types. How does that affect and expand your work?
SG: I’m such a fan of “the original artwork,” that I always get bummed out when things are done digitally. In college I tried to rely on working digitally a lot more, but then I had a pretty ill-timed computer crash, and had to learn how to do a bunch of graphic design by hand.
I worked under Howard Chaykin for a while, and he would use a lot of textures and patterns to his benefit. He taught me a lot of tricks to use Photoshop, and also taught me how to be a more effective draftsman. Good times!
But, to your question: I wish I could blend it in and create much more illustrative pieces like Jo Chen or something, but I haven’t really stepped outside of my approach.
Does feedback (both positive and negative) with fans and critics via social media push you as an artist? How does that aspect affect your art?
SG: You know, the weirdest stuff on-line affects my art. For the longest time I would try to do stuff that I saw was getting reposted oodles, and trying to figure out how I could find some niche… but at the end of the day, trying to draw something you don’t care much for is disingenuous, and a LACK of response will show that.
So, now all I do is just draw Sarah Jessica Parker for myself, and some people get a kick out of it. Am I getting a bunch of new twitter followers because of it? Nah, but at least I’ve found a drawing exercise that’s fun for me and warms me up to draw another page.
Continued belowI think I’m most concerned about what the people AT Image Comics think. Every time I take a new issue to the printer, I call everyone in the office and go: “well… what did you think?” They’ll call me out if I suck (I get called out a lot).
In the average comic book criticism or review, artists are typically given a lot less hype than writers are, even though this is a visual medium. Why do you think that is?
SG: I have no clue if that’s true, but if that’s the case, I’d assume it’s because there’s subtlety expected of the writer? It’s a tough gig, being a comic book writer: you have to convey a message not only through static images, but you have to do it through the artist’s interpretation of your direction. So, if a writer’s story can turn out to be something emotional through the lens of an artist, and then be interpreted positively by the readers, well, that’s dope.
Comics, even with increasing acceptance amongst the mainstream, are still a niche medium. With that in mind, have your friends and family always been supportive of your pursuit of a career in this field?
SG: Yeah! My mom digs that she has something new every month to show her friends. A parent whose first language is not English can’t take a dissertation and flaunt that around to her pals–well, they could…
The only time I’ve had to learn that comics are niche is when I’m dating. Not everyone thinks it’s hot that I spend all day in a four-color world. To bring it back to Michael Turner- that guy was always so charming and great with the ladies–I had always assumed that it was because he was a comic artist.
Desert Island question: one book, one album, one film and one comic. What do you take with you?
SG: Book: The Great Gatsby — I’ve gone four times reading it and I still love it.
Album: Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, so I can think about all the fame and glory I left behind to live on this desert island…
Film: Hedwig and the Angry Inch — so that way I can listen to more songs if I get bored of the Kanye CD.
Comic: Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World. I always find something new to appreciate when I read it.
Who are your favorite artists working in comics today?
SG: Ryan Ottley, Charlie Adlard, Cory Walker, Jason Howard, Lukas Ketner, Shawn Martinbrough, Leinil Francis Yu, Craig Thompson, Adrian Tomine, Frank Quitely, Marjane Satrapi (DUH), and a million others I’m forgetting.
What projects do you have coming up?
SG: I’m still working hard on a graphic novel called Not My Bag, which is an incredibly #dark story about my time in retail. I’ll be writing and drawing that one. I’m conning my friends in the band Raw Geronimo to let me do art for them… and if I can find enough fans, I’ll release a Sarah Jessica Sketchbook (which Robert came up with that name for me–job perks!).
