3 Questions

Um, have you guys seen the cover on this week's issue? It's pretty amazing, right? Right. See, when we started looking for super-rad indie artists to engage with, San Antonio, Texas-based Shelby Criswell was on the top of our list. Criswell attended SFUAD, though they never graduated, but that hardly means they aren't epically talented. I mean, look no further than the glorious dinosaurgy on the cover or the inside images in the issue. If you'd like to know more, head to their website at shelbycriswell.com, or read the following Qs and As.

What about the world of illustration drew you in (ha!) as opposed to other art forms??
I grew up reading comics and flipping through magazines like MAD and The New Yorker, so little drawings that told a story were always much more interesting to me than something hanging in a gallery. Plus, my dad drew a lot a little cartoons here and there and my grandfather got hired as an illustrator for Hallmark, so I guess they helped push me in that direction.

You have a very specific style, I'd say. Was this always your style, or was it devloped over time?
Oh it's definitely developed over time. I mean, I traced anime in middle school and wanted to write and draw mangas. Then I came across a bunch of independent comic artists like Daniel Clowes and Ben Passmore during and after high school and realized I should create my own style, something more me. If you look at my style from three years ago, even then I'd say it's a huge jump.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring pro artists?
Don't go into comics. It's a terrible choice. You'll end up dead in a pile of unpublished work and a pool of ink. But if you do, read a bunch of other comics before you even start to make your own. In fact, study everything you can in any field of art. Just go to the library, dammit! Go to events, support other artists and talk with them.

Santa Fe Reporter