Pikabooks: Evergreen Jim & Tulip
Posted by Amy on Friday April 27, 2012
I’m really excited to launch our latest zine for Pikabooks! Evergreen Jim & Tulip: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is the brainchild of Ana Benaroya, and what better way to celebrate than to interview the lady herself? Melanie Maddison gets down and dirty with Ana, so read on!
——————-
Ana Benaroya is an illustrator, designer, typographer, and screen printer making adrenaline-fuelled, energizing, insanely bright, bold, loud and colourful work that smacks me in the face with how joyously unashamed it is. I don’t think I have enough adjectives to describe it!
Her illustrated zine, Evergreen Jim & Tulip: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is being published and released by Pikaland’s book imprint, Pikabooks imminently, so we thought we’d catch up with Ana to ask more about the zine, and her other artwork.
Website | Blog | Paintings blog | Shop | Tumblr
Hi Ana, how are you? Could you tell Pikaland readers a little about yourself?
Hello! I’m doing pretty well. I am a freelance illustrator and designer working out of Jersey City. I love eating, drinking coffee, and drawing.
Could you tell us a little about Evergreen Jim & Tulip, both about the project came to be, and also the story within it?
I came up with the idea for this story while on a trip to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Mt. Rainier, Vancouver). It was my first time to this part of the country and I was amazed at the difference in trees and nature…and the mountains. My surroundings inspired my story…I wanted to create a romanticized version of the people who inhabited this part of the country. And of course, insert my own ridiculousness and sense of humor. I love writing love stories.
What is your history in independent or self-publishing? I’m guessing Evergreen Jim & Tulip isn’t your first zine?
I don’t have a huge history in self-publishing…though I did self-publish a newspaper with a good friend of mine called “Egg on Bread.” It was a satire on what a newspaper typically is, containing the weather, horoscopes, an advice column, etc. I also self-published a book called “Men Eating Fruit” which is a collection of paintings of nude men eating fruit, along with a short story about each of their lives. I like self-publishing because there’s no one telling you what you can and can’t do, or warning you about the marketability of something.
Do you think zines are a good way to share art, to display art, and to reach (new?) audiences or artistic communities?
Yes, I definitely think so… though the tricky part is getting the world to know that your zine exists. But there is something very magical about discovering a zine that you love… because you know it was hand-crafted and purely made. A zine represents true creative freedom and expression.
What appealed to you about working with Pikabooks?
I’ve been a big fan of the blog for a while, and how could I say no to the offer of a story of mine being published? This is my first real opportunity to have my writing and my art appear together and I’m very excited about it.
——————
You can get a copy of Ana’s limited edition zine, Evergreen Jim & Tulip: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough over at Pikabooks!
——————
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview with Ana!
Comments [1]
Artist interview: Sia Joo Hiang
Posted by Amy on Tuesday February 21, 2012
I stumbled on Sia Joo Hiang’s work when I was in Doinky Doodle, a shop in Singapore run by the inexhaustible PiXin. Sia’s work (or better known as Auntie Joo (although she is anything but an auntie (auntie is Malaysia + Singapore’s colloquial term for a middle-aged woman!) I emailed her for an interview and here is what she has to say!
Name: Sia Joo Hiang
Location: Singapore
Website/Shop: Freedom From Pity
Blog: Freedom From Pity
Illustration media: gouache, water colour, inks
Tell us a little more about yourself!
I live my life as a happy-go-lucky person who tries to enjoy the present.
As an artist, I am like a schizophrenic. I like and enjoy surprises and don’t like to do the same thing over.
I also teach part time at an art school, working with 11-15 year-old students.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I live in a flat with my parents and a younger brother, in an area called Serangoon Avenue 3. This is like a suburban
area of Singapore. There is a secondary school and a primary school across the road, a few eating places, 2 clinics and a couple convenience stores just next block. Not far from my block is a huge mall that just opened last year, but this is not on the same road of my block, so the place I live in is mostly a quiet place. As I am answering this interview now, I can hear voices of school children shouting “one, two, three, four!” a few times-could be the Girl Guides or some uniform group from the school across the road, rehearsing for some event. I can also hear cars whizzing past in the rain,and the creaking sound of my father closing the drawer in the next room.
The room I work, sleep, think and dream in is not big, but it has lots of light coming in from the big window during the day.
Outside of my window, is a tree which I love looking at whenever I rest my mind.
Nothing special about where I live really, but I have accumulated things over the years in my room that it is a great place for me to draw and paint in. Somehow my books and music collection, together with the dust, scents, and sounds in the air, seem to serve as wonderful companions when I work. Oh, and also that tree outside my window.
I don’t have a daily schedule. I work whenever I have the time, and the mood. But really, I must say I am “working” every day, since the things and people I see and meet everyday provide me material for my work.
You produce a lot of art! How did you get your start?
I work whenever I feel like it.
I enjoy keeping things as raw and spontaneous as possible.
Also, I am an impatient person. So when I work I try to get things done as quickly as possible. I enjoy the rush that gets to me as I draw and paint. I can work like there is no tomorrow, so I always end up with quite a lot of work. Oh, there is always music in the background as I work, and I don’t let anything or anyone distract me.
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!
Dan Matutina / Twisted Fork
Posted by Amy on Wednesday December 7, 2011
Few people can bring texture to an illustration like Dan Matutina of Twisted Fork can. An illustrator and designer from the Philippines, his work runs a wide range – from logo design to illustrations of folklore creatures and sci-fi heros. The best of all, his style (which he describes as a mix of handmade & digital, clean & dirty, old & modern aesthetics) is a constant among all his projects and makes him stand out.
We emailed him recently to talk a little bit more about his work:
Tell me a little more about yourself!
I’m Dan Matutina, a designer & illustrator based in the Philippines. I spend most of my time in the studio, working on illustration and design projects. I arrive at the studio really early in the morning and start my day with this routine: brew coffee (I love coffee), play video games, read the news and then begin work. Apart from working on design projects, I also a lecture at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts (my alma mater) every Tuesdays & Thursdays.
Your style is beautiful; and very consistent as well — how long did it take for you to come to this point as an illustrator? And could you tell us a little more about your process of discovering your style?
Thank you. :) It took me some time to arrive at my current illustration style. It’s a mix of things I like: minimalist lines and shapes, plus handmade and manual illustrations. My favorite medium in art school were watercolor paints, so I also include it in the mix. Science fiction and films are also big influences in my work, especially in terms of composition and feel.
My current style began when I made a banig pattern. I wanted to mix the line patterns with some of the textures I scanned. I found the process pretty interesting, so I started adding different elements to it: brush strokes, paint spatters, etc. Most of the subjects of my illustrations at that time were on a flat plane, in other words there was no dimension. It was pretty limiting, so I decided to make the subjects and backgrounds exist on a 3d plane instead.
Up until now, I’m still trying to polish my style and maybe add more things to the mix. :D It’s always fun to experiment and discover new things.
Does your style and work seek to communicate a particular message?
I’m not too sure if my style has a certain message, I haven’t really thought about it. Hahaha. Maybe I should. Hmmm… Hahaha. But I do try to tell a different story with every illustration I make. I guess this is hinged more on the idea rather than my style. I try my best to say something different without trying too hard.
Who would be your dream client / Who would you love to work for?
My dream clients would be Monocle, the New Yorker, Nike and Xbox. :) GOOD Magazine, was one of my dream clients, commissioned me to make illustrations for a couple of their issues. You can’t believe how happy I was!!! Cheers to dreams. :)
{Thanks Dan!}
Comments [1]
Artists interview: The Strumpet
Posted by Melanie Maddison on Wednesday October 26, 2011
Cover of The Strumpet by Ellen Lindner
The Strumpet is a new comic anthology from the ladies behind the Whores Of Mensa comics (which were published in the UK between 2004-2010). The Strumpet brings together a brilliant team of female comics artists from the UK and USA, to produce a transatlantic collaborative publication containing eclectic illustrative and comics styles and techniques, and unique stories around the theme of ‘Dress-Up’.
With Ellen Lindner (UK) and Jeremy Day (UK) at the helm as co-editors, The Strumpet is due to have contributions (amongst others) from Mardou (USA), Megan Kelso (USA), Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg (USA), Kripa Joshi (UK), Patrice Aggs (UK), and Tanya Meditzky (UK).
I spoke to these eight women about The Strumpet, their involvement in this first issue, women in comics, and about the Kickstarter campaign that is running to fund the publication of the first issue through a process of pre-ordering.
////////////////////////////
Ellen, What prompted the move to relaunch Whore Of Mensa as ‘The Strumpet’, and how do the two projects differ?
Ellen: There are two main motivations behind the relaunch of the Strumpet. One is that our mission had changed – instead of publishing three artists on a regular basis, we’d decided to move towards a rotating cast, around the three original stalwarts. We thought this new approach warranted a new identity. Second, we’d had some trouble because part of our old name, Whores of Mensa, is a trademarked term. We wanted to be able to grow without worrying about that.
Where does the title ‘The Strumpet’ come from, and is it just a title, or does it dictate the theme of contributions to the comic?
Ellen: The Strumpet came from discussions we had as a group. The acting Whores of Mensa – that would be Mardou, Jeremy Day and I – wanted a name that connoted the same kind of free spirit and sass as Whores of Mensa (WoM), but that had less of a hard edge to it. We also liked the idea of having an avatar of sorts, a figure that embodied the lady-friendly ideals of our comic.
The Strumpet is a cross-Atlantic project, where do you currently call home?
Ellen: At the moment I live in London but I’m moving to New York. The Strumpet will be a wholly transatlantic entity – I’m hoping I can bring some cool Americans to the Strumpet’s banquet, while gaining a new audience for the UK cartoonists I’ve come to know and love. Hopefully it means we can promote the comic simultaneously in both places.
Patrice: England, though I continue to call myself an American
Mardou: St Louis, Missouri though I’m originally from Manchester, England. I married the American cartoonist Ted May, so hot love and comics bought me here.
Megan: Seattle, Washington.
Jeremy: Home is Oxford, in the UK, where I live with my husband, cats and haphazard garden. It’s a lovely city, especially at this time of year, when it’s filling up with new incomers, students and hopefuls. It reminds me of the first time I came here.
Tanya: London, England
Lisa: I currently live in Portland, Oregon, US.
Kripa: I was born and raised in Nepal, pursued my BFA in India (where I met my husband), then lived in New York for three years while I completed my MFA and now I have been in the UK for three years… so home has been always changing. I guess I have to call UK home right now… it is where I reside… but Nepal will always be home as long as my family is there.
Patrice Aggs
How did you become involved in The Strumpet?
Patrice: Through the indefatigable Ellen Lindner. I’m in awe of her.
Tanya: Ellen Lindner invited me to contribute.
Megan: Ellen, who is an old friend and comrade of mine from New York invited me to participate.
Kripa: Through the great Ellen Lindner! I met her a couple of times during various events and when I saw the Whores of Mensa anthology, I mentioned that I would like to be a part of it. She is a very welcoming and generous person.
Lisa: I was tabling at the 2011 Stumptown Comics Fest here in Portland, which is where I met our Fearless Leader of Strumpets Ellen Lindner and her husband Stephen. The three of us got to talking outside the awards ceremony on the first night of the Fest, and the next day we visited one another’s tables. I got her book “Undertow” and she and Stephen picked up the third issue of my comic “I Cut My Hair.” In August Ellen wrote and asked me if I’d be interested in contributing to The Strumpet, and I quickly took her up on the offer.
Mardou and Jeremy, you were original members of the group that created Whores Of Mensa (alongside Lucy Sweet). What are your thoughts on the direction that the idea has now taken with the publication of The Strumpet?
Mardou: My original idea was to base WoM on the comic ‘Triple Dare’, who was in that? Tom Hart, James Kochalka, Jon Lewis. I like that they each had 10 pages, so many anthologies around that time contained so many artists with just one or two page strips, they were a little dizzying. Having just myself, Lucy Sweet and Jeremy Day (nee Dennis) gave us a bit more room and we sort of juxtaposed our different styles around a common theme and created something a bit different. I’m still very proud and fond of it. Ellen joining us for the second issue was a dream and as I’ve stepped back from it, to focus on having a kid and working on a graphic novel, Ellen’s surged ahead. I think she’s created something more expansive but it still has that quality which sets it apart. Chic and slightly dirty-minded. Just like Ellen.
Jeremy: If Whores of Mensa was Mardou’s brainchild, The Strumpet is Ellen’s; it’s a fantastic idea and I support it fully, but I’m not the best person to talk direction. Ellen’s in the driving seat for this one; I’m in the engine room, spinning dials.
What is your own personal history in making comics? How did you get started, and what sort of things have you created over the years?
Patrice: My first ‘comic’ was illustrating the hybrid graphic novel by Philip Pullman, Count Karlstein. Although I’ve contributed short pieces to anthologies and periodicals, my work in comics has mainly been by stealth; whenever I’m asked to do a children’s book, I manage to slip in at least one illustration that includes a speech balloon!
Mardou: I started drawing a Tank Girl rip-off when I was 17 but didn’t get too far. A few years later, in my last year of college I discovered Dan Clowes and Peter Bagge’s comics. Dan Clowes had this line in an Eightball comic something like ‘there are beautiful, 22 year old women who would rather read than watch television’, and I loved that and I was 22 at the time, so I sent him my very first comic and he wrote back saying ‘do more comics’. So I did, just kept putting out little books. I did a series called ‘Stiro’ with my friend Fortenski, he wrote it, I drew it, then I did a solo book called ‘Manhole’ which got some Arts Council funding. And with those books I started going to comics shows where I met Lucy and Jeremy and we started ‘Whores of Mensa’. I’m now working on a graphic novel called the ‘Sky in Stereo’, which I’m serializing as a mini-comic.
Tanya: In 2002 I was laid up in bed for weeks, I had at the time been trying to work with various people on creative projects, which led nowhere, never came to fruition, etc, so I just started drawing ‘milkkitten’, to entertain myself. The comic world was completely unknown to me, so when Mark from Page 45 [British comic book store] ordered a batch from me at a festival, it encouraged me to think of it as a real ‘comic’ and to continue.
Kripa: I started making comics while I was doing my MFA in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts (in New York) as a Fulbright scholar…. so I started quite late! As a part of the course we had to study the History of Comics. I had never thought about making comics before that. I was always interested in story telling, even as a child, but had never ventured into comics. In New York I came to understand the scope of comics and graphic novels… and that it was not just about superheroes. For my thesis I created a character called Miss Moti and made two comics about her called ‘Miss Moti and Cotton Candy’ and ‘Miss Moti and the Big Apple’. I drew inspiration from Little Nemo (by Windsor McCay) and the style of Chris Ware. Since then I have done several Miss Moti comics for anthologies like Rabid Rabbit and Secret Identities (Asian American Superhero Anthology). I have also created illustrations and comics for magazines and NGOs based in South Asia.
Jeremy: Like many comics types, I started at school, passing around sarcastic one-panel cartoons drawn in my ancient history workbook during class. When I went up to Oxford in 1989, I found the Comic Book club there (founded by Jenni Scott) and spent the next few years in a dizzy whirl of study by day and comics by night. These were exciting years for the small press; desk top publishing, scanners and printers becoming consumer items and then the internet, like a finally-delivered promise. During all this time I was self-publishing, usually solo comics, but occasionally in the women’s anthologies of the time like Erica Smith’s ‘Girlfrenzy’ or Carol Bennett’s ‘Fanny and Dykes Delight’. My comics were typically short-run mini-comics. Later I moved onto the internet, publishing my first comics online in 1999.
Ellen: I got interested in making comics while in secondary school, and after a few false starts actually succeeded in making some at university. I was also lucky enough to go to school in a town with its own comics museum, which was very inspiring (if worrying – Jaime Hernandez’s original art really mystified me, the man never made any mistakes!) My comics ambitions developed further when I went to France as a student – all of a sudden I was in a place where public libraries, bookshops, any place where printed media was sold pushed comics. Cartoonists were like rock stars there, cool guys and girls making wonderful stories on paper. I won a travel grant to extend my stay, a huge privilege – I spent the time it afforded me starting to do an adaptation of Christine de Pizan’s proto-feminist classic, ‘The Book of The City of Ladies’. In terms of making comics, I didn’t ‘get’ all of the processes right away – and I certainly had no idea about how long comics take, or how to develop my skills in an efficient manner. But I stuck with it. After Uni I met a lot of really great cartoonists – I’d moved to New York by then. At every stage I got little crumbs of encouragement that I took to heart, and they gave me the courage to continue. It’s taken a while but I’m now starting to make comics I’m happy with. I’ve done everything from educational comics on the Mayan ballgame to strips for ad agencies and video game companies – not to mention my own personal projects and contributions to great collectives like The Comix Reader.
Lisa: The earliest comic I remember making was at age 9. I drew a comic about a superhero named Super Chicken who fights the evil Colonel Sanders and wins. Throughout high school I made a number of bad attempts at Robert Crumb-style autobiographical comics pieces, but I didn’t start to seriously and consistently make and publish comics until I moved out to Portland five years ago. I have loved to draw as long as I can remember, in high school I got into writing, and though I had read comics my whole life I started to read a whole lot more in college. Although I was enjoying the art classes I was taking in college, comics inspired me much more. It seemed like the ideal way for me to draw in the style I wanted, and to tell the stories I wanted to tell. Indirectly, animated cartoons and children’s books led me to comics as well—the character design and energy of the cartoons; the text/drawing combination of children’s books. I moved to Portland knowing that there were a lot of cartoonists who lived here and thinking it would be a good place to get started, but I couldn’t begin to imagine how supportive the community would be. Part of that is the self-publishing/zine culture here: there are zine sections in all the libraries and plenty of book and comics shops that carry self-published material. That gave me a clear path to getting my work out there. I started drawing comics and self-publishing them through the Independent Publishing Resource Center, a non-profit workspace that has photocopiers, supplies, a letterpress, computers…plenty of tools to help you make something. I brought them to stores like Reading Frenzy and Powells, and sold them at shows like Stumptown Comics Fest and the Portland Zine Symposium, eventually travelling to farther-away comics shows in other cities. I met a lot more cartoonists at these shows, at gallery openings, and at drawing nights, and we exchanged work with each other. Through the cartoonists and small-press folks I met I got some of my first opportunities to be published by others, and to do some readings and presentations of my work. As for my work, I got started with autobio. “I Cut My Hair” began as a daily journal comic series, but the most recent issue is one longer story about cross-continental travel. Lately I’ve been working more on some fiction stories (aka thinly veiled autobio!), many of which star this little monster character who lives in a world of little monsters, which are really just stand-ins for people. He is the central character in my story for The Strumpet. This story is also one of a few pieces I’ve done with cats as characters, despite my distaste for them in real life.
< CLICK HERE to read their whole interview! >
Comments [1]