Interview with...
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JMH: Where were you born and raised?
BECK: I was born and raised in the teeny tiny town of Auburn Corners, Ohio. Made famous in the Tim Conway movie "Private Eyes" where he mentioned "a wookalar lives in Auburn Corners"...family friends used to joke it was my dad. I moved away at the age of 20 but grew up out in the country where I drew cartoons and told stories to my teddy bears. My grandmother was an artist and encouraged me to color and draw daily.
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
BECK: I am a self taught artist, mother of a teenager, lover of kittens, wiener dogs, glitter and chocolate. I'm an artist in the sketchcard world and have worked on set with Topps (Star Wars Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary, Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 2, Star Wars Galaxy 6), Cult-Stuff (Sherlock Holmes and Victorian Crime; Monsters, Zombies and Freaks; Age of Sorcery and War of the Worlds) and a few other companies where my cute and cuddly style makes for great collecting fun! In my free time I love to knit/crochet yarn dolls and scarves and other various fluffy fun. I'm an avid player of the Lego franchise video games and my son and I love to build our vast collection of Star Wars Legos.
JMH: How long have you been drawing comics?
BECK: Actually, I just began drawing comics! Sweeten Village is my first venture in the comics world...and I feel it’s on a good start! Brad (my writing partner) has a very vivid imagination and wonderful writing ability and I totally enjoy drawing the characters he dreams up.
JMH: How did you break into the industry drawing comic books?
BECK: I have not yet drawn an actual comic book but am hoping that Brad (my writing partner) and I will be putting Sweeten Village in paper print sometime soon.
JMH: Do you have any formal art training?
BECK: I am mostly self-taught but as a teenager, I took a lot of art classes in and out of school. I enjoy watching others and picking up techniques and styles of fellow artists that inspire me. I follow a bunch of great artists on twitter, Facebook and Ustream and enjoy learning from them. Mostly its trial and error with me...and a lot of comic strip and web comic reading!
JMH: Who are your artistic influences?
BECK: I grew up a huge fan of Sunday comics; Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbs, I would read them and dream about being a cartoonist one day...guess dreams do come true!
JMH: How do you focus when drawing?
BECK: Focus? Focus? Hmm… what does that mean? Is that what happens when you sit still and accomplish a lot of work in a short period of time? Oh that! Umm… I think I focus, oh look a butterfly! Wait what was I saying... focus... yes, focus. Mostly I spend my days in my jammies watching reruns of Star Trek or various non-fiction on the Science Channel while I draw, ink and color a vast variety of children's illustrations, sketch cards, comic strips and rubber stamp designs. Seriously, I do like to watch TV or movies or listen to music while I draw and color. Working for yourself does get a bit lonely so having the noise in the background keeps me happy and focused. And short breaks to snuggle my kittens help me to relax too!
JMH: What types of technology do you use to draw?
BECK: Old fashioned technology. Pencils, paper, markers, colored pencils and watercolor. I have not joined the masses yet on computer drawing but assume one day I will, I'm just an old fashioned girl who loves the feel of pencils scratching on paper and the smell of markers. Plus my style lends well to the "hand-drawn" look.
JMH: What was the first comic book you ever read?
BECK: Wow nothing like asking an impossible question! Let's see...my dad had a nice sized collection dating back to the late 1950's full of Fantastic Four, Superman, Green Lantern, Incredible Hulk, Sargent Rock, Conan the Barbarian...I could go on and on. The one that sticks out the most was a Conan, I'm not sure if it was the first I read or just had such an awesome cover I remember it to this day. It was Conan standing with sword raised at a giant dinosaur in some sort of cave. The art blew my mind and I was probably only 10 or 11, I thought "Wow artists are so cool!" As I got a little older, I would sneak in and steal my big brother's comics (didn't want anyone to know I loved comics so much, I had a reputation of being a frog kissing Tomboy already...reading comics would have officially kicked me out of the Glitter Covered Unicorn Group!)
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
BECK: Yep sure do! Mostly Star Wars and Halo because that's what my 13 year old son likes and we share. I like the variety out there just don't have to time to read them all.
JMH: Print vs. Digital. Add to the conversation...
BECK: Not sure I really have a preference. I love the feel of the paper in my hands, the smell of the pages as I flip through. But it's a new world with wonderful technology and I myself own a Nook so digital is fun too. Plus our super cool webcomic is viewable online only at the moment so I gotta love that! Hopefully some day soon "Sweeten Village" will be in a local comic shop near you as well as on your digital reading device!
JMH: What is Sweeten Village?
BECK: Oh wow another impossible question! Sweeten Village is a great little vacation spot where the Sweets may be Sweet on you. hahaha Sweeten Village started off as a simple joke tweeted to a friend, Brad took the phrase "how do you create an army of Gingerbread Zombies?" and created an entire world of fun, danger, laughter and of course delicious villains. This eventually turned into an awesome partnership and a hopeful hit. Sweeten Village is simply a way for him to share his love of writing and me to share my adorkable doodles but it's turned into a wonderful little world that we both love to live and play in.
JMH: What sources do you use for a cover image?
BECK: Actually I have not drawn a cover for our comic yet, I emphasize YET. We will hopefully be putting our chapters together and printing our comic and then I will get to draw my first cover! As for sources, well I guess I'll have to use some cookies as references. Yum!
JMH: What other mediums or genres have you drawn for?
BECK: I have worked with rubber stamp design, t-shirt and logo design, children's illustration, sketch cards and of course lots of commissions. I have a children's book that I wrote and illustrated in 2008 "Wiener Dog Adventures - The Treasure of Kittabooty Island"
JMH: What project are you currently working on at now?
BECK: Currently I am working on a set of interlude strips for Sweeten Village to tell a bit of a side story before we start chapter too this summer. Also I'm working with Cult-Stuff on a few more sketch card sets and of course the constant pile of commissions. At the moment I'm trying to finish up a large pile of personal sketch cards to sell at HeroesCon in June. Oh and when I have a few spare hours I've been knitting up an army of stuffed critters!
JMH: What future projects do you have in the works?
BECK: Future projects, hmm well more Sweeten Village of course and more of design work for the various companies I have worked with in the past, whatever new card sets pop up for Star Wars and hopefully some more children's illustrations.
JMH: What advise do you have for aspiring artists?
BECK: If you want to work as an artist, grow a thick skin. Criticism is hard to handle when its directed at something you created but it can be a useful tool if you allow yourself to learn from the critics. Also you must work to get work, meaning never let a day go by without doing something creative. Draw everyday, journal your ideas, talk with other artists and share. I have found a large group of artist friends on Facebook and twitter that have become my "work buddies". We have water-cooler chats and share ideas, ask for help and support each others work. Its a hard field to get into without a "name" but if you promote yourself, work hard and promote yourself some more...you'll find it is a great way to earn a living. Oh and plan on eating a strict diet of Hot Pockets and cookies!
JMH: anything else you'd like to mention that we haven't covered yet?
BECK: I would love to share with your readers the facebook fan pages for Sweeten Village and my artwork:
http://www.facebook.com/SweetenVillageAWebcomic
and
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BeckaDoodles-the-art-of-cute/141640072559590
We would love to share our story with the world so check out our pages and tell your friends...you won't be disappointed, we promise! Oh and Brad and I both hang out on twitter, look us up and join in the fun. @beckadoodles and @Brad_Duncan
JMH: Beck, Thanks for your time. ALL the best!
BECK: Thank you John, this was a lot of fun! ;)
It’s always a treat for me to share my art with new people and of course to talk about projects that are dear to my heart. Working with Brad and taking his wonderful words and putting them down on paper in full color is a dream come true. As a young child I had dreams of becoming a cartoonist...Brad's awesome words have given me that opportunity and I appreciate all the work he does to give me a fun place to spend some time (even though it's mostly in my head). I have to relate one funny thing before I finish...Brad is a visual writer, he may not see it that way but what he writes is easy for me to see in my head and decide how to draw. The moment we settled on a story centered on "Sweets gone bad" I giggled in delight because I could see them all dancing in my head. It wasn't until Brad actually saw the first glimpse of Lily in full on Gingerbread Zombie Mode that he giggled as hard as me...and that is when we both knew this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
BECK: I was born and raised in the teeny tiny town of Auburn Corners, Ohio. Made famous in the Tim Conway movie "Private Eyes" where he mentioned "a wookalar lives in Auburn Corners"...family friends used to joke it was my dad. I moved away at the age of 20 but grew up out in the country where I drew cartoons and told stories to my teddy bears. My grandmother was an artist and encouraged me to color and draw daily.
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
BECK: I am a self taught artist, mother of a teenager, lover of kittens, wiener dogs, glitter and chocolate. I'm an artist in the sketchcard world and have worked on set with Topps (Star Wars Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary, Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 2, Star Wars Galaxy 6), Cult-Stuff (Sherlock Holmes and Victorian Crime; Monsters, Zombies and Freaks; Age of Sorcery and War of the Worlds) and a few other companies where my cute and cuddly style makes for great collecting fun! In my free time I love to knit/crochet yarn dolls and scarves and other various fluffy fun. I'm an avid player of the Lego franchise video games and my son and I love to build our vast collection of Star Wars Legos.
JMH: How long have you been drawing comics?
BECK: Actually, I just began drawing comics! Sweeten Village is my first venture in the comics world...and I feel it’s on a good start! Brad (my writing partner) has a very vivid imagination and wonderful writing ability and I totally enjoy drawing the characters he dreams up.
JMH: How did you break into the industry drawing comic books?
BECK: I have not yet drawn an actual comic book but am hoping that Brad (my writing partner) and I will be putting Sweeten Village in paper print sometime soon.
JMH: Do you have any formal art training?
BECK: I am mostly self-taught but as a teenager, I took a lot of art classes in and out of school. I enjoy watching others and picking up techniques and styles of fellow artists that inspire me. I follow a bunch of great artists on twitter, Facebook and Ustream and enjoy learning from them. Mostly its trial and error with me...and a lot of comic strip and web comic reading!
JMH: Who are your artistic influences?
BECK: I grew up a huge fan of Sunday comics; Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbs, I would read them and dream about being a cartoonist one day...guess dreams do come true!
JMH: How do you focus when drawing?
BECK: Focus? Focus? Hmm… what does that mean? Is that what happens when you sit still and accomplish a lot of work in a short period of time? Oh that! Umm… I think I focus, oh look a butterfly! Wait what was I saying... focus... yes, focus. Mostly I spend my days in my jammies watching reruns of Star Trek or various non-fiction on the Science Channel while I draw, ink and color a vast variety of children's illustrations, sketch cards, comic strips and rubber stamp designs. Seriously, I do like to watch TV or movies or listen to music while I draw and color. Working for yourself does get a bit lonely so having the noise in the background keeps me happy and focused. And short breaks to snuggle my kittens help me to relax too!
JMH: What types of technology do you use to draw?
BECK: Old fashioned technology. Pencils, paper, markers, colored pencils and watercolor. I have not joined the masses yet on computer drawing but assume one day I will, I'm just an old fashioned girl who loves the feel of pencils scratching on paper and the smell of markers. Plus my style lends well to the "hand-drawn" look.
JMH: What was the first comic book you ever read?
BECK: Wow nothing like asking an impossible question! Let's see...my dad had a nice sized collection dating back to the late 1950's full of Fantastic Four, Superman, Green Lantern, Incredible Hulk, Sargent Rock, Conan the Barbarian...I could go on and on. The one that sticks out the most was a Conan, I'm not sure if it was the first I read or just had such an awesome cover I remember it to this day. It was Conan standing with sword raised at a giant dinosaur in some sort of cave. The art blew my mind and I was probably only 10 or 11, I thought "Wow artists are so cool!" As I got a little older, I would sneak in and steal my big brother's comics (didn't want anyone to know I loved comics so much, I had a reputation of being a frog kissing Tomboy already...reading comics would have officially kicked me out of the Glitter Covered Unicorn Group!)
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
BECK: Yep sure do! Mostly Star Wars and Halo because that's what my 13 year old son likes and we share. I like the variety out there just don't have to time to read them all.
JMH: Print vs. Digital. Add to the conversation...
BECK: Not sure I really have a preference. I love the feel of the paper in my hands, the smell of the pages as I flip through. But it's a new world with wonderful technology and I myself own a Nook so digital is fun too. Plus our super cool webcomic is viewable online only at the moment so I gotta love that! Hopefully some day soon "Sweeten Village" will be in a local comic shop near you as well as on your digital reading device!
JMH: What is Sweeten Village?
BECK: Oh wow another impossible question! Sweeten Village is a great little vacation spot where the Sweets may be Sweet on you. hahaha Sweeten Village started off as a simple joke tweeted to a friend, Brad took the phrase "how do you create an army of Gingerbread Zombies?" and created an entire world of fun, danger, laughter and of course delicious villains. This eventually turned into an awesome partnership and a hopeful hit. Sweeten Village is simply a way for him to share his love of writing and me to share my adorkable doodles but it's turned into a wonderful little world that we both love to live and play in.
JMH: What sources do you use for a cover image?
BECK: Actually I have not drawn a cover for our comic yet, I emphasize YET. We will hopefully be putting our chapters together and printing our comic and then I will get to draw my first cover! As for sources, well I guess I'll have to use some cookies as references. Yum!
JMH: What other mediums or genres have you drawn for?
BECK: I have worked with rubber stamp design, t-shirt and logo design, children's illustration, sketch cards and of course lots of commissions. I have a children's book that I wrote and illustrated in 2008 "Wiener Dog Adventures - The Treasure of Kittabooty Island"
JMH: What project are you currently working on at now?
BECK: Currently I am working on a set of interlude strips for Sweeten Village to tell a bit of a side story before we start chapter too this summer. Also I'm working with Cult-Stuff on a few more sketch card sets and of course the constant pile of commissions. At the moment I'm trying to finish up a large pile of personal sketch cards to sell at HeroesCon in June. Oh and when I have a few spare hours I've been knitting up an army of stuffed critters!
JMH: What future projects do you have in the works?
BECK: Future projects, hmm well more Sweeten Village of course and more of design work for the various companies I have worked with in the past, whatever new card sets pop up for Star Wars and hopefully some more children's illustrations.
JMH: What advise do you have for aspiring artists?
BECK: If you want to work as an artist, grow a thick skin. Criticism is hard to handle when its directed at something you created but it can be a useful tool if you allow yourself to learn from the critics. Also you must work to get work, meaning never let a day go by without doing something creative. Draw everyday, journal your ideas, talk with other artists and share. I have found a large group of artist friends on Facebook and twitter that have become my "work buddies". We have water-cooler chats and share ideas, ask for help and support each others work. Its a hard field to get into without a "name" but if you promote yourself, work hard and promote yourself some more...you'll find it is a great way to earn a living. Oh and plan on eating a strict diet of Hot Pockets and cookies!
JMH: anything else you'd like to mention that we haven't covered yet?
BECK: I would love to share with your readers the facebook fan pages for Sweeten Village and my artwork:
http://www.facebook.com/SweetenVillageAWebcomic
and
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BeckaDoodles-the-art-of-cute/141640072559590
We would love to share our story with the world so check out our pages and tell your friends...you won't be disappointed, we promise! Oh and Brad and I both hang out on twitter, look us up and join in the fun. @beckadoodles and @Brad_Duncan
JMH: Beck, Thanks for your time. ALL the best!
BECK: Thank you John, this was a lot of fun! ;)
It’s always a treat for me to share my art with new people and of course to talk about projects that are dear to my heart. Working with Brad and taking his wonderful words and putting them down on paper in full color is a dream come true. As a young child I had dreams of becoming a cartoonist...Brad's awesome words have given me that opportunity and I appreciate all the work he does to give me a fun place to spend some time (even though it's mostly in my head). I have to relate one funny thing before I finish...Brad is a visual writer, he may not see it that way but what he writes is easy for me to see in my head and decide how to draw. The moment we settled on a story centered on "Sweets gone bad" I giggled in delight because I could see them all dancing in my head. It wasn't until Brad actually saw the first glimpse of Lily in full on Gingerbread Zombie Mode that he giggled as hard as me...and that is when we both knew this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
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