Browsing “Image Seeks Words Series”

One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. More so than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

Some art is neat, tidy, and simply pretty. Vicki Nerino does not make that kind of art. She describes herself as having a “penchant for drawing the most disgusting scenarios imaginable,” and has made a name for herself exploring the grotesque and fascinatingly obscene. While her online portfolio proudly displays an obscene section, she is quick to reassure prospective employers that she is also willing to make perfectly nice pictures for cash, and her list of venerable clients includes The Globe and Mail, Matrix Magazine and Open File.

Vicki Nerino

What first attracted you to make comics as a form of artistic expression?

I was sort of bullied into it, actually. It all started in a narrative class in college when we were asked to do a short comic about our first memory. Of COURSE I had to draw myself coming out of my mother’s vagina, and my then pal/now best friend Britt Wilson, who is WAY better a comics that I ever will be, by the way, got on my case. I then decided that, sure, I wouldn’t mind splitting a table with her at a local convention, and it all went from there. I’m still nowhere near where I would like to be with them, but that’s the journey, and why I love comics so much. Always a new challenge.

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One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. Moreso than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words,, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. This column will profile a different artist or writer in each instalment, with a specific focus on any projects that they may be currently looking to share with potential collaborators. Readers are encourages to contact the comics creator in question, and offer their skills if they think they would be a good fit. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

This column is about impossible things. Or, rather, it is about, how previously impossible things are becoming possible.

Impossible Arts is a newly registered non-profit arts organization founded by award-winning author Emily Pohl-Weary, who grew up in Toronto’s west-end. Its mandate is to promote creativity, confidence, and self-expression for inner-city youth, through hands-on artistic and literary workshops and events. This organization connects inner-city youth, many of whom don’t feel comfortable in traditional learning environments, with established filmmakers, authors, cartoonists, and hip-hop poets. Impossible Arts programs take place at our host and partner location the Academy of the Impossible, a west-end maker culture community hub.

The latest initiative by Impossible Arts is a reading series called Impossible Words, which “resents culturally and stylistically diverse literature by established and emerging contemporary Canadian writers to all members of the public, and youth audiences in particular.” The reading series launches on September 8th 2012 with a reading by Governor General’s Award-winning poet George Elliott Clark, which will take place at 1:30 pm at the Academy of the Impossible (231 Wallace Ave. [At Lansdowne]).In addition to readings, all of the instalments of the Impossible Words series will feature an audience Q&A with the author as well as an open mic.

Image Seeks Words had the opportunity to speak to writer Mariko Tamaki, who will perform at the second Impossible Words event on September 22nd.

How did you become interested in and involved with Impossible Arts?

I’ve known Emily Pohl-Weary, Impossible founder, for almost ten years now. Back in the day, I wrote a column for her literary magazine, Kiss Machine, called “Ephemera.” I’m a huge fan of all of Emily’s arty schemes. I once drove to Wisconsin and back in a car with Emily and two other super heroes, Daniel Heath Justice and Carly Stasko. It was a crazy mess of a blast and resulted in the comic Skim (with Jillian Tamaki), which Kiss Machine originally produced as a mini comic.

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One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. Moreso than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words,, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. This column will profile a different artist or writer in each instalment, with a specific focus on any projects that they may be currently looking to share with potential collaborators. Readers are encourages to contact the comics creator in question, and offer their skills if they think they would be a good fit. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

Currently based in Montreal, QC, Georgia Webber fell in love with comics while a student in her home town of Toronto. She remains tied to Toronto’s vibrant and active comics community through social media and events like the Toronto Comics Arts Festival. Georgia is a passionate and vivacious creator bubbling over with new projects.

Georgia Webber

What first attracted you to make comics as a form of artistic expression?

Comics gave me a gateway to artistic expression that I had previously found to be frustratingly elite. (I actually wrote a blog post about this some time ago when I was pretending to like blogging). When I had this “Aha!” moment, I just started running with it, drawing whatever popped into my head at any given time, mostly nonsense. It was beautiful. It was like the cork of a champagne bottle being popped, and all the bubbly creativity in my body and mind just started pouring out. That’s what first attracted me to comics, and what keeps me adoring them with every particle in my being. Limitless possibility.

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One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. Moreso than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words,, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. This column will profile a different artist or writer in each instalment, with a specific focus on any projects that they may be currently looking to share with potential collaborators. Readers are encourages to contact the comics creator in question, and offer their skills if they think they would be a good fit. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

Chris Huth’s  intricate illustrations are often inspired by the darker realms of fantasy. As likely to create a finely wrought homage to Lovecraftian horror as a tongue-in-cheek ode to pulp science fiction, Huth’s work is characterized by exquisite attention to detail, fine line work and a black sense of humour. As comfortable collaborating on web comics as he is providing illustrations for role-playing games, Huth is an active and open-minded collaborator.

Collab with Rachel Kahn

One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. Moreso than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words,, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. This column will profile a different artist or writer in each instalment, with a specific focus on any projects that they may be currently looking to share with potential collaborators. Readers are encourages to contact the comics creator in question, and offer their skills if they think they would be a good fit. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

Evan Munday, tortured artist.

Evan Munday is a seemingly inexhaustible source of positive energy in Toronto, where he participates actively both in the literary and comics communities. When he is not as his day job as the publicist for Coach House Books, Evan is busy writing and illustrating stories about sexy supervillains, dead teen detectives, and post-apocalyptic twenty-somethings.

How would you describe your own creative style?

I like to think I combine the fantastic and the extremely mundane in a vaguely pleasing and mildly amusing way. My illustration work is some unholy hybrid of cartoon and realism, and my writing attempts to be witty but touching, but likely relies on far too many cultural references for its own good. Also, I think I’m obsessed with death in a very real and strange way. Goth Norman Rockwell meets Sunday Comics Dennis Miller.

What is your favourite medium to use and why? How do you combine different forms of media in your work?

Ink on paper is still my favourite.When I was a kid, I thought I’d never be able to ink illustrations the proper way because I press too hard with a pen (which makes using pen nibs really difficult,and often breaks them). But I idolized cartoonist Mike Allred (Madman) and was determined to learn how to ink using a brush, just as he did. I’m still not that great at it, but am so glad I worked at it. Doing a solid inking job with a brush is,without hyperbole, probably more satisfying than any other accomplishment in life. 

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One of the things that makes Toronto so awesome is the fact that this city loves comics. Moreso than ever before, in the past few years Toronto has become a hotbed for comics creation and innovation. Out city is full of illustrators and graphic designers, cartoonists and writers, all contributing their words and images. One of the great strengths of creating comics — the innately collaborative nature of the art form — can also be one of its challenges. Finding a writer to give voice and narrative to your images, or an illustrator to give life to your words,, can be difficult.That’s where Image Seeks Words comes in. This column will profile a different artist or writer in each instalment, with a specific focus on any projects that they may be currently looking to share with potential collaborators. Readers are encourages to contact the comics creator in question, and offer their skills if they think they would be a good fit. Image Seeks Words hopes to bring comics writers and illustrators together, one profile at a time.

Rachel Kahn is a force to be reckoned with in the Toronto arts community. The artist and illustrator has recently turned her attention to the gaming community, looking to the intensely productive creative opportunities for collaboration that exist between artists and makers of indie games in Toronto.

Rachel at Gamercamp 2011, chugging caffeine & sugar and staring into the creative void.

How would you describe your own creative style?

I’ve been so focused on learning and getting better at my art instead of taking stock of my work this year; that this question totally throws me! I guess I’ve been thinking less about making all my art appear to have a unified style, and focusing more on working with a unified approach or method. For me, it’s really important when doing any final artwork that I stay focused on research, iteration and exploration towards making the best possible piece for the purpose. I think careful design can bring a lot of story into a simple illustration. Ah, there we are! I think my style is focused on storytelling, or at least the best things I’ve done so far are.

What is your favourite medium to use and why? How do you combine different forms of media in your work?

I don’t like to leave the house without a sketchbook. I love sketching at the ROM, in bars and cafes; I generally bring a mechanical pencil, a kneaded eraser, an extrafine gel pen, an opaque black brush pen and sometimes a transparent gray brushpen. Sketchbook drawings often get scanned into the computer and painted digitally in Photoshop.

For deadline-oriented work, I normally go 100% digital. I use a 12” x 12” Wacom Intuos 2 tablet with Photoshop CS3 and will go from thumbnail to under-drawing to final painting, all on the computer.

If I had infinite time, though, I’d spend more time in my studio with my oil paints. Working in oils is one of the most seductive processes I’ve ever tried.

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