How did you become an artist?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I studied Illustration and Graphic Design in college and graduated with my BFA in 2008 from Utah Valley University. Since then, I’ve been working full-time making words and pictures for books, games, animations, mobile apps, clothing, magazines, websites, and comics.
How can I set up a school/library/bookstore visit?
Availability for 2023-2024 workshops and visits will be announced via my email list (sign up below) and on this website. In the past, I have taught week-long workshops at the Charles M Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, and at Higher Ground Learning and Thanksgiving Point in Utah. I have also conducted visits at dozens of schools, libraries, bookstores, comic book shops, museums, and art galleries in person and virtually.
(Topics I usually cover: how words and pictures work together to tell stories, getting the most out of your sketchbook, story structure, illustration media and techniques, character design and development, generating and filtering ideas, worldbuilding, publishing opportunities.)
What is the best drawing you’ve ever made?
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
There are too many to name here, but the artist with the single biggest impact on me is probably Doug TenNapel. The broad variety of content and media he has produced (books, games, movies, television, animation) has been a kind of permission for me to pursue all the story- and drawing-related activities and projects that interest me.
I also enjoy works by Chris Ware, Lynda Barry, Aaron Renier, Jeff Kinney, Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, Mike Mignola, Bill Peet, Quentin Blake, Tim Burton, Taika Waititi, Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Jason Shiga, Jillian Tamaki, Michael Deforge, Craig Thompson, Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser, Ryan Cecil Smith, William Blake, Brian Catling, Roald Dahl, etc, etc.
When does your next book come out?
None of your business. (Just kidding.)
What Happens Next is my new series of choose-your-own-adventure graphic novels, coming Spring and Summer 2023.
What Happens Next: Talent Show Troubles (Book 1) is available for preorder in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book, wherever books are sold.
What Happens Next: Science Fair Frenzy (Book 2) is available for preorder in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book, wherever books are sold.
Let’s Make Comics is my bestselling comic activity book, which has sold more than 10,000 copies, debuting at #1 in 4 categories. The book has been celebrated by professional comics creators, children, teens, parents, educators, and librarians. So, that’s cool.
You can find some of my other books on Amazon.
What do you look like?
Kind of like if you took my mother’s genetic heritage and combined it with my dad’s, but also enlarged the nose a bit.
What tools do you use?
I often use Micron technical pens, fountain pens, stickers, Crayola markers, and miscellaneous desk supplies in Moleskine sketchbooks.
For digital work, I use MediBang Paint on an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, and sometimes Photoshop CC on a 2021 24” iMac (photo below).
What’s your favorite book?
Tough question. There are so many good novels, comics, and biographies that I love. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed: The Unsinkable Walker Bean, Isaac the Pirate, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Building Stories, 1Q84, The Vorrh, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Fantasy Sports 2: The Bandit of Barbel Bay, Talking to Tesla.
What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on an exciting new series of choose-your-own-adventure graphic novels and trying my hand at writing a story without pictures. (Fingers crossed!)