Gary Clark: Ding Duck and the Swamp

Posted on December 7, 2012 by David Hurley

Gary Clark is the humorous creator of the fantastic world of “Swamp” comics. Gary took inspiration for his wonderful community of characters from exploring the endless possibilities of nearby parks, creeks, bushlands near his suburban childhood home in Australia. I’m thrilled to have Gary featured this week as he takes us behind the scenes and shares the day in the life of his cartooning world and what lies ahead for us the fans. So let’s join Gary as he discusses the humorous and creative life of the inhabitants of the Swamp.

David: Hello Gary thank you so much for being featured at Don’t Pick the Flowers. You have a wonderful comic called “Swamp”. What’s it like in the day in the life of Gary Clark? Do you have a set schedule for writing, drawing, coloring and what are the tools you use to create Swamp?

Gary: My average working starts anywhere between 6 – 7 am. Earlier if I have a project with deadlines that I can’t fit into my regular schedule. I work from a studio about a three minute walk from home. So when arriving my routine is to check emails and reply.

Click on image to enlarge

Lately I am regularly in contact with my publisher Martin Leeuwis Publications who is based inHolland, so being at work early enables me to discuss things via email.

Once the emails are done I work on the cleaning up and colouring of the previous days cartoons. Normally I only clean up and then forward the files to a cartoonist friend who works as my colourist.

I also use this early morning time ( which I consider free time because I count the working day to official start at 8 am ) to keep informed on what is going on in the cartooning and newspaper business via daily newsletters like “ The Daily Cartoonist”.

Sometime around 8 am my breakfast stomach alarm goes off and I go downstairs from the upstairs studio to the kitchen and cook breakfast and relax for 20 minutes.

At the beginning of the week I print out a customized work sheet which I fill out with the file numbers of all the cartoons required for the week plus a few extras to try and build lead. Currently I’m only three weeks ahead of the nearest newspaper print deadline.

Click on image to enlarge

The average day involves writing and drawing daily or Sunday strips required according to my schedule as well as working to progress other projects we are aiming to produce. The recent book Ding Duck ‘’I WANT TO FLY’’ just released has been a big part of my schedule for the past many months.

Other work time is spent managing the distribution via email directly to client newspapers and syndicates, overseeing the management of accounts and replying to emails that require my attention during the day.

I finish around 6 pm.

David: What are the things that inspire you to create and who would be your cartooning hero’s?

Gary: I don’t think about the creative process until I sit down and start writing gags.

Click on image to enlarge

I start with a blank page and just start doodling. I try and make this an enjoyable time and look forward to it. I often take a cartoon book of other cartoonist’s work I am enjoying at the moment for the sheer pleasure of enjoying their work. This helps to get into the cartoon mode of thinking. Ideas are worked up from three simple starting points. Location, Character or Situation.

When writing I explore each of these starting points looking while for something new to write about.

The cartoonists that first inspired me way back when I was a 16 year old art student was Brant Parker “Wizard of Id”.

David: For any one wanting to get involved in making comics, what advice would you give them?

Gary: Just have fun. Don’t try and master plan what you are going to do and what kind of personalities your characters are going to have.

Click on image to enlarge

Just start simple, write about things you know about and visually explore that topic and see where it leads.

If you produce something that makes your friends and family laugh then get advice from someone who knows about cartoons and ask

For their opinion of the work. A local cartoonist or syndicate may be a starting point.

David: What kind of legacy would you like to leave with your work, how would you like people to remember Ding Duck and the gang?

Gary: Heck, Am I that old?? (David: haha, no your not old 😉 )

Click on image to enlarge

That the cartoons brought many people much joy and they earned a fortune for their creator.

David: What can we expect to see in the future with Swamp, what’s on the horizon for us the fans? 

Gary: Currently we are looking into the best way to release a series of digital and print Swamp Cartoon albums.

For digital albums I am considering epub albums for Ipad and Kindle Fire tablets and for the print market a series of print on demand albums possibly through Amazon.

Click on image to enlarge

My current book Ding Duck ‘’I WANT TO FLY ‘’ which is 160 pages of colour Swamp cartoons focusing on the ups and downs of perpetual flying student character Ding Duck is available in the U.S through the aviation humour website www.chickenwingscomics.com

The Swamp characters lend themselves to a huge range of possibilities for a series of mobile phone games.

So the big goal for next year is to connect with a mobile game developer to excite them to those possibilities and produce a game.

David: Gary that will be an exciting development and something that would be fun for fans of Swamp and a great way to introduce many more people to your characters. I’ll be looking for the announcements! 

Gary thank you so much for sharing Swamp with us today. I look forward to all that lies ahead.

Get your dose of Swamp today at:

Swamp website: www.swamp.com.au

Twitter: twitter.com/SwampCartoons

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ding-Duck/202971433169225?ref=hl

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/swampcartoons

Also contact Gary at:

Swamp Productions

PO Box 51

Everton Park, QLD Australia 4053

Phone: 07 3353 0422

Intnl: +61 7 3353 0422

 

 

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brian Anderson: Dog Eat Doug and other stories

Posted on November 30, 2012 by David Hurley

Doug Eat Dog is a cute and wonderful comic by Brian Anderson, which was launched in newspapers in 2005. Brian is a super talent who has written and illustrated children’s books including “Nighty Night, Sleepy Sleeps”, “The Prince’s New Pet” and the upcoming “Monster Chefs”. Brian’s beautiful artwork draws the viewer into adorable scenes to epic tales which children and adults alike fall in love with. I was thrilled to catch Brian from his busy schedule and have him answer some questions about his fantastic world of art and now privileged to share them with you here today at Don’t Pick the Flowers.

Click on image to enlarge

David: Hello Brian, thank you for being featured at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”, I’m a big fan of your work. When did you become interested in art, illustration and comics, and decide this was the direction you wanted to take with your life?

My parents said I started around 2 and I remember drawing James Bond comics in second grade. Mostly chase scenes. So even when I had other interests, cartooning and writing was always there.

Click on image to enlarge

David: You create one of my favorite comics “Dog Eat Doug”, what’s the history behind the characters and story? Where did the whole idea come from?

Well, thanks. The strip came from my dog. I was working on two completely different pitches for the syndicates and wasn’t thrilled with either of them. I watched Sophie sleeping on the couch next to me and the whole thing popped into my head. Title, the baby and roughly the first twenty strips. Two years later I had an actual baby boy which turned the strip into a documentary.

David: What are the tools you work with to create your comic? And what are your favorites when illustrating?

Click on image to enlarge

This will be hard to keep short. For the strip, I started off with pens like Microns and Copics. They were the most comfortable. However, from the get go I knew the strip needed to be simple brush strokes and it took me awhile to work up the guts to switch.

When I did switch, I couldn’t really have open bottles of ink and brushes out in the open. Add that to a baby and a dog and your house turns into a Jackson Pollock mural. So I discovered Jetpens.com and tried out every brush pen they had. I’m still changing it up and I also do a lot of strips digitally when time is short.

Right now when it comes to doodling or working out a style for a new picture book I use whatever is lying around. I let the tools dictate the style. I spent way too much time trying to force pens and pencils to do things they just couldn’t.

Click on image to enlarge

For example, on The Conjurers webcomic, I started penciling on top of pencils without erasing. Then I would ink a bit on top of that with ballpoint pens. Then I’d add some watercolors and do the finishes in photoshop. I had been so conditioned to pencil, ink, erase, repeat. It was a tremendous amount of fun to simply mess around not caring if it turned to a muddy mess.

David: You have other books which are in print like “The Prince’s New Pet” can you share a little about your other work and what we can expect in the future?

Click on image to enlarge

“Monster Chefs” will be published next year, in the spring I think. My son (four at the time) came up with the story. Right now I’m in pitch mode for a new picture book and comic book series. Also plugging through a novel. Hopefully they all find homes next year. We’ll see.

David: Who are some of your influences?

Click on image to enlarge

That’s a looooong list. Although they are regulars. My top four favorite writers are Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker and Vince Flynn. They make the list because I re-read a lot of their books every year.

My cartooning influences contain most of the usual suspects: Schultz, Watterson, Davis and almost anyone that drew for MAD magazine. In high school I discovered McFarlane and the Image crew. And now I constantly browse the interwebs looking for artists I’ve never seen before. My RSS reader is crammed with artists’ blogs.

Click on image to enlarge

David: How would you like your work to be remembered and what kind of legacy would you like to have?

I would love to be known as a good story teller.

David: I believe you will be Brian and thank you so much for sharing your world of art and writing . I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for you, I know it will be full of outstanding stories and beautiful artwork.

And for all those who are just discovering Brian Anderson or have been devote followers, click on the links below to a wonderful world of magic.

Dog Eat Doug at Alpha Comedy: dog-eat-doug.html

Dog Eat Doug website: dogeatdoug.com

Dog Eat Doug Creators: dog-eat-doug.html

Dog Eat Doug GoComics: dogeatdoug

Twitter: dogeatdoug

Dog Eat Doug Facebook: dogeatdougfan

Monster Chefs Facebook: monsterchefs

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SFIPress with Brad Joyce and Walter Shuler

Posted on November 20, 2012 by David Hurley

SFIPress (Southern Fried Inkslingers) is the brainchild of Brad Joyce and Walter Shuler. Brad is the artist and Walter is the writer and they have collaborated to indulge you in comics, art, and fantasy fiction with the inkslingers podcast served up indie style. Brad and Walter are two of the funniest hosts you will ever listen to and you are going to love their podcast. Today we are going behind the scenes to poke around and see how they started SFIPress and find out what’s in store for us and them in the coming future.

David: Hello Brad and Walter, thank you so much for being featured at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. Can you tell everyone how you guys came up with your brainchild that is SFIPress, what’s the story behind the podcast?

Brad: First off, thanks for having us on your blog! Being two ordinary guys, We (Walter and I ) are always humbled whenever people ask us to do interviews. We’re always like…”Us…you want to talk to us? Why?” lol
To answer the first part of that question, I’ll have to answer the second part first. Walter and I meet on twitter a few years back and it turns out we’re only 2 hours from each other. A little over a year ago, I started making regular trips down to hang out with him and his family. One weekend while I was down last April, we where talking about how hard it is to get your name out there. That’s when we came up with the idea doing our on little biweekly podcast. The main goal of the podcast has been (and will always be) to spotlight other creative talents! The world is full of em! Be it artist, author or what have you!  And since Walter and I have been on twitter a long time, we decided to pull (blackmail is such a harsh word) guests from the vast contacts we have. Our friends seemed to like the idea and we booked the first six months of guests within two weeks. Walter and I are both southern boys so we came up with a name that shows that we’re proud of that and something that includes what we do. He slings ink writing books while I sling ink creating pictures. And with that, the Southern Fried Inkslingers Podcast was born!

Brad Joyce

Now back to the first part of your question. Well, one of the things we have always talked about was how to get Walter into the public eye a little more. If you’re an author, one of the things you can do for this is public signings (library, book store, comic conventions) of your books. Walter’s books are all in E-form. This makes it a little tough to do. So we came up with the idea of joining forces, making a graphic novel (he writes it, I draw it) that will be in print form so we can go to comic conventions put ourselves into the public eye just a little bit more. We also figured that sense we’re supporting each other, why not join forces on just one site! A one stop shop for his novels and my art work. Two people working for one main goal. It’s a win/win situation. Since we had the SFIPodcast, we just decided to go with that same theme and create our own little place in the world known as Southern Fried Inkslingers Press.

Walter: Actually, the podcast predates SFIPress. We were sitting around thinking about ways that we could help promote other creators and one of said, “Hey, what about a podcast?” To which the other said, “What? Great!” Neither of us remembers who said what, lol, but that’s pretty much the origin story in a nutshell. Of course, we gave the ‘cast our own ADHD spin – we didn’t want to be like all the other podcasts out there, particularly in our interviews, which is why there are some rather odd questions at times, but it just adds to our charm (and remember, resistance is futile. Bow to your overlords!).

David: What are your ultimate goals with SFIPress (of course besides taking over the world, haha)? Where would like to see it going and what can we expect to see in the future?

Brad: As I mentioned in the long rambling answer to the first question. We’re looking to put out (in print form and E-form) our own little graphic novel called Hawksfall in 2013. It will be a mix of Watership Down meets the world of fantasy author Raymond Feist. Something that can be enjoyed from the ages of say eight to adult. We’re both new at working on a graphic novel idea so we’re both finding our way in the dark on this project. Hopefully the future of SFIPress will bring many more projects to light. More novels from Walter, more art work from me, more mayhem in the form of the SFIPodcast. (Which is now booked with guests till early July of 2013! So mayhem from the podcast will be a definite!)

Walter Shuler

Walter: Our goals? Hmm…Well, world domination, free bacon for all of our minions… Umm, yeah. Really, as far as the podcast is concerned, we hope to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re both freaking blown away by the amount of support and love we’ve received, and there are some truly awesome folks out there. For SFIPress, the goals are a bit different. Brad and I will continue our own separate efforts, but we’re also going to be doing a lot of stuff together. SFIPress will become the imprint on my books, but will also be the publisher for our joint comics and other efforts (yes, there are plans for quite a bit more – Hawksfall is just the beginning).

Brad you are an artist and cartoonist (ex: Coffee Talk), what are some of your plans in the visual/artist world? Walter is a writer, what are some of the things on your plate at the moment?

Brad: Good question! One of the reasons Hawksfall is in such a “when is it coming out” state is because I’ve been trying something totally new with my art style for this project. I’ve been an old school pencil/pen/brush guy my whole life and I’ve been trying to teach myself how to paint in Photoshop. Taking an idea and how you see it and trying to put into an illustrated form you’ve never done before is not the easiest thing in the world to do! I can already see that the way book one of Hawksfall looks will be different from the way book two looks (hopefully in a good way) cause I’ll have the experience of book one under my belt and will be able to improve on in book two.

Walter: On my plate… wow, there’s so much. Right now, I’m trying to wrap up book 2 in The God Wars trilogy, Into a Dark Land. The 3rd book will be done the first half of next year. Then, it’s on to a new series based on one of the short stories in Blood and Brass. The first book will be called The Breaking of Northwarden, and follows Haem after the events in The Clockwork Men. That series will be at least 3 books, but possibly as many as 5. Brad and I also have the Hawksfall comic in the works, and I’ve got a number of other books in the “idea” stage.

David: Who are some of your favorite writers and artists in the world of comic’s and fantasy?

Walter (right) Brad (left) with Walter's children

Brad: Man, as if I haven’t rambled on enough yet! I’ll see if I can’t keep this to 10,000 words or less. Favorite writer…hands down…is Stephen King! My left leg is dedicated to tattoos of nothing but his “DarkTower” series. Also in my favorite author collection is Andy Remic, Matthew Reilly, John Ringo, Stephen Green and John Steakley. Favorite artists…whooooo…this is a tough one! For two completely different reason my top two are Alex Ross (super realism) and Jeff Smith. (Brush and ink artist, creator of Bone comic) Also Greg Capullo, Skottie Young and Tim Sale.

Walter: Honestly, I’m going to have to stick with some of the amazing indies we’ve met on Twitter and FB – people like Charles Dowd, Tommie Kelly, Jorge Oliveira for comics. For fantasy books, I’m going to give some mad props to the very talented Shawn Wickersheim, who we’ll be interviewing on the podcast here soon. Thea Atkinson is another name people should know – her YA fantasy series is out of my main reading genre, but still managed to suck me in.

David: the internet is a powerful place, who would be your ultimate guest?

Brad: I’ve said this on the podcast before. The one guest that I would love to have on would be the brilliant and warped mind behind “Pearls before swine”…Stephan Pastis! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself really “laughing out loud” while reading a Pearls book. Every podcast I’ve listened to that features him; he seems like a down to earth guy. Love to have him on the show! Maybe one day, if I click my heels three times…it will happen!

Walter: You know, I’d really love to get David B. Coe on at some point – a very talented trade author and a cool guy. But other than that, man, I really get excited about the people we’ve had on and are coming up. The indie world is incredibly amazing, so rich in talent, and there are some awesome creators out there.

David: Brad and Walter thank you so much for being featured today at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. I’m really looking forward to what you will be sharing with us the viewers and wish you both continued success as you move forward in this great venture “Southern Fried Inkslingers”. 

And for those who are familiar with SFIPress or would like to find out more about Brad and Walters podcast, click on the links below to listen, follow, and then as Brad would say  “Go cram it in your ear holes”.

SFIPress website:  SFIPress website

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SFIPress

Twitter (Brad Joyce): twitter.com/Brad_Joyc3

Twitter (Walter Shuler): twitter.com/anakronistical

 

 

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Donna A. Lewis: Reply All

Posted on November 13, 2012 by David Hurley

Donna A Lewis is the creative wonder woman behind “Reply All Comics”. I love Donna’s humor which she takes from real life experience, and the style she uses to create her art. Donna has an interesting story in her journey to becoming a cartoonist and a unique voice which makes her standout as a shining star in the comic world. I count it a privilege to feature Donna A. Lewis and go behind the scenes to the humorous world of Reply All Comics. Come join me as Donna shares her story. 

David: Hello Donna, thank you so much for being featured at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”! You have a wonderful comic called “Reply All”. How did the idea for your comic come about and has cartooning been a life long dream?

Click on image to enlarge

Donna: Ah, a two part question. I love two part questions.  It’s easier to answer these in the opposite order you asked them.

Cartooning has NOT been a life long dream. However, being a published writer HAS been a life long dream.  Up until 2007 or so, I was writing and writing and writing.  In 2006, I got writer burn out from trying to get a novel published.  For anyone unfamiliar with the process, let’s just say it’s frustrating, demeaning and depressing.  And THAT’S if you have a positive experience.

I decided to put the novel away for a year to refresh my perspective (i.e., I had edited and re-edited the book into a meaningless bunch of words).  During my official break, I did stand up.  I loved the actual time being on stage and the time spent writing material.  I had trouble staying awake at night for comedy shows, though.

One day, I put one of my favorite punch lines with a doodle of a girl and a poorly-drawn cartoon was born.  I emailed it to a bunch of friends and family and colleagues and everyone wanted more.  Since then, I’ve done at least one cartoon a day.  Usually more than one. After I had been drawing cartoons for a year, a fan who happened to work at the Washington Post asked if I would like to talk to Amy Lago, editor extraordinaire.  I met with Amy, bringing her about 40 strips.  We talked for a while but she didn’t look at the strips while I was there.  A month later, she emailed and basically said that she liked my material and could I make some changes related to the world of the characters.  A few weeks later, I delivered 40 new strips.  Amy liked them.  I began producing a strip a day and Amy edited them.  AND THEN….Cathy Guisewite announced her retirement and we jumped into the market.

David: Where do your ideas come from and do you have a set schedule for coming up with ideas and drawing the artwork? What’s it like in the day in the life of Donna A. Lewis?

Click on image to enlarge

Donna: Wow. A THREE-part question! Cool. Two is good. Three is even more good!

My ideas come from daily life.  My greatest quality, I think, is that everything seems funny to me.  I make note of what seems funny, do a quick analysis of why it seems funny and then turn it into material.  Luckily, I’m surrounded by people I find very funny, whether they mean it or not.  And they are very good sports.  They don’t mind me making fun of them incessantly.

My schedule is pretty rigid.  I set aside twenty hours a week for the comic strip and then pray I won’t go over twenty hours.  I have a travel alarm clock which always sits in front of me, telling me the time and the weather, in case I need to know whether I’m missing a beautiful day.  I can do a strip in two hours or ten hours.  I try to stick closer to two hours.  I should also mention that I’m currently writing (and drawing) both a comic strip (Reply All) and a single-panel cartoon (Reply All Lite).  Both are syndicated.  The single panel cartoon turned out to be really popular online.  I suspect it’s because it’s such a quick read.  Hopefully a quick laugh.  No work involved.  No clicking involved.  Humor delivered.

Click on image to enlarge

My schedule doesn’t vary too much.  I have a full-time day job and I am NOT a morning person.  I wake up around 9 and get to work by 10.  My morning routine is accomplished in my sleep, primarily.  I work from 10 until 6:30 or so.  Then I go home, walk the dog and draw.  I already know the basic joke of the strip so I usually save the actual writing for last.  As I draw, the writing of the four panels usually evolves pretty easily.  I usually only obsess about the writing in the last two panels.  I’ll change the last panel about 75 times, only to realize that the first punchline was the best.  I try to spend as much of the weekend writing non-cartoon material as possible.  I’m working on a novel now that will, hopefully, be published on this planet in 2013.  The key to writing, for me, is to have uninterrupted blocks of time.  Four hours of writing passes very quickly.  I try to get in a minimum of four four-hour blocks every weekend.

David: What are the tools you use to create your work?

Click on image to enlarge

Donna: I now use Photoshop exclusively for the cartoons and strips.  I got Photoshop AFTER meeting with Amy Lago.  The period of learning Photoshop was painful.  Now it’s fun and relaxing and super enjoyable.  I should mention that I’ve got no art training.  Anyone who hates my art will be saying “Well, duh.”  That’s okay, I never claimed to be an artist.  Just a creative person who produces a lot.

David: In your opinion what makes a good comic? And who are some of your hero’s in the cartooning world?

Donna: I see comics the way I see movies and books and music.  If you like it, it’s good.  And everyone likes different things.  I like anything that speaks to me, teaches me, inspires me or makes me think.  That goes for my comics, movies, books and music.  I like the deep stuff.  Or the stuff that, with a glass of wine, can become deep.  I’m waiting for the next Far Side. 🙂

Click on image to enlarge

David: What advice do you give to aspiring cartoonists and other artists in the field?

Donna: I’m a big fan of Just Do It.  You can’t plan to get published or plan to get syndicated.  You have to have material.  I’ve got boatloads of material now because I produce every day no matter what’s going on in my life.  It’s something I need to do.  It’s far more than my outlet.  I think it’s my thing.  If I were independently wealthy, I would produce 24/7.  Unfortunately, I’m not so I have the disruption of a day job.

I don’t think anything in the world can be substituted for producing.  That doesn’t mean that what you produce will be good.  If you have no audience, you have no audience.  But if you do have an audience, whether it’s an actual audience or a potential audience, be good for them.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I don’t have to appeal to people who hate my humor, my writing or my art.  If they don’t like it, there’s tons of stuff out there for them to read.  I’m sure this will be shocking, but I don’t like everything out there.  I just don’t email those who do things I don’t get into.  I only email artists, writers and humorists whose work I love and I tell them I love it.  I’m not really into the time-wasting of hating.

David: What do you want your legacy to be and what praise brings you the most enjoyment?  

Donna: Ha ha ha.  I didn’t know that I’d get a legacy.  Cool.

Click on image to enlarge

I personally believe in giving back whatever you can.  I have never had money so I’ve always given time and expertise related to my day job in law.  I’ve done all the typical volunteer stuff that everyone else has done – teaching, mentoring, serving on boards, raising money, etc.  If I ever see any substantial money from any of my writing, whether it be the strip or products or my novel, I’ll just be able to give back better.  I’ve learned a few things about life along the way and I wouldn’t mind helping those who experience challenges similar to those I experienced.  I also wouldn’t mind giving back to some art programs.  Creativity kept me afloat through my childhood and teen years.  I was the kid who needed the outlet.  I am very grateful for any kind of art opportunity and believe all kids (and older kids) should be able to explore their inner painter, writer or whatever.

David: Donna thank you for giving us your outlet “Reply All”. You strike a cord with so many people which they can relate to. And thank you for sharing you work and story here at “Don’t Pick the Flowers. I love hearing how and why you create. 

And for anyone who has or hasn’t checked out Reply All, click on the links below to avail yourself to the humor of Donna A. Lewis: 

Reply All Website: www.replyallcomic.com

GoComics: www.gocomics.com/replyall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReplyAllComic

Twitter: twitter.com/ReplyAllComic

 

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mike Witmer: Pinkerton (the wild has never been so weird)

Posted on November 9, 2012 by David Hurley

Click on image to enlarge

Mike Witmer is the creative mastermind behind (one of my favorite comics) “Pinkerton”. Pinkerton stars four furry friends (Buckley, Tucker, Steve, and Martin) as they deal with life in the wild with mischief, mayhem and humor.  One of my favorite things about Pinkerton is how easy it is to relate to the characters as it takes you deeper into the hollows of friendships that can’t be broken.  Today I’m thrilled to feature Mike Witmer and go behind the scenes and explore how he brings his world of characters to life. 

David: Hey Mike, thanks for being featured at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. I was thrilled to have you featured in November 2011, what’s been going on with you and the furry little guys from Pinkerton?

Mike: Well, I took a hiatus for a long time.  To be honest, I was on the fence about whether or not I even wanted to come back.  I found out that the further away I got from the characters and the strip, the more they nagged at me in my brain.  Weird.  So I decided to come back on my own terms.  I recently sold out of my entire stock of the first Pinkerton collection.  Now I’m in the process of plotting my next venture.  I’ve been toying with an e-book… something cheap and easily accessible to readers.  The jury is still out on that one.

Click on image to enlarge

David: What are the things that influence your writing and comic? Do you feel your characters are a writing catharsis for you? And is there a particular character you identify with the most?

Mike: Maybe influences are the wrong term, but I find inspiration in the strangest places.  Pinkerton is all over the place from a theme standpoint.  One week the storyline could be about parenting.  The next week it might be about homicide.  The next, pudding.  LOL!  I may take humor from my day-to-day life.  My kids may inspire me to use a certain phrasing or incident.  But for the most part, I feel like the characters of the strip influence me most.  When I’m working on a new script, I find myself thinking “how would Buckley react to this situation?”  And the answer to that question usually helps me to move the storyline along.

I think I identify most with Martin.  I often feel like I have the luck of Tucker.  Specially when referring to his parenting skills.

Click on image to enlarge

David: What do you consider to be the highest praise someone could give your comic Pinkerton?

Mike: Highest praise?  “Your comic strip cured my plaque psoriasis!”  haha.  Seriously, I really enjoy hearing from readers.  I’m always impressed when readers know more about the characters than I do.  I’m not too concerned about the artwork (obviously).  I mean, it’s important.  But a poorly-written well-drawn strip is really just a picture with crappy words.  So I would say the best compliment I could receive would be related to my writing abilities.

David: What’s next with Pinkerton and what can we expect to see from the gang in the future?

Click on image to enlarge

Mike: I’d love to see Pinkerton animated.  I’m too lazy to do anything like that so I don’t see it happening any time soon.  I would say that you can expect a new book in one shape or form coming in the next year.  I’m fleshing out some pretty interesting storylines that I’m excited about.  I hope everyone enjoys them.

David: What’s your favorite thing about being a cartoonist, and what kind of legacy would you like Pinkerton to be remembered for?

Mike: I love the process of getting inside the characters’ heads.  I enjoy immersing myself in the Pinkerton world.  I like the fact that I don’t have to consult anyone in the process too.  Boy that sounds selfish but I’m happy to have something that’s MINE!

As far as a legacy… that’s a tough one.  I want Pinkerton to be one of those strips that people connect with.  If someone is invested in Pinkerton or its characters I think that tends to leave a mark on them.  If in a few years someone is saying “hey, remember Pinkerton?” that’s a good start.

David: I and so many others will be remembering Pinkerton for a lifetime Mike! Thank you so much for taking us behind the scenes into your fantastic world of characters. I find it a true honor and privilege to have you featured at Don’t Pick the Flowers and look forward in seeing what the future has in store for you and us the fans.

If you are a long time fan or new to the world of Pinkerton, click on the links below to avail yourself to one of the funniest comics around.

Pinkerton:  www.pinkertonpark.com

GoComics: www.gocomics.com/pinkerton

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pinkertonpark

 


 

 

 

 

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment