Do What You Have Too

I'll tell you what.  Waking up everyday and doing what you enjoy doing (coloring in my case) is one of the best feelings in the world.  I mean just to wake up and create art everyday...and maybe even get paid for it.  There really aren't any words.  But it's not all glamorous.  It's a lot of work and you do what you have too to get yourself out there.

I'm asked all the time how did I break into comics?  What did I have to do?  Simple answer?  If you want it bad enough, you'll do almost anything to get it or do it.

When I was younger I would always go to the Chicago Comic Con with my mom and have my portfolio with me to show as many people as I could.  Artists mostly. I wanted to get feedback from them, since I was too young to get hired by anybody.  And I did show as many artists as I could.  Of course I was a little scared to show anyone my work in fear that they would say "I suck.  Just give up."  Thankfully, I never got that.  What I did get was a lot of critiques on how to change things.  How to make it look better.  And I didn't take it personally.  I felt they were really trying to help me, and that's how I took it.  Even some of the artists gave me their books they created as a "thank you" to me in showing them my work and wanting feedback from them.  Boy how things have changed now a days..lol.

After a few years of showing my work to artists at the show (now in the mid 90s), I approached Chaos! Comics, Brian Pulido.  I was a huge fan of Chaos! and collected I think everything under the sun they produced.  Even the stuff outside of the comic books they made.  One of the last times I talked to Brian, I was extremely excited.  He sat down with me and my mom outside his Chaos! booth and was talking to me about my art and what I can do to improve it.  I thought that was extremely cool that he sat with me outside the booth on a more personal level.  Then he does something I NEVER could have imagined. He asked me to intern with Chaos! Comics for a year in AZ.  Unfortunately I was still young and not out of school yet.  So I had to turn down the offer.  That was EXTREMELY hard to do.  But, I got out there and kept being persistent.  And I listened to what the artists said and "updated" my art, which is why I became a colorist...LMAO!!

It's never easy when someone is critiquing your work.  Especially when you're young.  What was easy for me, is that I knew what I wanted.  So I would do most anything to get there and do it.  I know I had mentioned this before, but even my first comic, I did cover to cover FREE!  Did not get paid for it at all.  I did get "comps" of the books which to me, was worth even more.  Because I now have something printed professionally by a company which I now can give to other editors and artists.  It was my foot in the door.
There's a LOT of work I did for free in the beginning.  Even years down the road I did things free because I really liked what I did and wanted to keep my name out there.  And when you see your name on the comics on the shelves, it's a feeling you just can't explain.  Being up there with some of the biggest names in the business, it's a dream come true.  So you do what you have too in order to make your dreams come true.  If there's someone or people who mock your work or don't like your work..don't worry about that.  For ever 1 person who doesn't like your work.  There are 10 who DO like your work.  You can't please everybody.  But you can definitely please yourself.

Poloroid taken at Chicago Comic Con 98' I believe

Left to Right:
D-Tron, Michael Turner, Marc Silvestry