From Connecticut, USA,
welcome illustrator/cartoonist, the proprietor of
Niche Cartoons, Jason Nocera!
JASON:
Hello, Gina! Thank you for inviting me to take part in your wonderful blog!
GINA:
It's great to have a chance to interview a full-time, professional cartoonist!
When did you first start drawing?
JASON: I
got interested in drawing at a very early age. When I was young, my dad would
run errands and we would end the afternoon at my grandparent's house for lunch.
My grandfather delivered magazines at the time and amongst the magazines were
comic books! I fell in love with the mix of words and pictures. I began drawing
my own and would often try to entertain my older brother with my own creations.
GINA:
What was your first comic strip?
JASON: I
drew my first comic strip when I was 14 years old and it was published in our
weekly, hometown newspaper. It gave me my first taste of trying to meet a
deadline and it widened my audience. It was a strange feeling having people
besides my parents and brother commenting on my work! It made me strive to be
better and was a wonderful experience.
GINA: Is
that when you knew you wanted to be a cartoonist?
JASON:
Yes! I loved the aspect of mixing creative writing and artwork! Comic strips
are not just about drawing. In fact, the writing is more important. When you are
doing a comic strip, it's more about entertaining your audience and making
people laugh. However, my father was very concerned about me finding a job
after college. I ended up attending the School of Art and Design in Alfred, New
York. I majored in Graphic Design but still pursued cartooning on the side.
After I graduated from college, I worked in the corporate graphic design field
for 11 years. However, I always moonlighted as a cartoonist. I ended up
developing a comic strip based on two struggling musicians which I began trying
to sell to various publications. When it started selling, I realized that I was
getting to a point where I can earn a living doing it!
GINA: How
did you create those characters?
JASON:
The comic strip is called Buddy and Hopkins.
I was playing bass guitar at the time and often jammed with other musicians.
Through these encounters of, let's say "unique," musicians, I
developed the characters. It started in 2003 and is still being published today
in various entertainment magazines. This past year, the characters were also
used by the prestigious Blues Foundation to promote their annual, international
Blues competition held in Memphis. It was quite an honor! You can read it and
celebrate my 10th anniversary on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BuddyandHopkins.
GINA:
Does the script come first or the character?
JASON:
With Buddy and Hopkins, I know the
characters well enough that I can place them into a situation and I know how
Buddy will react and I know how Hopkins will react. With two opposing
viewpoints in the characters, it leads to the humor of the strip. I also do
other "niche" comic strips for trade publications. For instance, I've
done comic strips for the automotive industry, fitness cartoons, gardening,
mobile DJs, and the list goes on. With these types of niche strips, I read and
absorb info about the day-to-day problems and work out the scripts to add humor
so that people can relate. The internet is wonderful for that as I can find
articles or lurk in forums and read and generate ideas.
GINA:
Describe your studio and a day in your life.
JASON: I
have one room in our house dedicated to my studio. It's a bit cluttered but it
consists of my computer and a drafting table. Original comic art hangs on the
wall for inspiration. I also have bookshelves filled with graphic novels and
comic strip collections. My day starts at 7:30 and ends at 3:30 when I go to
pick up my daughter from school. My work day resumes around 10:00 PM and I
usually try to finish by midnight, unless I have a looming deadline. I do fit
in a few hours on Saturdays and Sundays. I like to do my writing and initials
pencil sketches for the comic strips in the morning hours. I feel more creative
in the morning. In the afternoon, I will tend to do the inking and coloring of
comics which doesn't require as much creative thinking. If I'm stuck on writing
a joke, I found that I will reread some ideas at night and sleep on it. The
answer always appears in the morning. Your mind doesn't stop working when you
sleep!
GINA:
When you are drawing, do you listen to music?
JASON:
When I draw a cartoon, I prefer a quiet studio. I am constantly editing and
rewriting in my head to make the punchline or comic page flow. It's hard to do
that with distractions. However, when I am at the inking and coloring stage, I
enjoy listening to blues and blues rock. I am one of those who prefer the
Rolling Stones over the Beatles!
GINA:
What type of illustration do you provide?
JASON: As
a professional cartoonist, I need to offer a wide variety of services. I create
custom cartoon logos and mascots for businesses. I have created cartoon mascots
for every business from powerwashing and painting to pet nannies. I also do
niche comic strips for trade publications. Besides that, I have designed book
covers and interior drawings. Mostly, though, I create custom work as gifts. I
offer comic strips and comic pages for people who want to capture moments,
years or funny events in their loved ones lives. They are great for birthdays,
anniversaries and retirement gifts. I have also done a few comic pages that
have become "proposals." People provide a few digital images and a
few details of their life and I create a comic page. I have even done books
detailing lives of people celebrating their 25th anniversary. It's a good way
to capture someone you love. I have done "Super Dad" pages for
Father's Day and "Super Moms" for Mother's Day. Right now, I'm busy
working on holiday gifts. You can see some ideas at my main website at http://www.nichecartoons.com. For more
current work, you can "like" me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NicheCartoons.
GINA:
Your recent trip to Europe must've been a blast. What was the most memorable
part of your visit?
JASON: My
wife is from Poland, so we went to Europe to visit her family as well as to
relax. It was the first time our daughter, who is six, went with us. Poland is
a wonderful country. In this trip, we visited the ruins of many castles. We
also took a side trip to the Czech Republic and visited Prague. I loved the
food and the hospitality! It was great seeing family and friends we haven't
seen in a long time.
GINA: You
recently illustrated a children's book called
'Molly and the Tornado'. What is the premise?
JASON:
One cartoon logo that I had done was for a product called Duck Salt. It's a
spice that can go on meat and fish and I drew a cartoon duck and designed the
label. The client is from Greensburg, Kansas which was struck by a devastating
tornado back in 2007. The whole town was destroyed. The pictures are
unbelievable. My client, Matt, has a Dalmatian named Molly and since that
devastation he started to devote his time visiting other devastated areas or
areas struck by tragedies and talking with the children. The children have been
very receptive to Molly and she is known as a therapy dog. He wanted to create
a book to honor her and something that could be used to comfort other children.
Molly and the Tornado became this book and it has been well received. We're
hoping to do a series of Molly books in the future. You can order the book at http://www.mollydogbooks.com. You can
learn more about appearances at http://www.facebook.com/MollyDogBooks.
GINA: I
heard that Molly might make an appearance on American Pickers?
JASON:
Yes, on November 20th they are doing part of the show in Greensburg, Kansas.
They did do some filming with Molly and the book. I'm crossing my fingers hoping
it makes the cut. We'll see!
GINA:
What are you currently illustrating/drawing?
JASON:
Right now I am busy doing comic strips and comic pages as gifts. I'm actually
working on one which will be a proposal with the question being asked at the
end. Another one is a retirement gift. A third is for a husband who's a
"hero" and swoops in and saves his wife's life. That's a Christmas
gift. They are a lot of fun to do and people love seeing themselves as cartoon
characters! Everyone has memories or a story to tell that would make a great
comic page or comic strip! Oh, I'm also wrapping up some custom, cartoon
holiday greeting card designs!
GINA:
What do you think of Bitstrips?
JASON: I
see it a lot on Facebook which shows that people love cartoons and comics. I
think it's great that people have fun with it. I don't feel it's a threat or
competition to what I do. Cartooning is
a unique blend of writing and drawing which is a skill that can't be replicated
by generic templates.
GINA: Do
you have advice for beginning cartoonists?
JASON: Of
course there's always the advice to keep drawing and to learn your craft. With
cartooning, you must keep writing, as well, since that is an important aspect.
Also, don't limit yourself to just one aspect of cartooning. If you are a great
illustrator but can't make anyone laugh, consider illustrating children's books
and spot illustrations for magazines. If you can make people laugh, but your
drawings are lacking, consider gag magazine cartooning or trade publication
cartooning. Or write greeting cards. Or perhaps your style might be suited for
t-shirt design. By trying other aspects of cartooning and illustration, you
will find your niche. You will know it when you find it because people will
respond to it. Follow your strengths.
Connect with Jason...
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