David DeGrand - Cartoonist Survey #280

Freelance cartoonist, writer and illustrator David DeGrand was born in June of 1979. He started drawing very early on as a child and drew cartoons for both his high school and college newspapers. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2003 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts.

David’s artwork is influenced by early underground comix such as Basil Wolverton, The Ren and Stimpy Show and MAD Magazine. He is now living one of his lifelong dreams of having his work published in MAD Magazine since 2011. He has been drawing and writing for United Plankton Pictures’ SpongeBob Comics for the past two years. David is also a contributor to one of my favorite comix, Heeby Jeeby Comix. Previous Heeby Jeeby Comix cartoonists featured here on David Wasting Paper include, Bob Flynn (Cartoonist Survey #67) and Chris Houghton (Cartoonist Survey #84).

Just a handful of David's other clients include, KaBOOM! Studios, Walt Disney Television Animation, Harper Collins, Yuck!, Puck Comic Party, The Fort Worth Star Telegram and The Grizzly Detail.

“Sweat Soda”, a collection of David’s personal art, was published by the Australian publisher Milk Shadow Books. This 28 page book of full color drawings has an introduction by the underground comix legend Kaz.

David lives in Weatherford, TX with his wife Kathy and their son Alex. When he isn’t drawing he enjoys playing classic video games, watching old cartoons and collecting toys. To see more of David’s work visit his DeGrandland website and his blog. Go to Milk Shadow Books to purchase David’s “Sweat Soda” book, and you can also buy t-shirts and stickers with his designs here.

Be sure to keep an eye out for David and his artwork as you never know where he’ll show up.

What is your favorite pen to use?
For doodling in my sketchbook I like using a Pilot Precise, I just really like the ink flow and line quality. When inking comics or illustrations I sometimes use Microns but I mainly like to ink with a brush.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I pencil with non-photo blue lead with a mechanical pencil.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
I mainly color on the computer with Photoshop.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Occasionally I will break out the watercolors if I want a different look than the flat, bold colors I use when coloring digitally.

What type of paper do you use?
Strathmore Bristol.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I really hate drawing cars and horses, both of which I had to draw for a recent book project.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
I mainly buy from a local art store, but I order pencil lead online.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Not really, other than just a few really loose warm up doodles.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I pretty much have to listen to music to keep me focused. I mainly like drawing to film scores, 80's electronic music, old video game soundtracks and jazz.

What was the first job as a cartoonist/illustrator that you were paid for?
If I remember correctly the first time I received actual money for cartooning was when I was hired as the illustrator for my college newspaper.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
Aside from MAD Magazine which doesn't really count as a comic, I didn't read many actual comic books. But I read a ton of the collections of Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, and The Far Side.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
It's a tie between Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. I've never been able to pick between those two which I like more.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
"Where the Wild Things Are" by far, I don't have the one I owned as a kid but I do have copy.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I majored in art with a concentration in drawing from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
It's been a huge blessing for me, I've been able to get my work in front of people I never would have been able to touch in the past.

Did either of your parents draw?
My parents didn't draw but they are both very creative. My mom sings and plays the piano, and my dad works with leather creating all kinds of cool stuff.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
No doubt it's been my parents, who supported me 100% and encouraged me to pursue whatever it was that made me the happiest, which was cartooning.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
I've kept a sketchbook for about fifteen years, I'm a compulsive doodler so I really can't live without one.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Not yet, but I would love the opportunity to do that someday.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
I would say passion is more important, because if you don't enjoy what you're doing then talent just goes to waste in my opinion.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
I collect tons of toys (mainly cartoon characters and action figures from the 80's), as well as books on art, film and cartoons.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Probably Charlie Brown.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Man that's a tough one, but I think I would enjoy either being a librarian or a gallery curator.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
My awesome wife was kind enough to let me turn one of our spare bedrooms into a studio. I draw on an old banker's desk surrounded by my toy and book collection.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I don't have a single shred of musical talent so I don't play an instrument, but I would love to learn the piano someday.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
I hate to sound cliche, but draw every second that you have and constantly try to improve. Be your own harshest critic and draw what makes you happy.

Who is your favorite artist?
Boy that's another tough question, but if I had to choose a favorite I'd have to go with R. Crumb. The way he blends his influences into his own very distinct style was incredibly inspirational to me while I was learning to be a cartoonist.

Thanks again for taking the time to participate David!

A Very Sad Day for the World of Cartooning!

It’s with a very heavy heart that I share with you that my friend Bill White passed away this past Saturday. Bill was one of the funniest, most talented individuals I knew!

Bill studied animation at The Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art under former Disney animator Milt Neil. As a penciler, inker and writer he contributed artwork and stories to many comic book publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Archie Comics, Walt Disney Publishing and Harvey Famous Entertainment. The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Donald Duck, Roger Rabbit, Casper and Richie Rich are just a handful of characters he illustrated.

In addition to illustrating other people’s characters, Bill had a comic book that featured his own characters, Kaptain Keen and Kompany. Having a six issue run Kaptain Keen and Kompany was optioned for a television show in 1986. In the animation field, Bill worked for Spumco ('Ren & Stimpy'), DIC Productions ('Inspector Gadget') and Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Bill was also an exceptional caricature artist and was a guest lecturer at all of the cartooning classes I took over the years. More than any of the above, Bill was one of the funniest, nicest, giving people I knew. He shared his love of all things cartooning with me, including recommending books and introducing me to some of the legends in the field such as Ernie Colon. He was also the very first cartoonist to participate in my Cartoonist Surveys.

Words can’t express how much Bill influenced me and what a giant hole his loss has left. I’m really going to miss “geeking out” with Bill about some cool new action figure or Star Wars toy.

Please keep Bill’s wife Sharon (a.k.a. PW…Perfect Wife) and his entire family in your thoughts and prayers as they struggle with their loss. May their memories of Billy’s love and laughter bring them comfort and smiles in the years to come.

Here are a couple of Bill’s originals that he drew for his blog and gave to me…they will be treasured even more now.

Even though he said he didn't, I still say he used me as a model for the Batman!

Stephen DeStefano - Cartoonist Survey #144

Photo credit: Stephen's wife Siobhan.

From the upcoming graphic novel, 'Lucky in Love.'

Storyboard artist, character designer and cartoonist, Stephen DeStefano has been drawing professionally since the age of 15. He began his career in the mid-1980's working for DC comics where he contributed to 'Blackhawk' and 'House of Mystery’. In 1986 DC started publishing the series 'Mazing Man’ which Stephen penciled and co-created with Bob Rozakis. When ‘Mazing Man’ ended its run in 1990 Stephen and Bob teamed up again and created the limited series, ‘Hero Hotline’. During the early 90’s he also worked on Disney Comics, Marvel’s ‘Bill and Ted’ and Dark Horse’s ‘Screwball Squirrel’. From 1992 to 1995 he worked at SPUMCO as a layout artist and background designer on the Ren and Stimpy cartoons.

Over the years, Stephen has worked on many other animation projects including storyboarding and character design for Nickelodeon, Universal, the Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers. He was the storyboard artist on the first season of Adult Swim's ‘The Venture Brothers’, and later returned to oversee the storyboard department, as well as manage the character and prop design department. As the licensing artist for King Features Licensing, he creates images of Popeye the Sailor for a wide variety of merchandise and products. There is a great interview with Stephen about his work drawing Popeye in issue #16 of Hogan’s Alley magazine. Stephen’s most recent project, scheduled to come out this September, is the graphic novel, ‘Lucky in Love: Volume One: A Poor Man’s History’. He co-created and drew ‘Lucky in Love’ with scriptwriter George Chieffet for Fantagraphics Books. Stephen lives in New Jersey with his wife Siobhan. You can see more of his work here on his blog.

What is your favorite pen to use?
Off the top of my head, I can't think of the nib #. I prefer a stiff, sturdy nib, something that will give me a bold pen line.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I most definitely begin with a pencil sketch before I go onto inks. I switch off between standard and mechanical pencils. When drawing for animation, I used to prefer a very soft, dark Tombo pencil, like a 4, 5 or 6 pencil.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
I was never really comfortable working in color. I respect color so much; I'm almost frightened of it. I did very minimal color work in the past, although the computer has loosened me up a bit, so if I do any color work today it's usually on the computer.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
I used to be most comfortable working in marker and colored pencil.

What type of paper do you use?
Depends on the job. If it's a job for animation, I'll use punched-animation paper, or "storyboard" paper, which has storyboard panels printed on it. For comics I'll use a sturdy bristol board, switching between vellum and plate finishes. The majority of my graphic novel (LUCKY IN LOVE, coming out this September from Fantagraphics Books) was drawn on high quality recycled paper, although sadly I can no longer find it. I must admit, the paper that I've been finding since I consider to be really, really poor in quality.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I really, really stink at perspective. Consequently, the majority of scenes that I draw are exceptionally claustrophobic.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
It depends. If I'm walking near an art store and recall needing a supply, I'll stop in. If I want something specific, I may order it online.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Other than procrastination, no.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
Again, whether or not I'll listen to music depends on the job. If it's straight technical drawing, like inking, or designing a character, prop or background for animation, I'll listen to pretty much anything in my iTunes catalog. If, however, I'm trying to figure out a bit of storytelling, or laying out from a script or plot synopsis, I can't listen to music at all. Then I need as much silence as I can get.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
OH, did I read comics as a kid! Batman was my absolute favorite character. I religiously collected DC's BRAVE AND THE BOLD. I also adored JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA and WORLD'S FINEST. Although I primarily followed DC comics, I also collected Marvel's CAPTAIN AMERICA, the AVENGERS and an occasional SPIDEY or two.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
I loved reading the Sunday Funnies as a child, although I'm totally drawing a blank trying to come up with my "favorite". For whatever reason, MOTLEY'S CREW keeps popping into my mind, so I'll stick with that.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
Absolutely. My favorite book was D'AULAIRES GREEK MYTHOLOGY. I think I now own two copies of it. When I was thirteen, I bought THE SMITHSONIAN BOOK OF NEWSPAPER COMICS, and I was mesmerized by it. I think I own two copies of that as well today.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I attended New York City's HIGH SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN for one year. That's about the length of my formal artistic training.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Depends! I recall when I first got to DC Comics as a teenager, Joe Kubert lectured me on starting my reference file. This way, no matter what I wanted to draw, I always had a photo to reference. In this age of Google Image Search, the idea of a reference folder seems positively quaint! In terms of research, support and networking, the Internet is a miracle. Of course, if you're a perpetual procrastinator, or someone in constant need of distraction (my hand is now raised), it can be a curse.

Did either of your parents draw?
No, neither of my parents had much interest in art or culture.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My wife Siobhan! And my cats. My wife and my cats. And my friends! My wife, cats and friends.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
I keep several. I just don't ever draw in them. I don't enjoy recreational drawing at all. For me, drawing is work. If I'm working, I'm drawing. If I'm not working, I'm not drawing.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I've never taught professionally, other than training people who've worked on my staff at various jobs in animation. I'd love to teach someday.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
A little bit of both helps. Honestly, I think more important than either is discipline. If you want to draw, you just have to draw, and draw, and draw, and draw some more. You have to share your work, be open to criticism, and then draw, draw, draw and draw.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Oh, gosh, every week I find myself bringing home graphic novels, and hardcover collections of comics, and I can't figure out why because I have no space in my home to put them.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Jeez Louise, I dunno. Popeye the Sailor, maybe? I'm not that strong, but I like spinach and I can be scrappy. I hates unkindness to animals. I hates bullies. I'm short, and my language skills are limited. Probably Popeye. Which is good, because I've made part of my living for the last 20 years drawing him for King Features licensing.

Are you a righty or lefty?
I am a righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
I've always said, I would've liked to bake bread professionally. Or have been a doorman at a swanky hotel.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Books and papers everywhere. Often there's a cat on top of something it shouldn't be.

Do you play any musical instruments?
No, sadly I've zero musical talent.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Start drawing, and don't stop.

Who is your favorite artist?
Can't possibly pick one. Can't possibly. I've three favorite artists. E.C. Segar, Milt Gross and Harvey Kurtzman. They're my three favorite cartoonists.


Thanks again for your time Stephen.

Next time on David Wasting Paper is freelance artist and cartoonist Ben Towle.

Sherm Cohen - Cartoonist Survey #120

Photo credit goes to Jessica Gao.

Click picture for giant size.

Storyboard artist, writer and cartoonist Sherm Cohen was born in January of 1965. As a teenager he worked as a cartoonist for his local newspaper and from 1983 to 1985 he studied at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He got his start in the world of animation working as a character layout artist for Nickelodeon’s Ren and Stimpy Show. After Ren and Stimpy, Sherm worked as a storyboard artist and director for the show Hey Arnold. In 1998 he was invited to be part of the original SpongeBob SquarePants crew by the creator of the show Steve Hillenburg. He worked as a storyboard artist and director for the shows first season and then served as the Storyboard Supervisor for the next three seasons. Sherm was also a character designer and lead storyboard artist for 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. After the fourth season of SpongeBob SquarePants he left Nickelodeon to write and illustrate his first book, Walter Foster Publications’, "Cartooning: Designing Characters". During this time he began teaching classes in storyboarding at the Entertainment Art Academy in Pasadena, CA. A lot of the material from his classes was turned into an instructional DVD on how to storyboard called, "Storyboard Elements." This DVD course has been used to teach storyboarding worldwide, including The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Sherm then spent two seasons writing and drawing boards for Cartoon Networks’ My Gym Partner’s a Monkey before moving on to work for Disney Studios, drawing storyboards and writing for the TV series Phineas and Ferb. After the first season of Phineas and Ferb he was back working for Nickelodeon as a storyboard artist for the first season of "The Mighty B! In 2008, Sherm returned to Disney to write and be a storyboard artist for the second season Phineas and Ferb. Sherm is currently working as Director and Storyboard Supervisor for Kick Buttowski for Disney TV Animation. He runs a great blog called CartoonSnap that is filled with informative posts and lessons. Be sure to add it to your favorites immediately. I also highly recommend checking out some of his tutorials on YouTube.

What is your favorite pen to use?
I love using the black Faber Castell PITT artist with the brush tip. I inked my entire book on character design with that one trusty brush pen!

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I draw everything first in pencil on a regular sheet of multi-use copy paper. I prefer using standard wood Tombo pencils -- usually a 3B. After I've drawn it with pencil, I always scan the drawings and resize and move them around in PhotoShop.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
I do all my coloring in the computer. For flat colors I use PhotoShop, but for my painted artwork I use ArtRage Studio -- which is the greatest and simplest painting software known to man.

What type of paper do you use?
Generally, I used the cheapest multi-use printer paper that I could find...you know -- the stuff you get at Staples for a few bucks. Before I used the computer, I was drawing and inking on rough surfaced Bristol board, 14 x 17 with an image area of 10 x 15.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Crowds, kids riding bicycles, and cats. For some reason, the cats I draw never look like cats.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Aside from the paper that I buy at Staples, I get all of my art supply shopping online from DickBlick.com. Once, I ordered some G-Pen tips from Wet Paint but I gotta tell you: DickBlick.com is awesome.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
My favorite ritual before starting to draw is to procrastinate (I'm doing it right now). Even though I've been doing this for over 20 years, it's always hard for me to start working on a new job. Favorite methods of procrastination include cleaning, looking for references on the Internet, and watching just one more episode of The First 48.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
Although I used to listen to music all the time, I found in the last few years that I just need to concentrate more. Sometimes I will leave a talk radio talk show on in the background, but other times I find that I have worked for hours in total silence.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I read tons of comics as a kid, and I probably read more now than I ever have. When I was in grade school, I used to be able to go down to the local 7-11 and browse through all the great comics of the spin racks. I also used to be able to find lots of really old comics at a local used bookstore. This was in the early 70s... but by the mid-70s the collectors mentality had taken over, and my carefree days of finding Silver age comics for pennies on the dollar were gone. As a kid, I was only into superhero comics. Gradually I started reading more humor comics, and by the time I went to the Kubert school in the early 80s, I was reading all kinds of genres -- especially independent comics like Love and Rockets, American Splendor and Peter Bagge's Neat Stuff. I was also introduced to classic comic strips like Krazy Kat and Terry and the Pirates.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
My favorite current comic strip is Cul-De-Sac by Richard Thompson. My favorite comic strip in history is Wash Tubbs and Capt.Easy by Roy Crane. Runners-up include Krazy Kat by George Herriman, Popeye EC Segar and Dick Tracy by Chester Gould.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
My favorite book as a child was The Peanuts Treasury. I no longer have a copy of that book, but I have so many collections of the Peanuts reprints that I'm sure I have all of those strips many times over.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I spent two years at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. The Kubert School is a totally hard-core cartooning boot camp, and that experience basically laid the groundwork for all of my future in cartooning.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
The Internet is the greatest invention in the history of mankind. I'm constantly looking on the Internet for reference, and even use YouTube for any kind of reference where I need to see how things are actually moving. I've also been able to connect socially with dozens of like-minded cartoonists through my blog, Facebook and Twitter. There's no question that I waste an enormous amount of time browsing the Internet, but overall I honestly don't know how I ever lived without it.

Did either of your parents draw?
My mother drew a little bit, dabbled with oil painting, and she was really big into needlepoint. She definitely had an artistic side to her, but she only expressed it in short bursts. My mom and dad were extremely helpful and encouraging in my pursuit of a career in cartooning.
Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
Like I mentioned in the point above, my mom was the most supportive of my cartooning in my early life. In my 20s, while I was working in bookstores to make a living, I had a lot of good friends and coworkers who were very supportive of what I was doing -- very enthusiastic fans as it were. By far my biggest supporter now is my wife -- she's not only very encouraging and a great sounding board for ideas, but she also takes care of so many things in our life so that I can concentrate on my cartooning.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
The sketchbook I keep is pretty unconventional; basically, I mostly draw on Post-it notes and multipurpose printer paper, as well as just about any scrap of paper that's lying around. I usually save all the good ones and paste them into a three ring binder. I don't like drawing in a bound sketchbook... I freeze up, knowing that whatever I draw is permanently bound into a book. I much prefer just doodling on whatever paper is available.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I taught a couple of storyboarding classes a few years ago. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to solidify my thoughts on a number of drawing topics. Also really loved the interaction I had with the more enthusiastic students. It was pretty draining though, so I have not been in a big hurry to do live teaching again. I have focused my teaching lately into a series of tutorial videos, which you can see on my blog and on YouTube. I also wrote an instructional book on cartooning and character design, called 'Cartooning: Character Design' published by Walter Foster.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Well, talent without application or perseverance won't get you very far. Passion is essential, because you need that fire to keep you going. Learning to draw is a lifelong process, and I'm not just blowing smoke when I say that I constantly feel like I'm a beginner and I will always in the process of learning.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
I used to be a completely out-of-control collector of books -- particularly cartooning, art and photography books. Eventually, I had so many books in so many boxes that I could no longer find the books that I needed. So I sold off most of my collection and I have never regretted it. That's another nice thing about the Internet -- if there's something I want to read or some painting or photograph, look at, I could find it right away for free. I've also been using the public library quite a bit for the last five years. The library interface on the Internet makes it very easy to search for and find just about any book I need. I still collect a few things like vintage "how to draw" books, and also books by and about my favorite cartoonists.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Oh, I'm definitely Patrick.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
The thought is so horrible I can't even comprehend it. Probably a bookstore manager or a teacher of some sort.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
In my office/studio, I have two different desks one across from the other. The first is a drawing table with an animation disc and light box on top. This is where I do all of my drawings by hand. Between the two desks is a scanner, which is how I get all of my hand-drawn drawings into my computer. The second desk is my computer desk. I have two computers side by side. The computer on the left is a PC running Windows 7 -- this is the computer I use for all of my general computing, surfing the Internet, and editing video. The computer on the right is a Mac G5 with a Cintiq tablet, dedicated solely to artwork. This is where I do all of my digital inking in painting. That was more than two sentences, wasn't it?

Do you play any musical instruments?
I've dabbled around with a bass guitar and the ukulele, but I finally made the decision that I don't have enough brainpower to devote myself to both music and art. I have sadly come to terms with the realization that I will never be a rock star.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Aside from the usual advice to draw all the time, I would encourage anyone who's serious about making a living in art (or more specifically, cartooning) to find a way to get their work in print as soon as possible, and as frequently as possible. The cost of self-publishing comics these days is low enough for just about anyone to afford. You don't need a big distributor like Diamond to get your comics into comic shops... you just have to go through the work of visiting those shops, talking to the owners, building a relationship, and getting your work out there. My first comics were self-published, and I hustled them all over the place -- including renting a table at the San Diego comic con. It was because of those comics and because of being at that convention that I got my first opportunity to be a storyboard artist. You gotta get your work OUT THERE where it can be seen by people that will help further your career.

Who is your favorite artist?
If I had to pick one, it would be Roy Crane. Runners-up include Harvey Kurtzman, George Herriman, Dan Gordon, The Beatles and Neil Young.


Thanks for taking the time to share your answers Sherm and also for the wealth of information you provide on your blog.

Up next is Tony Piro, cartoonist for the webcomic Calamities of Nature.