We recently connected with Don Aguillo and have shared our conversation below.

Don, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Being an artist in the comic industry, if you do it as “right” as possible, demands being a life-long student. This means honesty, self-awareness and humility when it comes to the craft. I’ve had to learn through the years and through a lot of mistakes and wrong turns, that the creation of art (along with your evolution as an artist) must go hand in hand with your business acumen (and your ability to self-promote). I’ve had to dive head-first into tabling at comic cons and other exhibitions to stand beside my work and both speak for IT as well as let it speak for ME. I’ve paid the registration fees, I’ve shook hands with fans, haters and heroes alike, and have really learned to dialogue about the work. That’s what keeps it alive, relevant, ever-evolving.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a fine arts major with Honors Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing, but have worked primarily digitally for the bulk of my career due to the needs of projects, commissioning agencies and clients as well as the fast turnaround and editing workflow. I’m currently moving back into the traditional art space to explore my mark-making process in the context of my industry as I’m seeing that’s its also celebrated there, and am now able to handle that skill-building faster and more forgiving, which allows me access and acceptance of it. The business of it was a much slower, but also as deliberate, process. Understanding taxes, pricing, rates, administration and self-promotion were all aspects that weren’t second nature, but were necessitated as I was always a one-man show. Along the way, I’ve taken jobs like owned a martial arts school, taught art to elementary students and all sorts of side-gigs to subsidize the craft, but I’m now entering phase in my career where I get to turn down high-profile projects for others, enjoy the freedom of allowing my style to be fluid and evolve at the benefit of my projects and clients. It’s exciting and a dream to be at. In the last few years, Todd McFarlane brought me on board to contribute to the Spawn Comic universe on a regular basis (and ongoing), I’ve worked for Marvel and DC projects, and have really invested in my professional relationships to have a great revolving door of corporate and independent projects that all excite me and help develop my craft even further. What sets me apart (as I’ve been told) is the movement and storytelling in my work, which is, though digital, reminiscent and harkens back to my traditional mark making, which is comforting to know, as it’s a visual language I’m familiar with and absolutely love. It’s been a few years since I’ve had my feet wet in sequential art, but I’m ready again to deep-dive and shoot for major opportunities and hopefully hit milestones dreams in my career like a stint at Lake Cuomo Comic Arts Festival and maybe eventually an Eisner Award for my work. The core of my approach and process is storytelling, even in a single image, and I always strive to take on experiences (in and outside the studio) that help my sense of narrative (visual or otherwise) develop and stay dynamic.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding part of being an artist is that I’m never bored. Whether times are lean or I feel like I’m on cloud nine, our ability to create worlds, change, adapt and express ourselves is an endless well. Being a successful working artist is another level entirely though. Again, with tenets like humility and honesty, our craft can develop in beneficial ways, but we have to seek out audiences and ways to express ourselves to them that are mutually beneficial in order for that to happen. There’s no perfect path to that, and that’s another rewarding aspect, the journey. We carve our own way to get where we need to, to thrive, and we can always reinvent. When the stars align, it’s a beautiful thing for someone who likes your work to express how it is important to them, their worldview, their experiences or their emotions. That dialogue is like fuel for our passion and our drive, and propels us into the next work. It’s a thrill.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Always. The discovery of social media as a tool to funnel audiences into seeing your work has been a great deal of benefit to my career and my business. I’ve learned to step away from the idea of “promotion” and have moved into a space of “sharing my world and experiences” by allowing folks on social media to see my process, understand my mistakes (or what I perceive to be mistakes) and allow access to me to humanize what they see on screen. It’s been a wonderful experience to have audiences of the art to have a hand in its evolution and the spread and exposure has only helped in finding clients and meaningful projects that amplify my work even further. I also realize how accessible my colleagues in the industry are, not just through social media, but just by investing in attending comic cons and other events and having the courage to step into their space and introduce myself and ask about their process and journey. We’re all in the trenches together and I have learned that kindness goes along way, understanding that many in my field are more than willing to share their experience and are always ready to lend a hand in any way that keeps our industry alive. I have a lot of heroes in the craft but have also learned to remove them from that pedestal, and that I can learn a lot more from them (and maybe the other way around) if I see them as they are: just as human, flawed, and in-progress as I am, all in their own unique way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artofdonaguillo.square.site
• Instagram: @artofdonaguillo
• Facebook: facebook.com/artofdonaguillo
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/donellisaguillo/
• Youtube: @artofdonaguillo
• Other: Cara: @artofdonaguillo

Image Credits
Profile Photo: Eljay Aguillo (@whyIlovenewyorkcity)