We recently connected with Drew Brockington and have shared our conversation below.
Drew, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Before I was in publishing and working full time as an illustrator I was a graphic designer in a small firm for about 7 years. We did a lot of branding and event stationery design and printing (Wedding and Gala invites, etc). It was beautiful work, very fun and creative. At the time We had 4 Designers, and our client list at any given moment was around 60 or more people. That meant that each designer was responsible for at least 15 or so different projects, each with their own different look, feel, and printing methods. I learned really quickly on how to organize my time so that I could juggle that many clients. The work load never seemed to let up, so I got good at visualizing what I need the final product to look like, and being able to breakdown how long it would take me to get there.
Now, working for myself for the last 10 years, that ability to quote how long it will take me to illustrate something has proven invaluable. Just recently I started on a 175 page Graphic Novel, and from the minute the script was written, I knew exactly how long it would take me to finish the thumbnails, pencils, colors, etc.
Knowing how much time I need for each stage allows me to break the process down further into what I need to accomplish in a day. All of the sudden, finishing a 175 pages in 8 months seems manageable, because I just need to make sure I pencil (or ink, or color) 3 pages a day.
Drew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I draw and write kids graphic novels and books! The main series I draw is called CatStronauts, about Cat Astronauts going on some amazing adventures, all inspired by NASA and our world’s space history and future.
I started in this job by tabling at Comic Cons. My first show was MOCCA FEST in NYC in 2013. I had a few art prints and a couple mini comics for sale at my table. I ended up making enough money to pay myself back for the table fee, and that was pretty great! So I kept to shows with the goal of breaking even. After about a year and a half, I started actually making a little profit. Most of the profit went back into making new mini-comics or experimenting with different printing processes for the art prints. At one of these shows, I brought a CatStronauts mini comic, and I sold out! 100 copies in a weekend! It was bonkers! A couple months after the show I got a chance to pitch CatStronauts to a book publisher for a kids series, and the series got picked up and I’ve been working on it ever since.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I set out to make good all ages content. It’s important to me that my books are able to be enjoyed by both kids and grown-ups alike. I think if you can read a book with a younger reader that you both enjoy it’s a better experience. At the end of the book you have shared something special. It makes the younger reader excited to go on and read something else.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
When I started writing a kids Graphic Novel, I was not prepare for the kids’ reaction to the stories. My favorite part of writing graphics is when a reader comes up to me and tells me their favorite character or part from a book. About a month after my first book was published, a parent told me that my book was the book that got their kid to read on their own. I was floored. That has been the highest praise I’ve ever received. Way better than a good review in publishers weekly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drewbrockington.com
- Instagram: @thebrockart
- Twitter: @thebrockart