We were lucky to catch up with Chris Perry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Ever since I was about five years old (or maybe earlier) I had always loved to draw and color. Whenever I had a spare moment I would have a pencil in my hand. I would make homemade cards for my family. My mom would buy a pack of typing paper for me to draw on. Whenever I would get papers back in school I would turn them over and I would doodle. I didn’t go out and play much because I loved to sit inside and draw. In art class I always excelled because I would take every bit of extra credit I could.

My favorite toys were the Lite-Brite and View Masters. I loved the color and the 3D affect of favorite reels such as Fred Flintstone and Peter Pan. I loved to watch cartoons and copy them. Christmas was a magical time for me because of all the colored lights on the tree. In middle school I would go down to the Joliet Library because they had a record player (I was too poor to afford one myself) and I would listen to the Beatles and draw for hours until it was time for the library to close.

I grew up Catholic and my home parish was the Cathedral of Saint Raymond Nonnatus . I was inspired by the stain glass windows and life-size statues of the saints. Today my work is often described as sculptural and colorful. It has a 3D appearance as if you could take my characters and carve them out of wood.

In High School I was designated to be the backdrop designer for that years play, Oliver. I technically was not in the art club. Again, I could not afford the fees. However, my art teacher, Mrs. Israel saw my talent and gave me an honorary membership so I could design the set. It was a wonderful feeling having designed and scaled up the London scene and directing students on how to paint it. It was glorious. As a bonus, at Christmas time, the library asked me to design their windows with a Christmas scene and I was given a small reception upon its completion.

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’ve always accepted a challenge. I have tried many hats from muralist, to designer, to publishing, and trade shows. I attribute my success to my love of learning and giving my best to whatever project I am on. I am constantly learning. Listening to podcasts, taking an online course, and getting a BFA in Drawing and finding mentors. Stephen Silver (character designer of Kim Possible, and Danny Phantom) was the influence that got me started on my sculptural style. He mentioned to draw thinking about how things connect and to draw through an object to give it solidity and form. Will Terry, children’s book illustrator and teacher at SVS Learn, said do your best for every client. It may not be the biggest client but that project you do for them is everything to them. Treat all people equally. It is hard to say how I go into my business or industry for I have tried so many things. I didn’t care what it was, I just love to draw. I have tried everything. Even when I am not working I am drawing and sketching and working on personal projects. So I suppose one thing I can offer clients is flexibility and adaptability. I am willing to apply my skill to any drawing design task. When I was in school earning my BFA I had to take classes I would not have thought to take. I excelled in all of them. Photography, Photoshop, Painting, Pencil, Printmaking, Play Writing. I graduated Suma Cum Laude. I use this fact to inspire my art students. The fact that I wrestled so hard to excel in all my classes, even in those that were a special challenge, getting the designation Suma looks good on your resume. I guess you could call me a Suma Wrestler! Grades don’t matter in the grand scheme of things as an artist, but it does speak to my commitment. So flexibility and hard work has got me where I am today. This coupled with a love for people and a desire to give them something that I would be happy to be given.
I provide design and illustration services and products. I create illustrations for children’s publishing… books and magazines. I have a line of super hero chickens that I put on clothing, in posters, books, etc. I am able to work 3D (or in the round) as I have created statues and figurines. I am able to work in large scale having been a muralist creating custom designs for businesses and private collection. I even helped Jorge Gutierrez (Book of Life, Maya and the Three) work on a mural in Deep Ellum, Texas.
The problems I love to solve for my clients are clever and witty illustrations to expand on concepts that are presented to me whether they are stories for children or products or character design. I love specialized commissions bringing their ideas to life in a fresh perspective. Whether it is a mural, an illustration or portrait (human or animal) drawing.
I think what sets me apart from other artists is my intuitive sense of color, my unique way of drawing, that fact that I use a mix of traditional and digital tools I call (Tra-digital). I love injecting humor, and I love ideas. I put tons of effort into the ideation/planning phase because I want to create something that is unique and that I would be proud to own myself.
My work seeks to encourage others to be brave. I mentioned my super hero chickens. The reason I turn heroes into chickens is because “Every Hero is a Little Chicken. You have to be a chicken to be brave.
To sum up my work it’s colorful, sculptural form and it strives to encourage others to laugh.
What I am most proud of is when I can make people laugh and instill bravery in them. My motto, every hero is a little chicken, is a challenge for others to take a chance in the right direction even if they are afraid or uncertain of the outcome. The fact that when I mention my motto always seems to touch others and give them an “ah-ha” moment.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am 55 years I have been drawing for the last 50 years or so. I went back to school and earned my BFA in Drawing at the age of 49. I gathered respected mentors from the field of animation and illustration to improve my technique. I’ve experimented with various genres… murals, product design, sculpture, character design earning income from each endeavor. I love working in various aspects, even as a teacher to build a sustainable career. I love the fact that people who know me know I never give up. I may suffer some setbacks but I get back up and try something new. I joked with my wife about her playing video games. It struck me that videos games have come a long way from the simple game of Pong to the hyper detailed games of today. But through all these changes my form of entertainment is still a pencil and a piece of paper and drawing clever ideas.
I have struggled to get into publishing. As far back as when I was 20 I would draw and send out postcards to art directors. Usually not even getting a rejection letter for my efforts. I kept at it and as of December of 2022 I have my first picture book illustration credit. It has taken me my entire life to get here and I am still passionate about creating art. Presently I teach art to supplement my illustration dreams but continue in hopes to create full time. I have every intention to be like Charles Shultz who on the day he penciled his last strip, he passed away that night.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Coming out of a pandemic many people have been wounded by fear on a worldwide scale. As a teacher it is heartbreaking to have seen even children succumb to fear and hopelessness. Not putting in necessary effort to create art. As someone who loves to laugh and make others laugh I have heard on many occasions people admit to me, “Thanks, I needed to laugh.” I translate much of that humor in my art. At an art festival I talked with people who walked by my booth. I talked with an officer and said, You’re a hero, what makes you a little chicken? At first he said nothing scares him. Prodding him a bit further, he admitted that letting people down scares him. WOW! The fact that he would admit that to me was huge.
As an illustrator and fine artist my goal is to impart joy and hope to my viewers. Humor is healing and I believe if I can make one soul laugh, if I can inspire others with awe through my use of color and light, if I can encourage one person to feel a bit braver, I have done what I was put here to do. Through humorous images, I hope to give the gift of laughter and instill hope in others.
Through humor color and the use lights and darks I demonstrate that the dark parts of our lives can be instrumental in making the brighter parts shine even brighter. That despite the dark parts, with laughter, we can brighten up our world. I guess that is why they say laughing is being “light hearted”. With Kid-friendly content I hope to impart these ideals to the youngest of audiences. With laughter we can be afraid but still move forward.
As mentioned earlier a part of my body of work is illustrating chickens as heroes. My motto is, “Every hero is a little chicken.” Ultimately I want to impart faith and hope with my humorous Perry-bles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chrisperrydraw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisperry.draws/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisPerry.draws/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-perry-89a639173/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisperrydraw
• Other: email [email protected]