We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Stone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My earliest memory of realizing that creating comics was an actual craft/job that people did was a combination of collecting Wizard Magazine and seeing the “How to Draw” section, along side the TOP 10 creatives (writers/artist) listings. Seeing the step by step process was eye opening. Also discovering names of indie creators and finding their work at my local library, reading up on them and their journey, and not all stories were the “big rwo” tights and capes variety tales helped open the possibility that it was a real possibility to make comic a reality.with very limited resources.
I feel one of the biggest pushes to improve my speed, beyond the daily drawing, was/is participating in small local sketch events. FCBD Events at my LCS intvite artist to do free sketches for the patrons of the shop during the event. That can lead to anywhere from 20 to 80 sketches in a 6-7hr period. That really helps you build speed, confidence and creative thinking you learn quickly how to draw the same character multiple ways back to back.
Things I’d learned in high-school, as a self taught lesson, like tracing figure to see how my favorite artist created, I later learned that was a lesson professionals like Neal Adams would recommend as a way for artist to build their art skills.
The most important thing I’d learned beyond the basics of anatomy , perspective, backgrounds, and generally being able to draw anything and everything….was storytelling, visual storytelling. How to tell a story with just images, clearly tell the story with just the images I have as best I can. And I still feel, on all fronts, I still have a long long way to go.
So far the biggest hurdles have been having to learn/teach myself all the skills of the other creative folks I didn’t have at my disposal. Ie- inker, letterer, colorist, editor, layouts, etc.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a born & raised native of Las Vegas who’s always been interested in art, and comics. I do primarily self published/ creator owned comic alongside freelance work for other labels as a penciler, inker and even occasionally a colorist. As well as an open commission list. I work both digitally and traditionally.
I like to think I provide a visually action packed and clear storytelling in a variety of art styles. I’m not usually one to think I’m a better option than other creatives but I will say I’ve been told I am very fast at what I do and the quality has been very good.
I’m very proud of the work I’ve done personally in my first 2 comic titles (ConQuest- a sci if epic & Welcome to Cape Haven- a centuries old hero returns to his super powered home town to solve an underlying mystery) Both developed and or co-created by my brother, Steve, and myself. Each with varying results, getting them to print and people being very receptive makes it all worth while.
I.’m also quite happy with the children’s books I’ve illustrated, Drake’s Gem and Drake Does His Chores- with writer J.P. Gillespie.
I also just recently had my 1st published work with a pro label, Rock and Roll Comics, providing inks for a back up story about the band Infectious Grooves. An unauthorized biography of classic, underground, lesser known, and mainstream bands.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The most significant pivot, beyond putting myself out there, attending conventions and shows, interacting with the public and having “fans” is a story and a half. Back in 2019 after attending a convention in L.A. while at home in July I felt unwell, to the point I needed to seek medical attention. After arriving ant Quick Care and a brief examination I was taken to the main hospital. I awoke in August having learned that I’d had a Vertebral Arterial Dissection, an extremely rare form of a stroke. Where a layer of my arterial artery formed a thin tear causing the blood to leak out like a hole in a straw, collapsing the artery, causing a blood blockage leading to the stroke.
I had to, over many months, learn to walk again, feed myself, write my name, and almost a year to be confident enough to be in my art skill again. I was still creating through this time period, mostly out of necessity, I’d gotten home only a few months before Covid hit So leaning into the digital side of creating has been incredibly helpful and also therapeutic.
I feel my art style has changed in one direction, and also advanced from what it was.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I feel that many people, the general audience, in life don’t really understand the work that goes into creating art or why things cost what they cost. There seems to be a misconception that art is just something that “happens” and that artist price things arbitrarily or out of a sense of ego or entitlement. Original art is a much more personal thing, and through no fault of there own, many don’t comprehend all the years of work and development to create what we create how we do it to the point that interested them in the first place. A10 minute drawing took me 40 years to lean to draw at that level. Art, for me, & many, is a passion. An underestimated need to make But on the level and locations we (indie creators) sell our art it is also a way to not only cover our bills, but also a way to continue to create and publish future works.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.immortalsamurai.com
• Instagram: @jamesleestone
• Facebook: @TheArtOfJamesLeeStone
• Twitter: @jamesleestone
• Other: TT- jamesleestone979 Bluesky- jamesleestone

Image Credits
Pic 1 TMNT watercolor and ink fanart Pic 2 Wolverine Pen, ink & digital colors fan art Pic 3 Welcome to Cape Haven, ink- from Vic Moya, color by Edgar Tavitas. (Immortal Samurai Comics cover art) Pic 4 Star Wars fan lines & colors art in Procreate Pic 5 300 fan art lines and markers colors Pic 6 Page work from Drake’s Gem Line art and color (JP Gillespie/James Stone) Pic 7 Donut Detective (unpublished/in development) all line art and colors (James Stone( Pic 8 from Infectious Grooves. Pencils by Rolo Ledesma with my inks. (Rock and Roll Comics/10TON Press)