1. What initially drew you to comics?
I’ve always loved every form of cartoons, from animation to printed books. I loved watching cartoons on TV, reading comic books and comic strips in the newspaper. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a cartoonist.
The earliest I can remember drawing a cartoon was when I was in the fourth grade.
My teacher gave us each a copy of a publication known as “My Weekly Reader”, and it had an article in it about Walt Disney. The article was accompanied by a picture of Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice outfit, and I was so smitten by it that I copied it onto my desk.
Well, although the classmates sitting near me thought it was awesome and made so much noise about it that the teacher came over to take a look - and she was NOT amused.
She made me stay after school and scrub that desk until Mickey Mouse was gone. But after that, she handed me a big stack of blank paper and some pencils and said, “You’re really good. Why don’t you go home and try drawing on paper instead of furniture?”
And I did! By the time I was in fifth and sixth grade, I was writing and drawing my own comic books and selling them to my classmates for their lunch money. Sales were apparently pretty good, because I’m rather chubby these days and they’re all still really skinny.
In seventh grade, I sold my first cartoon to a magazine, and later that year sold another to a nationally syndicated feature. That one appeared in newspapers all around the country, and I decided that I would get rich one day from drawing funny pictures. I wouldn’t need to waste my time with schoolwork.
Fortunately, my teacher realized what was going on when my grades began to plummet substantially, and she sat me down for a long talk. She explained how every subject I studied would one day play a role in my plans to be a published cartoonist and author.
And she was right. I needed to learn math to measure my art so it would fit on a page properly, and to be able to bill my clients. English was extremely important, because most editors are rather picky about proper punctuation and grammar. Science class taught me how to do research. And gym class taught me how to lose graciously.
I still share her advice when I speak to kids at libraries or in elementary schools. And one of the thirteen books I’ve written and illustrated is dedicated to her. I will always be grateful for her guidance and encouragement.
By the time I was in high school, I had a fairly steady freelance business going on the side, and as a Sophomore I landed my first book illustration gig. I began writing to professionals in the field, bombarding them with questions about the business, asking how they had attained their own success.
And everyone I wrote to wrote back. I gained a wealth of knowledge I might not otherwise have had. Some of those people befriended me, and helped guide me towards a career in a field that I loved. I will be forever indebted to them for that, and it’s a big part of why I try to do the same thing for young people who reach out to me.
2. Please tell us about your experiences in comics.
From the time I was young, I had a pretty flourishing freelance career going. And I have the rejection letters to prove it! I’ve been rejected by some of the finest publications in the world.
But rather than get dejected and give up, I used those rejections as a form of motivation. Each time my submissions got turned down, I would work really hard to improve my work and come up with better material to submit.
Eventually, I had a list of steady customers and was earning a decent living.
I began doing a lot of illustration work for a small publisher who created books and games for children struggling with emotional and psychological issues. I began working with the “Complete Idiot’s Guides” and other larger publishers.
Throughout my life, I continued freelancing and looking for new opportunities. At one point, I wrote and drew my own nationally syndicated comic strip, which was a realization of my dreams since I was in elementary school.
And, I have now written and illustrated 13 books that teach children how to draw their own cartoons by using simple lines and shapes.
3. What do comics allow you to do as a storyteller?
When I was little, I realized I could make other people laugh by drawing funny pictures and writing little punchlines to go along with them. I could often tell an entire story in just one sketch.
I loved making other people happy. And I knew that if I drew something that gave me a chuckle while I was creating it, it would probably make someone else laugh too.
The freedom to just let my mind wander, and then write and draw anything that pops into my mind is a big part of the fun. Drawing comics allows me to basically do whatever I want to.
4. More recently, you have begun doing work with Drawn to Help. Please tell us more, including how we can support the work.
Several years ago, a dear, dear friend’s teenage son was diagnosed with Leukemia. When she saw what an incredible impact art therapy had on her son and other patients in the hospital, she called me up and said, “You know, you visit schools and libraries a lot. Why don’t you start visiting hospitals? The kids would love to draw cartoons.”
I had NO idea how much those few sentences were going to change my entire life.
When the staff at the first children’s hospital I visited saw what an incredible impact my drawing lessons had on the kids, they began telling friends who worked at other treatment centers. I suddenly began being asked to visit hospitals in North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. We’re now a full nonprofit, and reaching pediatric patients in facilities in many states.
Our volunteers include an amazing array of animators, comic strip creators and comic book artists.
We do individual bedside visits where we draw with the kids and give them free cartooning lessons. The children also get a packet of art supplies that they can keep, so they can continue experiencing the healing power of art long after our volunteers have gone home.
Drawn To Help also does group sessions in activity rooms in children’s hospitals and at camps for kids who are battling cancer and other really difficult medical conditions.
Studies have shown that creative activities (like drawing cartoons) can dramatically reduce pain and stress in patients. And we get to watch that happen right in front of us.
I’ve personally witnessed young patients who are battling deep depression suddenly lift out of it, start giggling and begin talking about their futures. I’ve seen kids who have lost their appetites due to their treatments begin nibbling on food while they’re drawing, because they forget that they’re not hungry.
It’s called “pleasant distraction”, and it really works. While they’re drawing, it’s all they’re thinking about and they get to forget all about their health challenges for a while and just be kids again.
When Covid hit and made it impossible for us to visit the kids in person for a while, we swung into action and reached out using technology. We created a vast digital art activity library which is on a flash drive housed in a fun pencil-shaped container. That can be worn on a lanyard, making it easy for caregivers to transport from room to room.
The flash drives contain over 400 pages of coloring activities, mazes, drawing lessons, hidden pictures and other fun stuff. They can be printed out and colored by hand, or imported into art apps and worked on digitally.
And, we stepped up our “digital visits” by having our volunteers broadcast drawing lessons from their home studios, utilizing closed-circuit TV systems in children’s hospitals so we could still reach the kids in their rooms.
We’re currently working on a second flash drive that will include an amazing array of “how to draw” videos, so even the most isolated children can enjoy them whenever they are feeling lonely or bored.
We also give our young patients fun books to read, many of which are autographed by their authors or illustrators, which lets the children know that people they’ve never even met love them and care about them.
We’re always looking for more books to share with the kids, and welcome donations from authors, illustrators and publishers.
Drawn To Help is also always grateful when artists donate signed original artwork for us to use in our fundraising efforts.
And, of course….monetary gifts are always deeply appreciated and we’re grateful for any support that comes in.
If anyone reading this would like to get involved with what we’re doing, they can contact me directly at info@drawntohelp.com and I’ll gladly answer any questions they might have.
5. Where can we find out more about your work?
You can learn more about Drawn To Help’s incredible programs for children in hospitals by visiting our website: https://drawntohelp.com or following our Facebook page for regular updates: https://www.facebook.com/DrawnToHelp
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