Thanks for inviting me.
1) How long have you been an artist?
I've pretty much been creating art since I could hold a pencil. I have clear memories of my first drawing pad having Blue Falcon & DynoMutt on the cover.
2) Who are some of your artistic influences?
Wow, that's a tough one. I couldn't really list all of them. Being mostly self-taught, any visual art I could absorb, I did. Spending summers with my grandmother, most old cartoons came first-- Max Fleischer, Tex Avery, Looney Tunes & Hannah-Barbara. Eventually, I discovered comic strips like 'Bloom County' & 'Calvin & Hobbes'. Breathed & Watterson really influenced me in my teens. That's about when I started buying my own comic books & was mesmerized by guys like Basil Wolverton, Romita Sr. & Jr., Gene Colan. Colan illustrated the first comic I ever owned, Batman #351, 'What Stalks the Gotham Night?' The art was terrifying & energetic, so stylish. Colan & the Romitas showed me the diversity of comic art as well as thrilling me with the adventures of Daredevil & the X-Men. Eventually, when I'd burned-out on comic books & Watterson, Breathed moved onto other things, I explored more art with the capital "A", I guess. Pollock, Picasso, & Lichtenstein were the first ones to really catch my eye. There have been many influences, but right now I'm trying to develop my own "style" by just exploring any creative urge I get. I do keep coming back to illustration though, my first love.
3) How did you get involved in the creation of Throwd:Goth Damned?
Well @Erik_Reeves & I've known each other for years & had been trying to find a project to collaborate on. One day, Erik pitched the idea of the story to me when he'd seen some of my goth girls. Erik churned out a script pretty quickly & I was really excited about what I read. Erik gave me the chance to develop a character that could possibly be a threat, an equal, to Red (Zasha Brown). Erik also gave me the freedom to fill up the club, give it some personalities & I went all out. It was the first work I'd done in awhile where I had so much input & trust from another creator. I think it shows in the results.
4)What can fans of your work expect from you in the future?
I've been busy with a lot of private commissions & a possible webcomic, but this year I'm really trying to get some personal projects going. I'm currently scripting out 'The White Rabbit Diary' & doing some world-building. It's been my personal project for about 10+ years now, so I want to get it moving forward. I want it out of my head & on the page. I'm also trying to build my personal brand, 'Inklandia', & see what I can come up with. As always, fans can check out my Tumblr blog: http://kcsteele.tumblr.com/ for special insight into my creative work, or just look me up on Facebook for updates & lots of cool art I'm cranking out.
5)What other comics have you worked on?
Most of my work is in illustration & PC game design, concepting stuff. I've been involved with a couple of Stumblebum projects & a webcomic I love called 'Programmed to Suck'. (http://krakadoom.com/p2s/2011/04/mis-adventure-1-lil-robot-finds-a-hat-2/) I fell in love with drawing the world Lil' Robot lived in & am looking forward to collaborating on some more with Clayton "Krakadoom" Johnston. He's one of the funniest people I've ever known & we have a good creative chemistry that shows on the pages, crazy-weird-darkly-funny stuff. Just trying to see how much we can torture Lil' Robot.
6) Can you explain your unique approach to your art style and creative process?
For years, I made it a habit to mimic other artists, to learn & create more opportunities for myself. I got into PC games by mimicking Joe Mad. Eventually though, people starting commenting that they could see my 'style' in the work. Now, I don't try to force it anymore, or mimic. I just let it flow & see where it goes, how it turns out. I'm excited if I get to pull back from it & see what's there in front of me. A few years ago, my life was in upheaval & the creativity saved me. I like to think it helped me tap into something bigger than myself & find some inner peace, real joy. Now, I just let it flow from me & it has made some amazing changes in my life. It's as much a spiritual thing as anything else.
7) Since you have such a great relationship with Vear Graphics can we expect anything else from you with them?
I'm betting we'll be able to come up with something. I'd like to add more to that bad-ass universe you're creating, interact with those characters & maybe even play with 'Malevolence the Gothgirl' again. So, bring it & let's see what we can come up with.
8) Is there anything else you would like to let your fans know about you?
I guess I'd like them all to know that I do these things for the fun of it, the joy & that they should look forward to some surprising, personal projects in the future.
Thank you again for giving us a great interview!
Thanks.
Be sure to check out more of Kevin Steele's work online here
Follow his Deviantart page here
Like Kevin Steele on Facebook here
Follow him on twitter @KevinCSteele
Art by @Erikreeveart @KevinCSteele
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