Welcome to the third edition of iCAF: Independent Comic Artist Feature!

This series of articles have the intention of giving exposure to comic artists inside and outside our community of deviantART.

In this issue, featuring: =VanZero

Tell us about you! Who is Vanzero?

First of all I would like to say thanks for your interest in me and my art, I'm honored to be interviewed.
My name is Julian but in the DA world and in some publications they call me Van. I'm a graphic designer with an speciality in illustration, my work focuses on children's illustrations. My hobbies include drawing (which is my passion, I do that all the time), I'm a huge fan of animation and independent comics, regardless genre or artistic style. Another one is horror literature from where my favourite autor is H.P. Lovecraft.

How do you define the art you make?

I would define it as bizarre cartoons, I combine the best of two worlds trying to make a mix and create drawings with humor and personality.

How did you start to draw?

More than anything it was my curiosity as a kid.

What made you choose the style of art you make?

Since I was a kid I went through a lot of styles, from realism to manga, but when I discovered cartoons and its great versatility I fell in love with it and decided I would aim my progress and efforts to that.

What mediums or techniques do you use?

First of all I make a first sketch with everyday materials, the illustrator's best friend: a pencil. As from techniques, I use from traditional to digital, from where my favourite one is vector art.

What inspires you to create?

The world that surrounds me, everything can be a source of inspiration, for the same reason I always carry with me my sketch book, the simpliest inspiration and idea must be drawn

Focusing on your comics, can you tell us more about them? What inspired you to create them?

Everything came out from my great fandom on two essential themes, the first one: bunnies, that have been a great inspiration for me because of their personality, they can be pretty naive but also really protective of their own. And second one is legends and myths about them, in every culture there's always something refering bunnies and other animals, from here and merging this two things I try to create a story in which my characters live each of these legends as own in a world different from ours where men is nothing but a myth or part of a lullaby.

Tell us a little about the process of creating a comic, from your own experience

First of all I designed the characters and their enviroment, where would they live and where all the action would take place, which drove me to a lot of investigation of every animal and their personality. After that, I designated the main idea, giving as a result a script and then separated in various volumes for the whole story.

Something a little difficult and really important is the printing, I had to investigate the appropiate paper for the comic and I decided bright couché paper would be my best option. And finally to see in which places I would present and distribute it.

How do you see the future of your comics? What are your goals for them and how you are planning to achieve it?

My plan is to make a total of 5 or 6 unique volumes and at the end make a graphic novel in which would be the whole story completely coloured and a series of sketches and pin ups by different colleagues of how their own vision of the characters (Lupy and company). I plan to distribute it thourgh all the country and present it to the mexican independent comic world and why not? Maybe even go further and translate it to other languages and present it to other parts of the globe (great dream hehe). I plan to do it making my greatest effort and giving my max dedication, giving a good fight and overcoming every obstacle, growing little by little and improving.

Do you have any project coming up in the near future?

Right now I'm in the middle of the realization of a brand called Happy World, in which I'm associated with my fiancee. Talking about my comic I have various ideas and a script from a friend currently on hold because of my personal comic.

Talking about DA, what brought you here and what made you stay?

When I was still at college a friend recommended it to me, he already had an account here and I decided to take a look. It really interested me the possibility of presenting my work and with this having the chance to receive feedback and improve from there little by little.

How has DA influenced your art?

It has helped me to present myself to the world getting with this to work in Europe with some simple projects of illustration and of course, it has helped me to grow as a person, it has giving me a lot of inspiration from other artists and that is priceless.

Thank you so much Van! Any last advice to other fellow artists?

Never give up, our imagination is the limit and if you decide to do something we can make it, everything is possible if we dedicate enough to it.


Any commentary, critiques can be given to the following emails:

julian_bores@yahoo.com.mx
lupytheusagi@yahoo.com.mx
contacto_happyworld@yahoo.com.mx




Previous issues:
Vol. I - slapthebully
Vol. II - MarkandDamien

_{Are you an independent comic artist? Do you know of somebody that would like to be included in these articles? send a note to ^Thiefoworld}