For the month of December, we’ve been featuring the great Ryan Estrada (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) because he and his comics are awesome. Check out parts 1 and 2!
This week I’m actually going to wrap up Ryan’s feature a bit early because next week is Christmas and also, my wife is due to have a baby any day now… so I’m just tying up loose ends. It’s better for all of us this way. 🙂
The way I found Ryan was on Google+. Back in the frontier days while we were all panning for gold, Ryan was excelling. One thing that he did early on was to post a comic about making comics for Google+. It was insightful, helpful and really forged a path for future cartoonists using the medium. He also solidified my stand on Google+. It’s a wonderful place full of cartoonists, artists and more!
But the more I follow Ryan, the more I realize that this is just who he is. He wants everyone to succeed. So he shares everything he learns. He’s done tutorials, insightful posts about the creative process, AND he’s always making comics. The guy is a powerhouse of content creation. He’s made a game show, just finished a massive collaborative Kickstarter project, makes videos… And travels the world.
Are you linked out yet? Ryan is busy. He’s a true hero in the world of digital comics. He’s awesome.
Enjoy the rest of his interview (and this butt-shot… which for a while I thought was the first naked butt on The Underfold, but I was wrong.)
Plagued Page 10
Ryan Estrada Interview Parts 3 & 4
Q. What’s your favorite movie, and why?
I’m a huge fan of a lot of Korean movies. Especially the ones where the main character is terrible at his job and fails at every opportunity. I get bored watching invincible heroes with the right tool for every job and an unlimited supply of bullets. I like watching people with no skills or resources whatsoever tackle a big problem. I’d recommend Castaway on the Moon, Breakout, Memories of Murder and The Host.
Q. What’s the one thing you would say to a person wanting to make comics too?
Challenge yourself. Do a 24 hour comic. Or a 12 hour comic, or just invent your own challenge. Even if the comic you make sucks, you will have made a comic. And the skills and confidence you get from that are invaluable.
Q. Who is your hero, and why?
The coolest man I ever met is named Baba Amte. This is a man who practiced law with Gandhi, worked with the Dalai Lama, and was on the short list for the Nobel Peace Prize dozens of times. He built a leper colony that was the happiest, most prosperous place I’ve ever visited and he invited me to talk a walk with him. He was bed ridden, and it was just a month before his death, but we all pushed his wheeled bed all over the world he had created so he could say hello to everyone, play with the babies, and quack at the ducks.
Q. As an artist, where do you draw value from your work?
I like telling stories. I like the fact that everyone who knows who I am knows me for something different, and that they all get something different out of it
Friday I’ll be posting my entire interview with John Allison of Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round and Giant Days as the conclusion of the Featured Webcomics and Artists Section!