Describe your creative space. Do you work at home, in public spaces, etc.?

I usually work at home at my desk, and am most productive at night after like 10 pm. The only other place I manage to be productive is coffee shops, because of all the other people around. I feel like I am obligated to get work done because they might be watching me? And I feel pressured to work.

What kind of materials do you use? What mediums do you work in?

I generally use a Wacom tablet and Photoshop for my digital work, but for traditional work I’m pretty simple—just mechanical pencils, Micron pens, and ballpoint pens. Sometimes I use watercolor if I’m feeling bold.

What is your routine for art? Do you always sketch first?

If I am using pens, I just draw and accept the mistakes I might make, which I think is kind of fun because it forces you to keep moving and not linger on what might be problem areas. When I do comics, I always do extensive thumbnails before blocking out the panels and then do sketches before inking. I’m a huge sketching person. When I work in Photoshop I usually have 3-4 sketch layers.

How long have you been making art? When did you start making art?

I’ve been making art since I was a small child, and have always created characters and drawn animals and been interested in art. I’ve been making art with the intention to have a career in it since high school.

Who is your intended, or ideal, audience? Who do you make art for?

A lot of my art, as far as characters, is made for myself, or for my friends who I know will also be excited about it. I also want to create art for people my age and in younger generations who are looking for more representation in the content that they read.

What inspires you to create? If you are blocked, what do you do?

I am really inspired by a lot of the content that I grew up watching and the content I continue to get involved in; Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, fantasy, dragons, etc. Reading a great deal and always having a passion to write original content has also helped me to create stories that I want to illustrate. Usually when blocked I take some time for myself to do something else, or I browse Pinterest to get some inspiration. Sometimes I also browse Instagram, where I follow a lot of artists I admire.

What other things do you do besides art? Do you dance or play golf, etc.?

Besides art, I spend a lot of time writing out stories about characters I have created, or about comics I want to work on. Even though I’m not sure I’m the best writer, writing is something I really enjoy and have always done a lot of. I also really like to watch movies and catch up on shows, especially while I am working on artwork. Though I’ve had less time to read since becoming a college student, I’m hoping I can go back to reading 24/7 now that I’ve graduated. For me, reading is a good way to get inspired, escape from your current situation, and learn more about the world all in one activity.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

My favorite part is always brainstorming. I love coming up with new ideas and characters, and then decided how all the characters interact, or how all the pieces fit together. I love brainstorming with other people for creative projects because of how fun it is to bounce ideas off of each other and come up with something amazing. Building off the enthusiasm of a creative partner is always so incredible.

What is your advice to aspiring artists?

It’s hard for me to give advice because I am still so new and still growing as an artist myself, but I guess one of the most important things to keep in mind is to remember how bad you want it; if you love art, and you really want to do it as a career, don’t do it because of the money. Do it because you can’t imagine doing anything else and being happy. Do it because it’s what you genuinely want for yourself. I think if you do that, your artwork will be more genuine, and will contain so much more of yourself, and in the end will make you so much more happy.

Check out Megan’s work in Volume 4, Issue 2.