Independent Jones: Afua Richardson, Jane of All Trades

The life of a comic book artist can be a busy one. So what then if that artist is also a musician, a poet, a singer, a songwriter and countless other trades? Well, then you get Afua Richardson. A visual artist with credits with Image, Top Cow, and NPR, Afua is a rising talent with a bevy of skills at her disposal. She was kind enough to join me last night for a candid conversation about subjects ranging from what life is like balancing all of those passions, the differences between a comic book artist and a writer, and the value of community. Enjoy the interview, right after this amazing panel from Afua’s NPR collaboration…

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Q: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

Q: That is an impressive list of skills. Which medium came first?

Thank you kindly. I’m not certain which came along first , to be honest. they all came at the same time. I don’t think I’m particularly special by any means, nor was I really any kind of prodigy. I just sat alone a lot and focused. I wanted really bad to be really good at as many things as I had interest in. I wasn’t very talkative and I expressed myself vehemently through my work. It expressed things I couldn’t. I guess I just had a lot to say. I started playing the flute at the age of 9, singing was something i always did , but not very well until I was 18 or 19, art was always there but I didn’t start doing comics full time until I was 27. Quite a shift from a life of part-time jobs and randomly amazing gigs. I had to be resourceful because for a time, I was homeless. I NEEDED to be good at something to get a job. Being okay was not enough. If I wasn’t excellent , I didn’t eat. And couch hopping is horrible on the back

Q: Which ones come first to you, now?

At the moment, I’ve focused on comic book art and songwriting. Comic art takes precedence because of professional obligations. But I’ve discovered, that if i don’t create music; even recreationally, something in me goes a little sour. I wilt. It genuinely makes me happy. So I’m working on a comic book for Top Cow at the moment that should be released in August entitled ” Genius”. I’m also currently in a band called ” Waking Astronomer”‘ as a singer and flutist.

Q: That balance you just talked about, when it comes to your work, how heavily do the two mediums influence each other?

My art and music are braided at the cells. I create playlist for the art I’m creating. Sometimes when I’m making art, sounds will occur to me. I don’t know how someone would test if a person is experiencing synesthesia, but its similar to that.‏

Q: Speaking of influence, as far as your comic book work goes, who are some of your biggest inspirations / influences?

Its changed over the years but I initially, Hiroaki Samura (Blade of the Immortal), Serpieri, Moebius, Mucha, Alex Ross and Travis Charest were artists whose works I carried around with me everywhere. There are so many amazing artist out and about right now, we would be here all day!

So let’s talk more about your past and current works…

Q: You said you’re working with Top Cow this year on a project called Genius? What can you tell me about that?

The story is written by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman. It’s about a 17-year old tactical genius named Destiny who is born in South Central, Los Angeles gang territory. She dismantles the gangs and forms a militia to expose and combat members of the LAPD who are setting up drug rings that generate cyclical criminals in poor neighborhoods.

Basically it’s a beat em up shoot em down kind of comic‏.

Q: Your most critically acclaimed work was the Langston Hughes project from NPR during Black History Month this year. Tell me how you were able to work with them. What was that process like?

That was an enjoyable experience. NPR contacted me in the middle of February, not leaving much time to create something for their black history month celebration. They asked me to illustrate any classic work of literature I wanted. They did specify it would be great If I created something by a black author , but that was the only request besides the work being in panels. I was just excited they even FOUND me, let alone requested my participation. So I scoured the internet, thumbing though books and flipping though countless websites of poems and classic short stories. My 1st and second choice was to do an excerpt from Alfred Bester’s Tiger Tiger, one of my favorite sci-fi novels. But in my contemplating a kickstarter for a book on mermaids I decided to go with the Langston Hughes poem on rivers. It spoke to me in a lot of different ways.

Plus I heard Brian Stelfreeze was participating also, So i had to try and put some elbow grease on it. unfortunately for Brian, I’d selected his favorite poem. I finished the entire project in 4 days. Needless to say , no sleep was had‏. But it was a joyful sleepless week.

I am also a sentimental sap, and made a video a la ” Reading Rainbow ” style for it using one of my band’s songs as a a soundtrack. I’m just an amateur video editor , but it was fun just the same.

Q: Since that project, what has the reception been like? Has that done anything as far as getting you work?

I’ve received overwhelmingly warm responses from it. It was the first time in several years that I created sequential work under my own direction. I’d done so much work to someone else’s scripts, I’d wondered if I were capable of telling my own story. This really reinforced that for me. I’ve received a few amazing offers that I can’t really talk about yet until the ink is dry but one has to do with an amazon and the other a monkey!

Q: This is only the third time I’ve been able to interview a comic book artist, and the first time I’ve thought to ask this question: What, besides the medium, are some of the major differences between getting work as a paid comic book artist, as compared to a comic book writer? How would you break it down to someone totally unfamiliar with the business?

Without the accompaniment of art, it is incredibly difficult to get work as a writer unless you are connected or a published novelist already. Someone can see what you do as an artist, and is more inclined to hire someone based on their portfolio. Art is easier to consume than reading and determining if someone is capable of putting together a story arc and stimulating dialog. On the other hand, a writer is more likely to own what it is they create, where the artist will be offered more work for hire or pay as you go kind of work. Royalties and residuals are rare unless you’ve created something of your own. Plus, writing comics is very different than screen writing and other forms of literature. Being able to direct the apex of a moment and move a story along in a series of still images that don’t overwhelm the page is not an easy task. There is a delicate balance of expressing your vision and giving direction so the artist is inspired to contribute a part of their own . Plus each company is different, so getting a grasp on what it is you’d like to write about is important when searching for jobs.

If you do not have the means to hire an artist , it would be a good idea to practice thumb-nailing the vision you have in your pages to see if it makes sense. use photographs or even take them to be your own cinematographer; describe angles and time of day and the pivotal stuff. Or you can go the Marvel way, where they just leave it to the artist to direct the story and just state what’s happening in the panel. Many ways to go about it‏.

There are a lot more talent searches and submissions for writers these days as the demand for good writing has increased. Comics are read by many different kinds of people, and have increased in popularity lately; especially considering the movies, so the materials must be thought invoking to pull readers. It can’t just rely on pretty pictures anymore.

Q: So, from what I’ve been able to deduce from research on your work, you seem to very much enjoy drawing the female form. Is this an artistic preference? If so, what makes women more compelling to you than men?

You know, I can’t say for sure. I think about that a lot actually. Part of me remembers being a kid and thinking I was funny looking. I’d draw what I wish I looked like. I didn’t have a lot of close female friends, never felt pretty or girly. Didn’t have a mother who was kind or nurturing. Maybe I drew myself a loving mom. Maybe I drew myself a best friend. Maybe I just enjoy drawing hips! That might be one of those questions I have to dig around in my brain for a while. I’m not sure I really know.

Q: How do you feel about the current conversation in regards to having more strong female lead characters in all forms of media? Furthermore, how do you see that becoming a reality? Are there things that both the artists and the consumers can do to encourage this?

I think archetypes are becoming more realistic as people create their own forms of media. The definition of strong in terms of women can often lead to meaning masculine and unfeminine. But I’m seeing tomboys, brutes, warriors, nerds, geeks, leaders and lazy bums being scripted into the fold. It’s nice to see things catching up to what is not the other way around. People often conform to what is projected at them out of fear of being ostracized. I think more and more media is reaffirming, “it’s awesome being who you are ” and that can mean many different things.

People will often complain about what is not properly represented in mainstream media, I usually just tell them, “stop expecting someone else to tell your story and get it right”. There are so many ways to make your own these days. There really is no excuse other than making the time to do so.

Q: How about some dream jobs? What are some characters from comic books that you really enjoy drawing? What are some that you’ve always wanted to work on professionally?

To be honest, I’d love to do an X-Men comic. There are so many characters with so many different personalities. Like for instance I’d love to draw where Nightcrawler goes when he BAMFS! out of space into another. Or draw Beast as a bipolar doctor with his animal side constantly roaring at his subconscious. I’d like to take a few characters like Wonder Woman and draw their right of passage into warriorhood or draw Storm as a wondering punk blowing up power grids and selling rain machines to unsuspecting farmers, hehe.

My dream projects I’m currently writing. As I’m literally and figuratively writing my dreams into being . I have some weird ones. So I thought it would be fun to put them into a story or at least give them to a character who does.

Q: As an artist, you seem to be very involved in the development and improvement of the communities that you contribute to, both visually and musically. While this is a remarkable thing, what about the idea that some of these people will most likely turn out to be your direct competition? We are living in a capitalist society, after all.

I have a group on Facebook called Docta Foo’s Lab. I’m also a member of Universal Artist and a few other groups. Originally, my group was just a ” the art of Afua” page, posting pictures and updating projects. Then I realized, I don’t want fans, I want family! I treat my online community like a dojo. I like to be surrounded by artist who are better than me. It keeps me on my toes, keeps me inspired and keeps me in perspective. I am not threatened by someone knowing my methods and techniques. I feel I have something unique too say because of my experiences and opinions. It’s like the two of us watching a movie, we may be sitting in the same theater , but we experience two different things. There will always be competition. Where I see many people grow stagnant is in their comfortable illusion that they are the best at anything. Where I see people fall is that they think the way to get to the top is to step on people’s heads. I want to build a community as they build me. I eventually want to make a studio and hire my friends. If I’m working with people who would rather stab me in the back to get my position rather than see me happy to be there then it would be a lonely and joyless experience.

I am a self taught artist. I relied on the kindness of my friends, the thoroughness of tutorials and the generosity of strangers to help me be where I am. If I am in anyway a contributor to the expression of someone’s inner thoughts in a tangible and creative method, then I can rest easy when I turn to dust one day, that I’ve not lived a meaningless life.

Awesome answer. Thank you for doing this interview.

Sure man no problem! Thank you for thinking I’m interesting enough to want to interview.

–

If you dig Afua’s stuff, you can support her by visiting her website and buying something, HERE.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Mike Sains

Mike Sains is a Staff Writer at Capeless Crusader. When he isn’t writing, he’s podcasting at various places online. When he isn’t podcasting, he’s collecting comic books, FunkoPop! figures, and vinyl records. You can hear him on Geek Girls, Nerd Boys, The Tower of Sour, and The Inverse Delirium, all available on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter @MikeSains.

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