"STAPLE! was phenomenal,
a first year show that acted like a precocious mutant baby genius."
Eric Kim Quick QuestionsRafael Navarro: As an artist, how do you approach your work? Eric Kim: Slowly ;) I don't really know...in part, I think the work I produce is a reflex to stimulus. The script is in front of me, this is how I react...and it's in the reaction that is the honesty. I guess I strive to create extreme and bold reactions...and depending on the context of the piece, it can either be comedic or dramatic. STAPLE!: What ways do you find your life influences your work? Eric Kim: God, in all ways. My artwork is a direct extension of my life. My characters in the comedies share the same gestures and mannerisms that I posess, so in a way, people who read the work can get a good feel for me. As well, my art reflects my tastes...my interests, my influences...they shine through in the work that I do, and sometimes end up jumbled together in a smorgasborg of art...which, as most people who know me can tell you, is a lot like how I am in real life. Eclectic. ;) STAPLE!: To what extent do you use digital tools in your art? Eric Kim: I use digital tools a lot. They're cheaper than other tools, and also have a nifty undo command that my paintbrushes don't have. However, I kind of regret having to rely on digital tools, and miss the end results from doing work traditionally. When a digital piece is completed, there's not a tactile response to it. When a painting is finished, you really get a different reaction from it. Digital tools also play a part in terms of production and preparation of work for the printer...in my role as an illustrator, they have taken over traditional processes...so there's no FedExing of work when I can email it, and there's no shooting slides...just scan and email, which simplifies the process...and also gives me a slight time advantage. STAPLE!: What new artists or works (whether in comics or otherwise) excite you? Eric Kim: I'm really looking forward to Andy Helm's "The Adventures of Fearless Griggs". That book looks like it's gonna rock the house, man. STAPLE!: Have you got a good convention or show story you can tell us? Eric Kim: Not really...most of my convention stories have me looking kind of like a big dork, because...I'm actually a big dork! ;) |
About Eric KimSTAPLE! has extended invites to a variety of creators to answer a series of quick questions about working in comics, and we’ll be updating these questions as the responses come in, so check back often! The questions are four standard questions asked to each participant, and then a fifth question posed to the creator by the previous interviewee. Our latest interviewee is Eric Kim, artist of Oni Press's Love as a Foreign Language. |