holley4734
The letter Y is brought to you by the sublime Ms. Keezy Young. She can be found on Twitter and Tumblr. I highly recommend seeking her artwork wherever you can.
Interview
What was the first thing that you were proud of drawing/writing?
I’m sure my mom can tell you a bunch of other things I was proud of, but the first one that comes to mind is when I drew a giant bee with a stinger and sharp teeth and gave it to her for her birthday.
What are you working on now?
A bunch of stuff! I’m busy with Yellow Hearts, my webcomic about three childhood friends-turned-criminals who made a deal with a demon when they were kids. It doesn’t have a release date yet, but I’ve started storyboarding, so it shouldn’t be long now! I also have two pitches in the works, one to the Beyond Anthology with Cassandra Khaw, and another with Steve Horton called Sorcerous Ways. I also have a couple of zines coming out with my illustration work in them.
Who has influenced you the most as an artist?
I’m constantly inspired by the other artists I know from Twitter and Tumblr and in person. I love and idolize a lot of masters like Alphonse Mucha or John Singer Sargent, and more contemporary comic artists like Hiromu Arakawa or Fiona Staples, but there’s something amazing about watching my friends and peers work hard and put out so much gorgeous art and writing every day.
Who is your favorite female superhero/villain/comic book character?
I’m really fond of Major General Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist. She isn’t a superhero, but she has left an imprint on a lot of my own characters.
How often do you go to comic book conventions? Do you enjoy conventions?
I go to local ones like Emerald City ComicCon and more general geek conventions like GeekGirlCon. I do enjoy them, though I think there’s still work to be done with making those spaces more inclusive and welcoming. There are a lot of great things that come out of conventions, and community is super important! But I am also hyper-aware that I may be interacting with people who don’t think I have a right to a place in the comics industry because I’m a queer woman who writes and draws stories about queer characters, and that sexual harassment at conventions is still a huge problem among fans and industry pros. I would love to get to a point where convention-going is exhausting just for the fun reasons and not the scary ones.
Are you an introvert or extrovert?
I’d say I’m a very friendly introvert! I LOVE talking with people, but I definitely need my alone time.
Where do you find your inspiration?
The short answer would be ‘wherever I can.’ I find that some of my best inspiration for drawing comes from enjoying other people’s art, and for writing I love discussing stories and characters with my friends and roommates. But honestly, inspiration can come from anywhere.
What do you do if you have writer’s block?
Usually I’ll hit my head against the wall for a little bit before I sit down to play video games. I’m trying to get better at acknowledging when I need a break.
Have you had any interesting or awkward experiences since you’ve been an artist/writer?
Directly related to my art…? I guess I would say that my characters have been pretty instrumental in coming to terms with various aspects of myself, and self-realizations are always interesting and kind of awkward.
Beverage of choice?
Black coffee
When was the last time that you dressed up for Halloween?
Last year! I wore a Spyro kigurumi. It was very comfortable.
What do you want people to know about you?
I want people to know that the number one reason I draw and write comics is to add something wonderful and exciting to the world, something that makes people happy. I know that I won’t always be able to make everyone happy, and there will be missteps, but it’s important to me that I keep learning and growing and contributing to the overall happiness of the people around me.
She’s a nice artist. I hope whoever posed for the picture didn’t really have to get that close to those bees. 🙂