The Illustrators Journal Summer Edition 2021

Walden WONG

An Interview with Lon Levin

When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?

I didn't start seriously thinking about what I wanted to do as an adult until I started attending San Francisco State University. I've always wanted to be some kind of an artist, but not sure what. So I've entered the school thinking I can go into Business Marketing and Engineering then Business Marketing where I can do package designs. Both those fields had something to do with drawing and that was what I enjoyed doing as a child. It wasn't until I graduated and started seeing work in those fields that I wanted something that was closer to what I love, which was comic books and creating them. Growing up as a child and wanting to be an artist, I was always discouraged. Comments such as "it's hard to become a professional artist" and "You want to be a starving artist?" would always be spoken to me. But I loved drawing and I still decided to give it a try.

What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?

Borned, raised and still residing in San Francisco, I was always the quiet kid that would be sitting in the back of the classroom drawing. Just keeping to myself and I would just draw almost every day. When into my college years, I was still doodling and drawing in the margins of my notebook. I would constantly get into trouble for not paying attention and constantly drawing. As a kid, I learned about classic artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Pacasso, Rembrandt and Dali. It wasn't until I started wanting to become a professional comic book artist that I would study some of the current comic book artists a couple of years before the Image Comics boom. That's when I was studying the process of how comic art was created, how lines were drawn and the dynamics of comic book art.

Tell us how your background played a part in your choosing to be a comic book artist?

I've been an artist for as long as I can remember. In fact, I still remember when my kindergarten teacher had me bring my parents to a conference and the teacher said all I did was draw in class, and not really pay any attention. It was pretty much like that my whole life, in my own little world, just drawing whatever came to my

You’re known for your inking ability. Do you use traditional tools or digital or both? Which do you prefer?

I do both drawing and inking with traditional tools as well as digital. Both methods are fun for me and I can do both well. Depending on the project I work on these days, that's when I decide if I'll go traditional or digital. For example, if there's a foreseeable collectibility of the completed art, I would create that art traditionally. So when done, there is a tangible piece of original art that people can collect. If the art is something that's not as popular and I don't think people would collect it, then I'll proceed with creating it digitally. There are also times where I would mesh both traditional and digital art on a piece of art work that I created. There are many ways I would proceed creating art and I'm not stuck with one way. Both are good for me.

What’s your process?

If speaking about the process of inking alone, I would usually ink faces, hands, background and then the figure. All in that order. I feel if I make mistakes with faces, I could easily start over. If I worked on everything and did the faces last and constantly mess up, It would be hard to scrap the whole page and start all over because of the time spent on everything else.

Have you come up with your own idea for a character. Is that something you’d like to do?

I do have ideas of my own characters from when I was a child growing up. But I've never made those characters into publications. For the most part, all of what I work on are characters that are created by publishers such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics and so fourth. (continued)

"I do think that if students go to school for art, they will learn faster and can become a professional artist sooner. "

I get to play in their sand box and it's always fun. That's not to say that I would never bring out my own characters one day. That's always in the back of my mind. But I still enjoyed what I'm doing today.

Did you go to Art School? How did that affect your art? Did you feel artists need to go to school to validate themselves as an artist?

I never went to art school. I did, however, take two drawing classes and two painting classes in high school. Everything else is self taught and having the urge to learn anything art on my own. I believe if I started the path of wanting to become a professional artist soon, that I would have been able to become one sooner. As opposed to figuring out if I want to do that kind of work or this kind of work. I do think that if students go to school for art, they will learn faster and can become a professional artist sooner. The more anyone can absorb, the faster they can learn. I'm self taught and the majority of what I learned is myself seeking what's out there to learn. Not knowing what I can learn or if it's even something to learn about. Attending an art school, everything is presented to students on a silver platter. They will learn much quicker and more targeted.

Explain your experience on your social media and why you’re into it?

Sometimes I depend on my wife, Aleithia, to convince me that all is well and to hit the send button that my index finger has been hovering over for 15 minutes. So, there is fear before I begin, and after I am finished, but while I am working, it’s pure contentment.

What made you focus on children’s books? Who if anyone influences your work?

After I completed the digital art class in 2008, I still was focused on doing some kind of comic strip. I knew my digital skills were not up to par yet, so I set up a goal for myself. I’d illustrate three digital pictures a day for an entire year. I figured by the end of a year, I would have 1000 illustrations complete and hopefully a better skill set. So after a year, I posted some of my best work in an online illustrator group. One of the members, John Blackford, saw my characters and emailed me. He said that he knew a publisher that was on the lookout for someone with my style. And would I be interested in doing children’s books. Well I hadn’t really thought about it, but thinking back on those 25 years of rejections from the newspaper syndicates, there was a mention a time or two about trying kid’s books. (But I was too stubborn to consider deviating from my cartoon strip dream) Now, I was open to the idea. (It only took about 28 years to get through my thick head LOL!) I submitted a very minimal portfolio along with a query, and to my surprise, Guardian Angel Publishing hired me to do two books!

I like social media. This may be because I went to SFSU and obtained a degree in Business Marketing. Being an artist and not being able to market yourself, one will never be known. For example, an artist can create an amazing piece of art, but if nobody knows you exist, you're still that kid in the back of the classroom doodling on the margins of your notebook. The more an artist can show what they create on social media, the more eyes will be able to see what you create. Social media can also be a full time job as well as being a professional artist. But if you manage them well, it will work with any artist.

Can any artist thrive if they are not on social media?

Yes, I believe any artist can thrive without social media. In fact, when I became a professional comic book artist, there was no such thing as Facebook, or Twitter or Instagram. It was just myself, a telephone, conventions, and the postal system. All I did was send submission packets out, attend comic book conventions, call publishers and show them my work. If there's a will, there's always a way. Having social media today, it just makes things so much quicker and faster. No need to snail mail packets to publishers and no need to wait for the next convention to show your work. Just post something on social media, and at a click of a button, it's out there for the whole work to see within seconds.

What do or did you do to promote yourself? What exciting projects are you working on now?

To promote myself, all I do these days are post my work on social media as often as I can. Daily if possible. I also have a YouTube channel under the name of www.YouTube.com/WaldenWongArt. In fact, all my social media handles are under the name Walden Wong Art (Facebook, Instagram, DevinatArt, Linkedin, Ello, Vero, Twitter, Pinterest, Patreon, and more). Including my website www.WaldenWongArt.com

I'm currently working on some new and exciting projects that I can't really mention. But if anyone follows me on any of my social media, I'll drop sneak peeks here and there. Also, on my website, there's a blog and news section where I constantly update and post. Check it out when you can.