Interview with Tracy Brady cartoons [tracybradycartoons] on Whohub

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What is your specialty in illustration?

Cartoonist - comic strips

What are your regular clients like? What do they expect from you?

My regular clients are writers and companies looking for new ideas in advertising, all expecting to get the same quality of work in hand as they see online, which is a great expectation of me. I set myself the personal goal to give them even more than they anticipate. So far so good.

Is there a web address where we can see some of your work?

Have you completed formal art studies, or are you self-taught?

Does an A in GCE Advanced Level Art count as formal studies? It's kinda basic but it's what I have.

How did you get your first full assignment? What did it involve?

My first commission was to draw the fall of the wall of Jericho for a co-worker. Actualy, I had offered to do it for free just to see if I could still draw. At the end my co-worker was so happy with the piece she gave me money.

What past or present day illustrators do you admire most?

I adore Romantic painters, modernists, realists and abstract painters. But of course I'm a cartoonist so Jim Unger and Bill watterson is an influence. And Bob Ross. Oh I loved me some Bob Ross!

How similar are your current drawings to those you did as a child?

Very disimiliar. When I was younger I drew portraits and landscapes. These days I draw minimalist cartoons.

What was your favorite comic book as a child?

Hands down, MAD Magazine!

Do you have a particular style, or does it vary a lot?

It varies. It depends on the subject matter but when I'm doing a piece for myself, definitely painting landscapes.

What is hardest to draw?

Everything is hard to draw. Simply nothing is easy but the trick is to not think about that. Just start the piece and chip away at it little by little.

What type of music do you listen to while you work?

I watch tv while I draw.

Do you have a favorite work of art?

No, there are simply too many pieces that I am hopelessly in love with. Da Vinci's charcoal sketched blue print of a submarine comes to mind immediately though.

What do you do when a client simply says "I don't like it"?

The last time a client did not like a piece? I was 14 years old and drawing a portrait of a classmate who eventually became a famous actress. She was unhappy that the picture showed her flaws. I went back and changed it as many times as she asked me to until she was happy. I've carried on that lesson, to give the customer what they want, and now we both laugh when we remember that piece.

What new techniques have you been experimenting with lately?

Shading with Photoshop and using layers. Those have been intriguing.

What part of your work do you do on paper and what part digitally?

My comic strips, cartoons and webcomics are hand-drawn, then digitally coloured, while other work is hand drawn then painted in water colour, oil or acrylic. Still others are coloured with pencil crayons, or coloured markers. I am also a big fan of black and white graphite pencil or ink. Like most artists, my medium depends on the nature / subject / requirements of the piece I'm doing.

What research do you do for your illustrations?

I use the internet alot. It's par for the course since I am doing webcomics.

Do you have colleagues with whom you share techniques, tricks, ideas, etc.?

My little sister, who is a formally trained painter is my measuring stick, as well as my mother, who is a cosmetology teacher and my twin sister who has an eye and feel for all things witty, bizarre and grand.

Do you have any specific goals as an illustrator?

To be a success at it, of course. LOL

What illustration web sites do you frequent?

I look at a lot of webcomic sites these days, but then I also search for the sites of traditional artists to enjoy their pieces.

What are you working on now?

Producing a comic strip called DEUCES for Air Jamaica's SkyWritings Magazine and my weekly webcomic Dirty Job Comics. They are both a lot of fun to do.

What advice do you have for someone who likes to draw and would like to make a living from it?

Making a living at art is hard work. You have to be patient and determined to succeed. It can sometimes take long to see the dividends of one's labour but the reward does come, and it's great.

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