The Womanthology Project is getting great reviews and there will be more! The next issue of Womanthology will be "Space." If you are a female artist, you can still enter your work but my daughter has been trying every day for a week and having so much trouble she's about to give up. Apparently their site has spambots making it difficult for real people to register. Hopefully they get that worked out soon.
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In the meantime, here's the first of a quadruple interview with a family of artists featured in the current edition, "Heroic." The first interview is with Eleni Ladd, the eldest who will be eighteen this Spring.*
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How did you find out about the Womanthology project?__
We met Renae DeLiz at Heroes Con a while back and kept in touch over the years through social media. Her Twitter update definitely got me excited and we were honored to be personally invited by her to be in the book.
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What was your process for selecting the pieces to submit?__
Gail Simone was our writer, and that immediately put me on edge, seeing as how I really looked up to her before the anthology was being put together, It was like working with a movie star. When she emailed us the script along with the character designs, Kelsie and I had a blast transforming words into visuals. We compared our designs and then set to work on the actual story. We split up the two pages between us two older siblings, each getting a page to illustrate, and concocted different ways to integrate our younger sisters' artwork into our pages as well.
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What are your thoughts on the whole Womanthology project?__
Being a part of Womanthology was such an amazing opportunity. I got to work with a professional and get published, which was previously, not even a fathomable fantasy! I am so very honored to be a part of Womanthology, to stand out as a comic book fan and, possibly, a potential artist in the industry. I hope this book is an eye-opener to just how large the amount of writers, artists, colorists and fans of comics that women are, how much of an impact we can have when we band together to show our talent and our numbers. I want especially for this book to inspire other young artists and women to not give up on their talent, just because they don't stand out as the majority of the population. That they will see through this book that there will be doors opening for every individual to get their work out and seen.
Do you have a favorite time and/or place to do your art?
I've always been more of a night owl, so anytime in the afternoon to evening is when I work best. A "New Year's Resolution" I had was to get more into digital drawing, which I now do at night. As for the place, I carry a sketchbook with me just about everywhere, but you can almost always find me drawing while on the couch or the computer.
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What/who inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?__
Though I haven't been in a while, I am always inspired by the amazing people I meet at comic book conventions. Simply talking to them or watching them sketch makes me eager to grab a pencil and paper of my own. I would definitely say the people I've come to know at conventions have been my biggest inspiration. My parents as well, especially Dad who is quite the fan of comics, have been a source of inspiration too. They've has always been very encouraging over my interest in drawing, by taking the family to conventions, giving us Art Assignments and critiquing them, and fueling my desire to become an artist by getting me sketchbooks and supplies as birthday presents. Lastly, as a fan of certain current Superhero Cartoons, I draw a lot of fanart and gain inspiration from fellow fans too.
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What are your future artistic plans and/or career hopes?__
I have two careers I am interested in. First and foremost I have and always will want to be a comic book artist. A career in animation though, has also caught my attention. I would like to be a storyboard artist or background/layout designer. Not to mention, I've been thoroughly entertained by being able to create simple animations in Photoshop.
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Part of the reason Womanthology was started is because women artists have a hard time being respected in the comics industry. What do you think about that? If you or another young girl is interested in being a comic artist, what do you think could help change this problem?__
The comic book industry is definitely male-driven with their target audience being male as well. It's been this way for so long, that breaking free of that paradigm will be harder than it should be. Hopefully Womanthology will tear the stereotypical walls down, making it easier for minorities of all types to get their foot in the industry. As for helping others who want to get into the industry, I really don't know what to say, as this is something that I am struggling with now. I suppose, all I can really say is that you need to put yourself out there. Make yourself known as an artist, and let it be known that this is something you want to do. Don't ever be afraid to show off your art to people because opportunities can be hidden everywhere.
Thanks, Eleni!
