Due to the hustle and bustle of running an online comic book store, managing a forum, web comic, and other unfortunate extremities… such as the strenuous job of working for a direct mail company for a full-time job, it brings me much pain to post this interview so late. In all honesty, this interview was completed months ago; in fact, it was finished in early January, to tell you the truth. I imagine many of you have noticed the lack of content that’s been gracing the home of this interview blog, and although Ken and Buz, both extremely awesome people, are very pleasant to look at, it’d be nice to see a new face, no?

Well, it brings me great pleasure and again, I’m very sorry that it’s taken me so long to get to this, to introduce you to one of the most accomplished digital painters I’ve ever had the fortune to meet (online, anyway).

Valhalla Comics: I just wanted to thank you, John, for taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions about your start in the comic industry, your past, present, and future. I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say. I’ve been following your work since the LedHeavy forum days (it’s funny how often that forum is mentioned in these interviews), as well as when you ran 9-Volt Studios, and I’ve gotta’ tell you, you’ve certainly come a long way over the last several years. I’m proud to have met you (online) and I hope to meet you some day at a convention or two, when you’re hitting the big times, and made a household name. ;]

To start, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? Where did you grow up? Where do you live now? Do you have a family? What do you do for work? That kind of stuff.

John Rauch: Well, I grew up here in central Illinois and I actually live in the same small town where I went to grade school. The sign on the way in to town says we have 1300 people, but I have a hunch that number is grossly exaggerated. I do have a family. My wife Lisa and I were married right out of high school. Since then, we’ve had two kids, Jack and Lucy. They’re the two cutest kids you’ll ever see in your life, but evil as you’ll ever meet. The second part is what keeps me from wondering if they’re mine. My work, for almost five years now, I’ve been a full-time freelance artist. Most of that work, until recently, was coloring comic books, but I’ve done a few websites, some logos, whatever kept the bills paid. About a year ago, I shifted my workload over to illustrating a graphic novel. It’s been stressful at times because I don’t have as much experience, confidence, or speed at drawing, but it’s getting easier, little by little.

VC: I’ve seen pictures of your kids; very cute. It’s great to hear that you’ve been successful with being a freelance artist. Often times I hear of artists having a couple of jobs, one for their art gigs, and the second to keep them afloat… “struggling artists” so to speak. Now, are you a self-taught artist, or did you take classes (private or otherwise), or do you have an advanced degree in Fine Arts or the like?

JR: Success is relative, I guess. I know I still have a long ways to go with my art and my career making art, but my hope is that by doing the best work I can every time I’ll not only help my standing as an artist, but it will also help me to see where I really am and what I need to work on. Financially, I think every freelancer struggles at some point and you’re never really immune to it. There have been times where it was true for us, but somehow the bills always get paid and there’s food to eat, so I guess it works out.

I used to do the two job thing, many years ago, but I ended up getting burnt out and settling with an uncreative manual labor job for a while. It wasn’t a very fun or fulfilling point in my life, but I made through and I think it helps me to stay focused now, knowing what it’s like on the other side.

As far as education is concerned, I’m self-taught. I did take two years of high school art, but so far I haven’t had any gigs that would take advantage of my mad paper mache`, tin foil and popsicle stick skills, so I’m afraid it was all for naught. Actually, I did start coloring comics back in 96, while I was still in high school, through a studio a few blocks from the school. I learned a lot of the technical stuff on the job there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t making much money and when I graduated high school, that’s when I took the factory job. I would say, artistically, most of what I know is just things I stumbled into through experimentation or just a need to know things. It bothers me to see something really amazing and not know how it was done, so I’m always off on different tangents trying to become better than so-and-so at whatever thing I notice about their work that stumps me. What was the question again…oh yeah, no degree.

VC: Paper mache`, huh? I was wondering when someone with those qualifications would finally show up. hehe Really, though, it fascinates me how artists, like yourself, can develop their skills to pro-status on their own. Makes you question the often present degree requirement that many businesses have, and it just goes to show that people can accomplish anything with a lot of hard work and love for what they do. You do love what you do, right? haha

Did you always want to work in comics? Did you read them when you were younger, and do you still now? If so, what did/do you read and what were/are your favorites?

JR: I think art is one of the few fields where employers are likely to actually look at your work, rather than immediately dismiss you based on your education. Then again, I’m not exactly applying for in-house jobs, so I could be off base on that. I know at least in the world of freelancing, no one ever asks me about my education before giving me work. I do love what I do, though. I’m a very competitive person at just about everything I do, and this is a field that encourages that.

When I was a little kid, I remember fantasizing about working in comics, but I really didn’t know anything about comics at the time. By the age of 16 when I started coloring in-house at Heroic Age, I had probably owned less than 15 comics. I was just fascinated by the art and I had always loved to draw, so that was my level of interest. For a long while after I started in comics, it didn’t really matter to me what industry I was in, as long as I got to be involved in creating art. I’d say that’s less accurate for me now. Since starting to draw “This Hollow World” this year, I’ve really gotten into the idea of telling stories with my art. So, it would be really hard for me to get away from that. Even if it’s just a single piece, I want it to say something. That’s probably my focus right now, so I’m really happy to be in comics.

That said, I’m a lousy comic book fan. I don’t pick up much mainstream stuff unless a friend recommends it to me and it sounds interesting. I prefer getting trades, where I can get an entire story in one sitting. I’m not patient enough for most monthly books and really, I’m just not into a lot of superhero stuff. I’m not saying it’s all bad, I just find the genre to be limiting in the stories that can be told. I like to read books that have a clear cut ending where the characters can be really changed or affected and don’t have to revert back to the same mold so they’ll last years and years. You just can’t do that as much with these iconic superheroes because they’re a brand name as much as they are a character.

For me, books like 300, Wanted, Dark Knight Returns, The Walking Dead, Y: The Last Man, these are the kinds of things I love to see and read. When I was a kid, I’d pick up an issue of Superman or X-men or whatever and that stuff was cool, it certainly has it’s place, but now as an adult, I have more appreciation for new stories about new characters with real consequences and life changing decisions. I don’t get into mega crossover events and continuity updates and all that. It’s just not me.

VC: That’s cool that you’ve gained an interest in comics, as you’ve worked on them. They’re definitely not for everyone, and I definitely hear you on the superhero genre stuff. It sometimes feels like the Superman/Spider-Man stories are cyclical.

Now that you’ve been working on “This Hollow World”, which is an independent book (and looks amazing, by the way), can you tell us what the experience has been like? Is this your creator-owned book, as a collaborative effort with Nick Nunziata, or is this a freelance gig? What has working on this book been like, in comparison for coloring books for a mainstream company, like Ultimate Fantastic Four for Marvel?

JR: Working on THW has been really up and down for me emotionally. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Before starting on it, I had drawn, literally, less than ten sequential pages in my life, so the learning curve has been steep. The story is Nick’s and it’s pretty much a freelance gig for me, but I have had some input about various parts of the story and after working on it for a while, designing every character, every location, every creature, it does feel like mine in a way. One thing that is very cool about it to me, is that when I first responded to Nick’s posting for an artist, he got back to me with several story synopsis’ for me to choose from and THW was one I really believed in and felt like I could pour myself into. It’s hard to compare it to coloring a book for Marvel or whoever.

I still do enjoy coloring and even coloring superhero stuff, but it’s rare for me to really feel challenged with coloring work. I’ve done it so many times over so many different artists and styles that sometimes it feels like I’m just going through the motions. I still want to do my best work if I’m coloring someone else’s art, but I don’t feel like I’m contributing as much as I’d like, creatively. The problem is really that I’m a control freak and just need to do everything myself. Maybe it’s ego or maybe it’s something else, I don’t really know. I just feel like something in my head is always telling me I’m competing with everyone and everything and I have to do it all. When we finish THW, don’t be surprised if I hand deliver the files to the printer and ask to operate the press. It’s just the way I am. I will say though, since you mentioned Ultimate Fantastic Four, that the one fill-in issue I colored of that was an absolute blast. Pasqual Ferry’s art was totally different than anything I had worked with before and actually changed the way I thought when drawing myself.

VC: The fact that you love (or feel the need/want) to be involved in every aspect of the creative process says a lot about you, as a creator. It tells me that you certainly care about your work, and that you want to strive to be the best you can possibly be, in your field. Very admirable. I wish more creators in the comic, or any other industry had those characteristics/traits.

Now that you’ve been experimenting and honing your skills in illustrating, do you have any projects planned for your own book, or at least look for more projects requiring sequential artists? Further, do you think you’ll pursue a contract/career with one of the big two (Marvel or DC)?

JR: Well, I do have some stories of my own that I’ve been toying with for several years now, but I don’t know when I’ll get to the point where I feel comfortable making them a priority. As for Marvel, DC, or other companies, I really have no idea about that either. I can’t say there won’t ever be a day when I’d draw a book for anyone else, but I’m not fast enough to draw multiple books at a time and I’m not the type to plan that far ahead. I’ll just have to see what’s available to me when I become available to do it. I will say that I’ve never been fond of exclusive contracts, so if a day does come where you see me working for one of the big comic book companies, it probably will not be in an exclusive arrangement.

VC: Well, I hope that one day you’ll get a chance to tell some of your stories through sequential art. Until then, I think we can survive on the astonishing work you put out on a regular basis, through your freelance art. When you’re not doing freelance work for a living, how do you put your artistic abilities to use? Do you have any personal projects or hobbies that you partake in, on a regular/semi-regular basis?

JR: Man…trying to answer this question depresses me a little. Very little, to be honest. Every now and then I’ll take a sketchbook to the couch with me or I’ll mess around in OpenCanvas with other artists. For a couple months, I was really getting back into building with the Legos I’ve had from childhood and that was pretty fun while it lasted. Mostly, I just try to invest myself in the work I’m doing. I try to get into the little (or big) stories as much as I can and make it feel as personal as possible. Most of my learning and experimenting is done on the job. Oh, one thing is that I recently got an acoustic guitar and I’ve been putting some time into trying to learn that. I’m hoping to become proficient enough with that to eventually try writing some songs. It’s not a visual art form, but it’s still creative and that appeals to me.

VC: It’s interesting that you continue to keep the creative juices flowing, even when you’re not working. Good luck on the guitar; I had always wanted to learn, but never followed through with it. Let us know when you write your first song. ;]

What would you say is your favorite medium to work with and why? Is there one type that you find more difficult from the rest? Do you prefer digital to traditional, or vice versa?

JR: Ha! It might be a while on that song. My favorite medium…my favorite medium…Do you ever start a sentence and think the end of it is going to come to you before you get there? Man, I don’t know. Honestly, I’m not even well rounded enough to have that many to choose from and I still don’t know the answer. I’ve been working digital for so many years that the different graphics programs actually feel like separate mediums to me. I’ve done a little bit of painting, but I never had the patience to let the paint dry or the money to afford enough color variations to do it right. I have some Prismacolor markers that I use in combination with chalk pastels for selling sketches at cons. That usually works out pretty well and it’s refreshing to literally get my hands dirty and just see what happens. I used to be decent with colored pencils too, but they’re soooo slow to work with. I’ve done a very little bit of sculpture and it seemed to come fairly easily, but again there’s the issue of just not having proper supplies on hand.

So, as much as this is probably a cop out answer, I’d have to go with good old Photoshop. Painter is nice, it fills in some of the real media gaps in Photoshop, but if I had to choose one way to do every single piece of art, Photoshop takes it, hands down. For work, I definitely prefer digital. It’s just a more workflow oriented environment for me. Traditional is probably more fun at times, but it would just slow me down if I switched over.

VC: That’s interesting that you say digital. I would have expected you to say pastels or something. I don’t know why, but I just would. lol Do you ever sell prints of your work, or do you primarily just do commissions? Expanding on that, have you ever run into an ownership/property issue with a digital work that you’ve completed for someone else? Especially in regards to re-using the image, or selling it to someone else as a print or something to that effect? Is there some type of an agreement/terms of service that comes along with purchasing digital work? This is an anomaly for me. I mean, I’ve purchased digital drawings before for web sites, but nothing like a finished landscape painting or anything print-worthy.

JR: Heheh, the digital media thing is undoubtedly going to be my ruin. Tens of people all over the world are going to read this interview and lose what little respect for me they might’ve had after finding out I’m just a computer jockey. Honestly though, I still enjoy working on *real* media, but it’s just not that practical for the work I do.

Honestly, I’ve never sold a print of my work that I can remember. It’s something I’d like to do at some point, but mostly I just do the jobs and keep moving. It is something I’d like to start doing at some point. I haven’t had any ownership problems yet. Most clients are fairly clear about the terms they hire you under. Typically, most of them will let me display the work online after it’s in print, as long as I’m not giving away so much that I spoil it for a potential customer. Selling prints is a different thing though. If I were to ever sell prints of client work I’ve done, I’d probably treat it like those who work on paper or canvas and just sell one copy as an original, since I know most comic companies have no issue with that. If I were selling my own work as prints, I’d probably just have a small numbered print run to keep them somewhat limited. Those things seem to lose their value if they’re not limited to small amounts and I’m not at all interested in trying to sell in mass numbers. Honestly, this subject is something I’ve thought about from time to time, but have never really gotten my feet wet yet, so maybe I’ll change my mind once I get serious about it and actually have something printed.

VC: Digital media seems the way people are going these days, anyway, so I’m sure you’ll still be widely accepted by the 10s of people around the world. No worries, my friend. lol I think limiting the prints to a strict number is a good idea. It definitely helps to retain the value of the print, and might I suggest signing them? ;P

Now that you’ve been a freelance artist for a while and it’s been relatively successful for you, do you have any pointers for those creators out there that want to make it on their own or break into the business? Any dos or don’ts?

JR:Oh, yeah, I’d sign them for sure. I doubt it would increase the value, but I’d feel more like an arteest.

Pointers…I don’t know. I know of so many people who have made into comics or professional art by going different routes. Some have made it through internships. Some have had luck at cons. Some solicit editors by e-mail or regular mail. The only advice I can give that is a sure thing is to keep improving. Don’t *just* draw or color or whatever it is you do. Think about different ways to approach the work. Get critiques from artists who are better than you so that you can accurately identify your weaknesses and then work on them until they become your strengths. Then, when you’re ready to start trying to get work, don’t limit yourself to one way. Use every angle you can think of. The one that’s been most effective to me in comics is to get acquainted with people who are in front of you in the process. When I did a lot of coloring, connecting with pencilers who would request me seemed to be fairly effective. Now that I’m doing more full art, I talk to more writers. But, like I said, don’t limit yourself to one way “in”.

VC: Sound advice, John. I can’t think of anytime where it would be a bad idea to network with those you might someday work with, and those people already in the industry. Though it might seem like common sense to do, so many people just don’t do it; I’m thinking it’s because they put these creators on a pedestal and feel intimidated, so they get the “why on Earth would they want to talk to me?” mentality. But, that’s just one opinion.

One of the last questions I like to ask the people I interview is: If you could choose one person in the comic/art industry to receive the Mug O’ Mead treatment, who would it be?

JR: Yeah, I’ve been intimidated by certain creators before, but I think this is where it’s helpful to be able to honestly evaluate your own abilities. It would be kind of silly to approach someone way out of your league, because you already know what their response to you will be, if one comes at all. As far as interviews go…I want to see one with Jack Kirby or Will Eisner, but since they’re not available, maybe John Romita Jr.

VC: John, I just wanted to thank you for taking some time out of your day to answer some questions about your artistic career and background. I wish you all the success in the world with your projects and hope you don’t stay a stranger around the Valhalla Comics beat. Keep in touch and let us know what you’re working on.

JR: No problem! I’m honored that you thought of me for an interview. I’m always around like a stalker, even if I’m not saying anything. I’ll try to post so it’s less creepy though!

 

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Interviewer: Kevin Bush

Discuss this interview on the Valhalla Comics Discussion Forum.