INTERVIEW WITH SAJAD SHAH

Interview by Frankie Rodriguez 

Here is the interview Frankie had with artist Sajad Shah of Hound Comics.

1. To our readers who many not know, tell us about Brimstone & the Borderhounds and how you get the job working on that book? 

I actually received an email from BRIMSTONE ( retired pro-wrestler ) after he saw some of my work on line.  He broke down an idea he and a friend, Marcello Carnevalli, had about wanting to do a comic book.  They basically gave me the idea which I thought was very clever and I jumped on it.  That’s how we all pretty much met. That’s pretty much how we met and the book Brimsone& the Border Hounds came about.  It is the first title published under Hound Comics label. It’s a story about hell but not your normal hell story if that makes any sense. Here’s a quick run ..

Whatever you believe the afterlife to be, whether its Hell, Heaven, Eden, Nirvana, etc….they ar eall there in the afterlife, however as corporations. These corporations purchase your soul after you die and your used as commodity.  The Borderhounds are actually bounty hunters for hell….from that you have different crews who are after the same bounty and pardon the pun but from that, all "hell" breaks lose. 

Weve been lucky enough to be distributed nationwide Thru Barnes & Noble, BookWorld and B. Dalton and worldwide on amazon and ofcourse, houndcomics.com. were on issue # 6 in stores right now and I’m currently penciling issue #8. 

2. You've been drawing Brimstone for a while now; how do you feel about your work on it as an artist? Do you think you evolved? 

I definitely feel I’ve evolved.  I used to simply like comic books for the art.  Now, I actually pay attention to page layout and try and see why the artist did it this way.  We’ve been told by fans that our book has gotten better with each issue and I think you can tell were figuring out certain things in the creative process to make the book more visually appealing to the reader.  My goal as an artist is to simply always get better and if people are telling me that this is the case with every book, than I’m a happy guy...

3. Out of all the characters you have drawn on Brimstone  & the Borderhounds, who are among your favorites? 

I enjoy drawing Luscious because he is such a vibrant character. He’s huge, you really cant draw him wrong haha .  Also, throughout the book I’ve had to come up with various creatures of sorts so doing that has been fun as well !

4. From your bio, you started out majoring in Electric Engineering. What made you decided that you wanted to be an illustrator? 

As a kid, I would always draw, it was just in me.  Throughout school, I drew; High School and even college during class.  Somehow, I actually graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering.  I always wanted to be an artist but it was drilled in my head by my parents that I should have something to fall back on.  I’m lucky enough to draw comics now and hopefully this is just the beginning.

5. Who are some of your influences on your work artistically? 

I remember growing up, Saturday mornings were the best! I would wake up with my 2 older brothers and we would just watch cartoons and each of us would have a clipboard trying to draw….i think that stuck with me and they’ve influenced me in ways that they don’t even know. Yes, all my brothers draw well. I have 2 older bros and 1 younger.  As far as influences in the industry, I’m a huge fan of Jim Lee work. He's probably had the biggest imprint on me. Not to mention Greg Capullo, JS Campbell, Travis Charest, Ryan Ottley and Mark Silvestri. There are countless other artists whose work I admire as well...

6. You are also a Vice President in Hound Comics. How do you handle juggling the roles of VP & artist? 

It ain’t easy but having my partners allows me to focus on the visual side of the CO and when my input is needed, Brim and Marcello will let me know. We’re a pretty tight unit and I think it wouldn’t work if we weren’t. 

 

7. So, what have been some of the comics that you have enjoyed recently? 

Lately I’ve really been into Greg’s run on Batman, Ryan Ottley’s INVINCIBLE and I know it’s not a comic book but Jim Lees ICONS book is fantastic.

8. Any characters that you would love to work on? Any creators you have always wanted to work with? 

I grew up on the main superheroes( Spiderman, Batman, Superman, HULK etc ) so those would be amazing to somehow have a crossover with. Haha, who knows! One day, I would love to be able say I sat with Jim and had a conversation about art. We once had a back and forth over twitter but in person would be amazing... just to pick his brain on a few things here and there. 

9. So what can we look forward to from you & Hound Comics this year? 

            Well, we’ve only been in business for about a year and half and we’ve accomplished so much.  We currently have over 20 people on the team working on different things and hopefully, we’re going to just grow.  We’ve started to publish other titles under Hound Comics label; such as "The Protector" and "M3", which are both great books and I highly recommend readers to check ‘em out. On top of that, Hound also does a few other things….we recently published "My GIANT"; which is a children’s book by Peter Mayhew ( CHEWBACA from STAR WARS). Another children’s book called "Turbie the Turtleduck" by Rich Aarons ( who worked cartoons like HE-MAN, SHE-RA, ANIMANIACS, TINY TOONS and many other cartoons ). We’ve recently brought on artist Terry Naughton, who was a DISNEY ANIMATOR for over 17 years. He worked on such cartoons as Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid.  He will be working on projects to be released as well.  Another comic book that we will be working on this year is a comic based on BUMBLEFOOT ( lead guitarist from GUNS-N-ROSES ), that will be a lotta fun !

            We’ve also been blessed to be sponsored by COPIC MARKERS, AUTODESK SKETCHBOOK PRO ( who have both been a pleasure to work with ) and just recently announced that we will be partnering with EASTSPORT to produce Border Hound book bags which will be available nationwide. Along with the book bags, Hound Comics along with BUMBLEFOOT and EASTPORT will be launching guitar cases for the musician! These will be Bumblefoot’s line of cases and we’re stoked.

            HoundComics is pretty excited with everything going on and looking fwd to everything to come.  We travel the convention circuit; so, if were in your area, please stop by and say hello !! We’d love to show you what we got! 

10. Any advice for aspiring artists? Anything you want to tell our readers? 

            If you want to be an artist, it’s pretty much a way of life.  You’re constantly drawing trying to get better.  Go to conventions, talk to the artists and get input on your portfolio. When I’m approached at conventions, I try to be as honest as possible and sometimes, I can tell the artist didn’t want to hear certain things. That tells me he didn’t want to get better and just wanted a pat on the back. Another mistake is to think you only need to know how to do pinups and covers…..story telling is a major part of drawing comic books.  That’s something that comes with time and practice and I’m still learning as I go. When showing a portfolio, be open to criticism because it will only help you get better.

Lastly, if there's any one who wants to learn more about us they can visit us on houndcomics.com where you cam even submit your book and publish through us if approved.  Also I'm on Facebook as well as twitter and deviant art....

Thank you so much Sajad.

INTERVIEW WITH SHAWN ALLEYNE

After last weeks landmark interview with Jamal Igle, we wanted to follow up just as strong. And now, this week's interview with artist and Xion founder Shawn Alleyne

Interviewed by Frankie Rodriguez

CBC: Shawn, you just recently had your first online convention for your studio, Pyroglyphics. How did that go for you?

 Shawn Alleyne: To be honest, it was ok -- I feel it could've been better. However, if there's anything this art biz has taught me it's that you have to view every experience in a positive light in order to progress. So I know now what changes i want to put into effect for my next one, and that's how you grow.

CBC: Overall, how do you feel about the online convention while you were getting it together? Now that it's over, how do you feel about it now?

 Alleyne: I felt nervous as hell putting it together. mainly because of the video element I wanted to add...I don't like being in front of a camera. Lol Now that that it's over I feel relieved and excited to do another one. Now that i know what mistakes i made and what I need to do to fix them.

  CBC: Was there any big sellers at the convention and what were they?

 Alleyne: Commissions were the biggest orders. I think people really like the idea of having their favorite characters interpreted by me in my "style".

 CBC:  So, not only are you running your own studio, but you also founded and run Xion, the comic book networking group based here in Philadelphia. For those who don't really know about it, can you give us a break down of what Xion is and how it came to be?

Alleyne: Xion is a Philadelphiabased comic book network group designed with the intention of being a social club, a business resource, and a creator's support group allin one package. The first meeting was held on Saturday November 1st, 2008, at Bucks County Coffee Shop, and advanced from there with monthly meetings. 


Xion exists to build a community. From the casual hobbyist, to the fan-boy, to the future comic book superstar. We love comics of all kinds here at Xion, but we really want to encourage the growth of the independent market and the independant creator. To that end, we go beyond the blogoshere, and invite members drag themselves from behind the keyboard, unchain themselves from their art-desk, and (gasp) meet up face to face. At our monthly meetings we draw, write, create, discuss comic books and the comic book industry as a whole.
To paraphrase a great quote: Ask not what your network can do for you, but what you can do for your network. 

  CBC: I know Xion expanded out to New York. What other things have happened since expanding Xion?

 Alleyne: The biggest thing that has happened since expanding Xion is that I now have a greater support base to lean on in the form of XION nyc's manager Sha-née Williams and Our Chief Advisor Tekia Dunlop. With their help, motivation, critiques and ideas, there are a lot more plans in place and fresh perspectives. This allows me to breathe a little instead of having to do everything myself. Also, with the work they do in NY, I feel compelled to step my game up here in Philly. The biggest thing we have coming that I'm really excited about is getting a XION anthology rolling.

  CBC: You have always been an artist first it seems. Tell us, how did you become an artists and what drove you to form Pyroglyphics?

 Alleyne: Art for me was just one of those things I always did from very young. It was always inside of me and the one thing I was better at the other kids others around me. As I grew I never imagined a life without me drawing in some form or another. I never went to school for art so I can't pinpoint any one moment where I "became" an artist, i just always did it.


 The only real shift i can think of in my nature as an artist was when I was laid off from my 9-5. I used to draw for fun and started doing maybe one convention a year, with the lazy thought in the back of my mind that one day i'll really make that leap into freelancing. But after my layoff happened I figured,"hey,what do I have to lose?" At the time it seemed like all 'real' artists had a studio, so as part of my process of being legit I created the name Pyroglyphics for my  studio name so I could get into a serious mindset, and that was when i really started thinking about art as my career.

  CBC:  What would you say are your influences artistically?

 Alleyne: My influences for art are all the elements of life around around me. I know it sounds spacy but it's true. Lol It's my Barbadian culture; its hip-hop; its the funny pattern on the bathroom floor; its anything that makes me look at it and say "oh sh**! That's crazy!" And while i could sit here and name artists for days that also inspire me-  Carlos Pacheco, John Brynes, Art Adams, Travis Charest, and more- they are only part of it. My West Philly neighborhood inspires me; martial arts inspires; anime; the list goes on.

  CBC: Growing up, what were the characters that had the deepest impact to you?

 Alleyne: I used to read tons of mythology growing up, and always gravitated towards characters steeped in it. That's why I'm a huge fan of Thor. I also have always loved characters that were flawed, whether externally and/or internally, and in that light we have Ghost Rider. And even if the character was a "bad guy", I always liked the scoundrel that still held a steadfast set of beliefs...like Dinobot from Beast Wars.

  CBC: Now that you have done both the online convention scene and normal convention scene which do you prefer? What do you find rewarding most about both options?

 Alleyne: Nothing beats the regular convention scene. What's most rewarding about it is the chance to physically interact with supporters. You get to see the look on their faces as we talk about our favorite characters, or worst anime, etc. You get to see their faces light up as they flip through your portfolio and come to something they've only seen online, now it's tangible. The most rewarding thing about the online show is being able to simultaneously reach anyone and everyone in the world with just the click of a button. Plus, table fees or pricy plane tics. Oh, and not wearing pants while you sell stuff. Hmm, now its looking neck and neck. Lol

  CBC:  What do you have coming up this next year? What direction is Pyroglypics heading? What direction Xion is going?

 Alleyne: I dont like to count my chickens before they hatch, so i wont get into specifics, but in a simple answer, Pyroglyphics is headed anywhere there's art. Whether it be t-shirts, books, posters, whatever...my plan is to draw till I can't draw anymore.


 The plan with XION is simple as well- to get more stuff in print and build a larger resource base for people to pick from.

  CBC: Finally, what would you like to say to all aspiring artist out there looking to break into and make a career out of being an artist?

 Alleyne: Take the best from every situation. If at first things don't go your way, use the experience to make you stronger and a better artist. Also, see if you can do with less sleep at night so you can draw more. That always helps. Lol