Brooklyn, New York

Philip Cheaney

Brooklyn, New York

Philip Cheaney was born and raised in rural southeastern Missouri. He is the middle of five children and lived, for a time, on a farm with 16,000 chickens, 40 cats, two goats, a pet possum, and a rotating cast of misfit dogs. He attended school for illustration and graphic design at Missouri State University and later received his MFA in illustration at The School of Visual Arts in New York. In the summer of 2022 Philip attended the La Maison des Auteurs comic and graphic novel residency in Angoulême, France where he wrought into existence the bulk of the idea for his debut graphic novel, Fresh Kills. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and works as a design director, but sneaks away to the country to go trout fishing when he can.

Philip Cheaney_Author Headshot_(c)Edward Schmidt

What do you love to do for fun?

I love trout fishing. It’s kind of like playing a slot machine, but you win fish.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Abel’s Island by William Steig

Awards and honors:

Mediums:

Brush pen with ink and digital

GET IN TOUCH ABOUT PHILIP

Creative Process:

While I dabble in a large variety of styles and mediums, my go-to medium is a combination of inking with a Pentel brush pen with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Matte Black Star ink or digital brushes with Procreate and then coloring digitally in Photoshop. I enjoy working with a rough, inky line that gives the work a gritty energy. I prefer to work with a limited color palette because of my tendency to become paralyzed with indecision. I always have to sketch and think out the solution on the page.

Location:

Brooklyn, NY

Visit Philip at:

philipcheaney.com
instagram.com/philipcheaney/

Published books:

Forthcoming books:

Specialties:

Action-adventure, Advertising, Animals, Black & white, Book Covers, Branding, Character design, Coloring, Graphic novel interior art, Humor, Illustration, Indie comics, Inking, Lettering, Middle Grade, Packaging, Spot art, Typography, Writing, Young Adult

Available for School Visits:

In my presentations, I like to share my creative process and show how students can come up with their own ideas for crafting stories.

by Janna Morishima

Jenny Fine

Brooklyn, New York

Jenny Fine is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and designer. She got her start in Los Angeles doing posters and merchandise for comedians. Her work can be seen on television (Room 104, I <3 You America, Children’s Hospital), on the web (Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, Dreamworks TV), and in editorial (Vice).

Before moving to New York, she spent 3 years as a Digital Designer, first at Warner Brothers and then at the CW Network. She enjoys salsa dancing, karaoke, history podcasts, and creating comics about her quirky interactions.

Favorite food:

Chèvre with sweet potato, chèvre with honey crisp apple, or chèvre with cherry tomatoes and avocado and taco seasoning on top.

What was your favorite book as a child?

The books I favored most were the ones where I could pore over each little detail, like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and The Littles especially, with the detailed cross sections of the characters homes that were built into unconventional places with improvised furniture. I also loved books that I could experience viscerally. I don’t remember the title, but one I read all the time was about a man who needed to make his ration of cheese last while traveling a long distance. I would slowly nibble a piece of cheese while reading, finishing it at the end along with the protagonist.

GET IN TOUCH ABOUT JENNY

Mediums:

Specialties:

Animals, Black & white, Book Covers, Coloring, Editorial, Graphic novel interior art, Humor, Illustration, Indie comics, Inking, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Picture books, Slice-of-life, Spot art, Writing, Young Adult

Art Process:

I do “pencil push-ups” every day before I start on an assignment. I get to draw anything I want, but I stay within the medium and subject matter. This usually involves an ipad because most of my jobs are digital.

When I start a new project I stir up inspiration by searching through thrift store fashion Instagram accounts – they rarely have uniformity with regards to “traditional” beauty standards; and they have really fun color themes and locations.

Colors are either done using Photoshop, resulting in a slightly more polished look, or hand-painted with watercolor for a more classic, vintage feel.

Location:

Visit Jenny at:

www.jennydfine.com
www.instagram.com/jfineoriginal
www.twitter.com/jfineoriginal