Hello and welcome back to the Ideology of Madness Artist Showcase where, in a week long series, we show off some of our favorite artists’ work and get to know them a bit. This week in the gallery: Mike Henderson!
Mike Henderson is the artist on this week’s awesome new Image comic, Nailbiter, and has done work for Image, Monkeybrain, IDW, and more!
IoM: What’s your training? University, art school, self-taught?
Mike Henderson: After some basic courses at RISD, I attended the Joe Kubert School for two years. Post Kubert, though, it’s all trial by fire.
IoM: Do you feel that your schooling gave you a solid foundation on which to build your career? I guess what I’m getting at is was your college experience worthwhile in terms of your work?
MH: It gave me the tools of the trade and a strong artistic foundation, certainly. In any other field I would have said it did prepare me for the business side of my career, but comics is a very difficult field to prepare for. It evolves and changes very quickly (a good thing, I think).
IoM: When someone is seeking commission work from you, how best can a client engage you to get you jazzed?
MH: The last few years have been busy to the point where I only take commissions at shows nowadays, but if someone comes calling for anything old school Kirby, I’m jazzed.
IoM: If you’re drawing just for you, what’s the subject?
MH: I never plan out that kind of stuff, and it really becomes a wide spectrum. There are sheets of gibberish, observations, monsters etc everywhere.
Check back tomorrow for more conversation and artwork with Mike Henderson!