Artist Spotlight Series is Powered By: The Comic Regime

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Welcome back to another week of The Artist Spotlight. This weeks interview is with the talented Phillip Sevy. He is a successful artist who has worked for many different publishing companies.  He has also  worked with a variety of corporate clients doing commercial illustration over the last few years, including 451 Media Group, AMC Entertainment and the Sundance Channel. When he's not drawing, he teaches Comics and Sequential Art at Broadview Entertainment Arts University where he’s won awards for Outstanding Faculty and Excellence in Applied Learning.

The Comic Regime was able to get an exclusive interview with Allen to discuss his artwork. Hope you all enjoy the interview:

Could you give us a little back story in how you became a part of and your introduction into the Comic Book industry?

I’ve been a comic book fan for as long as I can remember. When I was 9 years old I decided that I wanted to be a comic book artist. Flash forward roughly 20 years later, and I finally broke in! It took awhile. Lol. I started bringing my portfolio to San Diego Comic Con as a teenager but into my twenties I stepped away from drawing comics for a few years and got a degree/job in finance. And was miserable. Within a few years, I was back to making comics. I started a web-comic and went to grad school for comics (at SCAD). After a few years of working on my craft, I was a runner-up in the Top Cow Talent Hunt and things got rolling from there.

What was some of your first published work in the industry?

I drew a four-issue miniseries for Action Lab back in 2013 called “The First Hero” that was released in 2014. That was the first time I was able to walk into a shop and buy my work off the wall of comics.

I see that you have a couple new series that are coming out soon. Which one has are you most excited about and why?

So, I just wrapped work on the Tomb Raider: Inferno miniseries. It was a chance to come back and draw more Tomb Raider after I did 12 issues in 2016. It was super cool to get asked back and be involved in Tomb Raider again. I love the property and the fans. They just announced The Freeze from Top Cow/Image and writer Dan Wickline will be released in December. The Freeze is a sci-fi survival thriller four-issue miniseries. I’m really excited for people to see the book. Dan’s idea is great and this will be the first time I’m doing full interior artwork and covers (pencils, inks, and colors) – so it allows me a lot of creative control (for better or worse – ha!). I also have some really cool plans lined up for 2019, but they’re too early to talk about.

You have been a penciler, an inker, a colorist, and you have done some covers. What part of the book do you enjoy doing the most and why?

As generic as it might sound, I really just love telling a story. In doing that, I’ve done a lot of roles (including writer (which you’ll see more of in 2019) and letterer). Whatever is needed to tell a cool story.

What is your inspiration behind your drawings?

Oh man, it probably varies from drawing to drawing. I would say, in general, when I’m working on a comic, my goal is always to elevate the material I’m given. I can’t say I always or have ever yet, but it’s my goal. I love the collaborative nature of comics – of seeking the synergy that comes with the production line method of making comics. Even working on projects where I’m the main creative driver, I still love seeing the words of a script morph into layouts than pencils then inks then colors then letters. Creation is fascinating to me.

Are there any titles out there that you would someday like to do? If so, why do those titles stand out to you?

All of them? Ha! I am and have always been in love with superhero comics – so I’d love to work on any number of them. My two pipe-dream books are Spider-Man and the X-Men. Spider-Man is about doing right regardless of the cost and the X-Men are about fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. Those are two themes that have always struck an emotional chord for me.

I see that when you are not doing comic book illustrations you are teaching at Broadview Entertainment Art’s University. That is very awesome, what has been some of your fondness memories from teaching there?

I’ve taught at BEAU for nearly five years and it’s been fantastic. The school, itself, is winding down, so I’ve begun teaching online comic courses for The Comics Experience. I love teaching and working with aspiring professionals. I love seeing ideas and principles click for students and seeing them jump ahead. More so than that, I love seeing people persist in pursuing their dreams. I did it.

If there was anything you wanted to say to the readers about your work, what would it be?

Give it a try? Ha! I don’t know if there’s anything I want people to think going into it. I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to work on a lot of different kinds of projects as I’ve been finding my voice as a creator. From projects like Tomb Raider and The Freeze to my creator-owned books Paradox and The House – I love to tell stories. I’m lucky to be able to and hope to be able to continue.

 

 

Here are some websites to  check out more of Phillip's work:

https://www.deviantart.com/thecreatorhd

https://www.phillipsevy.com/

phillipsevy.blogspot.com/