Questions 13: Anne Timmons

Anne Timmons has been drawing her entire life.   She has a BFA from Oregon State University and went on to study under Aaron Lopresti at Pacific Northwest College of Art.      She went on to be a member Portland-based studio, Studiosaurus, and worked with the other members on the comic C.H.I.X.   She has had a long time working relationship with Trina Roberts, with whom she worked on GoGirl! .    She also worked on the Eisner nominated 'Dignifying Science' and  'Graphic Classics: Jack London.'     Recently she was at the Wonder Woman Day V signing.

Check out her blog and site

Doug Dorr:   What projects are you working on currently?

Currently, I am sending art samples to prospective publishers.

DD:   What is your artistic Process?

I think I can best answer this by explain how I draw a page. First I do a rough layout of the page, based on the script.
Then I pencil the page. After that is approved by the editor, I will ink the page, scan the inks  and send the final art to the publisher.
After the inks are approved, I send the scanned art to the publishers FTP site.
(Recently, I have tried out Manga Studio, inking software. I really like it.)

DD:   When you are the story illustrator, how involved are you in the writing?

I am not involved in writing. Just illustrating I usually work directly with writers who have requested me. There has been several occasions where I illustrated a book and had no contact with the writer.

DD:   What Comic/ Trade would you recommend?

All publications from Graphic Classics. Publisher, Tom Pomplun does a lot of research on each literary author and includes  famous stories as well as lesser known works.

DD:   What Comic/ Trade would you recommend to someone new to comics?

I was just given a copy of The Wizard of Oz published by Marvel. Most people are familiar with the movie but this goes back to the original book and offers a bright, colorful adaptation that is truly a treat to read!

DD:   What skill would you like to learn?

I would like to get more comfortable with Photoshop and Illustrator.

DD:   What is your favorite genre of Comics?

I am very fond of older comics. I loved the newspaper comic strips from the golden age, Judge Parker MD, Apartment 3G and Peanuts. Always liked classic Archie, Disney, and I always enjoyed the Animated style of Batman, Superman and Supergirl

DD:   Do you have an Ipad?   If so what do use it for the most.

I use it for everything. Email, research online, music, movies, books. I have also been working with the illustrating apps Brushes, Adobe Ideas, and Sketchbook Pro.

DD:   What is your favorite TV show/ movie?

Mad Men. It's my absolute favorite show of all time! I can't wait until Season 5!

DD:   How does the Portland comics culture shapes your work

The Portland area has such a fantastic variety of creators. I wish I had more of a chance to connect with them on a daily basis but I guess that's what shows and conventions are for. They are the one place I am certain to see some one I know.

DD:   What was your first comic convention?

Portland Comic Book Show

DD:   What is your favorite part of comic conventions?

Talking with young artists.

DD:   If you weren’t doing comics what would you do?

I would love to be drawing for animation.

DD:   Do you have a favorite restaurant that you would recommend?

No Fish Go Fish on Hawthorne and the Weatherford restaurant  in Oregon City.

DD:   How long have you lived in Portland, what made you choose Portland?

I was born in Portland. Native to the region. Lived in Seattle for a few years but eventually returned. Love the climate, family and friends.

DD:   What is your favorite part of Portland?

I really like the Hawthorne/Laurelhurst and Woodstock neighborhoods. Trees! Love the trees!

DD:   Where in Portland/ Oregon would you most like to visit?

Oregon Zoo and Japanese Gardens

DD:   Would you like to write/Illustrate for another media? or conversely, how would you feel about writing a comic of a character from a different media, for example, Dr. Who, James Bond?  What would you explore?

I would love to work in animation as a storyboard artist. I enjoy drawing quickly and getting the action down on paper. There's a lot of interesting things happening in the illustration field, too. Books are changing. Lots of potential for an artist. I recently downloaded an app from iTunes. It was the entire story of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Very well done with interactive music, animation and art.