By Zack Quaintance — So today marks day five of the campaign for my first Kickstarter comic, Next Door, and folks, I have to tell you — it feels like it’s been live a month. And the project so far has been really exciting, getting funding within 24 hours of launch. It’s also give rise to this blog in which I share the Kickstarter Comics Tips that I’ve been learning along the way.

On Fridays of this blog throughout the campaign (which wraps up on September 4), I’m going to be doing something a little different; I’m going to be interviewing my creative collaborators on the project. This series is starting today with artist Pat Skott. Pat and I have been working together from the start on this thing, initially developing it as a five-page crime comic before it begged us to be expanded. Today, I get a chance to talk to him a bit about his interests as an artist outside the project, a luxury we haven’t had all that much within all the work that needs to be done on the project itself.

You can find our conversation below…enjoy!

Kickstarter Comics Tips - Pat Skott Interview

ZACK QUAINTANCE So, can I start by asking about your background as an artist? How long have you been drawing comics and what drew you to graphic sequential storytelling?

PAT SKOTT: I was drawing comic strips when I was 5 or 6. I transitioned into doing more watercoloring and still lifes in highschool. My grandfather was a draftsman, and I ended up following in his footsteps, and I've been doing technical drafting and engineering professionally. I started about three years ago, studying the art of sequential story-telling.

As a kid, I was an avid reader of reprints and compilations of comic strips, especially Peanuts and The Far Side. Comics are such a succinct method of story-telling, and I find for myself I enjoy the self-expression that goes into drawing a comic book, and some of the unique challenges that goes into trying to portray sequences in exciting and interesting ways.

QUAINTANCE: Would you mind bragging a little bit and telling us about your last Kickstarter project, The Space-Wolf?

SKOTT: The Space-Wolf was a story that I wrote and drew, and it was loosely based on a similarly titled book The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. I grew up in a small town in Sonoma County, California, called Glen Ellen. And Jack London had a big ranch there, which is now a State Park, and he passed away on his ranch in our little town back in 1913. I had a lot of happy moments hiking and picnic'ing at Jack London's Historic Park, so the story and the title was a homage to him and my home town.

QUAINTANCE: Who are some comics artists who influence your work?

SKOTT: Richard Friend has been a big influence, and he has directed me to a lot of information and tools regarding the basics and theories behind comic book art. It is really tough to say what artists influence my work; I think I've definitely been influenced in a very conscious way by Andrew Loomis, not a comic book artist, but I try to prescribe to his approach to illustration. Some artists I'm looking at a lot right now are Aaron Lopresti, Brad Walker, Robson Rocha, Jorge Fornes, Jim Starlin, Bill Reinhold, and Paul Gulacy. Someday I'd hope to be even 1/10th as good as any of them.

QUAINTANCE: What are you enjoying about working on this project Next Door? No pressure to say the script...ahem. 

SKOTT: I do really enjoy the script! I've enjoyed reading your writing over the last couple years on your website and twitter; there's a lightness to it and thoughtfulness to the way you approach your point that I think makes a good narrative. I think you've translated that writing style perfectly in the script. The plot elements of the story are cleverly crafted, and it has been an enjoyable challenge trying to do the script justice.

QUAINTANCE: Well, one thing I'm really loving is how well your linework and Ellie Wright's colors are complimenting each other on the pages. What do you think it is about your styles that works so well together?

SKOTT: She definitely carries the line art, and I'm very appreciative that she makes it look so good! The texture, patterns, and material rendering brings a lot of real-ness to the art, and she's done a great job emphasizing some very important story elements. On a technical level, I really like the way she processes the line art, and she preserves a lot of the texture of the lines in her final colors. I work traditionally on a very toothy paper, and I can be pretty heavy handed with the pencils, so there's a lot underdrawing she has to deal with, and I think it speaks a lot to her skill and attention to detail.

QUAINTANCE: Finally, in keeping with the themes of the book, have you personally ever had a really bad neighbor situation? 

SKOTT: Many years ago my wife and I made the very poor decision to move into an apartment unit that was directly above a tiki bar. All I can say is that there were many sleepless nights, and I have the bass-line to every Bob Marley song memorized.

You can browse and back Next Door now!

See our past top comics to buy here, and check out our reviews archive here.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.