Interview by Rachel Moffat

We caught up with Evelyn Rogers, and spoke all about their creative process, inspirations and advice.

Here’s what Evelyn’s agent Anna Zieger has said about working so closely with them:

“Evelyn has that unique talent of drawing you in immediately with their style. The characters are strong and you can’t help but want to see more. Evelyn has been nothing but an absolute joy to work since I took them on at the beginning of this year. They are talented, passionate beyond measure, and a real force to be reckoned with!”

Talk us through your creative process. How do you approach a brief?

Usually, when I approach a brief I start by reading the entire thing through. Then, I step away from it for a few minutes to get the picture in my brain… and then I come back and read it again. I always make sure to have a tab open with the brief ready to go to, so I can refer to it when I’m working. Depending on what the piece calls for, I’ll immediately begin searching for references. This means going on Google, Pinterest, and looking through books at home or at the library. Then, after I’ve got all my references, I’ll start loosely blocking out my scene before going in with a more detailed sketch. After that, it’s line art, coloring, and rendering. When all that is done I tend to fiddle with the colors until I’m happy, or, if the piece still doesn’t feel one hundred percent, I’ll take a step away from it and do something else, like read or go for a walk, and come back to it with fresh eyes to fix what wasn’t clicking.

Your work is aesthetically unique to you. How do you approach translating your ideas to the page?

I try to be as loose as I can when doing my initial sketching. Sometimes, if a composition is giving me lots of trouble, I’ll break out my sketchbook and draw little thumbnail sketches in pen to hammer out the composition, before going back to the computer. The more gestural I am with my pen, the more freedom I have with how a picture is going to look. So, I try to experiment with colors and make perspectives a little wonky to really push a picture.

Who/What have been your key influences as an illustrator?

Rumiko Takahashi is a huge influence on my art. Her manga, Inuyasha, was one of the first comics I got really, really obsessed with when I was younger, and I tried very hard to emulate her style. Other artists like Tillie Walden, Emily Carroll and Juliette Brocal have been big influences as well.

How did you begin illustration?

Illustration is a thing that’s always been a big part of my life. I’ve been drawing and doodling since I could hold a crayon, but I didn’t get serious about it until the end of elementary school. That’s when I really got into comics and animation, and I started drawing even more than before.

What’s your favorite part of the illustration process?

That changes every day! Sometimes it’s the sketch, or the linework and how the line weight is just so, or it’s the color and how cohesive it makes the piece. There’s something to love about every bit of the process.

To an up-and-coming artist, what’s one piece of advice you would give?

It’s important to not just draw all the time. Go outside, take a walk, hang out with friends, read books and do new things. The more skills and experiences you have, the better artist you will ultimately be, because you can pull from those things in your daily life and put them into your art.

What would be your dream brief?

I would love to illustrate reprint covers for the Company Series by Kage Baker. It’s my favorite book series of all time and I dream about designing and illustrating those books constantly.

---

To work with Evelyn, get in contact here.