Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Swartz.
Hi Dave, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been a creative person. As long as I can remember I’ve been drawing, coloring, and conceptualizing ideas for characters, and stories. As a kid my uncle Joe would take me and my brother to our local comic book store to start building our collections. My favorite thing to do after I read them was to find my favorite image in each book, and try and draw that image as close as I could to the original. Comics became a catalyst for me to pursue a career in art & design.
After high school I attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, with the intentions of studying illustration. My first year I intended to fulfill my child hood dream of becoming a comic book artist. Every year after that, I discovered more and more artists that push me in many different directions. From children’s book illustration to fine arts, I explored it all! Ultimately after graduation I settled for a more practical graphic design job at a marketing company. After several years of traditional design work, I rose up in the ranks to become the companies Creative Director. Even though my skills had lead me to a job that both paid the bills, and allowed me to still utilize my creative degree, I still found myself unfulfilled.
Then one of my designers saw some of my doodles and asked if I had ever tried to exhibit at a comic book convention. The idea had never occurred to me before. So I decided to go back to what inspired me to pursue art in the first place, comics! I developed a short superhero story that i wrote & illustrated to sell at the show. To my surprise, I sold out! People seemed to really like it. It was a life changing experience that convinced me to upend my career and start doing comic book illustration full time.
10 years later, and I’ve not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but I’ve also become a part time adjunct professor at the same college I attend 20 years ago. Teaching student how to draw and create the career of their own dreams!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest struggle was building a portfolio while still trying to find work. I took on many freelance design jobs while I worked on writing and illustrating on the side. It was very challenging to balance it all in the beginning. Finding work was also a major struggle at first. I didn’t have the experience yet, but my work was getting better and better as I worked on more projects. I also found some success in storyboard illustration, but I still wasn’t as fulfilled as I was drawing comics.
The covid years really hit my hard as many people had stopped requesting my services. It wasn’t until 2021 that I began to pull myself back up and find solid clients again.
It’s also been a challenge to keep my schedule full as each month can be wildly different than the last. When I worked at a company, the steady paycheck would come no matter the work load. However, as a freelance illustrator, it can be difficult to keep everything in good standing with bills and expenses.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Besides my study of comics & illustration, I’ve also developed a personal practice of abstract painting & sculpting. After doing comics for many years, I felt in need of another creative outlet to inspire me. So I began working on pieces that were more about being free and loose with my application of the art medium. I began with colored pencils, and eventually graduated to acrylic paint. This inspired me to work with a neon color palette that really created a visually stunning effect.
As I worked on developing this practice, I also became inspired to sculpt using discarded or trash materials. I’ve been more and more inspired to use materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill. After many experiments, I landed on plastic bags and how, when manipulated, they can resemble mushroom or flower shapes. I began a series of painting that explored this concept, and I still work with this method today.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I can be contracted to illustrate a script for use in a comic book or graphic novel. I also can be commissioned to create both comic book illustrations and original abstract paintings. I can be contacted via email at daveswartzart@gmail.com or on my social media @daveswartzart.
I also have a website daveswartart.com where I have my full comic & painting galleries, and my personal books for purchase.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://daveswartzart.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/daveswartzart
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/daveswartzart
