Artist Interview: Joey Ellis on “Leaky Timbers,” Kickstarter, and Comic Books

Have you heard of a comic book called “Leaky Timbers” by Joey Ellis? If not, go check out the Kickstarter project right now and back it before it’s too late! Then, come back here and read my interview with Joey. He provided A+ responses to my questions about “Leaky Timbers,” his drawing process and inspiration, and his adorably endearing comic mascot named Wolfie Monster.

First, watch this short video (starring Wolfie Monster) to see what Leaky Timbers is all about:

How did you dream up Wolfie Monster and the Leaky Timbers residents? Were they a lifelong vision?

Leaky Timbers is an homage to Sesame Street. I have always loved the idea of monsters living together and finally decided to do my own take. I’ve drawn monsters for severals years now, building quite the library, and pulled some of my favorite designs to be used as Leaky Timbers residents. I’ve used a version of Wolfie in several promo pieces, but he was never “Wolfie” until I decided to make the book focus around him. Wolfie’s shape is very appealing, and easy to draw, and it fit the personality I had developed for him, so I just started going from there.

All of the artwork in Leaky Timbers is drawn and inked by hand, which is incredibly cool. What are the biggest challenges of such an endeavor, and is there any particular reason you decided to avoid using computers?

I love drawing by hand. For me, the biggest challenge is always finding the right tools/setting/rhythm etc. I have good drawing days and really bad drawing days. I have to fight through that discouragement and keep coming back to the drawing table.

There’s actually a lot of digital work in Leaky Timbers. Each page is penciled by hand and inked with a series of brushes by hand, but then I scan it in and alter things, clean up areas etc. Also, there are pages that are done months apart… meaning sometimes characters can visually change accidentally… so I try my best to go in and digitally correct mistakes I’ve made.

Your comic’s sample panels (on your Kickstarter) are eye-poppingly elaborate and precise. On average, how long does it take you to complete a full page? How long has the book been a work-in-progress?

Oh, it really depends. Typically, I’d pencil a batch of pages (say 10) then go in and do preliminary inks, clean up, and then go back in again with brushes and magic. It’s hard to say exactly how long “one page” takes, but I’d estimate anywhere from 2-8 hours? I’ve been working on Leaky Timbers since April 2013.

Speaking of Kickstarter, Leaky Timbers appears to be off to an excellent start! What kind of planning went into the campaign before it launched?

A ton of planning. I have a very good friend who had a successful Kickstarter campaign a few years back, so he really helped guide me in what-to-do vs. what-not-to-do. Kickstarter projects are a huge undertaking.. even for something as simple as a comic book. There’s a lot of writing, a lot of pricing, a lot of looking at other projects. For me, I’d have to write a proposal… let it sit for a day or two, and then revisit.

I also thought a lot about how I planned to promote the project, once it launched. What outlets would I use and how would I use them? What relationships would I lean on? How would this project effect my family and business time?

I love the Wolfie Monster tie-ins with your comic promotion: he handles the Backer Updates on Kickstarter, he’s in the promo video, and he even has his own Twitter account. Have people been responding positively to him as the project’s mascot? And does he have any future plans we should know about?

People have been very sweet towards Wolfie, and I appreciate that. My biggest fear was that the book would be disconnected from the live performance, but everything has magically gone hand-in-hand so far. As far as Wolfie’s future is concerned, I’m making it up as I go. I love Wolfie, and I can’t imagine not doing more things with him, so we’ll see!

What’s your creative process like? Do you have any special routines or tricks that really spur your focus and motivate you?

Nothing fancy. I put a lot of time into my work so I guess “consistency” is my routine. What really spurs my focus is leaving a legacy for my wife and children.

What are some of your creative influences? Are there any artists or works that have particularly inspired you?

I have so many creative friends who are leaps and bounds more talented than I am. I love people who make things. Matt Stevens, Don Clark, Chris Lee, (just to name a few)… guys who just keep going and building.

I read that you have more than 10 years of experience with large printed pieces – can you tell us a little bit about other projects you’ve worked on?

In my previous life I was a graphic designer. The large printed pieces I produced were big financial reports for banks, brochures, catalogues… etc. Nothing like a comic book. Leaky Timbers is my first.

What advice would you give artists/writers who want to design their own original comic book or graphic novel?

Stop talking about it and just do it. The person who says “I’m going to make a book” never does.

If you could have any superhero (or supervillain) cook you breakfast, who would it be and why?

I feel like the Flash would be pretty good at making breakfast. If you were out of eggs or bacon, he’d run to the store and back without you even noticing.

I hope you learned as much from Joey Ellis as I did! Don’t forget to back the “Leaky Timbers” Kickstarter project — it only has until March 20, 2014. And one more quick thing: if you’d like to be interviewed for Capes + Cartridges as an artist or as a Kickstarter project creator, then shoot us an email at info@capesandcartridges.com. We’d love to hear from you!