Meet Bill Roundy

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bill Roundy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Bill, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I drew my first comic book on September 11, 2002.
I lived in New York City, and on the anniversary of that terrible day I did not want to see any memorials, any news reports, or any images of what I had seen the previous year. What I wanted was a distraction; something that would occupy me for the entire day. And I remembered “The 24-Hour Comic,” a challenge from cartoonist Scott McCloud to write and draw a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. I hadn’t drawn anything since my middle-school art classes, but this seemed like just what I needed. I set out my pencil, some markers, and a stack of printer paper, and got to work.
Four pages in and I was hooked.
The comic was badly drawn, had a nonsensical plot about mole people in the subway, and I’d failed the 24-Hour Comic challenge by running out of time at 17 pages. But I had fallen in love with making comics. The combination of words and pictures fit exactly the way my brain worked, and trying to get those images just right is a challenge that I’ve been pursuing ever since

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I love drawing comics, I love going to bars, and I love passing judgment on places! So I’ve combined them all into “Bar Scrawl,” a series in which I go to a bar and review it in comic strip form. I show the physical space, talk about the drinks, and try to capture the vibe.
Comics can convey information in a way that no other format can, and can convey the spirit more than any photograph. My drawings are more than just accurate – they show a bar the way that it feels in your memory, making sure that the rowdy drunks and the kissing couples are always inside the frame.
“Bar Scrawl” ran in The Brooklyn Paper every week for five years, but that run ended at the start of the pandemic. Now it appears at my website (www.barscrawl.net), on an occasional basis.
Working on the comic strip has vastly expanded my knowledge of cocktails, and I’ve expanded into new areas. I’m currently working on a graphic novel about the history of cocktails, and continuing a series of still life illustrations of liquor bottles.
At this moment, my comics and other artwork can be seen in two exhibitions in Brooklyn: in the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s group show “Art of Coney Island,” running through Aug. 25, and in “Paintings and Prints by Bill Roundy and Adam Suerte,” at Threes Brewing, opening on Aug. 8 and running through October.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

There are three attitudes towards my work that have helped me the most:
First was my determination early on that I was not going to let a lack of talent stand in my way! I am not a naturally gifted artist, which means that all of my skill had to be acquired through study and practice. I drew an online comic three times a week for 10 years, so I got plenty of practice and got better as I went. And for those abilities I could not learn on my own or from books (three-point perspective, for instance), I took night classes at the School of Visual Art, and a summer session at the Center for Cartoon Studies. And that attitude also meant that I didn’t allow insecurities about my own work to stop me from applying for anthologies or exhibitions.
Second was just showing up and saying yes to things. My biggest growth as an artist has come from signing up for friends’ projects. “Bar Scrawl” exists because I met a woman at a comics convention, and she asked me to illustrate a bar for her travel guide to NYC. I went to a meet-up for gay comics fans and met an editor, who later invited me to contribute to “Anything That Loves,” an anthology of comics “beyond gay and straight.” That comic became a viral hit on Tumblr and brought me opportunities to draw for newspapers and magazines. So you have to show up to events with your peers, even if you’re tired or don’t feel like it.
Finally is just not being too precious about the work. You can spend forever noodling with a background, but you need to recognize when you’re not actually making the piece any better. The best way to practice this is to have firm deadlines! Running out of time will make you prioritize the elements that will have the most impact, and skip the fiddly details that others won’t even notice.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I used to go to my studio and draw five days a week, Monday through Friday, working around freelance gigs and bartending jobs on the side. I’ve never been a full-time cartoonist – and honestly, not depending on my art to make a living is probably why I’ve been drawing comics for more than 20 years. But I recently got a full-time job making whiskey at a distillery. I love the job, but it is physically taxing and takes up a full 40 hours or more each week. So it’s a challenge carving out studio time, and being productive while I’m there.
So I’ve been experimenting with my drawing schedule, moving my studio days to earlier in the week, when I am less tired, and on the weekend. Still playing with which days are best for my productivity.
More important may be reminding myself that any time spent working on my comics is better than no time. Two or three hours drawing after a full day of work is still a solid effort. And I’m marking off my progress on a physical chart so I can see that I’m slowly chipping away at the next comic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.barscrawl.net
• Instagram: bartoonist
• Other: https://patreon.com/barscrawl

Image Credits

Bill Roundy
John Tebeau