We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Isabel Singer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Isabel below.
Isabel, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I often go back to old films and comics I loved as a child or revisit things I loved years ago. For example, since I have a background in animation I can look at the animations I loved as a kid from the perspective of an animator as well as an audience member. The same goes for comics. I usually read comics twice, once for the story, and again for the art. I don’t get hit with ideas in the midst of doing those things often, but I think it prepares me for when the ideas come. Switching between mediums also helps. Currently my favorite thing to switch to when I have been drawing a lot has been stamp carving. It forces me to think in a way that is different enough that the illustration part of my brain can rest, but creative enough that I’m not turning off the artistic part of myself entirely. I also walk away from it with a new stamp.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I write and illustrate comics and have for a couple years. My genres of choice are fantasy, slice of life and horror. In 2020 I realized I wanted to elevate my work so I went back to school and will soon graduate with my MFA in Illustration from SUNY FIT. My visual thesis is the first three chapters of a graphic novel that takes visual inspiration from the graphic novel The Princess and The Dressmaker by Jen Wang and the graphic memoir, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I always want to include powerful female figures in my work which I try to do with the Witch in my thesis story. Mythology and legend also inspire me so if you are a reader who enjoys dark fantasy magic stories then I hope you like this.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first is being exposed to so many different types of stories at such a young age. Growing up in a city I was immediately introduced a million different ways of life. Being a storyteller requires empathy and openness to those who are not like yourself. How can you draw/write something relatable if you don’t understand others? Second, learning to use styles and images to my advantage was a huge turning point in my illustrations and comics. It may seem like an obvious thing but it wasn’t for me. When I first started pursuing visual art seriously I just drew whatever I wanted and expected the audience to see it as separate from the visual language of the world. It clicked eventually that my art will always be a part of the world and therefore should reflect and utilize what is in it. This made communicating through my art far more easy. Storytelling also became easier. I had always wanted to jump into what was complicated first without a basic layout or visual cues to help the reader. Once I got a hold of that I think my work became a lot more accessible. Third is taking rest very seriously when scheduling my work days. Comic illustration is demanding. The more you do it the more you realize how intentional every aspect has to be. So turning on a film or reading or stretching or sleeping or playing Dungeons and Dragons or spending time with friends is very important.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
During my time my in school I read several graphic memoirs including The Spiral Cage by Al Davison, Dumb by Georgia Webber and Epileptic by David B. which showed me how many ways the comic medium can be used to share personal stories. I had the honor of interviewing Al Davison and Georgia Webber about creating their memoirs and left me feeling more motivated to pursue comics.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.izzysinger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izzybleep/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/izzysingerart
Image Credits
Illustrated by Izzy Singer
