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Contact the Artist
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of John Zakour and Kyle Miller |
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 JOHN ZAKOUR
Q. Why the change in art style?
A. I know they say, "change is good," but having a Master's in Human Behavior I also know that sometimes people don't react to the initial change all that well. Working Daze has gone through a change lately as my original illustrator, Andre Noel had to leave the strip because of personal reasons. Andre and I have been working together now for over ten years so I was sad to see him leave. I want to thank him for all the effort he put into Working Daze.
Still, I didn't want to see Working Daze fade away before it really had a chance to grow and become the feature I know it can be. So, I put out a call for a new cartoonist and 20+ people answered. I ended up picking out Kyle Miller because he has a nice fresh style and like me, works (well worked in my case) in the computer field. I felt Kyle could relate to the material and bring it to life in a different way than Andre did. I know the look is different, but I think once readers get use to it they will appreciate it.
Q. When did you first start drawing cartoons?
A. As far back as I can remember, and further back than I would like to say. I sold my first cartoon in 1985. I sold my first gag in 1989. I've sold way more gags (thousands) than I have cartoons (maybe a hundred).
Q. Who were the cartoonists who most influenced you?
A. Charles Schulz, hands down, was the biggest influence. He called me once when I was in college. It was a big thrill.
Q. How did you get your professional start?
A. When I got laid off from my computer programming job, I found a book on gag writing. I sent a few syndicated cartoonists my material and they really liked it. The rest is history. Not very interesting history but history nonetheless.
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. I would say my writing style is a tad on the cynical side.
Q. Where do you get your story ideas?
A. I still work at my old job a few hours a week. I find staff meetings are a great way to generate ideas. Lately people at work have started to either avoid me or say, "I better not see this in the comics next month!"
Q. How did you come up with your characters?
A. They are all based on people I know. (They know who they are.)
Q. Which are your favorite characters in your strip and why?
A. I like them all.
Q. Do you create on a daily basis? Do you prefer to work in the morning or at night?
A. I write Working Daze when the mood hits, usually early in the morning or late at night. It's weird. I try to have a week's worth done by each Thursday.
Q. What materials do you use to draw your comics? Do you use a computer?
A. When I write, I use Microsoft Word. When I draw I use a felt tip pen and paper and then scan it.
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to become a professional cartoonist?
A. Write what you know. Keep plugging away. Listen to advice. Don't get discouraged by a rejection or two. After about 10 or 20 rejections, though, you should probably take a step back and reconsider. It doesn't matter what your mom, friends or pets think; you need to find an editor who likes your material.
KYLE MILLER
Q. When did you first start drawing cartoons?
A. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. My father would bring home these huge reams of computer printouts that my brother and I would use as drawing paper. I'd draw cartoons in school (when I should have been studying) and my silly scribbles provided great amusement to my classmates.
Q. Who were the cartoonists who most influenced you?
A. My earliest influence was Charles Schulz. But I've also had a lot of influence from animators like Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Ward Kimball and Marc Davis. And Preston Blair, of course. These days, I'm always impressed by artists who can combine wit and artistic flair to create truly funny scenes that strike close to home.
Q. How did you get your professional start?
A. My first job as a true "cartoonist" was drawing caricatures at a local amusement park one summer. I was still in high school at the time. Since then, I've had a lot of jobs, from engineering aide at NASA to video game designer. I think I'm still trying to find out what I'm good at!
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. Shabby chic (with a touch of whimsy). Wait a minute, that's the style of my kitchen.
Q. Where do you get your story ideas?
A. Most of my ideas come from observations of the world around me. It's not so much that funny things are happening to me all of the time, but rather things that can easily be made funny.
Q. Which are your favorite characters in your strip and why?
A. I don't have any favorites yet. I'm asking all of the characters to perform a self-evaluation and then I will make my decision at their annual performance review.
Q. Do you create on a daily basis? Do you prefer to work in the morning or at night?
A. I do try to maintain a schedule - it's easier to get through those creative "dry spells" when I always have something to work on. I try to keep some "personal" time allocated, but you never know when those creative sparks will strike and I'll try to get the stuff down on paper as soon as possible. Once I leapt up from dinner to scribble some ideas down before they went away - much to the consternation of my wife!
Q. What materials do you use to draw your comics? Do you use a computer?
A. My comics start out as pencil and paper, but I scan them into the computer and complete the line work in Adobe Illustrator and the shading in Adobe Photoshop. I figure it is only a matter of time before someone writes a program that will draw the cartoons as well, and then my life will be perfect!
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to become a professional cartoonist?
A. Keep drawing - every chance you get. Don't be afraid to experiment and take chances. While it is a good idea to study the basics in art, don't feel compelled to do something a certain way just because that's the way everyone else is doing it. Don't copy what other people (or cultures) are doing - make yourself the original that others will want to copy. As with any career, the harder you work at it, the better your chances are. |
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