by Erin Finnegan, editorial intern

Following up last week’s focus on Tintin Pantoja, I have another Artist Spotlight. This time I asked the same questions of Stephanie Yue. Stephanie is the artist behind our exciting new series Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye by Colleen AF Venable.

Q. What computer programs and/or what kind of pens, pencils and brushes do you use?

A. I use a blue Col-Erase pencil to lay in rough shapes and compositions, and then a mechanical pencil for the more detailed drawing (blasphemy, I know, but it works for me!). Then I go over the drawing lightly with a kneadable eraser before inking. For inking, I usually use a combination of brush pens with different widths and tips. They’re less messy to use than a brush, but depending on the scale, sometimes I’ll break out my Winsor & Newton Series 7 brush (size 0 – 3), dipped in Deleter Black. I like Microns for inking more mechanical-looking things, too. Oh, and Photoshop with a Wacom Intuous tablet allows me to cheat a bit, clean up linework, and fix mistakes!

Q. What music (if any) do you listen to while drawing?

A. I like a lot of guitar or piano, something with a good beat or nice atmosphere. Often, I listen to podcasts, like This American Life, or A Way With Words, BBC documentaries. I’m a fan of TV on DVD, and will sometimes put on a show I’ve already seen and listen to it in the background—there’s always a good rotation going.

Q. What are your favorite comics right now, either online or in print?

A. I’m devouring Shaun Tan’s work right now, especially Tales from Outer Suburbia. I’m also really liking Mouse Guard by David Peterson.

Q. What comics did you read growing up?

A. I loved Calvin & Hobbes as a kid, and would marathon-read my dad’s collection in his study. I also distinctly remember discovering Tintin at my school’s library and marathon-reading those too. Hmm, do we notice a pattern?

Q. Did you go to college for art and/or comics, or for something else? Which college?

A. I studied illustration at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

Q. What is the next convention you plan to go to?

A. I’ll be set up at the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival in 2010!

Q. What is your favorite comics convention?

A. MoCCA is probably my favorite, for the people that show and the people who attend. It’s altogether a great environment, and you can meet all sorts of interesting people face to face!