Infused Into Our DNA: Adriana Melo Discusses Crowdfunding ‘The Art Of…’
by Tom Smithyman
Brazilian artist Adriana Melo has drawn a number of iconic comic book characters, most notably Plastic Man. To help fund The Art of Adriana Melo, the artist is launching a crowdfunding campaign, which includes Wonder Woman, Batgirl, the Winter Soldier, and others. In an interview with Comicon, Melo discusses her desire to do more creator-owner projects and why Brazil has such a thriving comic artist community.
Tom Smithyman: Why did you decide that crowdfunding would be the best way to get your sketchbook into fans’ hands?
Adriana Melo: Because in the last years, I’ve been to a lot of shows where folks had asked me if I had a sketchbook/art book they could get. Weirdly enough, I never thought of having one, until I realized the amount of sketches, paintings and fanart I had stored in my computer, just there, hidden.
Doing some research, I found about Zoop and realized that crowdfunding would be a great way to connect and bring my artwork to a larger audience! Also, learning that Zoop takes care of the publishing and fulfillment was a big relief. Being a work-for-hire artist, leaves me with little down time. Could I do an art book and sell them personally at shows? Yes. Is it going to reach the same audience as Zoop? Definitely not!
Smithyman: What can fans expect to see in the book?
Melo: They can expect to see a variety of my artwork over the past 10 years. Some of it was at-home commissions I worked on between deadlines. Others were for avid collectors that I see at various shows. There’s pencil and ink all the way to full color, and cover level, detailed artwork in the book.
There’s a few sketches that have some fun angles, like seeing Big Barda and Mr. Miracle going on a coffee date with Darkseid and Granny Goodness, for example. There’s also some more touching sketches like Harley and Ivy sketches (I get asked for those a lot).
Smithyman: One of your goals with this campaign is to be able to spend more time on creator-owned projects. Do you have any in mind that you can share?
Melo: At the moment, I have a list of ideas I would love to bring to life. I’m just fleshing out character designs and turnarounds with another storyteller. Once the campaign is over, I can spend more time fleshing out the world and a story.
Smithyman: You’ve had the chance to work on a lot of different projects and characters, including Star Wars, Plastic Man, Doctor Who, and Catwoman. Do you have any favorites that you love to draw? And conversely, do you have any that you would be happy never drawing again?
Melo: I really loved the pacing and comedy from Plastic Man. Gail Simone has always had a fun way of making a lighthearted story suddenly get deep and heartfelt.
As far as things I never want to draw again … tech-heavy artwork! Oh, and cars! I’m crazy about drawing fantasy-themed comics, monsters, people, and expressions and with the same passion, drawing cars, ships, and tech-ish stuff isn’t my fave!
Smithyman: You are originally from Brazil, which has a thriving comic book community. Why do you think so many successful comic artists hail from Brazil?
Melo: It’s because comic books in general have been infused into our DNA since young age. We literally learned to read by way of comic books, so its like a primary reader of sorts.
Beyond that, Brazil also has their own style of Disney cartoons called Monica’s Gang from Mauricio De Sousa Productions. Myself and a number of other artists got their start working at MSP and went on from there to do comics and stories!
Smithyman: Let’s say that you make so much money from this campaign that you don’t have to work for the rest of your life. What would you spend your time doing?
Melo: Ah, good question … I think I would spend some time taking care of my garden, adopting a bunch of kittens, and I would go back to my drawing board. Not kidding! But then, I would only draw what I want, characters I absolutely love. And I’m pretty sure I would [work with] a couple of friends and come up with some creator-own projects!
Smithyman: Sounds like a great goal! Good luck with the artbook!
