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Are you curious how the Biowars digital comic book comes together and what it takes to become a comic book artist? Then read our interview with Lucius Cross, whose creative concepts and artistic mastery give life to the Biowars universe.
In the interview, Lucius tells us what he did before joining the Biowars team, the tools and software he uses to create comic book characters and who he considers his favorite among the Biowars webcomic cast.
Do you have a formal art education, or was comic book art something you picked up through practice as well as trial and error?
Most of my skills are self taught. I wouldn’t call it trial and error so much as constant practice, as I’ve been drawing in one form or another for pretty much my whole life.
What was the first professional piece you ever did and got paid for? What’s the backstory on it?
It was a series of character portraits that were commissioned by an anime web site many years ago. I’m afraid that’s as exciting as that story gets.
Is there a particular artist in or out of the comic book industry that you look to for inspiration when coming up with your character concepts? Why this person in particular?
There are definitely artists whose work I enjoy and get inspired by, but at this point in my art career I just rely on my own pool of experience and imagination when creating character designs.
What is your favorite tool to use when you’re doing a drawing by hand? What about your favorite design software?
A Wacom Cintiq tablet and Adobe Photoshop are my primary tools when working digitally, which is pretty much always.
Are many of your concepts or finished pieces done by hand these days?
Yes, in that I used my hand to do them (ha ha). I work with a tablet so while I’m not technically working with pen and paper, it’s the same basic concept… just digital.
What originally appealed to you to drawing for comic books versus all of the other creative areas available to an artist?
I actually started out my art career as a concept artist for the video game industry. Now I get to be both a comic book and a game artist working on Biowars and enjoy both pretty much equally.
What other personal creative projects are you most proud of outside of Biowars?
Many years ago I ran my own online retail business for anime merchandise. It went the way of the dodo after a while but I’m still proud of what I was able to accomplish with it considering I built and ran the whole thing myself.
Who’s your favorite Biowars character to work on and why?
Truthfully? Sutura. As for why? Well… just look at her!
If you had one piece of advice to offer people interested in becoming a comic book artist or wanting to start their own print or digital comic book, what would it be?
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Are there any exciting developments you can mention about upcoming Biowars issues you’re working on that you can share with fans?
We’re approaching the final stretch of the first series and things will be ramping up considerably in the final 3 issues. So look forward to that!
