ISCA Member Spotlight: Daryl Stephenson
 | |
| Author | Tom Faraci |
|---|---|
| Subject | Daryl Stephenson |
Publication date | Summer 2019 |
| Media type | Digital |
| Pages | 8-10 |
| Website | caricature |
Welcome to the first edition of a new feature here in Exaggerated Features, the ISCA Member Spotlight! Past issues of EF have dedicated plenty of space to interviews with superstar caricature artists, convention speakers, and the like, but we want this feature to be all about YOU — our members.
Contents
Article Transcript
Welcome to the first edition of a new feature here in Exaggerated Features, the ISCA Member Spotlight! Past issues of EF have dedicated plenty of space to interviews with superstar caricature artists, convention speakers, and the like, but we want this feature to be all about YOU — our members. We want to know all about your approach to art, the kind of work you do, your influences, and all of the individual details that form the unique tapestry of ISCA. This, along with our new Op-Ed section introduced in the last EF, is an effort on our part to give a voice to our members. The best part is that any registered ISCA member can participate! Just go here and fill out the form!
For our first spotlight, I’ve decided to pull from another fantastic pillar of our organization: The ISCA Members Facebook Contest! ISCA Treasurer Erik “Rowdy” Roadfeldt took over contest duties from Cece Holt at the beginning of this year. Each subject in the contest is introduced with a questionnaire, similar to the one we’ll use in future editions of this feature. So thank you, Cece and Erik, for laying the groundwork, and letting me shamelessly steal it and pass it off as my own! Here is the first lucky subject from this year, and the winning drawing of them. If you’re not already playing along, head on over to the Facebook group and take a swing at our current subject. Winning could land you a free membership at this year’s con!
Getting to know Daryl Stephenson
ISCA: How and when did you get introduced to the wonderful world of caricature? Daryl Stephenson: When I was in high school, there was a teacher that taught model boat building and wood carving. He could draw anything and sometimes at school fairs he would draw caricatures. “I hate drawing babies!” he’d always say with a smile. I was in awe of his ability to draw people live. It’s been in my head ever since.
ISCA: What type of caricature work do you currently do? DS: 50% hourly gigs 50% commissions from my studio. A lot of the studio work is freelance cartooning and not always caricature.
ISCA: What does being a caricature artist mean to you?
DS: I worked on the railways and down at the docks in management for almost 30 years. 3 years ago I severed the ties from my old life (with my wife’s permission) and jumped into this full time. Being a caricature artist means freedom to me. The freedom to entertain or create or get lost in a project.
ISCA: Do you have any funny stories relating to caricature?
DS: My first-ever gig was well over 12 years ago. I advertised in a newsletter that was distributed to local coffee shops and cafes and, lo and behold, I was hired to draw at a corporate Xmas party. I was so nervous and stressed out the whole night that I was nauseous at the end of the event. Everyone seemed to enjoy the drawings, but when I got home, I said to my wife, “I am never @#%&*@ doing that again!” I did not do another event for 3 years, when my youngest son asked me to draw at his high school grad celebration, so I did and it was awesome. I was hooked.
ISCA: Do you have any advice for other caricature artists? DS: Take in everything you can from other artists ... see what they do, try it yourself, eventually developing your own style ... oh and practice, practice and more practice.
ISCA: What is your favorite medium?
DS: 99% of my commissions and 50% of my gigs are digital. I really enjoy digital drawing on my Cintiqs. If I had to choose a traditional medium, I’d choose drawing with ink. I love creating realistic drawings in ink (When I have the time). Second up would be painting with oils; lots to learn there.
ISCA: What is your favorite color?
DS: Green ... no ... Blue ... no Green
ISCA: What do you like most about yourself?
DS: That I enjoy being by myself a lot of times.
ISCA: What are your interests?
DS: I have always dreamed of being an animator. Not working for a studio but just creating what comes into my head. I have been pushing myself to learn as much as I can so I can make this dream come true.
ISCA: Where is you favorite place in the world, or where do you want to visit?
DS: I loved New York and San Francisco, but my favorite place is where I live. Maple Ridge, British Columbia. A small community just east of Vancouver.
ISCA: What is your favorite movie or music?
DS: Anything directed by Francis Ford Coppola or Stanley Kubrick. Music…’70s rock
ISCA: Who would play you in a movie?
DS: Walter Matthau. I always thought that my dad looked like Walter Matthau, and now I catch myself in the mirror sometimes and think that I look just like my dad.
ISCA: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three books would you bring?
DS: “The Stand”, “Rendering in Pen and Ink” and “The Essential Calvin and Hobbes”
ISCA: If you could make three wishes come true, what would they be?
DS: 1- That my boys continue to do what makes them happy. 2- To not lose the ability to create. 3- To be satisfied with what I have.
ISCA: What is your superpower (best quality), or what superpower do you wish you had?
DS: I have a bad superpower ... It comes from 30 years of trying to tell longshoremen and teamsters what to do. I have the power of intimidation. This power doesn’t work well with being a happy-go-lucky caricature artist, except at the end of gigs where some people’s sense of entitlement comes out.
ISCA: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
DS: I am extremely proud of my family. We are a rather tall family. My wife is the shortest at 6 feet 2 inches, and my youngest son is the tallest at 6 feet 11 inches. We only feel tall when other people come to visit.
See Also
External Links
This Navigation box may not show up on mobile browsers. Please see Exaggerated Features Issue 2019.3 for the full contents of this issue if the navigation box does not display.
 |
| | |
| |||
| |||
