Which Category best describes you?
Amateur Artist
Area(s) of Interest or Expertise:
Drawing, oil painting, digital colours
My Testimony: (We encourage members to share briefly about how their faith in Christ has impacted their lives.)
I was brought up in a non-Believing home and I was free to follow my human nature until I was about 18. I was very rebellious throughout highschool getting worse and worse, staying up all night trying to steal things from cars. I was smoking marijuana and binge drinking every weekend. My identity was wrapped up in being a Heavy Metal lead guitarist and I was fascinated by vampire movies. My health deteriorated and I felt like God kept disciplining me but I was running away. The universal truth ýou reap what you sow' was becoming evident and I started seeking answers to the big questions. I read the Bible and met some Christians who I recognised were living in a completely different Spiritual way. I kept learning more and experienced the presence of God in prayer. Finally I heard the Gospel preached powerfully and God opened my eyes to His love and redemption available to me and I have been changed by that experience ever since. God kept challenging me to change my ways and to distance myself from sin. I think it took me about 2years before I was comfortable telling non-believers including my family that I was a commited Christian because my previous lifestyle was so different.
I had to give up the idol of trying to be a guitar god and playing in bands especially as I had developed tinitus and hypermobile eardrums from loud volumes. However, God lead me into a popular Christian band called 'sons of Korah' in about 1995 who I performed regularly for about 6 years as a singer and guitarist. This was a good discipleship for me visiting hundreds of Churches as I was trying to figure out what I believed about different styles of worship, preaching and Church ceremonies.
I gave up listening to secular music for about 8 years however later felt after I had 'detoxed' from my evil influences that I needed to listen to talented secular artists as well as Christian music in the interests of culture. I try and make my art and music relevant and continue to grow and improve as an artist.
Since this time I've had a lot problems with marrying an unevenly yoked woman who claimed to be a Believer but wasn't. I don't fully understand God's plans, I know He's not a Genie in a bottle to grant our wishes but He challenges us and helps us in strange ways at times. I'm still commited to live a life that honors God and daily pray for His strength and protection to navigate all the pitfalls of life.
Dream Job: (If you could have your dream job in the comics industry, what would it be?)
I'd just love for the message of Jesus to get out there. I believe we the Church should be doing everything we can, including all kinds of media, animation, comics, movies, billboards to do that. And also just being good people, making real friends and helping people. I love making music, drawing, animating and making 3D models so I hope to keep using what I have to be put to good use.
Favorite Comic Creators:
Kim Jung Gi, Hayao Miyazaki, Herge, Javier Saltares, Jiro Taniguchi, Naoki Urasawa, Laura Hollingsworth, Matt Baker, Gene Lueng Yang
Comments
just flushing and finalizing character concepts for Tree of Jacob, 14 main good guys, so its slow but well.
It encourages me to know that I can be an encouragement so far away from where I am.
From which region of Australia are you from?
I was in India with an Australian pastor from Tasmania
May the Lord bless you in this land of the sun
perhaps one day the Lord will lead me in your part of the world...
Alain
Hey have you contacted the Bible Society yet about work? If you haven't, and you are keen, you really should, because I have mentioned you twice to them now, plus sent a couple of your drawings to them, and they are interested. Thought you should know, bro'.
I don't really do manga style these days. My style incorporates some manga influences, but it can't be called manga as it has influences from western comics as well :)
So definitely worth contacting them. Did you say you had already contacted the Victorian Bible Society? Might be worth trying them again too. Your stuff is really good, so I'm sure they'd use you if they can.
As for "This present Darkness", I reckon every christian comic artist and his dog has dreamed of that gig. I have wanted to do the Graphic Novel of that since I first read it when I was 14.
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