#shawndaley

The Toronto Comics Anthology has always been an ongoing platform to showcase veteran as well as up-and-coming creators. In addition to featuring work from unpublished writers and artists in our fourth volume (now on Kickstarter), we conducted a series of short interviews to share helpful tips and insights with new creators.

What's the best piece of advice you ever got (comics-wise)?

Shawn: The best advice I've heard came from a book called Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod, and it's essentially just that: ignore everybody. Not so much in the literal sense, of course, but rather focusing your creative energy through a pinhole lens, and simply telling the stories you want to tell and the way you want to tell them. Feedback and support can be an invaluable aspect of any creative process though, so like in all things, you've got to find a balance between the two. Learn where and when the feedback of others can contribute to your story, along with where and when it might do the opposite. But at the end of the day, tell the stories you want to read. If other people want to read them, that's just a bonus.

At the start of my career, it would have been helpful if I knew of Jack Hamm and his art books. Some of the best reading for beginners and experts.

What are you working on now?

Shawn: Along with Toronto Comics, I've got a new TerraQuill graphic novel in the works called The Bridgebuilder's Creed. It's a followup to TerraQuill Collected, and used the world (and maybe a few characters) established in those short stories. A lonely old bridge builder sets out across a war-ravaged province to rebuild his life, and the land he helped settle, without the support of his friends and family lost in the war. The first part of the story can be read here, and the second part is out in March.

I'm drawing a crime noir novella which will be three short stories starring a washed-up old gumshoe, the second of which is in production right now. We should have a title for that shortly. I've just finished the first couple issues of a kung-fu story starring a leash-baby (aptly titled Leash Baby Kung-Fu) who just happens to be a martial arts prodigy. Finally, I'll be drawing Samurai Grandpa, which is about an old samurai coming out of retirement to avenge his son's murder. It's a 125+ page story, and it'll be out in a few months. Myself and the co-creator, Eastin DeVerna, completed a successful Kickstarter for the project late last year. The pages are painted with watercolours too, which is always fun.

What about the city inspires you? Or shapes your writing/art?

Shawn: Toronto has some of the busiest, loudest streets in Canada. But conversely, it's not hard to find a remote and silent trail just by following one of those streets. There's so much flora and fauna in this city, and I seem to discover more every month even after ten years of living here. From High Park in the west end, to the Taylor Creek Trail out in the east end, there are so many more pockets of nature spread across the city. It's easy to find inspiration in places like those, because all you need to do is look around you. I can't count how many hours I've spent walking down the Lower Don trail, finding little spots to write and listen to the river. Plus you get to hang out with squirrels and who doesn't like that?

What was the hardest thing about getting into comics?

Shawn: The biggest challenge was the schedule. I worked in the recording industry for close to seven years, so long days and long nights weren't the issue. It's more the little things -- remembering to eat (and eating well), getting proper rest, exercising and stretching, maintaining good back posture, and protecting your eyes. I have to schedule those things and even set alarms for some of them, or I might forget to do them. That's how engrossing the work can be. I don't think I did any of those things during my time in recording studios, so learning them was a challenge. It's the little things that sneak up on you. I guess I'm pretty fortunate that the hardest things about getting into comics were the little things!

Are there genres or themes that you’d like to see explored more in comics?

Shawn: Jeff Lemire and Gord Downie released Secret Path last year, and it was a perfect marriage of music and comics. I'd like to see that explored more. Music and comics are challenging mediums to combine, and rely heavily on the listener's / reader's internal pacing. It requires more vigilance from the consumer, but it's an experience unattainable through the respective independent mediums. So, more of that!

For more from Shawn, find him on Twitter, Instagram, or at his website.