PRINCETON — A story of a frightening detective emerging from the shadows of night to protect the innocent from the criminal is rich material for writers. In the world of comics, artists are equally important when bringing that world to life for readers.
Austin Burrows, 22, is honing his skills to join their ranks.
“I started drawing when I was young, and people told me I was good and should continue; but I never really looked at art as something I would pursue until I was out of high school. I put drawing to the side growing up because I had the ‘starving artist’ state of mind and didn’t want to take the chance at something that potentially would never turn into a career; that made me nervous,” he said.
After graduating high school, Burrows had a change of heart.
“Once I got a look at life outside the structure of schools, I realized you should go after something you love to do and try as hard as possible to make something out of it because life’s short, and you should do what makes you happy,” he explained.
He focused on the world of comics after buying his first issue at age 17. That particular edition was drawn by well-known artist Tony S. Daniel, and he began drawing in an attempt to see if he could rise to the same caliber.
“I fell in love with the art and started drawing like crazy to see if I could even come close to his level. Just the way he drew Batman, backgrounds and people really caught my attention and made me interested in comics,” he said.
Like many fans, Burrows eventually attended his first comic convention, C2E2, in Chicago. He was even able to meet the man who inspired him to enter the world of super-powered art.
“He was really nice and told me to draw everyday and each page would teach me something new. Now I tweet him a lot, and he’s always willing to give advice and even likes the pictures I post which is very motivating. When I attended C2E2, I felt like I had found ‘my people’ once I walked through all the artist’s tables,” Burrows said.
Earlier this year, he applied for the DC Talent Development Workshop but unfortunately wasn’t invited to join.
He said, “I came in to it way too late and was rushed. I wasn’t expecting to get in. I took a little break afterwards, but got right back into it and will try again next year.”
Burrows hasn’t slowed, and the denial from the publisher of Batman and Superman has only served to make him work harder to improve his technique and seek to see his work as a finished product.
With comic art, projects are a collaboration between different artists. Burrows pencils and inks the foundation of the drawing and then sends it to be brought to life with color. He’s recently begun working with Jeremiah Skipper, a self-taught, freelance colorist. Skipper has been working for approximately three years and has completed more than 15,000 works by many different artists, each with their own style.
“He hasn’t been picked up by anybody, but his colors are just phenomenal,” Burrows said.
He's now taking his completed art and making it available through Facebook, Instagram and at www.austinburrowsart.bigcartel.com. He's offering three prints, plus a sticker, for $20. He'll additionally do commission work and has also recently sold original art to a fan hoping to get an early piece from a future, well-known professional artist.
“Things are now a snowball effect. I’ve sold art from coast to coast; that blows my mind as to how far my art is reaching. I think my biggest accomplishment has been selling my art to different parts of the country. I’ve even had people from China and other parts of the globe looking to grab a print. I’ve also been doing Skype classes for $25 an hour to teach people my process. As of now, I have more than 11,000 followers on Instagram. It’s a humbling experience, “ Burrows said.
He knows he’s still got work ahead of him before seeing his work grace the pages of a published comic, but he’s determined to meet the challenge.
“Even if I did one published book for DC ... or even a cover, I’d be happy. It’s cutthroat; you have to bring your ‘A’ game because they don’t take just anything. You have to stand out. I know I’m not there at this point, but there’s an artist who draws for DC who posted an online comparison of how he was drawing earlier as to now; his progress in six years was mind boggling. That’s inspiring,” he said.
Burrows is engaged to be married in July 2017 and is using money made from the sales of his work to help pay for his wedding.
When asked if it was going to be themed, perhaps a Batman/Batgirl wedding, he laughed and said, “As much as I’d love a Batman-themed wedding, I don’t think I’d win that war.”
He won’t get to don a cape and cowl at his wedding, but as he prepares to turn the page and begin a new chapter, his story will continue to include a connection to the comic world’s most famous heroes, and it will likely earn him a place among its well-known artists.
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