Vera Brosgol is the illustrator and author behind the picture books and graphic novels Anya’s Ghost, Plain Jane and the Mermaid, and many other works and projects.
She recently finished up her latest book, Return to Sender, while kitten-sitting for some friends on their houseboat and needed a portable solution for getting work done on the go. So we asked her to try out the new Wacom Movink OLED pen display — check out the video she made about her experience here!
Vera has had quite the career journey — she was born in Russia, moved the the United States as a child, studied Classical Animation, worked in the film industry, and now writes and illustrates books! We wanted to know more about that journey, what inspires her, her unique approach to digital and traditional work, and if she has any advice for young creatives thinking about their own artistic journeys. So we had a conversation; that interview is below. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How did you first get into art? Were you a creative kid?
Yes, absolutely! I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember, and my mom backs that up. She’s always been incredibly supportive, and got me painting lessons with local artists when I was in elementary school. Having my drawing be encouraged that way, as well as meeting people who made art for a living, made a big impression on me at a young age.
Tell us about your educational path. You studied Classical Animation in college — why did you choose that route? Do you recommend that young artists pursue art school or should they self-teach, and why?
I went with animation because it seemed like one of the more practical art careers — if such a thing exists. It was pretty clear I was going to go into some kind of art field, but being able to support myself was really important to me. I’d only met fine art painters up until that point, and that seemed absolutely terrifying, but animation appeared to be full of people with mortgages and health insurance and all the normal stuff, sheltered a bit by a big studio.
I think a decade or two ago, I’d have recommended art school, but things have changed so much I’m not sure I would anymore. Tuition’s so much more expensive than it was, the job market is unstable — even in animation — and being saddled with $150k in debt and an art degree seems unwise. But if someone else can pick up your tuition bill, by all means, go for it!
You’ve worked in a few different disciplines, from working on films, to writing short stories, to creating graphic novels and picture books. How have you balanced these different interests and determined the direction of your career?
“Hoo, boy.” I think a lot of this is my short attention span revealing itself? Many of these projects are big, years-long, time-consuming chunks, and by the end of them I want to do something completely different. So I’ll pivot hard, switching to picture books after making a graphic novel, or writing prose when I’m feeling sick of drawing entirely.
The animation work tends to be more opportunistic — the head of story job on Pinocchio was a magically cool offer, and I put a book contract on hold to be able to work on that dream of a project. I’ve been super lucky in the things that have come my way, but I try to determine my career direction with a pretty simple rule: “Don’t do anything solely for the money.” So far, that’s worked out okay.
What inspires and/or excites you in your work in general?
Like I said earlier, novelty! I don’t like doing the same thing twice, so I’m probably not the kind of person that would do a series. I like a challenge, so some kind of insanely complicated plot puzzle to solve, or a new art medium to learn, or a new age group to write for, all get my brain feeling itchy and happy.
You tend to employ a hybrid traditional / digital workflow. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each method? Do you think today’s artists should learn both?
I think it’s not uncommon for people, at least of my generation, to think better on paper. So that’s the biggest advantage to me — it’s a more direct line to my brain, for the earliest writing steps of a project. It’s kind to the eyes and the body to take a break from the ubiquitous screens, too.
Digital is faster, though, and increasingly more convincing, so I’ve been using it more with each project, but it’s kind of a bummer having a super-expensive sketchbook that can run out of batteries, doesn’t work in direct sunlight, and needs OS updates. And as more and more artists, and non-human spooky simulations, work entirely digitally, I think it really stands out when someone works with traditional media. Which ain’t nothin’!
What are some of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on? Why were they your favorites?
I’m proud of my graphic novel Be Prepared, and always very happy to hand that to someone who is curious about my work. Partly because it’s a memoir, so it’s a good introduction to me as a human as well as an artist, but also because it was so fun to make. It was my first graphic novel as a full-time author, so I got to really lavish time on it, and I loved the technique I used — brush pen on Bristol board. It’s also a really accessible story; I think a lot of people can relate to being a miserable, lonely kid who’s too scared to use an outhouse.
What are some general tips, tricks, or advice that you’ve learned as you’ve been building your career? What should young or beginning artists know, other than “work hard and do your best?”
Aw, depriving me of good old “work hard and do your best!” Okay, fine. Advice I like to give for folks starting out making narrative work is to pick projects you will actually finish. Short comics instead of graphic novels, for example. Short films instead of features.
You’re probably improving by leaps and bounds, and it’s dangerously easy to fall into a loop of restarting a big project over and over as your skills grow, trying to get it all to be evenly good. If you’re making short things that you can finish quickly, you can share a complete story with others, and that is the most satisfying thing! You can ask for feedback, get the lovely dopamine hit of connecting with an audience, and then you’re on to the next thing, which will be even better.
What tools do you use to create your work? Why do you choose Wacom products as part of your setup?
I’ve used all kinds of things for my books, from dipping a brush in India ink, to a Pentel brush pen — NOT the pocket brush, but the one with the grey, “squeezy” body — to a G-nib in acrylic ink. Digitally I work on a Cintiq Pro 24, and my favorite software is Clip Studio Paint. It’s absolutely lovely for making work for print, especially comics. Procreate on my iPad is a favorite for sketching and quick comics, but I don’t love doing finished work in it.
I’ve used Wacom products since my first Intuos tablet when I was 14 — making anime fanart in Corel Painter! — and Cintiqs are so standard in the animation industry that it’s pretty second nature to use one now. I love having a big screen to spread out on, and making bigger arm movements is better for my body than scrunching over a small tablet. I’m sure my preferences will keep changing, but I like the flexibility of where I am now.
Do you have any projects coming up that you’d like to share or promote?
My first prose novel is coming out with Roaring Brook Press on May 6th, 2024. It’s called Return to Sender, it’s very weird and I’m very excited about it. And my most recent graphic novel Plain Jane and the Mermaid is out now! Scoop it up for a mermaid-loving middle-schooler in your life!
More about the Creator
Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. She received a diploma in Classical Animation from Sheridan College, and spent many years working in feature animation but now she is writing and drawing books full-time.
She has storyboarded for Laika on the feature films Coraline, Paranorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings, and was Head of Story for the Academy-Award-winning Pinnochio.
Her first graphic novel, Anya’s Ghost, was published in 2011 by First Second Books and won an Eisner Award. Her first picture book, Leave Me Alone, was published in 2016 by Roaring Brook Press and won a Caldecott Honor. Her most recent graphic novel is Plain Jane and the Mermaid. She lives in Portland, OR, and loves hiking, riding her bike, and baking bread.
