We came across the works of Derek M Ballard on a flickr stream an age ago. Possibly some of the most provocative erotic/underground zine work we’ve ever seen.  According to his myspace page his heroes are listed ” SHE-RA, HE-MAN, THUNDARR, JAYCE AND THE WHEELED WARRIORS…y’know, motherf**kers who don’t put up with bullshit.” The CLAW was lucky enough to catch up with Mr. Ballard for this brief and haunting interview.  Enjoy!

CLAW: Describe your methods of art production?  Do you use a wacom tablet directly in Photoshop? Or do you sketch then pen+ink first?

DMB: Usually, I have no idea what I’m trying to do. I start out by just drawing lots of random shapes with pencil. From there I can assemble the shapes into different things on my light table, and trace them onto vellum for inking. Once I’m done, I scan the images into Photoshop, clean up, and color.
I’ve never actually used a wacom before. It’s funny, a lot of people think I do. I wouldn’t even know how to begin.

CLAW: One of the striking things about your work is your I would describe as cubist-exaggerated characters & environments… is this style tied to any philosophical agenda?  Is there a better way to describe your signature cartooning style? (I think your art is ultra-awesome)

DMB: As a teenager I was a big fan of Thomas Hart Benton, Egon Schiele, and Max Beckmann. I was really into German expressionism in film, too. So, that stuff probably shows up a lot in my work.

As far as a philosophical agenda, I would rather not go into it too much and sound pretentious. I like to leave things open for each person’s own interpretation. I will say there’s a lot sub-level of stuff going on, lots of layers, and an intentional calculated placement of subjects, but I’m sure doesn’t come through for anyone but myself.

CLAW: A colleague once told me that the worst clients were church groups and tv stations. Tell our readers about your experiences with the adult entertainment publications…  Is this a niche market worth pursuing?

DMB: Working with adult publications was just about the best job ever. SCREW in particular was an amazing mag. I’m always surprised you don’t hear it mentioned more often. Fantagraphic’s EROS line paid well, too.  Unfortunately, the internet killed the demand for printed masturbation material and ads for hookers.

It’s good work if you can get it. I think Hustler Humor might still publish, and they have decent page rates.
I was fortunate enough to catch the last bit of the cartoonist’s gravy train for the better part of the last century that was porno mags. Life goes on I guess.

CLAW: Tell us about your zine projects.  Do you find zines to be the best choice to communicate with cult followers?

DMB: The dirty, DIY small press stuff is way more fulfilling to me. Plus, it’s really satisfying to put out work on a regular basis. Mini-comics and zines are the best option I have right now to serialize my work.
I enjoy everything about zines and mini-comics anyway. That’s where my interests lie. They just feel more real, more exciting, and more fun.

You can find all the coolest drawing in zines, and I LOVE drawing. If you look at all the zines I’ve been in you can see that they’re full of people who really enjoy it as well.
Nobody’s paying anyway, so why not do the cool stuff?
I’m just sayin’.

CLAW: Any other advice you’d like to share with our members and other aspiring cartoonists?

DMB:
Be happy.
Work a lot.
Do your own thing.
Make good decisions.
Use your time wisely.
Use your time wisely.
Use your time wisely.
Use your time wisely.
Be radical always.

CLAW: Citizens! The adventure doesn’t have to stop here. Keep up to speed with Mr. Ballard’s adventures via Myspace and Flickr

CLAW is please to present this brief conversation with professional political illustrator Zina Saunders.  Zina Saunders has been a writer-illustrator for more than 15 years. In addition to contributions in a variety of periodicals (including The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Progressive, The Nation, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Foreign Policy Magazine), her client list includes Chronicle Books, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Scholastic, and Oxford University Press.

CLAW:  Can you tell our readers a bit about your illustration process? Do you start with a sketch? Ink/Color or Scan directly into photoshop, use a wacom etc?

ZS: I do a sketch the old-fashioned way: pencil on paper. I print out photo reference, if I have it, in black and white; I’ve tried in the past printing out ref in color but the color of the photos is distracting, I find. Then, depending on the piece and how much time I have and how I’m feeling about it, I’ll lay down some washes and stuff in gouache and scan that in and finish painting it digitally, or simply scan in the sketch and paint it entirely digitally.

I’m a very early riser, and pretty much all the campaign pictures were done between 3 and 6 in the morning, before I settled down to my regularly scheduled assignments for the day.

CLAW:  Adding Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket is considered by many political cartoonists a boon or a gift from god. Your Palin illustrations are obviously divinely inspired… can you friggin believe that?

ZS: What I can’t believe is that McCain chose her as his running mate. The painting I did of them entitled “The Morning After” truly illustrates what I think they both felt on November 5th. I know I’ve felt that way myself on more than one occasion!

By the way, I collected all my campaign satires into a book called “The Party’s Over”, available on Blurb and all the paintings can be seen in the Politics section of my website, in case your readers would like to see what we’re talking about.

CLAW: How much of a role does anger play in your political illustrations?

ZS: Plenty! I think anger is a great spark. When people tick me off it’s easy to skewer them, and to come up with ideas on how to do it.

CLAW:  Above all other political cartoonists you have managed to capture Mrs. Palin’s berserker snarl with frightening accuracy. Have you ever been to Alaska? (full disclosure: I’m from Juneau, Alaska).

ZS: No, I’ve never been up there, though if the place it littered with Palinesque individuals…well, I ain’t making plane reservations anytime soon.

About the insanely meat-eating expressions I did for my Palin satires: I used myself as a model for all her expressions. I’ve always used myself as the model for facial expressions. I have a hand mirror that I’ve grimaced and growled and snarled into for years.

CLAW: Many of our members/readers are intense fans of science fiction. Are there any behind the scenes stories you can share with us about your [Norman Saunders] dad’s Mars Attacks cards?  Does a science fiction background help you articulate (in illustration form) the horrors in real-life politics?

ZS: Hmmmm…well, I can tell you that my dad didn’t take Mars Attax seriously at all (it was just a job of “bug-eyed monsters” for him), and he was shocked when he discovered,at the one and only comic convention he ever attended, that he was a revered iller.

I have a little anecdote that I’ve often told about me and my dad’s paintings when I was a little kid. And it’s a true one. Here it is:

I used to “correct” my dad’s paintings, when he was away from his drawing board. Usually that would involve painting extra glamorous eyelashes on his damsels in distress. Years later, in my 20’s, I asked Dad if he knew that I used to do that and he said, “Of course I knew! I’d just go back in and paint them out.” It blows my mind, how patient he was about that. I’d kill a kid for doing that to my stuff!

CLAW:  Any money making/saving advice you’d like to share with your fellow artisans  (example: I recently purchased a pencil extender handle which lets me continue to use the pencil all the way to the nub)?

ZS: Hey! That’s funny you mention that pencil extender thing! I teach a senior thesis illustration class at The University of The Arts, and one of my students hipped me to that extender thing just last week. I’d honestly never seen one of those before!

Hmmm…trying to think of other tips… well, not buying stuff is a good way to save.

CLAW: Thanks for your time Zina!

Thanks for asking me to blather on!

CLAW: for more information on Zina Saunders visit ZinaSaunders.com

Full Stowe video (rhymasaurus) coming soon.