Site Graphics: Joseph Mesa
Name: Joseph Mesa
Occupation: Graphic/Web Designer
Skill/Contribution: Graphics
Location: Texas, USA
Website: www.kingdom-interactive.com
What got you into comics? I’ve had a love of drawing since I was a kid and I’d often get in trouble at school for drawing instead of doing my work so naturally, the colorful art of the comic books at the local mini-mart caught my attention. I would buy the comics and put a sheet of paper over the pages and trace the drawings to help me learn.
How did you learn your skill/trade? Being creative and artistically inclined, I didn’t want to go the route of traditional artist, so I took my skills to a different medium: computers. Once I discovered computers, the merging of art and technology was a perfect fit for me.
What tools/equipment do you use? I use a Dell Studio 17 laptop with Vista as my platform and for the software I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver and Audition (all Adobe products) for graphic, web and sound editing.
What was your favorite comic as a kid? I have many favorites but the ones that stick out the most are X-Men and The Punisher.
Who is your greatest comic influence? Many influences so I can’t narrow down to just one, but off the top of my head; Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Brian Pulido, Boris Vallejo and many others.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in comics? Take action. Don’t just think about it but actually do it even if it’s just something small everyday that helps you move toward your goal. Many people have big dreams but the biggest failure comes from not taking action. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Other projects you’ve worked on: Created the logos for Underwater Samurai Studios, SOLDIERS web comic and The Digital Comic. Developed the Shadowline Comics Webpage for Jim Valentino and helped develop their online web comic viewer along with Gus Higuera, creator of New World Order from Image. Developed the Silverline (Jim Valentino’s all ages comic book line) site . I also developed the website for Kristen Koerner-Simon (a.k.a. Editor Girl), the editor of Shadowline comics. These are the comic-related projects I’ve worked on; you can find other projects I’ve worked on at my website.
