Rising Stars: Meet Jesse of Canyon Country

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s interesting to think that what started with me getting in trouble for drawing on tests and in books at school evolved into a career of drawing movie and concert posters.

When I was a kid, a gentleman in a suit with a briefcase came to my apartment asking for me. My parents looked a bit confused and asked what he needed. He stated that he was from the Art Instruction Schools from Minneapolis, Minnesota and wanted to know if I was truly 10 years old and drew the pirate from their advertisement. My parents let him in and he introduced himself to me.

He then asked me to draw something in front of him so that he could verify my work. “Okay”, I said, and drew the USS Enterprise freehand in about 10 minutes with no photo references.

He then spoke to my parents and said something like, “At his age, your son has an opportunity of a lifetime to attend our school to become a successful artist.” It didn’t take long for them to discuss, but my parents politely declined.

After the gentleman left, my parents explained that I was just much too young to attend such a school so far away from home. It really didn’t affect me at the time since all I wanted to do was to play with my toys and hang out with friends. But as I got older, I became more disappointed and bitter about that decision that was made for me.

But looking at where I am today (and I’m quite happy where I am today), perhaps that all happened for a reason.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Though I was bucking cultural and familial expectations by wanting to pursue a career in art, I’m lucky that my parents were pretty supportive of my dreams. I realize, in hindsight, that them not letting me attend an art school at my young age was their way of protecting me. Though it would have been amazing to attend the same school that one of my heroes, Charles Schulz, attended, in an interesting full-circle moment, I got to tell that same story on stage at the Charles Schulz Museum this past May as part of a presentation I’d been invited to give for their Second Saturday Cartoonist program.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is largely pop culture driven, with a specific emphasis on the TV shows, movies, and music that I loved best as a kid. I draw everything by hand on my iPad using Adobe Fresco — I’ve also been using Procreate as of recent! — and it’s a big help to have a digital canvas as a lefty so nothing smears. I’ve also done some traditional mural work in local gaming shops and in friends’ homes. I’ve even been known to bust out a paper and pen to do a live demo of my single line scribble art skills when I’m vending my art at events.

To date, my most well-known project was creating the poster for Weird Al Yankovic’s current “Bigger and Weirder” tour, of which I’m so proud. It was such a trip seeing pictures of the poster on the side of Madison Square Garden or held up by Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show!

People often tell me that they love how expressive my portraits are and the way that I capture the emotions in my subject’s eyes. I did a single-line scribble portrait of Paul Reubens as Pee-Wee Herman, which is one of my most popular pieces. I had the opportunity to gift a print to David Arquette and he paid me the biggest compliment when he said, “Paul would have loved this.”

I’m also quite grateful to partner with the non-profit, PRISM Comics, and to table with them at San Diego Comic-Con and other events. It’s an all-volunteer organization supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and LGBTQIA-friendly comic books, comics professionals, readers and educators. https://www.prismcomics.org/about/

Another fun project on which I got to collaborate was illustrating a book for my high school friend, Greg Betz. It’s designed in the style of children’s book and written for adults about a day in the life of a new father as seen through the eyes of his baby. The book is called “Daddy Needs a Beer” and I had a wonderful time working on it. https://a.co/d/0gs4ztZM

I’ve also gotten to design posters for the short horror films, “Sloppy Seconds” and ”Project N-Terro: The Yellow Pill” both of which really helped my stretch my creative muscles and lean into influences from classic EC Comics and, another one of my heroes, Drew Struzan.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18265686/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_8_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_sloppy%20seconds

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22462852/

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I’ve always been a big nerd as far as being into comics, video games, sci-fi, and cartoons, but back then, those were seen as more “niche” interests. Kids like me were often bullied for liking what was deemed “weird” in those days. Of course, all of the things I was made fun of have now become “cool”. Nevertheless, I sometimes still feel like an outsider.

I’ve pretty much always been unapologetically queer, Filipino, and proudly nerdy. It’s nice that the world is, in a small way, beginning to catch up.

Pricing:

• – 8.5”x11” print – $25 plus shipping
• – 11”x14” print – $35 plus shipping
• – Custom commissions – starting at $150 per subject
• – Daddy Needs a Beer book – $12.99 on Amazon

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.androgynart.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/androgynart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrogynArt/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@androgynart

Image Credits
Photographer: Deb Kavis