Gusty Guest Wednesday: Tim James

     Welcome one and all the first Gusty Guest Wednesday! Today we have an interview with Tim James, a webcomic artist and a very unique Boardwalk Ambler. To prevent confusion, I shall switch to italics and Tim shall remain normal. (Well, not really, but his font will)


Could you give us a brief summary of who you are and what you do? 
      I'm Timothy James. I pretend to be be cooler then I am. Also arts. 
(Also known as T.J. Franklin, Sir Wickerheart, and InsanelyZanter, if he's who I think he is) 

How did you get started making comics?

     I had stories I wanted to tell, and comics were the way I decided to tell them.
(Because campfires are so yesterday, right?)

Who inspires you?

     That overlaps with artists I like quite a lot.Tim Schaffer and the penny arcade crew are pretty inspiring.
(Hey, you're revealing that you already know all the questions and I didn't actually ask you in person!)

You've done some work redesigning your local library. How did you get into that and what all did you do?

     I had participated in the library's advisory group, and had contributed to the website with a few graphics before applying for a job. Shortly after I started, we made an effort to redesign the teen area and bim bam bippity bop.

How do you plan to further pursue art?

     I will be attending COTC for graphic design this year, which will give me some experience, and I plan to Launch a long-form web comic series sometime soon. 

What's your favorite character in anything ever and why?

     That's a tough one. Characters that come to mind are Hellboy (Hellboy), Naked Snake (Metal Gear), Chie Satonaka (Persona), John Locke (LOST),  Lucius Down (BONE), AUGH INDECISION.
(Way to fail the first question and ignore the "And why?" altogether. :P )

What's your favorite character you've created?

     Gotta be Asker Haddock. 
(Pictured above)

What was your biggest art failure and greatest success?

     I normally give up on projects before they get too far into the downward spiral of horror. But my second version of Temporary Insanity was pretty atrocious. (I didn't think so, but it didn't last very long) My plot outline for HADDOCK is pretty good. I think it's pretty good.

Do you have a favorite art related personal story?

(He skipped this one. Intentional? You never know with Amblers like him.) 

How has art effected your life?

     It's my passion, obsession, lifestyle, primary money sink and future career goal. Quite a bit I'd say.

What's your art goal?

     Short term, finish a complete story. Long term, several stories.

Who are your favorite artists?

     Aaron Diaz, Jamie Hewlett, Mike Magnolia, Jeff Smith, and Rob Guillory are some faves.

What advice would you give someone starting to make comics?

     Draw till your hand falls off then draw till the other hand falls off. Never be satisfied. Draw from life then simplify to cartoon.  Pay no attention to my advice.

Anything else you'd like to say?

     GAL'NAGH. cth'ol o'dhan. Kh'ool Ah'ad. 
(All I got out of that was the Kool-aid part.) 

And that concludes our interview, thanks dear readers for reading, and thanks, Tim James, for cooperating!
Check out Tim's DeviantArt page! :)