Our Dinicartoons/Top Cow preview concludes with words from artist Stephanie Gladden!

Continued from Part One of the Dinicartoons interview …

WITA: Hey there!

Stephanie Gladden: Hey, Stephanie, nice to meet you!

WITA: To begin, tell us about yourself and your art, Stephanie. What made you get into drawing as a line of work, and what attracted you to comics?

Gladden: Well, according to my family, I’ve been drawing since I was two and a half years old, so my artistic career was inevitable.  I’ve been a fan of comics since I was about five.  I liked them so much I wanted to draw them as well as read them.

WITA: As a character artist at Cartoon Network, what shows are you presently working on and what have you had the most fun with in your experience there? What creation would you say you are most proud of, personally?

Gladden: Actually, I work as a character artist for Cartoon Network’s licensing department in Atlanta. There I draw art for products and advertising.  I don’t work on the actual shows, although I do collaborate with the shows’ creators.  I’ve drawn for The Powerpuff Girls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Billy & Mandy, to name a few.

I’m most proud of my own creations, like Hopster’s Tracks, Cricket & Plato, and The Girls of Monster Paradise. Nothing beats writing and drawing your own stuff!

Cover penciled by Stephanie Gladden

WITA: You’re teamed up with Paul Dini for Top Cow/Dinicartoons. Based on what we know of the [December] one-shot, Jingle Belle: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein, and the preview cover we’ve seen, your style seems like a perfect fit for Paul’s story. How did you end up working with Paul, and how would you describe the work environment between you two? Is there a lot of collaboration going on, or do you each do your own thing …?

Gladden: Thank you!  I’ve known Paul for a while and when he asked if I would draw some of his characters, I was very flattered.  There isn’t a huge amount of collaboration.  Generally, we trust each other to do our own thing.  But whenever Paul suggests changes to my art, I listen.  They’re his babies, so I want to do right by them!

WITA: What kind of reaction did you have when you read the story for the one-shot? What was running through your mind after you finished going through the script?

Gladden: Oh, I thought the story was hilarious!   I really like how eloquent and naive the Frankenstein monster is.  He’s like an Emo-Goth kid.  Going through the script, I could see I had my work cut out for me, but I also couldn’t wait. It had so much stuff I love to draw: cute girls, monsters, hot rods, some Polynesian-Pop.  Oh, and lots of cartoon violence, which is always entertaining.

WITA: Shifting through your website, I noticed your latest work, Cricket & Plato. Can you tell us a little about the story and what inspired the idea for it?

Gladden: Cricket & Plato is about a girl (Cricket) and her imaginary stegosaur (Plato).  Frankly, Cricket’s too old for an imaginary friend and she knows it, but Plato just keeps hanging around her.  Cricket is okay with this arrangement, when it’s just her and Plato.  But when she’s at school, or with her classmates, she’s not happy at all because she doesn’t want other people to think she’s weird.

The idea is partially taken from my own childhood.  When I was young, it was considered very strange for girls to like comics, cartoons, and monster movies.  So I hid or downplayed my love for those things away from my friends and family a lot.  Obviously, I don’t do THAT anymore!

WITA: Who have you been strongly influenced by over the years, as an artist? Who are some of the artists you admire most?

Gladden: Growing up, I was most influenced by Charles Schulz, Chuck Jones, and Berke Breathed.   But I admire the work of so many artists:  Steve Ditko, Walt Kelly, Wally Wood, Peter Bagge, Irv Spence, Robert Crumb, Lauren Faust, Jack Kirby, Mary Blair, Johnny Hart … this is getting to be a long list!

WITA: You’ve collaborated with writers and artists before—like with artist Peter Bagge on DC’s Sweatshop last year. Who have you most enjoyed working with?

Gladden: Well, Paul Dini, of course!  Actually, I enjoyed working with Peter Bagge, too.  He’s a really funny guy and very hands-on with his projects.

WITA: I asked Paul this, so I’ll ask you, too. This is completely random, but you can learn something interesting about people from the content of their desktop wallpaper. [Laughs] Do you mind sharing what yours is of? Right now mine’s Nite Owl from the March 2009 Watchmen movie …

Gladden: I have an image of some Jack Kirby art from a Hanna-Barbera presentation board for the 1967 Fantastic Four cartoon.  It’s a variation of one of his covers, and a rare piece of art—not many folks have seen it!

WITA: Thanks again, Stephanie! I really appreciate it. I’m excited to see more of your art on Jingle Belle this November!

Gladden: Thank you!  I hope you like the comic—it’s really a lot of fun.

To see more of Stephanie Gladden’s art and learn more about her, check out her official website.

Discuss: What do you think about the Dinicartoons/Top Cow one-shot?

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• Comic Book Review: Jingle Belle
• Top Cow Reveals Greg Horn Jingle Belle Cover
• Top Cow features writer Paul Dini’s Dinicartoons
• Trade Review: Madame Mirage Vol. 1 TPB