Last year saw the first Creators for Creators artistic grant given out by a group of some of the best talents in comics today, with M. Dean announced as the inaugural recipient on the strength of her new project called I Am Young. This year saw the grant return again, once more with organizers Nick Dragotta and David Brothers pairing up with industry professionals like Brian K. Vaughan, Spike Trotman, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Joe Keatinge and more to find new and emerging international comics talent.
This year's recipient is Desvitio, a webcomics writer and artist whose current project is called David's Gate. It's a fantasy adventure series about a young boy, David, who lives in a place called Terravitio. The world is enclosed by a strange barrier called The Wilderness -- and the story sees David tasked with hand-delivering a strange and powerful sword to a group of people he has never met before. His journey brings him face to face with terrifying monsters and strange companions. The comic so far has been a wonderful piece, telling a strange and curious story with visual flair.
CBR spoke to Desvitio about his reaction to finding out that he is the recipient of 2018's Creators for Creators grant. We also spoke to organizers Dragotta and Brothers and some of the judges to find out what it was about Desvitio's storytelling that brought him to their attention.
CBR: Firstly, let's talk to some of the judges a little. What excites you about the Creators for Creators grant, and this year's recipient, Desvitio?
Brian K. Vaughan: In a medium where we’re all taking inspiration from someone, Desvitio somehow feels wholly unique. And his skill as a visual storyteller is just absurd, especially given his age. I can’t wait to see what he imagines next.
Joe Keatinge: The fact both Creators for Creators recipients not only vary so wildly from each other but comics as a whole is one of my favorite aspects of our grant. Desvitio's a wildly imaginative creator and one I greatly look forward to following.
How would you describe his artistic style, and what impressed you most about Desvitio’s specific approach to storytelling?
David Brothers: I should leave the more specific descriptions to Nick, but for me, his style struck me as being... I'd have to call it soft (due to the palette) but dense (due to the storytelling). He packs a lot of info in, whether dedicating small panels to a silent reaction image or a big panel to architecture or nature. He's got a great grasp of storytelling with bodies, like you can see on page eleven of the David's Gate prologue on his site. When someone can control the reader's eye to this extent, I tend to sit up and take notice.
Nick Dragotta: The style is pure Desvitio. It’s organic, his world feels alive and real. His drawing is so mature for his age. I really love the finishes on the work. There's beautiful, delicate mark-making and coloring that retains the energy of the initial drawing and ideas. You can feel his love for nature, the panels are barely able to contain the world he’s creating. In terms of storytelling, Des explores the micro and the macro of the world and does it with clarity and vagueness. Not an easy balance to pull off, and I feel like he’s really attempting something here. It left me wanting to read more. I want to see where this is going.
Was there a specific point when you were reading his work that you knew this was the comic you wanted to recognize for this year’s grant? What was it that excited you about David's Gate?
Brothers: Less a specific point than an overall vibe. David's Gate's palette is really interesting to me, the way Desvitio uses a limited number of colors, and the way that palette evolves over the course of the story he's telling really struck me. Color is often the first thing you notice about a comic, and that happens well before the story and line art sink in, and he's got a palette that immediately caught my attention. That kind of creative decision-making is where the fun happens in comics, and I think Desvitio really found an engaging and fascinating approach to telling his story.
Dragotta: There was too many great, deserving submissions this year, to pinpoint just one thing would be unfair. It’s the culmination of everything that Desvitio does. You sense the energy of an imaginative young artist with extremely talented gifts just getting started. I can’t wait to see where he takes us.
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Desvitio, congratulations! What encouraged you to first send your work to the judges for this year’s grant?
Desvitio: I had actually heard about the grant last year, but at the time I didn't have anything to submit that I felt was a good representation of what I wanted to do. I forgot about it until I came across another retweet, and by then I had already been working towards my comic for a little less than a year. There wasn't much coming my way regarding monetary support towards it, and the idea of the project being my main source of income was a dream to me, so it wasn't a chance I could pass up.
Do you have a background in comics, or art, or was this a project you worked in your spare time -- a passion project?
I have a background in reading comics and appreciating art if that's a thing. The work I've done in regards to art has mostly been academic, not like an art school per se, but as a course amongst other courses. I found myself drawn to it, but it was rarely something that got me excited.
I'm not quite sure how to put it, but despite consuming lots of entertainment and media since I was young, I would say it's only in the past 3 years that I've become conscious as to knowing what type of art and work I truly wanted to do, and this project is the first time I've fully committed to creating something I would love to work on now and in the future.
I would definitely call it a passion project.
What is the comic which won this year’s grant, David’s Gate, about?
I would describe David's Gate as a fantasy adventure story.
The story focuses on a young and curious herdboy from The Wilderness named David. He finds himself away from his home, tasked with the impossible mission of looking for a specific people he knows nothing about and to deliver a strange sword to them. Along his journey a few unfortunate souls catch his attention, and with their fates intertwined, they try to find their place in this mysterious setting.
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It’s set within Terravitio -- a universe you’ve created, and which you want to use as the setting for several comics over the next few years, hopefully. Can you tell us a bit more about what Terravitio is like?
Terravitio is a mythologically inspired place of great striving. Its known civilizations are surrounded by a paranormal barrier of progress, referred to as The Wilderness. The Inhabitants of these civilizations find themselves always at odds with what The Wilderness throws at them. Strange otherworldly beings, deadly Wilderness Beasts, incurable diseases and tectonic disasters are just a few problems that challenge Terravitio's populace. Despite all this, they find ways to guard themselves against it, and continue to move forward. In their daily struggle against The Wilderness, they hope to one day unravel the many secrets it holds.
When did you have the idea for the story -- what made this a story you wanted to tell, as a comic?
I started thinking of this story during the start of my second year of university in 2015. The course wasn't really going as I expected, but then I saw Jake Parker's Inktober prompt. At this point I had vague intentions of making my own comic world for certain creative concepts in mind, but I had never really found time to sit down and draw for it. I decided to challenge myself and see if I could make characters and backgrounds, and just create some things towards it. At the end I felt this sense of accomplishment that I don't think I had experienced before in regards to my own art.
Not much of what I drew for it has really stuck with me since, but I would say it opened my eyes to things I could potentially make, and I think it was also around this time that I really started paying attention to how comics, animation and the general media I consumed were made. Since then I've been drawing and "writing" things for the project that I hope can sometime see the light of day.
As for telling the story as a comic? 2Danimation and comics are both forms of art I'm most passionate about. I looked around me and the latter seemed like the most realistic choice.
What is your artistic approach? How do you work on comics -- digitally, physically?
Both! Once I've settled on a vague script, I make a bunch of sketches in pencil, of scenes as I see them, and then I start to piece together how they can work cohesively in a page, with the intent of the overall narrative always in mind. I do my comic lines traditionally before switching over to digital for the color and touch-ups. I love the energy and the handmade feeling that traditional media generally gives. I also tend to work on one page at a time, there's always a sense of euphoria whenever I step back and look at a new completed page. There are likely more efficient ways to work on comics though, some of which I'm looking into.
What does winning the grant mean for you? How will it change your plans through 2018 and beyond, do you think?
It feels like a miracle. It couldn't have come at a better time for me. I took a year off of looking for industry jobs to see how far I could push my creative endeavors. The year-long support from the government towards my "business plan" had come to an end just a week before I got the phone call that I was the recipient of the grant. I'm blown away whenever I think about it.
A lot went into being able to make the work I've been enabled to make until now, and for it to pay off with an opportunity like this, I'm so thankful.
My aims going forward consist of completing two books by the end of next year, The first book of David's Gate (being the priority), and an art book (with maybe some guest art) for a mini series I'm doing called Parumpasser.
Many thanks to Desvitio and the Creators for Creators team for offering their time! To find out more about the grant, head to the website here - and you can find Desvitio's comic David's Gate right here.