How would you describe your aesthetic?
A lot of people have described it as kinetic and energetic. I want it to feel vibrant and lifelike. When someone sees my art, I want them to feel something or to wrestle with something.
I don’t want eye candy. Even with how expressive my work is, I’m still telling stories. It helps you settle into those more subtle moments, instead of everything being in your face.
How did you get your start?
I went up to New York Comic-Con a couple of times and put a portfolio in and didn’t hear anything. One time I sold my car to pay for the bus ticket to go. I talked to Neal Adams [known for his imagery of Batman and Green Arrow] and got him to critique my work; he totally trashed it the first couple of times. I talked to an editor who gave me an art test for American Vampire. He said it was very ambitious, and that was it. It was like that, over and over again.
Then, one time I went to the convention and didn’t bring a portfolio. I talked with a guy who was a fan. He said to send him some stuff and, long story short, my first real professional gig was doing a cover for Adventure Time. It propelled me and got me into my first book, Dead Letters.
Q&A with comic artist Chris Visions originally appeared in the VCUarts alumni magazine, Studio.