Q&A with Alex, Adventures in the District Cartoonist

When did you start drawing?

I started at an early age. When I was younger, I used to be a big time anime freak and I would tape all of my favorite shows. During certain scenes, I would pause it, throw some trace paper on the screen and go at it! Yeah, I know it’s kind of crazy but that’s what led me to my career now.

Do you think there is a direct correlation between art and music?

Oh of course I do…art and music go together perfectly. Writing music is like painting a picture and requires skill, creativity and a strategy on how it will begin and end.   A good example is rhythm.  In music, rhythm can influence the character of a piece of music by making it very simple and relaxing or creating a more upbeat atmosphere. In art, one can play with the eye to make it look and feel like the image is moving by repeating elements that make the eye jump rapidly or move smoothly from one side to the other.  Not just rhythm but other things make art and music similar to each other: balance, harmony, texture, form.  So yes…I do believe there is a connection.

What provides you with inspiration for your cartoon?

My inspiration has always been the people around me and the things that I do. I was really surprised when one of my friends saw a cartoon and said, “hey…that looks like me.”  I like to take everyday life situations and go with that…draw things that people can relate to (or at least I think they can relate to).

Do your characters have names?

No I have not given them names. I want the person who is reading the comic to pretend that he/she is the character.

Is the main character modeled after you?

That is what everybody says…because in a way he does look like me.

What’s up with all the unicorns?

Ha! Unicorns are something that I know everybody finds funny…I mean come on…who doesn’t want a unicorn popping out of a box and giving you a mp3 player? I do…geezzzz

What was/is your favorite Sunday morning cartoon (print)?

Pearls Before Swine…the comic is pure genius