@bodieh

Instagram: @bodieh Twitter: www.twitter.com/@bodieh Facebook: www.facebook.com/slowquestpage Website: www.slowquest.com

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

I live in Perth, Western Australia and have been here my whole life. I'm definitely ready to take my zines on the road though. There's no crazy story, I have always been an illustrator in some way, only taking it seriously in the last few years after really enjoying making a webcomic for a year(it's called Creeps and was a comic based around the quirks of Minecraft).

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

My aesthetic leans in hard on early Dungeons & Dragons rulebook style ink-drawings and I'm also influenced by the modern styles of popular cartoons like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and anything with prominent inkwork and flat colouring.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

Felt tipped ink pens on smooth, thick paper. I like to feel in control of what's going down, as well as the permanence of it which requires confidence in what I'm drawing(as opposed to digital drawing which I can just CTRL+Z and re-draw everything over and over.)

4. What is your artistic process like?

I tend to jump into projects without planning too much, and with start exploring the idea first. I will produce a bunch of drawings and see what inspires me, then I will start planning and bringing structure to the idea.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

Playing Dungeons & Dragons inspires me a lot, it's something I get to do with friends where we're all being creative in a super positive environment. As for actually doing the work, my girlfriend Alina (@giantpansy on instagram) is a big inspiration, she's such a hard working artist that it's hard not to feel like working on something when I see all that she's accomplishing.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

Making art gives me purpose. When I'm not working on something or creating, I feel lost and anxious. I don't think my zines are changing people's lives or anything, it's more that there's lots of little bits of me out there in the world and that feels incredibly satisfying and rewarding.

7. Where did you study?

I studied at TAFE in Perth, Australia. For anyone not in Australia, it's a government-run alternative to University. I studied Animation, Film and then Graphic Design (I was pretty indecisive). Studying was an easy time for me, I had lots of spare time to be creative (most of which I spent playing Minecraft).

8. Where do you see yourself in five years? Working in an agency?

I've never liked the idea of working in an agency, I'm more of an in-house kind of designer. In five years I want to have a nice portfolio of zines that I take on the road with me to different art-book/comic/zine cons and shows around the world.

9. What about in ten?

In ten years I'd like to have dropped graphic design altogether and be solely working on my illustration. and maybe have a dog.

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

100k insta followers. Not really (but really), I aim to build my art practice up slowly and take it more seriously as time goes on. I have a lot of ideas for projects that are a bit too ambitious and/or costly for the moment.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

Potato salad, or Chips and Gravy... Or any potato-based foods.

12. Favourite book?

Dinotopia, by James Gurney. He's on instagram actually and is really impressive but kind of bizarre. He shared a video of him doing oil painting in a forest while riding a unicycle today. Also The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

13. Favourite genre of music?

Indie rap and Sea shanties (that's two separate genres, unfortunately)

14. What are your hobbies?

I play D&D and Street Roller Hockey, I also like playing quirky multiplayer indie games. Also board games. Also cuddling my girlfriend.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

I think a bus driver or a postman.