José A Nieto dropped by All Ages of Geek with “Galaxy-Boy Delivery” giving some inspiration to illustrators of all ages. On this KidLit Creator Interview, José tells us about his creative process, inspirations and what makes him create.
José is from Mérida Venezuela, with several published books under his wing and a knack to create engaging stories for kids. Some titles include “Granny’s Vintage Camera”, “Shhh Karsyn” and “Black Girl Magic”. The stories he creates help kids learn and understand their feelings and themselves a bit better, making the illustrations interactive, colorful and inviting for even parents, teachers and librarians.
And if you’re looking to hone your skills as an illustrator consider taking a class from Skillshare with 30% off when you join with All Ages of Geek’s affiliate program.
What makes your work different?
My background as a person, being a Latino boy influenced by all sorts of American and Japanese media as well as our own Venezuelan culture.
Who is your support team for your work?
My girlfriend and of course my awesome agent Lane Clark.
Where do you usually work? Home studio? Study room? Cafe?
I love staying at home and doing everything from my trusty laptop.
List 3 books that inspire you!
Invicible comic series by Robert Kirkman, Luther Strode comic series by Justin Jordan and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
What are some worlds you’d like to explore in fiction?
I’d love to have a shot at dark fantasy, Guillermo del Toro style.
What’s your favorite tool to create with? Pencil? Digital? Typewriter? Computer?
I moved from pencil and ink to Photoshop and never looked back.
How do you create characters?
As with any other piece I like to gather tons and tons of references before moving forward, and I usually try to base said character on one or several real life people to give it a bit more life.
What types of stories do you want more or personally?
Characters looking at themselves from within and discovering and understanding how and why they came to be.
What was your first picture book, comic, etc?
My first comic was Deadpool’s Merc with a Mouth, loads of good memories right there.
Who inspired you as a kid?
Spiderman for sure!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I have no idea, gonna have to ask my mom about this one. Sorry.
What can All Ages of Geek do more for the kidlit world? What do you want to see us do?
Definitely more interviews like this to give creators a bit of a spotlight on their work.
What do you think about All Ages of Geek? Who do you think we should interview next? Any creators you want to give a special shout out to?
I think you are doing some good with your platform for sure! I’d like to give a shout out to all of the artists that Lane represents a part from me, and would love to hear their answers to these questions. I nominate; @thaisfinger; @lilistrations; @brushedrose; @MLettisArt; @lacarterbooks; @anawiththekey.
Where can people find your work online?
You can find my work and links to my social media at: https://joseanieto.carrd.co/