…Kory Bing
Hi Kory, how are you?
I’m great! My Kickstarter was just recently fully funded, and now it looks like my stretch goal will make it. So I’m feeling pretty good! YIppee!
Hehe, sounds good! Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Kory Bing, and I’m a comic artist living in Portland, Oregon! I make a comic called Skin Deep, which can be read at skindeepcomic.com.
Did you study in an art school?
I went to college, and I studied art, but I didn’t go to an art school! I have a BFA in Graphic Design from Missouri State University, which has a surprisingly good graphic design program for a state school! I wish I had taken more studio art classes while I was in school though, I love art classes!
Do you think Portland is a suitable place for creatives like you?
Yes! I love living here. I’ve been here for a little under 2 years and it’s been great! There’s such an amazing atmosphere here for creative people. Maybe I’m still in the “Honeymoon Phase” of living here, but I just really like it.
When and how did you get passionate with comics?
I actually didn’t read a lot of comics when I was a kid, I was more into cartoons! I was, however, obsessed with Jeff Smith’s Bone, and that influenced me in a number of ways as a kid. I kind of came to be doing comics by accident, as I had this big story I wanted to tell, but I didn’t have the means to make a cartoon out of it and I wanted it to be visual in some way, so writing a novel didn’t appeal to me. Comics seemed to be the perfect way to tell a visual story while also being accessible enough that I could do it myself. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else with my time. I love comics!
Let’s talk about “Skin Deep”. What is it?
Skin Deep is a comic all about the secret lives of monster people. It takes place in a world where mythical creatures exist and have been living hidden from humanity for centuries, and it follows the lives of many of these creatures as they try life out a normal life. I’ve been doing it since late 2006, and currently there are over 400 pages of the comic, which can be read online at skindeepcomic.com!
How did you come up with it?
Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been making up monster characters. By the time I was in high school I had an entire cast of characters, but no story, and I started to feel like if I didn’t have a story for these characters then I was basically wasting my time with them! I’ve always been interested in folklore and mythology, and a good number of my characters were mythical creatures, and the story for Skin Deep sort of slowly evolved over several years of playing with it. By the time I was in college I had the first Skin Deep story, Orientations, mostly finished and ready to draw!
What are your plans for it?
I would like to continue this story for as long as I have story to tell! There are a lot of characters in the Skin Deep world and I would like to tell their stories! There is an overarching story with Michelle that is the “main” story, but I like telling the little day-to-day stories of different characters as well. I would like to keep telling the story as long as I am able.
What are you working on these days?
Mostly I am working on Skin Deep! But Freelance work is coming in more often, especially since I have started doing conventions and meeting up with other professionals. I recently did a cover for the Adventure Time comic book, which was a dream come true. I’m also working with author Seanan McGuire on the InCryptid Field Guide, which is an illustrated guide to the monsters found in her InCryptid book series. I love it, it’s a lot of fun!
Thank you Kory! Is there anything else would you like to say to our readers?
Thank you for interviewing me! I don’t know what else to say to your readers, other than hard work and persistence is the key to anything! I wanted to make comics for a living, and it took a lot of work and a lot of practice, but I kept with it and it paid off!
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