Hello my lovies, old Uncle Dunfy is back with another installment of The Indie Corner. Here at The Indie Corner I take a look at comics and creators outside of Marvel and DC and give them the attention they deserve. For this installment I will be interviewing Alonso Nunez who operates The Little Fish Comic Book Studio here in San Diego. Alonso is an independent creator who helps independent creators, here’s our little talk about Little Fish Comic Book Studio.
Matt Dunford: Alonso thanks for sitting down with me for our latest Indie Corner interview. Could you start by telling the readers here at Comic Impact a little about yourself?
Alonso Nunez: Matt thanks for having me on. I am a third-generation San Diegan, a professional comic book creator and instructor and an unabashed geek for all things comics. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in ’09 with a degree in comics (don’t get more nerdy than that!) and I am the co-founder and owner of Little Fish Comic Book Studio.
Matt Dunford: And speaking of Little Fish that’s the reason why we’re here. So can you tell us a little about Little Fish Comic Book Studio?
Alonso Nunez: Little Fish Comic Book Studio was founded by Patrick Yurick and myself in 2012 as an all-ages studio where, regardless of age or current ability, people can come and learn the techniques, theories and skills associated with the comic book art form. We also act as small publisher, publishing my own work of course but also the work of students who are at that stage in their own process.
Matt Dunford: What is it like being a studio that helps the independent creators help find their creative voice and establish projects?
Alonso Nunez: It’s an incredibly rewarding and humbling experience to be trusted by individuals with the task of helping their project come to life and reach out to its intended audience.
Our student body (excluding our summer camps, which can be much younger) is 15-32 in age. There is a vast difference of experiences, worldview and artistic drives there but each creator has a truth or an artistic goal unique to them and our curriculum and class structure is designed to be capable of adapting to any creator’s particular need.
And it’s amazing to then watch two separate world views bounce of each other in a creative way!
Matt Dunford: You’re about to enter your second year of the studio’s second year. What were the challenges you faced during this first year?
Alonso Nunez: During the first year of the studio, every day felt like reinventing the wheel. To some extent I’m sure every new business owner feels like that, but I had to in many ways create something brand new. “Do you sell comics” (Not like a comic store) “I draw manga, is that okay?” (Yes) I’ve never drawn before but I want to learn, is that something you do?” (Absolutely!)
Beyond that, there was the natural adjustment of curriculum, outreach and planning for what worked and what didn’t. Getting the word out in a city this big, demographically and geographically, is a challenge; but the community has been enthusiastic and incredibly supportive.
Matt Dunford: Little Fish Comic Studio has also taken up a role in San Diego’s artistic community exhibiting at Chicano Park and the Children’s Museum. Could you tell us about your involvement with those projects?
Alonso Nunez: I first learned about Figment from Kelly McDaniel, who was gathering artists for it. It, and New Children’s Museum’s Mass Creativity Day, which followed a month or so later, were driven by the involvement of the public in art and in creating art; a fantastic endeavor and a big passion of mine. I actually based the Figment project on an activity I did with my daughter’s preschool where we created two new superheroes using input from all the kids. I took that and made it huge (fifteen feet!) and set up shop in Chicano Park, the location of Figment’s event and one of San Diego’s most historic and beautiful locations. Working with Patrick Yurick, we then took that idea to New Children’s Museum for Mass Creativity Day, transforming it into a comic along the way.
We also did a series of workshops with New Children’s Museum later that month, creating superhero murals and doing some superhero caricatures. It’s been a fantastic partnership working with a ‘big fish’!
Alonso Nunez: We launched a series of summer camps this year, and the centerpiece was naturally our “Comic Con Artist Intensive”, an ambitious project where the students wrote comics, based on a common theme, developed the script into thumbnails and then penciled, inked and lettered the book- all in three days; and then, after getting books printed the next day, the students sold the books at Little Fish’s booth at San Diego Comic Con and presented about it on a panel. Ages ranged from fourteen to thirty-two and everyone did an amazing job. It was a huge undertaking, and they rose to the challenge every step of the way.
Matt Dunford: And what are the plans that you have for the Little Fish Studio as it enters its next year?
Alonso Nunez: This fall we’ve got a lot of great things coming up. Like I said early, we’ve had a ton of success this summer with younger students and so beginning this September we’re introducing a Young Artist class, held Fridays from 4:30-6:30, for students aged 8-12. I’m super excited about it. Also, we’ve got some projects and events in development with organizations we’re partnering with and we continue to move forward with student projects such as Effren Villanueva’s “Squids & Rainbows”, a webcomic. And of course, we’ve already started planning for next year’s SDCC. It’s exciting times for Little Fish Comic Book Studio!
Matt Dunford: And this year at Comic-Con you hosted the 4-Day Comic Challenge with Klaus Janson. What was that process like from start to finish with the students and working with such an industry legend?
Alonso Nunez: We launched a series of summer camps this year, and the centerpiece was naturally our “Comic Con Artist Intensive”, an ambitious project where the students wrote comics, based on a common theme, developed the script into thumbnails and then penciled, inked and lettered the book- all in three days; and then, after getting books printed the next day, the students sold the books at Little Fish’s booth at San Diego Comic Con and presented about it on a panel. Ages ranged from fourteen to thirty-two and everyone did an amazing job. It was a huge undertaking, and they rose to the challenge every step of the way.
Matt Dunford: And what are the plans that you have for the Little Fish Studio as it enters its next year?
Alonso Nunez: This fall we’ve got a lot of great things coming up. Like I said early, we’ve had a ton of success this summer with younger students and so beginning this September we’re introducing a Young Artist class, held Fridays from 4:30-6:30, for students aged 8-12. I’m super excited about it. Also, we’ve got some projects and events in development with organizations we’re partnering with and we continue to move forward with student projects such as Effren Villanueva’s “Squids & Rainbows”, a webcomic. And of course, we’ve already started planning for next year’s SDCC. It’s exciting times for Little Fish Comic Book Studio!
Matt Dunford: Alonso as we come to our conclusion do you have anything else that you would like to share about the Little Fish Comic Book Studio with the readers here at Comic Impact?
Alonso Nunez: Yeah, anyone that’s interested should contact me through the website (lilfish.us) and if you’re here in the San Diego area, we’re going to have a big anniversary party on Friday, August 30th at 7:00 PM. We also have a free demo class, Saturday Morning Cartooning, every second Saturday. Mention it in an email if you’re interested; the demo class is a great way to try out the studio and our unique, collaborative approach to comics.
Matt Dunford: Sounds great, Alonso thank you so much for joining us here at Comic Impact’s Indie Corner.
Alonso Nunez: Thank you Matt. It was my pleasure.
And thus concludes another lovely interview with an independent creator. Be sure to check out Alonso and The Little Fish Studio at the following links.
- http://www.lilfish.us/
- https://www.facebook.com/alonso.nunez?fref=ts
- http://www.squidsandrainbows.com/
– Uncle Dunfy
MattD@comicimpact.com