Ogden artist Chris Bodily is an illustrator whose cartoon drawings, including covers for Utah Stories, magazine have both a whimsical and realistic portrayal that defines his style.
But wait, there’s more!
For the past three years, he has been working on a multi-volume graphic novel titled Black Lantern. It follows a group of paranormal investigators including a talking cat named Julius. The first 250-page installment will be out soon thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that raised $15,000 in five days. The project will likely spin-off as a brand with such products as a tarot deck design.
Bodily is a classic illustrator, preferring pencil and pen to channel his creativity. “I am constantly drawing, at least eight hours per day. I go to a restaurant and will draw on the place setting. I feel most balanced and focused when I am drawing.”
This love for art started as a child and progressed through studying technique at Southern Utah University. Upon graduating he realized his challenge would be to parley his abilities into a livelihood. “Being a freelance artist is not the most stable way to earn an income.”
Facing this question he said there are three rules that all starting artists should follow –
1) value your time and talent
2) avoid spec work
3) establish different streams of income.
But most important for Chris is for artists to “remember the story they want to tell.”
Hear more from Chris Bodily discussing the craft of becoming an artist on the Utah Stories podcast.
