“I grew up in the '90s, so the usual suspects come to mind; Gary Larson and Bill Watterson,” Joseph Nowak shared when talking about his influences. “And although they def got me interested in the medium, I would say that above all I have looked to Dan Piraro and his work for inspiration for my cartoons. Bonus is he's still producing new comics and he answers my emails. I am grateful to have access to such a powerful and prolific player in the game.” He also mentioned, “Mœbius and Hergé are also big for me.”
On switching to digital art, Joseph admitted it wasn’t easy: “One of the main hurdles was adapting to the lack of physical feedback you get from a brush or pen, which initially made my strokes less confident.” But he added that it helped him grow: “It’s allowed for more experimentation, rapid iteration, and a more dynamic artistic style.”
“Creating and sharing these cartoons has been a way for me to clear my mind,” he said. “Although I am quite quiet socially, my head is constantly abuzz with thoughts and ideas.” He explained that his ideas often come in odd, unexpected ways: “My cartoon concepts come about in a non-sequitur kind of way so verbalizing them is often inappropriate or just not suitable.” Instead, he jots them down: “Even when I am around others and a cartoon idea comes to me, I will jot the idea in my notebook before trying to explain the joke aloud.”
As for the most rewarding part of being a cartoonist? “I take part in a couple of cartoon/comic conventions every year and meeting people unfamiliar with my work and seeing them ‘get’ them and laugh out loud is very rewarding.” He added, “There’s also a perceptible improvement in my line work over the years, which is nice.”
