Bored Panda reached out to Mike, who shared a bit more about his background.
“I am an artist originally from the home of Jason Voorhees and Bruce Springsteen… New Jersey! I have worked as a professional animator/illustrator/sometimes puppet maker for many years now. I grew up loving art, cartoons, and slasher flicks, and have been fortunate enough to pursue all those interests throughout my career.”
Mike also delved deeper into what drew him to the artistry world.
“I have been making some form of art for as long as I can remember. Like a lot of kids, I was always drawing little comics and cartoons. I just never stopped doing it! I remember seeing the art in Mad Magazine and thinking how cool it would be to be able to do THAT for a job! Also, the show Tales from the Crypt had a pretty big impact on me. From there, stuff like Beavis and Butthead and Liquid Television got me very interested in animation as a medium. Eventually, I figured that someone had to be making a living doing this stuff... So why not me?”
We were wondering how Mike himself would describe his work. He shared: “Well, I guess the major theme of my work is the mixing of comedy and horror. I’ve always found the two genres pretty much interchangeable. Not surprisingly, I’m generally into pop culture from the ’80s and ’90s. I love it. Jason, Freddy, Rocky, Nirvana… it's all great! At the end of the day, I’m trying to make people laugh. I just happen to use horror films and tropes from that era as a means to do that.”
Mike also described his creative process.
“It all depends. So, I'm currently working on a short animated film. The art, animation, and script for that have been really thought out and labored over. However, most of the stuff I make for social media is super spontaneous and will randomly just come to me when I’m driving around or whatever. I try to draw or animate those ideas pretty quickly before I lose enthusiasm for them. Overall, if an idea makes me or my 8-year-old chuckle, then I’ll usually pursue it!”
As for the audience, here is what Mike wants for you to take away from his art.
“I hope it makes them laugh or even just smile. While it would be nice if they found my work aesthetically pleasing as well - a laugh is always the main objective! Also, I would hope they can get a sense of who I am through my silly cartoons. I have become friends with some of the coolest, most talented people I know because I put my work out there on social media. It's been amazing for me to connect with other people who have the same sensibilities and interests,” wrote the artist.
