Alumnx Leon Buszka on collaboration, happenstance and self-motivation

"Striving for the most effective narrative imagery in each panel and page layout" is Indianapolis-based illustrator Leon Buszka's declared modus operandi of drawing comics.

Buszka graduated in 2011 with a B.F.A. in general fine arts, which later became Herron's drawing and illustration program. Since 2014, they have collaborated with Eisner Award-nominee James F. Wright to bring to life "Lupina," a six-chapter saga about a girl raised by a wolf. Two new volumes of "Lupina" are set for release early next year by Legendary Comics, an arm of Legendary Entertainment. 

In this Q&A, Buszka shares insights on how they approach collaborating, their creative process, and the challenges of freelancing while working a 9-to-5 job.

HERRON: What drew you to the storytelling medium of comics—or, as the renowned artist Will Eisner dubbed it, sequential art?

LEON BUSZKA: When I first started at Herron, I didn't really have a clear vision of what I wanted to do with art, I just loved to draw a lot. I actually didn't even read a lot of comics. I drew silly comics with my brother and friends as a child for fun. I didn't really consider it seriously until a friend online introduced me to independent comics.

I had always seen comics as an inaccessible path. When creators or artists become successful, they become celebrities in a way, and I wasn't aware until I got older how many of us view ourselves as disconnected from someone who has achieved success. I think I viewed a lot of published art that way. When this friend exposed me to independent comics, that shattered my misinformed view and it showed me that anyone can do it if they really wanted to.

HERRON: How did the "Lupina" story come into being, or how did you get connected with James F. Wright?

Long story short, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right people. From there, we just chatted about our inspirations for the story. Our passions and senses of humor brewed the foundations of what would eventually develop into "Lupina." We continue to draw from our own inspirations and combine them into something we feel good about.

It's been amazing to see it fleshed out further with the coloring skills of the United Kingdom-based illustrator Bex Glendining. Collaboration is fun because getting to see what your co-creators come up with is like receiving a gift. It's cool to see how other people approach things in their own way, and I love how we all bring our best to grow this story.

HERRON: Earlier this year, Legendary Comics announced the publishing of two new "Lupina" volumes. How did Legendary catch wind of your story and decide to pick it up?

BUSZKA: James deserves a ton of credit for this. He's been going to comic conventions for years, connecting with friends and creators, putting the work out into the world. I've taken some years off from conventions to save money, so I can't say enough how much I appreciate his efforts. He also did the work of hiring reps whose mission is helping creators get fair supportive agreements. None of this could have happened without all of their wonderful work.

HERRON: What all goes into creating a self-published comic?

Before Legendary came into the picture, we weren't on a schedule, so it was totally self-motivated and done in our free time. We spent a year developing the concept sketches and story breakdowns, then it took me another six months to a year to draw the thumbnail sketches and another year for me to complete the pencils and inks. I was drawing everything traditionally as opposed to digitally, from thumbnails to inks, then scanned everything for digital coloring and lettering. It was a much slower process. Now, we've got our own systems figured out for more efficient productivity and I'm doing everything digitally now, aside from the thumbnails.

HERRON: What does a typical day look like for you as a freelance artist?

BUSZKA: I go to my 9-to-5 job, then head home for a quick meal before getting into art mode. Depending on the stage of process I'm in, this could either look like taking my sketchbook out to a cozy place to grab a beer and churn out rough thumbnail sketches, or sitting at my laptop with videos or music playing in the background as I draw comic pages using a Wacom tablet.

About an hour before bedtime, I'll call it a night and wind down with a comic, TV show, or video game. This helps me feel like I'm keeping some balance in my life, and fuels inspiration for the project I'm working on.

HERRON: How do you stay motivated when you're juggling work and illustration projects while on deadline?

BUSZKA: Years ago, the desire of eventually working on something I actually enjoyed while simultaneously growing and improving kept me motivated. Even during times of low productivity, I was still trying to draw just for fun. I think I would still have to draw anyway to sustain my well-being, just as anyone needs a fun challenge to keep life interesting and enjoyable.

When my collaborator, James, and I were self-publishing "Lupina" as a passion project, I would struggle with doubt that the years of effort would bear any fruit. What kept me going through those five years was the decision that I wanted to be working on this project anyway, because the reward was in the fun and challenge of creating a story we cared about.

Now that the project has been picked up, I feel driven to follow through with it to completion. Along the way, I'm learning new things and picking up new inspiration, which keeps it feeling new and fresh.

HERRON: How did you start working as a courtroom sketch artist? What's the most challenging part of that work?

BUSZKA: Fox 59 News contacted instructors at Herron in search of an artist for Jared Fogle's sentencing hearing in 2016. Kathleen O'Connell, my former illustration instructor at Herron, called me to inform me of the opportunity.

The most challenging part is having to take mental snapshots of people in order to sketch them. It's similar to the challenge of figure drawing, but the people don't hold a pose for you. The client also wants drawings of important people and being able to get a good enough view is often tricky. A lot of my energy is spent trying to get a good enough idea of someone's features to be able to sketch a likeness.

HERRON: What percentage of your waking hours are spent drawing?

BUSZKA: 25%. It would be much more if I didn't work a 9-to-5 job.

HERRON: Do you prefer pencil and paper or stylus and tablet? What other tools are in your arsenal?

BUSZKA: I use a stylus and tablet for efficiency and convenience, though, I really love ink and a brush on paper. It helps that people have developed digital brushes that can recreate the texture, but I have a bad habit of gripping my stylus too tight whereas I'm much lighter and freer with a brush. I haven't been able to break that habit, so if I feel my hand slowly being destroyed, I may soon invest in a larger flatbed scanner and go back to ink and paper.