Today we’d like to introduce you to Braedyn Dochterman.
Hi Braedyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I began drawing for as long as I can remember. It started out as a hobby for me when I was a toddler until my drawing skills impressed my classmates and teachers that they encouraged me to become an artist. It was around elementary school that I decided I should become an artist – more specifically, a cartoonist because I enjoy doodling and using a pen. It was at Iowa City West High School where I introduced my artistic talent to a wider audience when I became an editorial cartoonist for West Side Story, where most of my cartoons focus on student life, sports, politics, and popular culture.
After graduating from high school in May 2017 before attending at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I began as a freelance cartoonist – I usually make and publish cartoons (including comic strips, illustrations, and caricatures) for myself than for the audience but I eventually realized that I can create these cartoons for my viewers as well. I usually draw people and places in a half-realistic and half-cartoonish style, but as the years fly by, my art style further improved and I explored other subjects.
All thanks to these ideas and creations, I was recognized by the art world where I became an editorial cartoonist for The Daily Iowan in Iowa City, IA, a graphic design intern for the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, IA, and a pumpkin artist for Passion for Pumpkins in Apple Valley, MN. I am currently a freelance cartoonist and I am still open for more opportunities.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have been a few pros and cons for being a freelance cartoonist.
For benefits, I am more independent with my cartoons. Having complete control on what to draw and publish makes me a happier person. Though sometimes I need to talk to several people before I could draw and publish just to make sure, what matters is that I am capable of working for myself which can lead to a healthy and joyful path of drawing.
However, as much as I enjoy being a freelance cartoonist, it can be kind of boring, especially at home. There have been days when I would go to a coffee shop or a library just to keep me motivated. I like to explore different environments to keep me focused. Hopefully, when I do work for someone else, I would like my own office space because it’s an environment different from my home but it keeps me motivated to draw.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My biggest goal to make cartoons, especially comic books and zines, editorial cartoons, logos, and cover art for books, magazines, and albums. I am open to all kinds of mediums.
I mostly draw people and places but I am open to all subjects, usually based on interest and experimentation.
I believe I am known for my character designs – their anatomical structure is reminiscent to Disney character designs from films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid, but I kept some cartoony characteristics in them such as having big eyes, rubber hose-like arms and legs, and lack of detailed facial structures (such as cheekbones and jawlines). I’ve also been influenced by manga and anime thanks to its combination of the realistic body structure with additional cartoon elements.
I am proud of all of my cartoons, but I say the most I’m proud are on my online Wix portfolio and what were published on The Daily Iowan and West Side Story. I am also proud of presenting my work during my time at MCAD.
What sets me apart from other artists of today is that we’re headed to a new age of digital art while I want to appreciate the past. I do digital art myself and I am very happy trying something new, but I am more comfortable with the traditional and hand-drawn medium because it’s what I’ve been doing since I was a toddler. I’m more devoted to the old-school while my peers are exploring new mediums.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think not a lot of people know is that I can do more than just making cartoons. Obviously, it is what I want to be, but I am capable of other art projects as well. I can make paintings, especially of landscapes and landmarks. It’s more of a hobby for me and for the upcoming art sale this November, but I am open for commissions if anyone would like a portrait, a landscape and a landmark painting. While I barely worked on clay and wielding, I am capable of those mediums as well… just going to need the equipment at home.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://braedyndochterman.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braedyn_dochterman_art/
Image Credits
Braedyn Dochterman
