April 2, 2021

Disabled And Here illustrator feature: Sherm

Hi! How would you like to introduce yourself? Hey! My name is Sherm and I’m a cartoonist from the Pacific Northwest. I’ve drawn comics for Sparkler Monthly and Elements: Earth - I’ve also done flatting work for TWINS! by Shannon Wright and Artie and The Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens. I like to browse design books on eBay in my free time.

Sherm avatar

Illustrated self-portrait of Sherm, a Black person with short hair and glasses, wearing a green sweater and a neutral expression.

Ooh, design books? Illustration, industrial, or what kind of design? I like books about 3D modeling and architecture. One of my favorites is Blobjects & Beyond by Holt Skov - it’s a survey about formless, smooth, blobby design…and the book design itself is really cool. Another good one is Virtual Beauties 2020, an anthology of super detailed 3D models. You can tell a lot of care was put into sculpting them. Beautiful print quality.

How did you get into art and illustration? How would you describe your style? Discovering webcomics in 2012 got me into digital art, that’s when I started doing random art studies in my free time. My current style is kinda bubbly.

What drew you into webcomics? Are there underappreciated favorites that you think more people should check out? The themes in webcomics generally feel pretty personal - kinda niche, you know? I admire the dedication of webcomic artists. The stories were fun, colorful, and easy to read online. Attending comic conventions really solidified that admiration; experiencing someone’s artistic growth in real time is really something. I’ve been thinking about Love Me Nice and Mare Internum lately.

How do your lived experiences impact your art in general? I have nystagmus, so my eyes are constantly moving unless my head is in a specific position. I like to draw because it allows me to physically focus on one thing for a long period of time.

One of your Disabled And Here illustrations features two visually impaired people having a fun arts and crafts night, painting figurines, which seems extremely Pacific Northwest. Do you want to share a little about the inspiration and local Dungeons and Dragons scene? Figurine painting illustration

It’s a pretty common hobby around Seattle. Even if it’s not DnD specifically, I know a lot of people who are into figurine making - there are lots of Warhammer-esque shops, resin suppliers and stuff. I was inspired by people-watching at conventions and workshops.

If we imagine disability dreams and futures, what might your ideal life be like in a better world? Public transportation that goes all over! Free fare! Transit centers with amenities like food vendors, bathrooms, and lots of seating. Super wide sidewalks and streets made for pedestrians. Absolutely everything: color coded. Androids are also a necessity.

Yes to all those. Is there a dream project that you’d love to work on? I’d like to collaborate with a 3D artist someday! A graphic novel with 3D environments and 2D characters, or vice versa…something with a low polygon look. I already like to shift art styles between every other panel, so working on a project like that would be a lot of fun.

Official closer: what are the best ways to support you and your work going forward? My Twitter handle is @amoebanemone and my portfolio is sherm.link! I just launched a Patreon as well, I post sketchbook pages and blog-ish posts on there. Check it out!

Thank you!

Illustrations by Sherm
Interview by Elea Chang

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