Working as an intern for JP Ahonen

 Working for JP Ahonen

Maybe one of my proudest moment careervise has been the opportunity to work as an intern for finnish comic artist J.P. Ahonen, thanks to my graphic design studies in Ikata of college of crafts and design. I had been reading his comics before and it felt like a dream come true when he responded to my message and had an interview and chose me to work with him and his photographer wife Marjaana Malkamäki for four months time. It was an amazing opportunity to see the daily life of a comic artist and a photographer. They were both super cool but still down to earth and I learned a lot about being a freelancer. 

This blogpost will be focusing to the work I did for J.P. Ahonen because while assisting a photographer was amazing, my own career goals are more focused to the comics, stories and animation.

J.P.: and the very same office I was working in :D

J.P. Ahonen is known in Finland and also abroad especially because of his comic series called Villimpi Pohjola, Perkeros and Belzebubs.

Covers of the Villimpi Pohjola comic books:

A page from Perkeros comic:

Belzebubs cover art:

When I worked for J.P, he had a lot of work to do and was happy to take an intern to help with that. His comics appeared weekly in the magazine and he had history book illustrations to do for students. Also Belzebubs started to really take off that time. My work was mainly coloring the flat colors and later also doing the shadows. Here are some examples:

So the typical day would be that J.P. had some linearts for me ready to color:

First flat colors:

Then the shadows:

Sometimes he would have some color references ready for me. He said that he uses the colors of mud and dirt, and I think that was hilarious. I think his colors are amazing. I remember that he had labelled one of the colors "death" because that was the name and color of his cat character.

Color references for Villimpi Pohjola comic strip:

Ready flat colors:

He did the final magic touches but I was lucky enough to sometimes make shadows:

Thoughts:

I had really good experience working with him and I think because of it I know what it takes to be a comic artist and create stories and comics of your own. His advise for how to learn to draw is just do it, just start from where you are. How common answer but so true!

It is amusing how I remember liking the coloring process. Today I find it so boring and annoyingly slow that I dream to be able to get an intern for myself! I hope it means I have learned to like the creative process of drawing now more than before.