GVN: Hello Bre! Thank you for taking the time to speak with Geek Vibes Nation about your upcoming graphic novel with Rey Terciero, Northanger. Could you start by telling our readers about yourself and how you became an illustrator?
My name is Bre Indigo: Bre is short for Bre’Anna and Indigo is my middle name. I’m a messy little guy that dwells in SoCal with my wife, but I was born and raised in Michigan. I grew up drawing at any opportunity I could, and I was very fortunate to have a family that could appreciate my potential and encouraged me to keep building my skill. I joined deviantART in high school and began drawing commissions to save up some money. After graduating, I attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College with a focus on animation and eventually started my first comic “Jamie”. I would write, draw, and upload it weekly on the website/platforms Tapas, Webtoon, and the now-defunct SmackJeeves, where it surprisingly built up a reader base. I got involved in the creative community on Tapas which led to having conversations with other creators about the direction of webcomics – but still, I treated it as a hobby.
After graduating with an associate’s degree, and working a few jobs that didn’t vibe with me, I took off to California with almost nothing and moved in with my long-distance girlfriend and her sister. I started working part-time at a movie theater while doing freelance commissions and continuing “Jamie” on the side. Unsatisfied with that routine, I applied to the Nickelodeon Artist program and made it to the 2nd stage before that door closed. While it was a bummer, I found it was good for me because it resulted in a deeper lean into comics. 3 years into the same routine I was doubting my future and didn’t know where I wanted to go. I had continued working on “Jamie” consistently in my spare time mostly because it began bringing in a little pocket money through Tapas, Webtoon, and Patreon. But, I changed gears regardless and started working for a wedding photography studio as an album designer because it paid better. All I can say is it wasn’t a good fit for both parties and as painful as it was at the time, I’m grateful they let me go because it provided unemployment which allowed me to work on “Jamie” uninterrupted, as well as take time to seek other opportunities.
About 6 months later – almost out of the blue – I was contacted by Michael Son of Tapas who asked if I was interested in illustrating the graphic novel “Meg Jo Beth and Amy” with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Tapas. To be transparent, I was terrified. I was still so tender from being fired and had a terrible sense of self-worth but I knew that this would be good for me – even just as a growing opportunity, so I lept in. I learned a LOT on the job with that first project but also met so many amazing folks, including Rey, who was so incredibly patient and warm with his advice through our time working together. Shortly after Meg Jo came out Rey introduced me to his agent Brent Taylor and then he started representing me too and we signed two deals together. One is Northranger, also with Rey, and the 2nd is The Dog Knight with Jeremy Whitley. That pretty much catches us up to the present, but I’m excited to see what happens next!
GVN: How did you end up partnering with Rey on this project?
We met on the “Meg Jo Beth and Amy” graphic novel that came out in 2019 and liked collabing together so much we decided to do it again, haha.
GVN: What’s your process when it comes to designing characters? Do you use real-life people as inspiration?
I don’t know if I do anything too different from other character designers, but I’m happy to share. For Northranger, Rey provided a written description of the cast, but it was fairly loose. For example, Cade was described as “Latino, wears t-shirts and shorts” and Henry was “Caucasian ginger, wears plaid button up shirts and a cowboy hat from time to time.” So I had a lot of wiggle room to work with and I appreciated it. Yes, I do observe real people’s physical traits, but that is something I do passively as an artist all the time. But, what I get to do at this stage is essentially make the cast more interesting visually to me because I know that just means they’ll be more interesting to the reader. I take that original description given by Rey and make it believable that the characters live in that environment. That can be as simple a decision as drawing Henry in cowboy boots rather than sneakers, or something a little more unnecessary but interesting, like giving Cade long hair rather than short because he seems like a character that wants to hide himself. Then it’s interesting to see how someone like Cade would adapt when put outside under the hot sun all day.
Would he get a haircut or just throw it up in a messy ponytail? I also make sure to be extra annoying to my future self and plan outfits for the characters in each scene, just to make them feel even more alive. I understand why some characters have fixed outfits in certain media but I never liked doing that in my art, it just breaks the immersion so much for me. Besides, clothing is one of the most important elements of our own life with regard to personal expression, so of course readers appreciate and get vital information from the way a character dresses. There is also body language and how expressive a character is to keep in mind on every page that will further help readers get a better read on their personality. Do they close off their bodies by crossing their arms more often than others? Do they avoid eye contact or slouch? Do they have strong facial expressions or muted ones? It’s a lot to keep in mind if you want to make interesting characters, but I find it’s worth the effort if done mindfully.
GVN: What was your favorite part of illustrating Northranger? Do you have a favorite character or setting to illustrate?
It’s hard to choose because I got to do a lot of firsts with this project. Like, taking time to appreciate Texas for the beautiful land that it is, having an excuse to learn to draw dogs, horses, mansions, trucks, and cowboy hats finally, and finding time to watch a lot of the classic horror flicks that the boys chat over and learn from those director’s artistic visions. Because as the artist of this comic, I design the set, place the cameras, and direct the actor’s actions all while letting the characters bring their own flavor to the role, so it was fun getting to work on this hybrid genre and think outside of my comfort zone. I also enjoyed the challenge of finding a balance between comfort and distress with the art style and monochrome color restrictions. I hope that I pulled it off!
My favorite character to draw was Abuelita, she is my heart and I loved drawing her family pampering her. And as for setting, I loved drawing the Northranger house, even if it was a literal nightmare of a challenge.
GVN: What do you hope that readers, especially young LGBT readers, take away from Northranger?
I just hope that someone feels seen or can relate and feel less alone. I hope that those who don’t relate can empathize, and I hope that anything I help create can simply contribute to a more loving and inclusive future where we communicate more openly and honestly with others and ourselves.
GVN: What do you find to be the most rewarding part of being an illustrator?
I feel truly lucky that I have a skill that helps bring the intangible to reality. When I was doing character commissions I looked forward to the client’s reaction more than the pay. It warmed my heart to help bring someone’s vision to life and to see them see their idea realized. That’s how I feel about Northranger and my other books too. It’s great to draw it all out, to be in the moment when making those artistic decisions, but nothing beats getting a comment saying “This resonates with me”. It makes it all worth it because this is my way to connect with others.
GVN: Do you have any advice for aspiring illustrators?
I’ll share some of the lessons I learned so far, and hopefully, you’ll have heard them earlier than I did.
- Even if you put A LOT of yourself into your art, when people criticize it, it’s not a personal attack. Take what you need and brush off the rest. You don’t have to please everyone with your art and you should only create work that you are passionate about. But also be open-minded to feedback given in good faith. It’s good to be flexible and learn new things, not be afraid to experiment, and have fun with your art.
- Try to be your own biggest cheerleader, and believe in your ability to learn as you go. You don’t have to reach a certain ability before you start a project, because you’ll never get to that level if you don’t practice.
- Speaking of practice, if you don’t know how to draw something you should draw it, a lot! Remember, I learned to draw dogs, horses, mansions, trucks, and cowboy hats with Northranger alone!
- Try to focus on the present moment and what you’re creating now. If all I did was focus on the goals I didn’t reach (Nickelodeon for example), I’d never be able to appreciate what I am doing now and make new goals.
- Get involved with communities of illustrators and your other hobbies. Make friends, and uplift each other. Advocate for one another and learn from one another.
GVN: Can you tell us about what you’re working on next?
Right now I am working on The Dog Knight 2 and 3, as well as continuing Jamie which has now become my 3rd longest non-familial relationship, haha. I hope to finish them shortly and start on a couple of other stories that I have on the back burner. In the meantime, I’m hoping to collaborate on smaller projects and pick up more personal/private commissions while I finish my current workload.
GVN: Where can our readers connect with you online?
Portfolio and email @ breindigo.com
Twitter @breindigo_
Instagram @ndgoarts
Synopsis
In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret.
Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier.
When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there—in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.
But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get…complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it’s scary.
Imprint: HarperAlley
On Sale: June 6, 2023
Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.
