Longmont woman makes artist debut at Denver Comic Con

A selectively mute Russian young man named Kostya Zolnerowich with limited memory of his origins (or those of his two biomechanical limbs) will make his debut at the Denver Comic Con this weekend.

Longmonter Hannah K. Davis will be selling copies of her first self-published comic book "Tin," featuring the misadventures of Zolnerowich and his two friends on the imaginary Shatter islands.

Davis, a 26-year-old independent comic artist and illustrator, is excited to have made it to the state's largest comic convention that starts Friday. She has been interested in comics from a young age, consuming Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes," the animated series "Samurai Jack" and other anime and manga.

"Initially, I wanted to be an animator, but as time went on, I realized it wasn't for me," Davis said. "So I started exploring other avenues and I chose to work as a comic artist."

While it used to be more difficult for independent comic artists to gain a following, the internet and proliferation of sites like Tumblr and Twitter allows people to post their work for the world to view.

Davis started off by writing and illustrating a fan comic centered around the world of DarkStar, a video game she likes.

"I started off to just see if I could make a comic and it turns out that I could. Before that, I was nervous about posting my own comics. You know 'What if I'm not good or my art isn't perfect?' " Davis said. "And my first fan comic is not that great, but it's a lot better than when I first started of course."

Davis moved on to posting her original comic series, "Tin" online. To read "Tin" digitally, visit bit.ly/2LLQpJi. She got positive feedback on the series and became more comfortable with her cartoony artistic style and with using a variety of colors.

"When I first started, I didn't really use color entirely. I was mostly working in cool grays and warm grays," she said. "Later on, when I worked on the next storyline, I went to color."

Davis is also transitioning from drawing "Tin" digitally on a tablet computer to inking it using physical supplies.

"I started really wanting to practice using a regular brush pen again and the current storyline for 'Tin' is being inked with a brush pen," she said. "It's not as fine-looking as (the first episode), but I'm so out of practice with ink, that it's going to take some time as well ... I like how comics from people like Bill Watterson look and he's one of my inspirations."

Davis added that she has also rediscovered nonphoto blue pencil, a tool that allows her to sketch on real paper and then ink her sketch without erasing. When she scans the illustration into her computer, the camera doesn't reproduce the sketch lines in the digital image.

While Davis has been to Denver Comic Con before as a fan and an art customer, this year is the first time she'll have a booth of her own. If you plan on stopping by the Convention Center this weekend, pay her a visit in Section "S" at Table 9.

On Tuesday, her day off from her other job at Office Depot, Davis hurried to make sure she has enough copies of "Tin: Dowsing Rod," as well as to get prints made of other pieces of her art she plans to sell. Davis will also be doing commission work at her booth.

When asked about her advice for people who want to make a career in art, Davis stressed the importance of staying positive.

"Don't be discouraged by what other people see or say and just keep working at it," she said. "It's going to take time and it's going to take a lot of effort. Just keep going at it. Over time, you'll get better and you'll get noticed."

Davis said she enjoys the camaraderie among independent artists, both online and in person at conventions like the Denver Comic Con.

"Try to be very positive, and not just to yourself, but to others and especially to other artists. You can help each other out. I have met a few friends in the online art community and we always give each other like 'I'm rooting for you. You can do it.' And that's really nice."

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci