Meet Eric Mateo | Comic Illustrator and Freelance Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Mateo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process for my business was for me to tell my own stories. I always was enamored with the stories from my youth, whether it was anime, video games, comics, etc. At first I thought the quickest way to get to that was working for a company, however, I later learned that there were far too many barriers into making your own story across multiple industries.

As an artist, I do not like to be tied down by the decisions of a corporate executive whose only concern is the interest of their shareholders. I want to freely express my artistic vision for the stories I want to create. Understandably, I have keep in mind the scope of any given project I undertake; pushing those limits can spell a disaster, yet, the stories I want to create addresses systemic failures, politics, societal inequities (particularly of the working class and people of color) and many various topics that might not hold any value in a regular corporate environment.

This is not to say I would not like to tackle things that are fun or even light-hearted, however, I can not only be tied down to that. Most of the media that grew up admiring tackled heavy topics. For example, stories like Batman, Final Fantasy, No More Heroes, Dark Souls, Gurren Lagann, The Boondocks, Beserk, Vagabond, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Ninja Scroll, and many more! I would like to do the same.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For the longest time, my art was only about the things I enjoyed. I always loved pop culture, such as, anime, video games and comics. In fact, I started drawing because of Street Fighter! I grew up around 90s arcade video game culture, and I often emulate those styles, very high octane, action driven illustrations that lead the viewer’s eyes all around the piece. I wanted my pieces to also resemble that extremely loud and bombastic, like the media I grew up watching.

One thing I noticed about my art visually appealing, however, I was having a hard time standing out amongst the sea of other pop culture references that my peers were doing. I lacked a strong core message with the art that I was making; I just wasn’t saying anything real or substantial. The only thing you can discern from my art is that I liked these type media. Even the high octane action media that inspired me always had a core message. The violence always had context behind it, such as self-improvement, quest for vengeance, political intrigue, and even….resistance!

I tapped deep within myself and asked, what message do I want to leave in this world? I thought back to my youth and examined all the traumas I have been through living in Miami, Florida. I reflected on all the systemic injustice, racism and pain I endured and saw a way to escape that nightmare. I went through a phase where I was enamored with graffiti. I appreciate how graffiti gave a voice to people who were downtrodden. I vigorously studied graffiti to fuel my rebellious spirit against systemic injustice.

Graffiti was never simply about vandalizing property for the sake of it. Graffiti is about proclaiming the existence of people who lived in that community. Far too often in America or many nations across the globe, the system we operate regularly fails the downtrodden. It is a reminder that no, we will not go out quietly into the night.

With fire in my heart and a new outlook on life, I combined the high octane action of the various media that inspired me with the rebellious and anti-establishment message of graffiti. I aim to tell a whole new message that will display resistance in my own way, through my art!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, where to begin! I would show people some personal record stores I frequent. I love listening to alternative hip hop and metal. Of course, as a comic book illustrator, I would definitely show people out to some local comic book stores and pick up some of my favorite indie comics and manga. For me personally, I think 2nd & Charles in Kennesaw would be a good all in one stop for all of that. Criminal Records is also good to find some more music and vinyls as well, so I definitely take my friends there.

Depending on the week my friends come in, I would like to bring them into a nerdy convention. I love going to DreamHack since I am a big fighting game fan. Of course, I can not forget to mention Momo-Con and Dragon-Con, those events were really fun.

Last but least, I will probably take them to Slutty Vegan. It’s a pretty popular spot and the food there is awesome (I’m vegan though so I’m kinda biased).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out my sister who has always been supportive of my creative endeavors even when it was incredibly inconvenient for her. There were so many instances where she could simply stop supporting, however, she stuck with me and continued on holding me up even in my darkest moments.

Website: https://www.elmateoarte.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elmateo_arte/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-mateo-57968825b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elmateo_arte

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC6oVBctmWYR9XFvJDyvgKw

Image Credits
Jin Kazama/Fan Art/Tekken/Namco Bandai/Illustrated by Eric Mateo Amara Estrella/ The Dark Star/Eric Mateo Gohan “Beast”/Fan Art/Dragon Ball/Akira Toriyama/ Illustrated by Eric Mateo Tanjiro/Fan Art/Demon Slayer/Koyoharu Gotouge/Illustrated by Eric Mateo Roronoa Zoro/Fan Art/One Piece/ Eiichiro Oda/ Illustrated by Eric Mateo Travis Touchdown/No More Heroes/Suda 51/ Illustrated by Eric Mateo “Goki”/illustrated by Eric Mateo