Meet Darryl Smith Jr.: Comic Artist & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darryl Smith Jr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darryl, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Being an artist, I think this is one of the most common questions we get from people during the first meeting. That and the infamous “Do you do tattoos?” question. For me, drawing was the ultimate escape for me since child hood. Being able to create a world where there was no limitations always kept me busy for hours. But also it seemed to be the only thing that I felt confident in. All of my friends since childhood always had dreams of being in fields that were a bit more conventional. Medicine, Teaching, Business, Technology, etc. But I never yearned to be in those fields since I felt it lacked creativity and individuality. Or at least the creativity and individuality that I grew accustomed to from art. It could also be because I hated math and science. But it also helped having two supportive parents who noticed my love for the craft before I did, and pushing me to go after it. I think the idea solidified in my mind to pursue art, when I reached the fourth grade. It was the first day of class, and my teachers classroom was severely decorated with original character illustrations from his original stories. It almost made my teacher look less intimidating seeing that he was almost 6 feet tall, an army vet, and a bit stern looking. His love for ‘Power Rangers’ also might’ve helped with that a bit. I was already an avid lover of comics and anime, so this was literally a heaven for me at the time. When we had free days he would tell us more about his characters, read us some of his stories, and even squeeze in drawing lessons from time to time. Even as a child, it almost felt like I was purposely put into his class to help realize my ‘destined path’. From then on I began designing my own characters, creating my own short stories, and delving deeper into the concept of creating my own universe. He was the closest thing I had to an ‘Art Instructor’, so that one year in his class I had to make the most of. To this day I still use some of the techniques he taught me. After the fourth grade, I left with a definite mind set that I would pursue a career in the creative field. I think another reason I also wanted to pursue art as a career, was because I could say and do things through my art that I couldn’t in person. Growing up in the West, there is a huge pressure I feel on men, on how a man should act & carry themselves, And I’ve always been interested in things that people would describe as “not very masculine”. Things like glam rock, goth culture, anime, androgyny, fashion, etc. Since I was too scared (more so not allowed) to display that in person, I could use my art as a vehicle to tackle and express this for me. Creating androgynous male characters in dark clothes, leather, studs, skulls, makeup etc. It’s still a very taboo concept in the West, especially for POC. This self expression has helped me delve deeper into myself and understand who I want to be, as well as the message I want to give with my art. So all of the negative pressure around me kind of became a positive since I could turn it a motivator for my art. But a problem I had in my younger years was not challenging myself outside the norm, and always waiting for someone to create what I yearned to see. Becoming dependent on needing to reference someone on how to do something. Even though I wanted to basically create something to oppose values I hated, I felt I needed to see someone else do it so it seemed “feasible”. I regret thinking like that to this day. So one of my main incentives, is to “Create something that younger me would’ve wanted to see/buy”. Making my younger self proud is what makes me feel like the struggle in this field is worth the fight. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think one of the things that sets artists apart from each other, is the range of their influences. All of your influences mixed into one is what makes an artist unique in my opinion. Whether it be work from a certain artist, an environment, a video game, a movie, a political movement, etc. For me, I’d say my work and own artistic style are influenced by 3 main things. Elementary up until 6th grade I was primarily inspired by American Comics. Most of it being a lot of Marvel Comics titles (Fantastic Four, X-Men, Blade, etc.) But from 7th grade up until 9th grade my work began to heavily influenced by anime and manga (since around this time is when manga and anime was really starting to boom in the states). But at the end of 9th grade onward, and onward I started to get heavily inspired by Visual Kei, and started adding elements from there into my work. So I think my style currently, shows aspects from these 3 main things, and makes my work stick out a little in comparison to some. (At least from what people have told me) Currently I’ve been working hard on my own project, “Sands Of the Noir”. It’s my first original comic, and I’m excited to put out something that encompasses elements that I love.in music, comics, fashion, stories, etc. It’s a little bit scary since it’s my first project, so there is a lot of second guessing and concerns when it comes to making decisions. But thankfully I have a supportive friend group I can go to to help with make decisions. I feel professionally I have a long way to go, but I think I got to where I am today from just being myself. I’ve had people tell me I need to do a lot of fan-art, message X and Y type of people, and act like X and Y to get an audience. But I feel as though being my genuine self is what has got me to the place I am currently (which isn’t far by any means, but ya know..) Of course I’ve done a lot of networking with people I’ve met online, and tabling at conventions and networking there has helped a lot. But even at conventions, I try to be my genuine self. People will see your work first, but what makes them want to stay or come back is your own aura. What do you bring to the table besides art. But I think that also falls in in line with being one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far. People have approached me both online and in person, saying they appreciate the fact I stay true to my own beat, and that I don’t follow trends so heavily. People immensely appreciate my focus on my own voice, and my own individuality. When people view my work, the biggest thing I want them to take away from my work is eccentricity. Deviating from the herd, and realizing it’s ok to be the ‘black sheep’. I don’t want my back story to sound like the typical “I was bullied for years for being different, but now I’m here”. But I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t somewhat the case. If people view my work and feel as though it’s something different than what they’re used to, I feel like I’ve succeeded.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I feel like I’m the worst person to ask this since my definition of going out is just going to a café and drawing for 8+ hours. If said friend isn’t picky, I’d take them to the food court in the Jusgo super market. There’s so many options there, and the food I’ve ordered has always been spot on and amazing. I’ve brought 3 friends there, and all thoroughly enjoyed it. In terms of drinking, boba tea is a must ! (I hope said friend visiting isn’t expecting alcohol, since I know nothing about bars) I think a good intro for Atlanta boba tea would be Tea Top. But other places like Onezo and Ding Tea also make really bomb tea. In terms of hanging I would more than likely recommend the Buckhead Area. It’s usually the main touristy place to be since it’s such a busy area. There’s good shopping plazas there, and places like the High Museum are good for visiting and pictures.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Three people definitely come to mind for this. The first one for sure being my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Harbison. His devotion to his art, and how he immersed all of our class in it since Day 1, definitely catapulted me further into my own art. And the countless art lessons and tips I will cherish forever. Second one would be a musician I discovered in High School, who literally changed my life, Miyavi. At this time, Miyavi was a part of the Visual Kei scene that roots back to Japan. His music, his visuals, and his overall aura was everything I had yearned for. After so many years I finally felt understood, and not like such an outcast. Discovering his music lead me to dive deeper into a scene that influences my art, and everyday style to this day. He probably doesn’t remember me, but I got to meet him last year at a convention here in Atlanta. And star struck isn’t even the word I felt when he spoke to me, and even told me he liked my name. Looking back I wish I would’ve said how much he impacted and changed my life, but that’s hard to do when you’re too choked up. Last but not least would definitely be my professor Doug Dabbs. Going into my major (Sequential Art) in Art School, he was one of the intimidating professors I was scared to take. Especially from stories I had heard from my friends who were upper-classmen. But he actually grew to become one of the best instructors I’ve had in my life. And several of my friends would definitely say the same. He wasn’t just extremely knowledgeable of the medium, but he took time to understand my art and style, and constantly pushed me to bring out the most unique voice I could in my work. Things that were my weakness have now become my strongest points because of him. I will forever be grateful to him.

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