Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Rio de Janeiro , São Cristovão neighborhood, but I grow up in Brasília (the capital of Brazil , not Buenos Aires …it's in Argentina :P). Brasília is one of the cities which have low violence rate; therefore it's a good city to live… and doesn't have a civil war like Rio , with flaming bus and a true war in the city, where you can die in any moment. If there is a post-apocalyptic city in Earth, it's Rio de Janeiro … unfortunately.


Schooling? Art training?

Until the University, I didn't have any academic training, but my father and my mother always drew… nowadays my mom is a painter.
I finished my hated high school and spent a lot of time thinking about if I'd do Fine Arts or not (administration of companies was my second choice)… but, well, I chose I liked more. Now, I'm a college student of Visual/Fine Arts in Brasília University (there, I learn about art history, techniques and how to be a gallery artist…everything I'm not :P). I did some animation courses out and in University and I think it funny thing to do.

How long have you been working professionally in comics?

About 2 years for USA companies. In the beginning, I worked to a medium manga publisher. In this time, I started to use a nickname and until today I use this name, Woo, because I would want to follow the “manga” Brazilian artist tradition. You always use an oriental surname… I choice Woo (Chinese, not Japanese) because many factors. I never want to forget my drawing origin, the Manga and manghwa.

I've never been drew to Brazilian publishers. There are a few professional publisher guys here. I started my pro life with character designs for RPG scenarios.


What things -- both in art and otherwise -- have you worked on besides comics? Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?

Comic, illustration and character designs are my full-time job! I don't believe in anything you love and transform it in a “hobby”…
I'd a “flash and slash” experience in American game industry. Good guys, good work, but it's not for me now. I worked sometimes as inspector of safety… that remained just some hours, contract per hour, you know. But it was a great experience for me, I really don't want to be anything else besides a 2D Artist ^__^.

Talk about how you broke into the business --was it easy? Hard? Ups? Downs ? Any interesting anecdotes? When you held your first published work in your hands, how did you feel?

Well, I think we, 2D Artists, have a lot of sad stories about how to enter in the industry. Sometimes, with happy end :P.
To enter in the Comic industry was very hard because I was a foreigner in USA comic biz without agents to represent me (I hadn't sought an agent before). I'd never worked in comics until that moment, neither in Brazil (working to Brazilian publishers is more hard than other countries, believe me). I sent samples of my art to medium and small publishers and my style worked against me in that time because I drew in manga style. The USA Comic industry is a true Darwin selection and you have to dispute a vacancy with the whole world, not with American artists.
When I perfected myself, I began to work for a small medium manga publisher. Then I looked for an agent because some probs and last year I worked to Marvel, in few pages of Ghost Rider.
And what did I feel when I held my published work for the first time? Well, I'll be sincere… not much feelings. I'm a writer, I've been always writing my own stories and that work wasn't with my own story with my own characters. But Nowadays, I feel different on that. I'm feeling happy I could contribute with a project of another person.

Did you work as an assistant to any other artists? If so, please talk a bit about those experiences.

Nope, I never worked as assistant… and I would like to have done that, think it'd helped me a lot with my personal and professional growth. I love work in team, but as digital painting, I always do everything (pencil, final-art, colors…) and didn't have a lot of chances working in team.

How did your parents take to the idea of working in comics?

In the beginning, it was very hard. They're afraid about my future and a 2D artist career can be very frightening when you talk about financial stability. I agree with' em, but I had to try. Entering in a University to do Arts was the first step to prove for them. Now, I'm here and my parents are proud of me (and I'm happy cuz it).

How would you describe your workspace? Is it part of your home,
or do you go "to the studio"?

I don't still have studio… my mom said I should do one. Nah, I've a comfortable place to my computer, my tablet, my scanner and others stuffs. I'm not in a hurry, hehe.


What job are you the proudest of? What's your most embarrassing?

My proudest? Well, I don't know if it enter in this answer, but my personal not-yet-published-project (that I'm finishing) was a work I've more pride. I have to finish some pages and offer to some publishers after it.
And most embarrassing?
hehehe, I think ALL artists had this experience… Drawing hentai or porn things (no, no, my fella, don't said “No! I don't” because you DID, I know :P). I drew not exactly hentai, but in some scenes in manga I drew contents some “mature” situations. It was a Yaoi manga. I've nothing against the story gender, but that isn't my preferred.


What are you currently drawing? Comments on that project?

Currently I'm making infinite tests to DC and others to catch one job. I'm drawing my personal project too, but I'll leave comments about it when it be published.


Talk about your family: Parents, siblings, home situation. Are you married? Have kids? Names? Anecdotes about married life, how it relates to your busy schedule, etc. If you have kids do they understand your job? What do they say about it? Do they read comics?

My parents are divorced. They spent 25 years from their life to end of this way for nothing. I have a little brother who has Autism. I love my family and they're everything for me. Someday, I hope give them a better life how they did for me.

About my schedule… Everybody in my house knows I hate to be interrupted when I'm working and they respect my schedules (even my lit' bro, so cute!).

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?

One day, Vertigo said “I love your work”… I'm waiting for them until now, ehehe.
I would like work on any “military mood” scenarios, espionage (James Bond alike), Contemporary mafia things (with some Tarantino taste) and something with robots! If possible, that I also write. If not, I don't mind if the other writer or comic title is known or not. I don't mind about these things, just to have a good scene development with good dialogues which make the characters to be alive. I read and like all comics from many countries. Therefore, I usually make differences in my style in agreement with the story. I think the art is to service of the script, not the opposite.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

Hard thing to answer. The life can rotate 180° with just one comic project. I prefer don't think about it. But, in the best of the hypotheses, I hope see myself as an artist that made difference to some other artists, influencing them.

My hopes are also my personal projects going forward ^__^.


What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?

I frequent the Arts department, they like my comics, especially the oldest students. My friends, in majority, are comic artists, writers or simply RPG players and everybody knows I draw comics for living and they like this idea. My neighbors? Well, I don't know any of them.

What's 1 thing you'll always find in your refrigerator?

Light Coke! I'm light coke addict!

What's your favorite food?

Italian food (looooooooooove), fast food and mom food :P.


What are your favorite interests --Movies? Music? TV? Any hobbies? Sports?

Movies are my inspiration! I'm a cinema enthusiast, study about cinema and direction. As animator, I did storyboards and I directed my own animation in university (hehe, nothing great, it's just one minute animation).

About music, man, I'm always hearing music when I'm working or studying. Music is my fuel. I hear everything of everything (lately, I'm hearing Techno Arabic music, Tchaikovsky, Hip Hop, System of Down and Korean pop music).

Tv? Well, I watch series like 24 Hours, Simpsons and some animation, but I don't spend much time in front the TV.

Hobby??? My great hobby is playing Video Game! I'm a hardcore game player. I love game titles from Ubisoft (like Splinter Cell) and Kojima Production (Metal Gear Solid). But lately, I'm playing GTA, Liberty city, the last release.

Sports? I went to gym academy… but I left.

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?

I've always writing my own stories, but firstly I preferred conquer a public with my art and only then publishing something mine.

Ever been in a gang?

Whatcha ya think, nigga? Hehehe, just peeping.
Until today, I'm part of an artistic “group”. We do sketches together and (rarely) examine scripts we do. (You can see our skecthdaily book in http://hotel-lobby.blogspot.com/ ). Rarely I play RPG, but when I can play it, I do it.


What's an average day in your life like? Walk us through a typical day.

If I say, you'll see a boring people :P.

The clock rules my life. I have hour to go to university, hour to work and hour to study (art, literature and how to improve my program skills as Photoshop and Z-brush).
Usually I talk with my friends or play video games when I find a breach in my schedule.

Do you have any great, unsold projects in your files that nobody's gotten to see published?

Yes! The project I'm talking through in this whole interview, hehe! Cold War II is a name of it. If some of you see this name or something similar it published, it is because I got. This project took me more than one year to military research, writing and drawing the characters and concepts. I spent much energy on it and I hope it works.

If you weren't a comic-book artist today, what would you be?

Probably I'd be in game industry as animator, 3D character Artist or concept artist. In the worst of hypothesis, I'd be an unhappy administrator of companies.

Have you taught comic-book art or had any assistants? If so, talk about that.

None of them. But I always think about Workshops. One these days, if I've a sufficient crew to make a class, I'll make one.


The single thing you'd most like to be remembered for in your life is...?

I would like to be remembered by some comic written and drawn by me and the audience pointed this as good thing to remember.

Any closing words for your fans?

For aspiring artist, Never Give Up!!! Be always honest with your way of life and your skills. Always hear the others writers/artists have to say. Be not afraid, never! And if you want to talk with some professional artist/writer, don't be afraid about it, TALK with them!

While there is only one fan that likes my work, I will continue making comic. Thanks for all support!!!

Cheers!

Amelia.

List of credits

 

Thanks to my parents and my little bro.
Lua and Daniel Kim, these excellent artists and friends.

Thanks to David Campit and Vitor Ishimura.

 

LINKS: 
I don't have site yet. I was waiting I finished my personal project before it. But I've a blog with my friends:

http://hotel-lobby.blogspot.com/