Rod Montero

Colorist

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
I was born and have lived all my life in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

How about your schooling? Had you gone under any art training?
Well, I’m graduated in Advertising, but, before that I have had some art training. I’ve done drawing classes for six months, then I saw that I wasn’t skilled enough to do that. So I started painting classes and did it for about one year. Nothing I could show people, mostly basic surrealistic painting. But I gave me a basic notion of colors that helped me a lot when I decided to became a comicbook colorist. 

How long have you been working professionally in comics?
Well, I’ve been a freelancer for almost four years now, but I can’t consider myself a comics professional as I haven’t done that many jobs in the field yet.

What things — both in art and otherwise — have you worked on, besides comics? Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?
For now, comics are a part-time job which, I hope, can become a full-time job as soon as possible. As for now, besides comics, I have a part-job as english teacher, I work with translations – as a freelancer – and I also work for a brazilian entertainment website. There I have a colunm where I talk about “nerd” stuff when I have time.

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?
Can you ask me this again in some months from now? Because, honestly, I’m still trying to break into the business. The only “real” comics I’ve colored was some x-rated stuff for Internet for a website that, as far as I’m concerned, doesn’t exist anymore. I did a comic adaptation for the “Amistad” movie, in 2005 and I’ve also colored some online strips for a brazilian character named “Homem-Grilo” (literally, “Cricket Man”) that can be found at www.homemgrilo.com.

How did you settle on the style(s) you’re currently using? If you have multiple styles how did you develop them?

For now, I’m working hard on the style I’ve been developing for the last five years or so. I’m trying to make it good enough first, then I’ll try to develop others. I used a different style when I colored x-rated material, which was quite simple if compared to the current one and doesn’t reflect at all my coloring style nowadays.

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

They don’t like this idea at all. My father looks at it with some suspicious and my mother disaproves it completely. When and if my carrer starts taking off I’m pretty sure they’ll change their minds.

How would you describe your work space? Is it part of your home, or do you go “to the studio”?

It’s a part of my home. It’s a room with my computer and filled with cds, books and, mostly, comicbooks. It’s a nice place to work.

What job are you the proudest of?
I think the “Amistad” comicbook, because it was my first “real comic” project.

What are you currently drawing? Comments on that project?
At the moment, I’m workin on some samples and waiting for my next gig to appear.

Talk about your family: Parents, siblings, home situation.
Well, even though I’m 29, I still live with my parents, which may be quite strange in the USA, but is perfectly normal here in Brazil. I live with my mother and my sister. My parents have been divorced for over 20 years now and my dad got himself a new family (wife, kids, dogs, the whole she bang). But we get along pretty well.

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?
Anything. Well, of course, there are some comics I’d really like working on but, at the moment, any work that would give me more rhythm and help me break into the business would be good enough. I have some projects as a writer I really hope I can work on in the future. Besides, any comics penciled by Will Conrad or Mike Deodato would be great.

Where do you see yourself in five years? ten?
Hopefully, working as a comicbooks colorist or writer would be a very good place to be in five to ten years, don’t you think?

What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?
Well, comics in Brazil are very popular, but not as a work market and not for adults. Working with comics in Brazil doesn’t give you enough for a living, unless you work for an american publisher. Even so, most of my friends know that I’ve been strugling to break into the business for five years or so now and most of them support me a lot.

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

That’s a tough one. I guess water and some sort of soda. Mostly coke.

What’s your favorite food?
Well, besides a really good local dish you probably don’t know, I really love pizza, chocolate, the Burguer King and McDonald’s sandwiches.

What are your favorite interests –Movies? Music? TV? Any hobbies? Sports?
All of the above. I used to be a movies’ buff but not anymore. Still, I always go to the movies at least two to three times a month, when time allows. I listen to music pratically all day long, even when I’m on the bus going to work (God bless Mp3 player) and I think it’s a very good source of inspiration. TV is something I like but, again, I don’t have much time to enjoy. But, when I have it, I love watching tv series, sitcons and cartoons such as “Prison Break”, “Smallville”, “Two And A Half Men”, “The Simpsons” ,”Sponge Bob” the re-runs of “Seinfeld” and “Friends” and so on. Oh, and, of course, the news.
I think my biggest hobby, besides listening to music, is reading. I love reading, not only comics, but everything, specially terror and suspense books. In the present moment, I’m reading the fifth volume of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series and I’m really enjoying it. I read a bunch of comics every month, specially Marvel, just to be in tune to whatis happening there now.
Regarding sports I love soccer. I used to play a lot and I hope playing again in the future but nowadays I only watch it on tv. Soccer and soccer related tv shows.

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?

Yes. In fact, I’ve been developing a project which, I hope, I can be able to publish some time in the future. Not too distant future.

What’s an average day in your life like?  Walk us through a typical day.
Well, it depends. Normally, when I have coloring to be done, I get up at around 6:30 AM and start working at 7:00. I work until noon, take a half an hour up to one hour to have lunch – depending on my deadline – and get back working until 3:00 PM. Then I go to the school where I teach english from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. I get home around 10:00 PM and, if I still haven’t finished the page I started coloring at 7:00, I continue doing it until it’s finished (or almost). If it’s done, I just try to relax and go to bed at midnight tops.

Do you have any great, unsold projects in your files that nobody’s gotten to see published?
I think all of us have projects that are kinda secret and we’d like to see out there when time allows.

If you weren’t a comic-book artist today, what would you be?
I guess I’d be working with advertising or as I am now, as a teacher. Or a journalist, something in the communication/teaching field.

The single thing you’d most like to be remembered for in your life is…?
Being a hard working guy? I don’t know, that’s a tough question.

Any other tidbits of info about you that you are like to share?

I think we have covered everything on the previous questions. I do love animals and I’m a sort of headbanger, but that isn’t important, is it?

Jungle Girl # 1 & 2 (x-rated material for Internet)
Ninja Babe # 1 & 2 (x-rated material for Internet)
Ashantalya # 2 (x-rated material for Internet)
Zayla # 3 (x-rated material for Internet)
Leslie West # 2 (x-rated material for Internet)
Thunder Girl # 1 (x-rated material for Internet)
Amistad (comicbook adaptation from the movie)
Liberty Girl

Gallery

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