Jake Romano

Jake Romano is a human being and an artist in the heart of New Jersey (and by heart, he means Bergen County...) He is both a full-time optimist and a full-time graphic designer for a start up advertising business where he gets to obsess all day over fonts and doodle to his heart's content.

Have you always been creative and artistic?

Definitely! Art, and being expressive in general, has always been very intrinsic to my personality and how I view the world. My "career" (I use this term loosely) as an illustrator must have started when I was very young. I had a lot of imaginary pals as a youngster and I think the need to illustrate came from a desire to fully realize these characters and understand them visually. So in that way I think art was more of a necessity than a creative outlet. (At least, back then it was.)

How would you describe the style of your work?

Hmmm...a lot of my work is open-ended. I like to visualize emotional landscapes and symbolize them in physical situations - and mostly in monochrome. There's something really satisfying about the finality of black and white.

What’s in your pencil case and what’s your favorite tool?

Right now my pencil case is filled with gum wrappers, erasers, a couple of little knitted Pacman ghosts that my sister made for me, and my pocket sketchbook. My absolute go-to tool is a .38 pilot ballpoint pen that writes and inks like a dream.

Who is your favorite superhero?

Goodness gracious that's a tough one! I'm probably not as much of a geek as I'd like to think (*laughs at himself*) but I'd have to say that Finn (and Jake, by extension) is basically my ideal hero. Cool, fun, and loves to kick evil in the buns.

If you could have one super power what would it be?

It would be neat to read minds. But I'd probably end up reading my dog's mind all day...

Where do you look for inspiration?

I find inspiration in the people and relationships around me. I am constantly intrigued by mental politics. How people interact, what makes them tick. Love, hate, indifference. These are things that are so intangible and conceptual and yet they are extremely poignant in our every day lives. I am fascinated by and applaud artists who successfully grasp these things and tame them, describe them, and put them in jars. Those are the artists who I connect to and are drawn towards.

Who are your favorite artists or comic book authors?

Yikes! There are so so many! Escher is a favorite of mine, along with Doctor Suess. I also have a friend George Alexopoulos, a fellow artist, who has always inspired me with his wonderful ink drawings and his incredible technical art skills. I enjoy the work of artists who are intent on making a beautiful mark on this world.