1) I couldn’t find your “biostats” anywhere. So… when/where were you born and how did you get in the comics’ field?
A well-respected veteran Comic Book Inker with a wide range of experience in the industry, Walden Wong has worked with all of the major studios, including many high profile projects and iscurrently holding the Inkwell Awards as the Most Adaptable Inker from 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Walden has worked for practically every publisher out there, including DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and VIZ media. You can see his name on a variety of titles every year. He can currently be found working around the clock at his studio inking.
2) You have a considerable amount of credits in comics, but they are all over the place, including non-super-hero stuff. Is that because you want to work on as many different characters as possible?
One of the reason is being offered to work with the many different characters that are out there. Part of it is the Art of Inking, regardless of what character to work on. I enjoy the characters I work on, and I love the type of work that I do. The skills I've learned along the way and the way I can use those skills for the artwork I create.
3) The character you have most worked on is Deadpool. How fun is inking Wade Wilson’s stories and what’s your opinion about the movie?
Deadpool was one of the first Marvel books I've worked on when I started at Marvel. fast forward to more recent years, I continued to work on Deadpool. I've worked on Deadpool so much that I can draw him my memory and know what belongs where. The pouches, swords, belts, knives, straps... it's all in my head. So to see the Deadpool movie with live action actors, that was a treat. I remember watching the Deadpool movie for the first time... I was on the plane traveling and coincidentally, I was drawing a Deadpool commission piece on the airplane tray table. That was pretty surreal.
4) You also have lots of X-Men and Web Warriors credits. Do stories with lots of characters require special attention or techniques?
I've also worked on Avengers, JLA, Guardian of the Galaxy, and many other books with lots of characters. Working on a title with a lot of characters takes a bit more attention. Unlike a book with just ONE main characters, a team of characters will always "compete" for air-time. Meaning sometimes, you'll have to draw and ink much smaller characters to all fit into one panel. Also, every character is inked differently. Some requires more brush work while others require more pen work, such as microns, technical pens, and crow quill nib work.
5) Who are your favorite characters and pencilers to work with? Why?
I enjoy working on any characters with any pencillers. For me, it's the art of Pen & Ink that I enjoy. Characters that I like as well as pencillers I get to work with is the icing on the cake. Anytime I work on a character I don't know, it's a learning process with the costumes and such. With new pencillers, that's also a learning process that I enjoy. Being able to adapt to anyone's style is something I pride myself on when it comes to inking. Some of the pencillers I've enjoyed working with are Arthur Adams, Paul M. Smith, Carlo Barberi, Jim Cheung to name a few. Those artist have challenged to me excell on my craft. Weather it's learning how to use a new tool or a new style of inking, I'm always the one who wants to learn as much as I can. To never stop evolving.
6) What are the upsides and downsides of working in editions with multiple artists, like DC’s Earth 2
On Earth, I worked with a few different artists and to me, that's still separate. As a comic book inker, I always adapt my inks to the pencillers style. The pencils dictate what the inks will look like. I usually don't overtake the pencils and make them all my own. Where everything looks like 'Walden Wong Inked' these pages. Instead, I'll study the pencils before I start and decide which method works best for the pencils. Essentially, making sure my inks don't stick out and take attention away from the pencils. All the while, enhancing the pencils and making them look good.
7) In your video tutorials, we can see you know lots of the tricks of the trade. What are your preferred tools? Have you also gone digital?
I use any and every tool I can. Quill nibs, brushes, rapidograph technical pens, microns, just every tool I can get my hands on that can draw a black line. I have been using the brush more because it hold more ink without having to constantly dip the inkwell, but I'm comfortable with using all the tools that are available at my disposal. The tools don't make the artist, it's the artist that uses the tools that makes the art. I have done digital work every now and then, but nothing compared to the traditional pen and paper. That's always something I enjoy.
8) What are the main reasons for a resourceful artist like you to opt for being an inker and not a penciler?
Before woking in comics, I was in fact thinking about being a penciller. Truth be told, I didn't know there were different categories in comics, such as penciller, inker, colorist, letterer and so forth. Being an artist at an early age, to be working in comics just meant to draw... period. As I started learning more and more about the industry, that's when I discovered there are pencillers, inkers, colorist and so fourth. Being an Comic Book Inker, I get to work with all these amazing pencillers. Some from when I was just a kid growing up and reading those exact comic book that the pencillers work on. It's really quite amazing to be able to work with artist whom I've admire as a child. To grow up and be able to work with them directly on a comic book. It still amazes me today.
9) You have an YouTube channel. What are your main goals and expectations about those?
Yes, about a year ago, I started uploading videos to my YouTube Channel, Walden Wong Art. There are instructional videos, unboxing of comic books I've worked on, original art, convention I've attended as a guest, and more. Just another social media outlet where everyone can see what I do as an artist working in the comic book industry. Also, havening all these videos will help those who want to learn the craft. I've always thought sharing the knowledge I know is the best thing I can do for all potential artist out there. When I wasted to get into the industry, there really wasn't an outlet to learn. It was just going to convention and getting critiques. one or twice a year. Having my YouTube channel, is my way of 'giving back' so it'll be available to everyone at a click of a button. Everyone who's reading this right now, go to YouTube, look up "Walden Wong Art" and subscribe to my YouTube channel. There's a lot of fun and entertaining videos with my work there. Check it out!
10) Blog, vlog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest… you are very connected. Do you think that the modern artist must constantly be in the social media to achieve success? How do you deal with the haters present in those media?
Yes, I enjoy the social media aspect of being an artist. I'm constantly posting on YouTube, Facebook, Blogger, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Google +, Pinterest, Ello, Vero, Deviant Art and most recently on Patreon. Look for me on patron at
www.patreon.com/WaldenWongArt. That the social media site I have were supporters can see exclusive content of my work that I don't post on any of my other social media sites. There's also activities where supporters can try their hand at inking some of the work I'm done and refer to my YouTube videos for reference. It's really something!
