Unused panel from Eraklis Petmezas's Last Cigarette story.

Rich Barrett (RB), John Da Costa (JDC), Tom Davidson (TD), Derek Davis (DD), Henry Eudy (HE), Dan Morris (DM), Brandon Padgett (BP), Eraklis “Herc” Petmezas (EP) and Bridgit Scheide (BS) are all members of a local artist collective called Sketch Charlotte. I set out to get to know the group and the members a little better by sending out a questionnaire and the response I got was overwhelming! So overwhelming that I am breaking the interview into three parts that I will post throughout the week. This first part gives a general history and purpose of the group. Stay tuned for the next part where we get to know the members a little better!

What is Sketch Charlotte?

RB: Sketch Charlotte is the brainchild of Eraklis Petmezas. It started with him, myself and Tom Davidson about 5 years ago and has now grown into a group of about 15. It’s a pretty loosely organized meet-up group where local artists (as well as writers, photographers, designers and anyone else really) can get together and draw and talk about art and stuff. It’s got a definite focus on comics and cartooning but not all our members are necessarily aspiring comic book artists.

EP: Sketch Charlotte is a group of local artists, writers, designers and like minded individuals that meets weekly to draw and discuss all types of art. It’s been a great springboard for ideas.

JDC: First and foremost, Sketch Charlotte is awesome!
 But we’re also a collection of artists/illustrators/writers/perpetrators of general misfit in the Charlotte area.

TD: It’s a laughing, friendly group of people who love comics and cartooning, who love to draw and who love to get together with like-minded nerds to share stories and good times.

DM: Basically a loose group of individuals who all draw comics in some for or another.  Or alternately a bunch of lunatics that meet up at Showmars every week, heckle each other, and make plans to corrupt the young and innocent.  Mostly though it’s a meet up to draw.

BP: A, now weekly, art group that gets together to discuss not only art and comics but other cultural influences such as movies, music, photography, literature and computers. There’s really nothing off limits. Artists and non-artists alike gather to share their thoughts and ideas in a stimulating environment.

BS: Sketch Charlotte is an awesome chance to get involved with other local comic book artists in Charlotte. It provides encouragement from people who really care about what you’re drawing next. And it’s so much fun! If you’re quiet and tend to zone out that’s cool, but generally there is a lot of laughter from around the table. Everyone there has a really great sense of humor and it’s always a great time!

Page from Henry Eudy's sketchbook.

HE: Oh man, the hard questions right off the bat, geez. Um, well, Sketch Charlotte is a loose little confederation of creative types who pal up once a week or so to draw in sketchbooks, eat pita burgers and talk endlessly about comics, music, art, sasquatches, the films of Tim Burton (even the bad ones), fringe stuff and popular culture at large. The group is primarily people with a firm interest in comics and a good many of us are comics creators of one form or another. We spend a few hours each week drawing with one another, showing off our work and getting feedback from our peers in the group. We talk about our plans, our aspirations, our fears and how we can’t draw feet convincingly. We take inspiration and support from our Sketch Charlotte brethren and hopefully give that inspiration and support right back. We’re cool dudes, and that’s what’s important.

Who is responsible for forming Sketch Charlotte?

HE: Big Daddy Herc is the man responsible for creating our beloved little club. Rumor has it that he was once just a meek goat herder, watching over his flock in the rocky Greek highlands, drinking Ouzo and listening to Fugazi on his Sony Walkman. Then one day he spied a bearded Jackalope caught in some brambles. Herc knew right away that this was the mighty god Zeus out on one of his mighty benders and he quickly and expertly freed the deity, making sure to rub the creature’s belly three times so as to be granted three magical wishes. For his first wish, he wished for a Sony Discman, because it was, like, 2004 and the Walkman just wasn’t cutting it. Next he hoped to have a pair of Adidas high tops, so the old school Greek rappers would finally show him respect. And lastly he wished to be teleported to Charlotte, North Carolina where he could create a club devoted to drawing and Greek cuisine. Thus, Sketch Charlotte was born.

So then Herc, what made you decide to form a group like this?

EP: When my wife and I first moved here, over five years ago, we wanted to start a group so that we could meet other local artists. We were hoping it would help push us to continue to be creative. As an artist sometime you work by yourself so often that it’s nice to have other artists around to critique your work. That year I set up at HeroesCon and passed out fliers to anyone that seemed interested. I believe our first meeting was around four or five people: Tom, Rich, Tess, and I. Now we have over fifteen people that come on and off. Everyone helps out with different aspects of the group. It’s way more of a partnership then anything.

John Da Costa's offering for a recent Sketchercise.

What made you decide to join Sketch Charlotte?

HE: I was wasting away here in the arid cultural desert of Charlotte. I mean, I knew I was a genius, but I really needed other people to confirm and expand upon that assertion. I drew and drew in my sketchbooks, filling them up cover to cover. But it was lonely and unrewarding work with no pals around to share my inky toils with. I had met Tom Davidson at the 2009 HeroesCon and he had invited me to come by and join the group. I checked out the Sketch Charlotte website from time to time but didn’t actually manage to make it to a meeting until February of this year. That first meeting was a revelation to me. I had no idea there were so many smart, talented, super nice people here in my own sleepy town. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We all hung out and talked and drew and I suddenly knew this was just what I needed in my life. I had tried going to figure drawing groups and taken art classes at CPCC in the past seeking out the kind of creative fraternity that exists so freely and easily within the Sketch Charlotte collective. There are no big egos here to contend with, there’s no judgment on the work you produce or pressure to produce work at all. It’s like-minded people getting together and just enjoying the process of making and appreciating art in whatever form it may present itself. As I said before, really cool dudes.

Sketch from Rich Barrett.

JDC: Herc wanted to start a group where local creators could get together, jam, talk comics and mostly just have a spring board for inspiration. I met him a few weeks before HeroesCon, and he invited me to a new group he was starting up, so I just went and had a blast.

BP: I needed a creative outlet and the motivation to keep drawing. Everyone in the group brings so many different things to the table and are very supportive of what you’re trying to do artistically. Makes it easy to keep showing up!

DM: I had just graduated college this past spring from Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Sequential Art and there was unsurprisingly a tight knit community of comics making people there.  When I got back here I was hoping that there was at least one or two people who drew comics here.  I was really fortunate to run into Henry Eudy, who had been following me on twitter (and vice versa), and some of the other guys from Sketch Charlotte at this past HeroesCon.  We talked and I was like “Man I really need to go to Sketch Charlotte!” after the meeting.  So I’ve been going ever since because it’s great to have a large group of people who make comics and are interested in making comics in your hometown.

TD: I have always felt I was a lone nerd, making my own comics and stories, here in Charlotte until I met Herc. 
I was sitting beside him at my first HeroesCon back in 2007.

RB: Being a creative person in Charlotte requires you to seek out other creative and like-minded people. Especially when you narrow the focus even further from “creative people in Charlotte” to “creative people in Charlotte interested in cartooning and creating their own comic books” the number of people gets a lot smaller so you really have to seek those people out. Sketch Charlotte has made that a lot easier. When I moved down here from New York I was seriously missing being able to hang out with other artists so I jumped at the chance to do something like this.

Sketch Charlotte has started doing a new drawing exercise. Explain Sketchercise.

BS: Sketchercise is a weekly assignment that everyone has a chance to participate in. It’s basically the personal artistic interpretation of a specific theme. Like, one of my recent favorites was an Archie theme that had to include only certain characters. Even though the theme might not be something everyone is super familiar with, it’s cool because you’re kind of forced to think outside of the box. (Or just be lazy and not do it, haha!)

Page from Tom Davidson's sketchbook.

TD: For those who need an extra creative push or are having trouble thinking of something to draw other than what they’re comfortable with, this exercise is for them.

BP: I brought the suggestion of a weekly sketch theme to the group and they ran with it! Henry Eudy came up with the title in jest and it stuck, especially after he illustrated it!

HE: Sketchercise is the brainchild of Brandon Padgett and was given its awful name by yours truly. (I fully expect it to hunt me down for retribution some day, much like A Boy Named Sue.) It’s something we’ve been trying out the last several weeks where a subject is selected by one member of the group and we all go out into the world and draw up our own variations on that theme. Thus far we have collectively drawn images of our favorite comic strip characters, done a triptych of Archie characters and tried our hands at the wide world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. The results have, truthfully, been spectacular. Looking at the Sketchercises, you can really see the potency of creative talent harnessed by this group. We’re doing much more than just borrowing imagery from established sources, our members are taking those characters and ideas and forging them into new and crazy creations. It’s a manifesto to the world, oh yes.

EP: Sketchercise is the brainchild of Brandon Padgett. He wanted us to have a themed “homework” assignment. Henry Eudy came up with the name and corresponding art piece. We all switch off coming up with topics to draw. Although, I’ve yet to participate. Yikes!

Stay tuned for Part Two of the Sketch Charlotte Interview