ARTIST’S CORNER: DEAN COOTS -COMIC ARTIST

“Sorry if you came to this website looking for information about the American horror novelist Dean Koontz. I’m not him. Coincidentally, I am a writer but a different kind of writer.” – Dean Coots

They say it’s harder to make someone laugh than it is to make them cry. Who’s they? I don’t know, it doesn’t matter, forget about it. What I’m trying to say is that Dean Coots, comic artist (and copy writer) is a funny man.

With a name like Tongue in Cheek Comics you know what you’re in for, a couple of guffaws (I’m bringing guffaw back, it’s such an underappreciated/hilarious word), but what I really like like about Dean’s comics is the simplicity; the drawings don’t have to be highly stylized for the jokes to work.

On why he started creating comic strips

“I always liked creating things but the great thing about my comics is that I’m not dependent on anyone else to make them. It’s an easy enough process, I can do it myself and frequently enough to post every week. I guess I just have a weird view on a lot of things and I feel the need to share that with people.”

On what he does when he’s not drawing comics

I got into advertising because I knew I wanted to do something creative for a living, but didn’t want the instability that comes with being a writer, artist, filmmaker or whatever. I went to an advertising portfolio school in Atlanta called the Creative Circus and studied copy-writing, and now writing pays the bills.

His advice to other creators

Don’t be scared to share your work. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters. And if that’s true, you’ll keep at it and always be getting better.

You can see more of Dean’s work here

Get your laughs in by following on Instagram  @tongueincheekcomics