higu rose: “the more scritches and scratches i can make, the better”

higu rose is a black trans artist and cowboy from the east coast who draws comics about queer folx like them, living their lives to varying degrees of success and failure. They’ve done a few memoir comics (TITTYCHOP BOOBSLASH being the most recent one) and a handful of short fiction work. Right now higu rose is working on completing a book called YINZ CITY, which is based on their experiences (and the experiences of their friends) being queer and black while living in Pittsburgh, PA.

STL SPEX (Rachel): What are your artistic influences?

a lot of different yaoi and BL artists, but Sumomo Yumeka especially. the old dead dudes: Mark Rothko, Kazimir Malevich, Rene Magritte. 

with comics, most of my influence actually comes from TV and movies. John Carpenter’s The Thing, Blow Up, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Twice Upon a Time…

STL SPEX: Along the same lines, what inspires your striking use of color?

i came into art during the era of DeviantArt’s prime, so i was looking at sparkle dogs and anime fan characters all day every day. surely no one is more inspiring to a 13 year old artist than another 13 year old willing to share their MySpace OCs with the world. at the same time I was obsessed with Lee Young You’s colored work, and her color palettes have always stayed with me.

STL SPEX: What are your favorite tools and how do you use them in your art?

my absolute favs to work with are ink and nibs/brushes. the sensation of a nib scratching on paper alleviates my anxiety. the more scritches and scratches i can make, the better.  i like using conflicting patterns because they convey a variety of emotions of state of mind.

STL SPEX: Your art frequently involves working with insulting words or phrases – how does your process alter or re-contextualize them?

i’ve never noticed that before! that’s just how i talk, but maybe there’s some deeper psychological thing going on there. maybe it’s because i’m from Philly.

STL SPEX: Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?

everything i write is inspired by not only my own life, but by the time and stories my friends have shared with me! nothing is as absurd, tragic, and enlightening as real life. also i hate cops.