TSC CREATOR INTERVIEW: LESLEY ATLANSKY

Lesley and I met at the first comic con I ever tabled at, Rose City Comic Con, in 2017. She was a big supporter of Lifeformed, and I was happy to learn that in addition to working at a local book store, she was a colorist, information I filed away for later use: when I was looking for someone to color The Griever for ThoughtScape Comics #2, she came to mind right away, and I discovered that she had actually worked with Jacob Edgar before, so I was able to look at that work and see how her colors would function with his line art…

Matt: What got you into comics as reader/fan?

Lesley: I was really sad when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv show ended. When I heard the story would continue in comic book form, I took my first trip to a comic shop! Fortunately, they were extremely nice and gave me other reading ideas to keep me hooked.

Matt: What got you into comics as creator?

Lesley: I had a friend that first got me hooked on the MCU early on, and she was reading Iron Man comics because of it. I fell in love with the Fraction/Aja/Hollingsworth Hawkeye run and wanted to read more. It was the coloring on their Iron Fist run that made me want to give it a try.

Matt: Who do you consider to be your influences, and are there any artists you consider to be an influence that might not be apparent from your style?

Lesley: If I could get the clean beautiful colors of Matt Wilson in my work, I'd be thrilled! I also really love artists like Tula Lotay and Stephanie Hans. The way they color their work is so luscious. 

Matt: Are there any influences on your work from outside of comics?

Lesley: I take a lot of inspiration from the natural world and I really love coloring nature backgrounds - mountains and deserts and big skies. 

Matt: If you view comics in terms of a career, what does a successful career in comics look like to you? 

Lesley: As a colorist, you generally aren't the one making the pitch or at front and center of the promotions. So honestly for me, I think having someone reach out to work with me because someone I respect told them I was a good choice, or someone wants to work with me because of a comic I've done... that is amazing. 

Matt: You colored The Griever for ThoughtScape Comics #2 with line art by Jacob Edgar. You've colored Jacob's art before. Could you talk about how you approach bringing your very expressive colors to Jacob's classic style?  

Jacob's lines are so bold and expressive, and there isn't a lot of "filler" to fight against. This makes is so easy to be bold as well. Sometimes I struggle if the line art is too delicate. I used to enjoy trying a more painterly technique and layering in shadows and stuff. But really being able to lean into the line art and hit it with some bold strokes is so satisfying. 

Matt: Is there an aspect of The Griever that you especially enjoyed or are especially happy with how it came out?

Lesley: I can tend to be too literal in my color choices, so being able to lean into the orange for the flashbacks, and choosing the teals for the cold present day was enjoyable. I particularly like the colors and brush choices I made on the second panel on page one.

Matt: What do you do when you're not making comics?

Lesley: My day job is at a bookstore. I've always loved to read! I also like to play board games. 

Matt: What are you working on currently / what's coming up for you?

Lesley: I've got Killchella with Scout that just started coming out, as well as The Divide through CEX. Next up is a really fun book called The Claims Adjuster through Devil's Due. 

Matt: What was the last great comic you read?

Lesley: I really enjoyed The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. by James Spooner. It's a really wonderful coming-of-age memoir.

Matt: Where can folks find and follow your work?

Lesley: I have a portfolio at www.lesleyatlansky.com and I'm on social media at @latlansky.