Veronica Johnson, from a love of small-town Americana, and pulp detective novels > into an illustration career

Veronica Johnson is an illustrator from Montclair, New Jersey, who has turned her love of the small-town Americana aesthetic and pulp detective novels into a lucrative illustration career. Works in primarily digital mediums to provide a glimpse of the past using tools of the present, very much inspired by golden age comic book artists such as Matt Baker, Reed Crandall, and Alexander Raymond, and various mid-century designs and advertisements. As a transgender woman, she has done several projects involving LGBTQ history and wants her work to be a reflection of the past rooted in a modern perspective. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Montclair State University in 2019, and has worked with a number of independent fashion brands, advertising agencies, musicians, and social media influencers.  Fnd out more here....

When did you start illustrating?
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I started to take it seriously in highschool around 10 years ago. My art has certainly changed a lot since then!

Who has been the most supportive in your illustration career, perhaps your teacher, family, friends?
I've had some excellent college professors over the years who helped me better hone my abilities, and my friends have been very supportive of my career and my transitition and I'm grateful to have them in my life! I am lucky to have such a caring support network.

Did you always think art was something that was going to be a major part of your life?
Not until I went to college for it no, I had no other interests besides history and I came from a family where income was very important to them. I was certainly going against the grain by becoming an artist but I think it's more important to do what you love to do.

What is your favourite subject matter to illustrate?
Oh for sure women, anyone familiar with my work knows I draw women all the time it's almost my default whenever I pick up a pencil. I'm pretty well-rounded when it comes to depicting most ordinary things and people, but I'd be lying if I said my artwork wasn't 90% women

How would you describe your style?
Golden Age Comic Book style, something that wouldn't look out of place in a 1940s teen romance comic. I love antiquity and uncovering the past, and I developed a style that I think reflect my interests.

What is your favorite collaboration to date?
So far it was the project I worked on with Terry Blas and Cheyne Gallarde on the Ariana Grande comic, I usually tend to work on my own and most of the big projects I've completed were sort of solo projects

What interested you about being represented by Illo Agency?
I saw that the agency was started by people who came from the art world and really cared about their clients, I'm happy to have joined the agency!

Do you have a favourite author, film director, or designer?
Oh I love, love David Lynch and the Coen brothers, both insanely talented movie directors and I love watching their films.

Are you working on any personal projects you can share with us?
Yeah! Right now I'm working with a friend to develop a soap-opera type graphic novel that's very romance oriented, and for years I've been working on a personal comedy/drama comic book that I've been moving very slowly on called Driftwood, a version of it was made for my college thesis but I've shelved it since.

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, do you have a favourite?
Oh yes of course! I'm a devout listener of My brother, My brother, and Me I love those guys so much! Outside of that I listen to the left-wing news show The Majority Report which is very informative.

If you have any questions, or a specific project in mind, please do get in touch: [email protected]
at illo agency we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.