Comic In July: Eva Rust

It’s a new month and of course, we have a new comic artist. This month we welcome the likeable and talented Eva Rust. I put a few questions to her 

Could you introduce yourself and let us know a little about your background?

I'm Eva, I've been living and working in a shared studio in Bern for 12 years, together with other illustrators and graphic designers. Before that I studied non-fiction illustration (scientific illustration) in Luzerne. Since then, however, I am no longer very interested in drawing scientifically. At the moment I prefer drawing picture books and printing prints on the risograph. But I like to do a variety of things so I also work as a textile designer and am currently working on an animated film project that will probably be finished in early 2023. I also teach drawing at the School of Design in Bern and Biel.

And can you tell me something about the pictures in this month's newsletter?

The pictures are all risoprints that I have made over the last few years. Whenever I'm not that busy, (and sometimes, even when I am busy,) I take the time to draw and print a new riso motif. And as a little self-promotional aside the prints are all available in my online shop. 

Ron’s note: Check them out, they’re great!

Do you have a favourite picture from it and if so, why?

If I have to choose one, probably the first one, but simply because it's the most current one at the moment. It shows Fantomah, who is considered the first female superhero, her first appearance was in 1940, before Wonder Woman. I like her skull, but also the very simple costume.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

If being an illustrator hadn't worked out, I would have been an astronaut or a deep-sea explorer.

Do you have a favourite colour?

Black! Even if you don't see it in my pictures.

How would you describe your style?

That’s probably the only thing I like to describe less than the music of a favourite band.

What subjects are particularly close to your heart?

My work is not always insanely political, but there are many issues that are close to my heart: social justice, environmental protection, animal welfare. At the moment, I am concerned about the Supreme Court ruling in the USA on abortion and the fact that in Switzerland, too, signatures are being collected for several initiatives that want to make abortion more difficult.

Where did you grow up and did that have an influence on the course of your life? Or also on your drawings?

I grew up in Zurich. But I was probably influenced more by my family. At home we always had all the Asterix volumes, including left-wing reinterpretations like «Asterix against the nuclear power plant» or a feminist version called «Feminax and Walkürax». And then there was Klaus-Peter, a friend of my father's, who lent me and my sister stacks of Spirou & Fantasio, Marsipulami, Yoko Tsuno, Tassilo and many more comics. Anyway, I grew up in a very comic-friendly environment. Even as a child I enjoyed ghosts, vampires, mummies and everything that is a bit creepy, and I think you can still see that in many of my pictures.

What is making you happy at the moment?

That it's finally summer again, I’m working on the animated film I'm making with a good friend, the people around me, my two god children, my studio right on the Aare...

What is the most challenging thing in your life right now?

Working on so many projects and still having enough time for myself. And maybe also working on the animated film. We've been at it for over two years now, much longer than I normally work on a project. The next thing we plan to do is to turn the story of the film into a book, a mixture of children's comic and picture book, which is also something new for me.

What do you like to draw the most?

Animals, monsters and badass women

What can comics, cartoons and illustrations do that other media can’t?

I like that illustration is very low-threshold. You don't need expensive equipment to make something. As long as the idea is good, all you need is a pen and a piece of paper and you can tell a great story, make a stupid gag or a political statement...

List a few of your favourite things (or moments or experiences) in a nutshell.

All the things I listed above in the question «what do you like to draw».
Currently just hot days with swimming and long summer evenings.
Loud live music.
Brocki finds.
Good, (and bad,) films.

What do a lot of people not know about you?

After lighting Jared on fire for dodging the question last month, I guess I have to give an answer. Maybe that besides naturally insanely high quality films and series, I also have a great love for trashy reality TV. While my pictures are being created, things like «Bumann, the Restaurant Tester», «Ru Paul's Drag Race», «Auf und Davon» or «Love is blind» are often on in the background.

Thanks for the interview Eva, I’m looking forward to seeing your illustrations this month.