character sketches Name: Steve Yurko
From: Washingtonville, New York
What comic art/illustrations influenced you?Eiichiro Oda, 'One Piece', and Akira Toriyama, 'Dragon Ball', were two of my earliest inspirations; their work continues to motivate me, but my attention shifted from manga to story telling while reading 'Watchmen' (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) in college. Since then I've been open to more comic than just manga, and they all inspire me in one way or another, whether it be by design or narrative. My motivation is not limited to just artists I also tend to draw from my own experiences in life.
What is your story about?I think an abundance of people live their lives as drones, and they seem to have no desire to bring other people in to their story. Even the most mundane chores can be enjoyable if done with a confidant. Another element I explored was the occurrence of unpredictable, uncontrollable, and inevitable changes; people can be swept up and be overwhelmed by disruption. But these occurrences don't have to be disastrous, but it could also act as a renaissance- like the reborn phoenix shaking off its fresh wings of the soot of it's former existence, a new life is buried amoungst the ashes of past events. Also, there's a flood, with fishies and a giant squid!
inks progress What do you think of rain?I have two opinions; depending on the location: If I'm at home, then I experience the soothing effects of down-state rain. The relaxing sound of this rain provides an excellent white noise. In the city the rain is more of a nuisance. You're walking more instead of riding in the safety of your car. A rainy day in the city will usually leave me wet and miserable. If it's raining, then I'd prefer not to go out at all.
What is your goal for the next year?I'd like to continue my search for that so-called "professional work" everyone's been going on about. But, for the time being, I'll keep drawing and searching for freelance gigs. I plan on getting a web comic going in the near future, which would allow me to hone my skills and to improve my discipline by working on a weekly story. Also, this would allow me to continue my favorite hobby: cartooning!
inks progress Where can we check out your artwork?You can find me work on a number of websites:
www.steveyurko.comsanjiscool.deviantart.comsteveyurko.tumblr.com