Get to know Jey Odin!
We sat down with the inimitable Jey Odin, creator of Lemonade Code and talked about his journey to becoming a graphic novel demigod.
JSM: Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently doing.
Jey Odin: I’m a manga artist that has a day job as a pharmacy tech. My latest graphic novel, Lemonade Code, comes out in January of 2021 with Oni Press, and I’m currently working on future chapters of my Saturday AM series, Hammer. You can find me on Instagram or any social media platform using the tag @jeyodin
JSM: What are your main inspirations and who are some artists you look up to?
Jey Odin: I’ve had a ton of inspirations throughout the years, but the top artists that have influenced me and my work consist of Tradd Moore, Rashad Doucet, Bruce Timm, and Eiichiro Oda. The art styles these 4 have created shaped my own style into what it is today.
JSM: How do you go about creating believable fantasy worlds?
Jey Odin: I think if you’re creating a story featuring any type of supernatural element, you should create clear cut, defined rules for that world and stick to them throughout your story. Those rules should go over what the “supernatural element” in your story is, and how the normal world around it reacts to it.
JSM: What do you consider the greatest contribution to your growth as an artist?
Jey Odin: My brother Chris & our mentor Rashad Doucet. Chris and I always drew stories and competed with each other, and Rashad became like a sort of mentor to both of us.
JSM: Tell me about the most difficult project you’ve worked on and how you managed to finish it?
Jey Odin: I’ve had several projects over the years, but the hardest one to finish was Lemonade Code. This is a 146 page, full-colour graphic novel that Jarod Pratt wrote, and I illustrated; It will be published with Oni Press in January of 2021. It took me roughly 4 years to finish this project, mainly because I was working on Hammer simultaneously, juggling a day job, and moving 3 times to 3 different states, but it also was just a VERY long and hard project to finish. Ultimately I knew that if I could steadily work on it and finish it bit by bit, I’d eventually be finished, and 4 years later it came true so haha.
JSM: In stressful situations, how do you find ways to persevere?
Jey Odin: Drawing calms me down, and drawing Hammer is my favourite activity. If I’m not able to draw, or if drawing happens to be the cause of my stress, I’d probably binge read my manga collection & watch a lot of new shows & movies to get inspired to draw again.
JSM: Are you currently trying to learn any specific skill, and how do you go about learning it?
Jey Odin: Not necessarily. I feel like I learn things when I need to learn them, and currently, there’s nothing that I need to learn. Whenever there is something to learn, I try & watch youtube videos, read tutorial blogs, and look at a lot of references.
JSM: What’s been the most useful or educational resource you’ve made use of in your career?
Jey Odin: Scott McCloud’s “Making comics.” I bought this book for a sequential art class at SCAD & it metaphorically levelled me up by like 20 levels. This book really helped me get better at how to visually tell a story.
JSM: What is your dream project and can you tell us a little more about it?
Jey Odin: Drawing all of Hammer, whilst also maybe drawing a few short stories featuring different characters and such. I LOVE drawing Hammer and can’t wait to draw more and more of it to show you all, but hopefully, once I get enough free time, I want to explore older stories and concepts I made. One day.
