Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Bellamy.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a freelance illustrator and have worked on several large IPs, such as My Little Pony for Renegade Game Studios and IDW Publishing. I’ve worked on various other IPs like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Ghostbusters, Marvel, DC, The Walking Dead, and more through sketch card companies like Upper Deck Inc., Rittenhouse Archives, Topps, and Cryptozoic Entertainment. I’ve also worked as an inker, colorist, color assistant, and flatter for several comic book projects such as DC Comics’ Barkham Asylum, Shazaam Thundercrack, Scifu 2 with Oni Press, and Chunky 1 and 2, published by Harper Collins.
However, I got my start in the arts field through independent comics anthologies like Radio Comix’s Mangaphile and Furrlough, Antarctic Press’ Gold Digger and Ninja High School, and Mangazine books. These projects led me to work on My Little Pony and the aforementioned sketch card jobs. I’ve also worked in animation on a few projects, including the Drew Carey Green Screen show and some work for Titmouse Animation, along with pitch proposals for smaller clients.
In addition to professional work, I wanted to set out to make girl-positive content like comics. I wanted to make stories for girls that avoid the norms that previous girl-based properties have done for years. I wanted to move away from the princess concept and write more non-conventional female characters. I have self-published 17 graphic novels, which I sell at San Diego Comic Con at my table Zorilita Mary Bellamy Small Press N04, across from 1700. I’m also now moving back to my animation roots of working on pilots and animatics to bring these stories to life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With all paths in life, there are bound to be some struggles along the way. The main issue everyone is facing at this moment is the contracting economy. Art and entertainment aren’t a necessity, so like several years back, I think around 2008, people were more careful about spending. It might even be the time to look for more steady work or reevaluate what needs to be done to keep viable, but I believe this is the perfect time to get those passion projects started. We have more access to software and programs to learn new skills and tell our stories than we did many years ago.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always loved animation and comics, especially the girly cartoons of the 80s and early 90s. When anime started to take a foothold here, I knew that I wanted to work in art even more than I had as a child. It didn’t matter what it was; I wanted to illustrate and later tell stories. I started in indie comics doing work for Shanda the Panda, which gave me my first work, short stories and inking, Radio Comix Mangaphile, which let me create my first series, Faux Facts – The Truth Can Be Strange!, their Furrlough series, which gave me my first cover illustration, and Antarctic Press, working on anthologies for their flagship titles like Gold Digger and Ninja High School. Later, IDW gave me the chance to work on My Little Pony, creating ten covers for their comics, which have wound up in several printed versions all over the world. Those comics then led me to work on the official games with Renegade Game Studios.
But even more than this, I wanted to keep making my own self-published girl-positive content like comics. I wanted to make stories for girls that avoid the norms that previous girl-based properties have done for years, move away from the princess concept, and write more non-conventional female characters. I have self-published 17 graphic novels, which I sell at San Diego Comic Con. The comics pushed me to try making plush out of my characters, and my Zorilita Guardians were featured on Syfy Channel’s Top Coolest Toys of San Diego Comic Con 2018. You can find me in my usual space at Zorilita Mary Bellamy Small Press N04, across from 1700.
I’m also now moving back to my animation roots of working on pilots and animatics to bring these stories to life, and I’ve never been more excited about it.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am a one-woman army. Not only do I create all my own projects, but I also work on friends’ professional projects. I’ve done color work on several books. I’ve been in hundreds of projects and drawn thousands of sketch cards for large companies. I have had the pleasure of seeing giant banners at Gen Con featuring my My Little Pony work, and recently had my work displayed at the Licensing Expo this year for the Sinigaglia Booth. Both were definitely great experiences.
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