Natalie Nourigat
Natalie ‘Tally’ Nourigat is a sequential artist living in Portland, Oregon. She is a member of Periscope Studio and has the pleasure of making comics for a living. Her comic work includes Wrapped Up in You (Graphic Universe), Between Gears (Image Comics), and A Boy and a Girl (Oni Press).
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
If I had to pick just one, it would be Watership Down, but there was also Over Sea Under Stone, His Dark Materials, Where the Red Fern Grows, Going through the Gate, The Iron Ring, A Long Way from Chicago, Little House on the Prairie, Animorphs, Goosebumps, the poetry of Shel Siverstein, Ratha’s Creature, Holes, The Boxcar Children, and all of the Wayside School stories.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“Therefore, it seems to me that everything that exists is good—death as well as life, sin as well as holiness, wisdom as well as folly.” —Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
My favorite authors are Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf. My favorite artist is Hayao Miyazaki.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I have always loved drawing and in middle school I grew to love writing. Making comics allows me to do both. Creating new worlds, exploring ideas, and expressing myself on paper is incredibly satisfying. I love being able to tell a story that anyone in any place can pick up and read at any time.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Whether you write, draw, or do both: do it for yourself. Have fun and don’t be afraid to explore what interests you. If your work pleases you, there’s a good chance that a lot of other people will like it too. Readers can tell when a creator was having fun, and it makes the work better.
