Year in Review: Jerry Bennett 

OKG: Tell Us a little bit about yourself and your year in review? (Have you gotten covid or anyone near you been affected?)

Jerry Bennett: I'm a full-time freelance illustrator, and have been working from home along with my wife, a home baker (@countrygilrkitchen), which made the pandemic much more manageable not having to leave the house much. Neither of us, or any immediate family, have had Covid, but we have had countless friends who contracted it, and many of their family members have been lost to it.

Overall, though, my year has been miraculously full of hope, having presented in a webinar for the Alaska region of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators), inducted into the USAO (my alma mater) Hall of Fame, improving my health and diet, and turning a half-century old this year.

click to enlarge

• Jerry Bennett | Provided

OKG: As an illustrator has the Pandemic changed your day to day process?

Jerry Bennett: For the most part, nothing in my workflow has changed, surprisingly, and even provided extra time to get work done. I was worried work would slow down when the economy declined, but thankfully I have had continual steady work, and even time to work on a few personal projects.

OKG: Any Project that you created over the last year that you are proud of?

Jerry Bennett: I've been very fortunate to create some really great pieces for the Gazette, Oklahoma Today magazine, and Glamorella's Daughter, my collaboration with writers Charles J. Martin and Brandy Williams, that we successfully launched as a Kickstarter for issue one.

click to enlarge

• Jerry Bennett | Provided

OKG: Have you been more ambitious to tackle larger projects or new styles?

Jerry Bennett: When my Cintiq went kaput, it gave me the challenge of working exclusively through my IPad Pro, and I feel like it has really allowed my style or illustration and comic art to grow and change. I also began writing on a larger scale, even hoping to write and illustrate an entire trilogy of graphic novels from an original concept of mine.

OKG: Who have you leaned on the most through this year?

Jerry Bennett: My wife, without a doubt. Having almost every social element removed from us has allowed us to depend on one another and really strengthen our already wonderful marriage. Our four cats have helped too.

click to enlarge

• Jerry Bennett | Provided

OKG: What has inspired you the most this year?

Jerry Bennett: Seeing how our underpaid teachers have coped and adjusted to a ton of extra work for the sake of our students and witnessing the creative response from so many different artists, despite the oppressive nature of the pandemic and so many other issues around them have continually spurred me to stay creative and hopeful.

OKG: First thing you want to do when Covid is gone?

I also need to mention that, more than any shows or movies, I've read a TON of graphic novels this year, most notable being Ryan Andrew's THIS WAS OUR PACT. It's fantastic on so many levels.