Some Australians might remember snatching the comic strip section from their parents’ local newspaper, when they were kids.
While those cartoons were targeted more at adults than children, the imagery always felt enticing among the tedious sheets of black and white words.
Comic culture is biggest in Japan – ‘manga’ worth more than $4.2 billion – closely followed by South Korea, and then America (the latter ruled by Marvel). Though, while the Australian comic market pales in comparison, one man has still made the creative medium his own.
Artist Daniel Rofe was born in Western Australia, but now calls Queensland home.
“My family moved to Warwick in 1984,” Daniel explains.
“We also used to live on a property in Stanthorpe, which isn’t far away. It’s a nice temperature here – colder than anywhere else in Queensland.”
He can’t pinpoint the exact moment he began to dabble in drawing, but insists he started young – and hasn’t stopped since.
“I’ve been drawing all my life, ever since I was a kid. I would draw, draw, draw. It’s always been a hobby.”
Cartoons became a reoccurring theme among his art, prompting the realisation: “I thought to myself – why not combine them into a comic strip?”
Comic strips have since become Daniel’s bread and butter, all executed on an iconic artistic tool.
“I draw everything by hand on Windows’ Microsoft Paint,” Daniel reveals – proving that even the most modest graphics editors can create some complex imagery.
His work is a cascade of bold and brazen linework, somehow simultaneously simplistic and heavily detailed. It features bright pops of primary colours breaking up well thought-out white space – all encapsulating ‘hand-drawn’ without appearing amateurish.
Although 2D, Daniel’s drawings demonstrate an impressive depth of field, starring five original characters whose personalities leap off the page. His style is distinct: unpretentious, a little whacky, and totally individual – entirely ‘Daniel’.
“Each comic takes around three to four hours to finish – from idea to execution,” he says.
“Coming up with the concept is the hardest part.”
His earlier, hand-drawn artwork also shows an exceptional amount of promise, and an intuitive understanding of line, space and shape. The dot work feels like an unintentional nod to ‘pointillism’, a famous impressionist movement where tiny strokes are applied in patterns to form an image.
“This isn’t my career – it’s purely hobby for me. But I have sold a few drawings in the past.”
Though unlike many hobby artists whose work remains unseen, Daniel decided to push for recognition. He launched an online business on Shopify – Einiedone Clothing, selling various merchandise adorned with his drawings.
“It seemed like a solid way to both promote and make some money from my drawings. But I couldn’t get the company off the ground.”
Even still, Daniel remains tenacious in his bid to share his art.
“If just one person cracks a smile at my drawings, then that’s a win,” Daniel says.
While comic art remains his hobby only, Daniel’s initiative and drive for exposure could one day pave the way towards the likes of Cartoon Network. His advice to budding artists?
“Keep at it until you find what kind of creative medium feels like the right fit for you. Art is therapy, too – don’t forget that.”
