Drew (artist)
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Drew (born 1979) is an American author and artist residing in Columbus, Ohio in the United States. He is notable for being the creator of the webcomic Toothpaste for Dinner, and the co-creator of the webcomic Married to the Sea alongside wife and fellow artist Natalie Dee. [1]
Online work
From 1997 to 1999, Drew maintained a website with approximately 20 illustrated stories entitled "The Illustrated Drew". The style of these illustrations were similar to those in Toothpaste for Dinner, except somewhat more crudely drawn and less refined. The stories themselves were similar to his writings at "Drew" and .net Magazine, but seemed to be entirely true. Highlights include his adventures at "ghetto Kroger's". These stories were published for a short time as a local magazine, though they did not receive much exposure in print or online. Drew has not mentioned this site except in passing. There are no archives or links to this older content on his newer sites.
The "Drew" website was then launched and maintained from 2000 to 2002. It contained semi-true stories with no illustrations, and marked the beginning of an increase in popularity. In 2001, .net Magazine picked up Drew's writing, running an exclusive weekly column consisting of 700 to 800 words and small Toothpaste-for-Dinner-style illustrations.
From 2001 until the present, Drew has worked continually on his Toothpaste For Dinner webcomic, which was described by Slate Magazine as "the most addictive comic on the web". This is Drew's first project which can legitimately be described as "popular", with a following of approximately 450,000 unique visitors per month. Its quirky, somewhat poorly-drawn illustrations are reminiscent of "The Illustrated Drew". [2]
In 2006, Drew began his work with Married to the Sea, a collaborative webcomic with his wife Natalie Dee. This webcomic utilizes carefully edited Victorian era lithographs next to captions. In an interview with the website "How Stuff Works", Drew stated that he draws 3.5 comics for Married to the Sea per week, and Natalie Dee draws the rest. [3]
In Spring 2007, Drew also began regularly uploading short videos of himself, often alongside Natalie Dee, to YouTube.
In January 2008, Drew began a series of sketch comedy videos called "Roller Chester."[4] They are now hosted at their own website.
Also in January 2008, Drew began work on Superpoop, a site similar to Married to the Sea, but using contemporary and color photos as the main illustration.
In October 2008, Drew and his wife Natalie's child Nona was born, a month premature due to Natalie's preeclampsia.
Other ventures
Drew was previously a research chemist and held several patents before transitioning to full-time work with his webcomic. [5] In September 2006, Drew revealed himself to be the entity behind the electronic musician KOMPRESSOR, which was previously only known by the alias "Andreas K.". [6][7] Drew has since released other albums under the artist name, Dog Traders. [8]
References
- ^ "Toothpaste for Dinner; A slide-show of the most addictive comic on the Web", Sam Anderson, Slate Magazine, June 24, 2005
- ^ Toothpaste for Dinner website
- ^ How Stuff Works interview
- ^ Roller Chester site
- ^ Slate.com slideshow
- ^ Toothpaste for Dinner journals
- ^ Kompressor website
- ^ Amazon.com: Dog Traders: MP3 Downloads
External links
- Toothpaste for Dinner, official site
- Married to the Sea, official site
- Superpoop, official site
- Roller Chester: A short format sketch comedy show, official site
- McCain Comics, a site Drew created with comics he and Natalie wrote about Sen. John McCain
- Amazon.com: Dog Traders: MP3 Downloads
- Amazon.com: Kompressor: MP3 Downloads