Norwalk Community College

Spotlight

Johanna Loerracher, Graphic Design, 2012

Music by the Fire, Digital Photography

I was born in Camp Crame, Philippines, and grew up in the Quezon City area. Single-handedly, the X-Men were responsible for me getting into comics, since, I’ve been a big fan of Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio and Scott Williams (X-Men artists of that time). I’m also inspired by the works of Steve McNiven, Simon Bisley, Frank Frazetta, and Leinil Yu, just to name a few. I majored in studio arts at NCC, where I received my Associate degree, and continued my studies at SUNY Purchase, majoring in liberal studies/arts, before moving from New York to Illinois.

Fortunately for me, breaking into the comic book business was much easier compared to my peers. I was in the right place at the right time back then. Fresh off Whilce Portacio’s Comic Book Creations course in the Philippines in 1998, I pretty much was noticed and got in right away. Whilce gave me the inking job on Avalon Studio’s Stone #4 with some help from my instructor, Gilbert Monsanto, of course. I’ve been working as a comic book artist on and off since 2002, and have had the pleasure of working for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Fun Publications and Avalon Studios on titles such as Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man, G.I. Joe, District X, Mutopia X, X-Force, Stone, M. Rex, and Wicked.

Every time someone learns that I work as a comic book artist, they always ask me if I’ve met Stan Lee, Jim Lee or some other big name comic book celebrity. The thing is—I work at home, I probably met more pro artists when I wasn’t working in the business. My brother, a collector and a big comic book fan, really appreciates my work, and I think he already knows that I appreciate his help whenever I need it. As for friends, they’re just amazed that I make a living out of it.

I must say that none of this would’ve been possible if I wasn’t interested in art since I was a kid. Comic books were such a huge influence on me. I guess in some ways we all can relate to having super powers, or doing something that is out of this world, and comic books used to be the only thing where they had plenty of that stuff. In 1993, when we migrated here to the US, my mother enrolled me in a summer art class at Pratt Institute in Manhattan. That was my first formal art lesson and I liked it…but too expensive! Fast forward to the year 2000, enter NCC—a much more affordable school with better teachers (honest!). There is where I met Joe Fucigna, a teacher/sculptor who will help you mold yourself in the right direction. Joe knew what I could do, and things that I had problems with, and he helped me work on it. He has this enthusiasm that’s very contagious, and it makes you just want to work harder—with a smile on your face. If I stayed another 2 years at NCC, Joe probably would have had me making sculpture out of ink. I’m flattered to learn that years later, students in Ken Lalli’s Digital Imaging classes are using Adobe Photoshop to color my inks.

I think NCC helped me to be more confident about what I can do. If you’re passionate about something, they will let you cultivate this passion and allow you to incorporate it into your work. Because of NCC, I learned how to work well with real-world restrictions when working on a project. If you’re lucky enough to have a teacher like Joe Fucigna, you better take advantage of it, learn as much as you can in the couple of years that you’ll be spending at NCC. Take criticism well, disagree if you must, but YOU HAVE TO LISTEN, these guys know what they’re talking about. You don’t know it yet but you’ll discover soon enough that your NCC teachers were remarkable after you transfer to a four-year college and compare the difference. So, enjoy your stay at NCC like I did.