Celebrity Portrait Artist, Scott Straka, Releases New Book; Returns to Convention Circuit

If there’s one thing I admire, it’s someone who is willing to follow their passion. Such a person is Scott Straka, who has built a career out of his passion for drawing. Straka now travels all over the country attending conventions and sharing his art with those who love it most – the fans.

After taking a break from the convention circuit, Straka took the time to pen his third book, Rebel Without Applause: The Unruly Book of Dilemma. The book released last week and is already receiving solid feedback on social media. And next month, Straka will be returning to the world of conventions. What better time to look back at our conversation with Scott from 2018?

The Tidbit: How did you get into drawing?

Scott Straka: I’ve been drawing for fun my whole life, but it wasn’t until mid 2013 that I went to my first comic con and decided I wanted to do it something more with it.

TT: At what point did it shift from a hobby to a career?

SS: It took me about 6 months to work up a real inventory with various new work. In January 2014 I booked my first con, and by late April after doing a few more cons, I decided to quit my other job and make it a full time gig.

TT: What is your process when creating a new piece?

SS: No one can tell you how to draw or what process will work for you. Since I mainly do portrait work now, the most important thing to get right is the eyes in order to really capture the subject. I start with that and branch out to the nose and then the circumference of the face, then work my way around.

TT: What makes you choose the pieces you’ve done?

SS: I choose a lot of things that I like and enjoy drawing, and I try to never draw the same person twice. I get hired for lots of different subjects and that’s most of the work I bring to cons or that is listed on my websites.

TT: What has been the most interesting part of interactions at conventions?

SS: Conventions are amazing. The best part of being a self-employed freelance artist is that I get to pick the cities I want to visit and appear in. You get to meet people from all walks of life, and getting to speak with them and seeing their reaction to your work in person is priceless.

TT: What has been the most rewarding part of this journey?

SS: The honor of having fans that love your work and that make it possible for me to do this for a living. They say if you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. And that couldn’t be more true. I’m grateful to anyone that has supported me in any way and hope to meet as many of them as I can in person.