Artist in Residence: inside the imagination dimension of comic illustrator Uko Smith

I can’t tell you how many times I’d driven past the building where my studio is now located. I would see a former co-worker’s online photos of her jewellery-making setup, and didn’t really make the connection until I saw an ad for studio space.

I had been looking for another studio space, since I was running out of room at home – and voilà! I’ve had two other studios previously: one by myself and another with fellow art grad students, with whom I’ve been friends with since college and see on the convention circuit.

One of the things I’ve been able to do here at the studio, since I used to teach at Columbus College of Art & Design, is hold some limited art class time to help younger artists in high school and also some adult art guidance periodically.

I’ve been here at Millworks Arts Studio for about 10 years now, and I just love the space that I have. It’s got large windows, which lets in great light during the day. The windows help me see that ‘life’ exists when I have to spend more hours inside than out. One of the best things I love about my space is that I have room for the artbooks (my kryptonite), which range from artists’ sketchbooks and art history books of my fave artists to pre‑production books for film and animation.

Millworks houses about 100 artists here, still with room to accommodate more. I’ve been fortunate to meet some good artists here of different disciplines. Since I’ve acquired a new (to me) hydraulic drafting table, which I’ve always wanted, I’ve had to do some re-arranging of things. Being able to set any desired angle with the foot pedal is grand. Another great purchase I’ve had recently was finding a large flat-file cabinet, which allows me to store my work and have more table space.

I get up around 6-7am. I struggle to get my gym clothes on and work out for about an hour, then I deal with my two little ankle-biting dogs, Sierra and Penny, with some outside time. I’m usually at the studio by 10am and stay until around 9-9:30pm. I’ve definitely burned some midnight oil here at times.

Although I’ve enjoyed working from home, I needed more solitude –especially when my doggies come up every hour for me to take them out. I can focus a bit more when I’m at the studio: I just listen to the music that gets me going for the day, or some podcasts when I want something different.

A key that helps me produce work is stepping away for a bit every hour or so to stretch, so that I’m not physically run down by the end of the day. I split my week doing freelance work for various clients; handling commissions, packaging and shipping; creating some quick, daily warmups; and fitting in time for my creator-owned work, which I look forward to finishing for you to read.

Discover more of Uko’s artwork below

This content originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine, the world’s leading digital art and fantasy art magazine. ImagineFX is on sale in the UK, Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and more. Limited numbers of ImagineFX print editions are available for delivery from our online store (the shipping costs are included in all prices).