Special Guest: Sherry Lee Baet-Zamar

Syeri's Artwork

SPECIAL GUEST PROFILE:

Sherry Lee Baet-Zamar

Name: Sherry Lee Baet-Zamar
Age: 31
Course & School: Bachelor of Fine Arts Advertising, University of Santo Tomas
List of Works:

  • Carpool – comic strips plublished in The Manila Bulletin
  • Carpool First Trip
  • Carpool Second Wave
  • MWAHAHA
  • KOMIKS Atbp.
  • BOINK

1) When did you start making comics?
When I was a kid I drew in old notebooks and I’d narrate the story to my family. My grandfather was a cartoonist but I never got to see his work. I wanted to be a cartoonist because of my grandfather. First set of comic strips I did was in college for friend in UP and later for our church newsletter, The Scroll. For fun, in July 2002, I made strips based on my friends after college and that is now known as Carpool.

Syeri's Artwork

2) How did you begin making comics as a profession?
The dawn of comic and Anime Conventions and the release of Culture Crash Comics inspired me and my friends to go into comics. My friend released his indie comic and I was just the salesperson. I released Carpool strips online and later compiled it as an indie and sold it in conventions. Stanley Chi (artist of Chopsticks) encouraged me to submit my work to Roni Santiago (Planet op D Eyps) of The Manila Bulletin. My first strip was published on February 14, 2004. The first book was published in March 2005.

3) If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing now?
I’ll be working as a graphic artist in some company (as what I am doing now)

4) Is it a big deal being a female artist?
I didn’t think it was until Lyndon Gregorio told me, “You are the first female cartoonist to ever publish your own book!”

5) Any advice to female cartoonists, or aspiring young artists?
Comics is fun…but it never hurts to be practical. So..just have fun!