If the Humans of New York photo series was, well, sketchier and illustrated, you’d get “Sketchy People.”
It has been a multi-year project by Portland illustrator and comic creator Jack Kent and the sixth volume will be released Thursday, June 2. The premise is simple, in theory: Kent lives his day-to-day in and around Portland. He draws his inspiration from all the wonderful weird that makes the city what it is.
But Kent isn’t just passionate about showing the world Portland through his eyes — he’s also passionate about giving back to the community that inspires him.
“It’s reciprocal to the community because I’ve always donated a portion of proceeds to Meals on Wheels,” said Kent. “We’re all just part of this humongous art installation — it’s humanity.”
Kent said he has been interested in art and storytelling for as long as he remembers and attributes a lot of his success to his mother, who exposed him to non-mainstream comics and plenty of music and art while he was growing up on the Oregon coast.
Now that he lives in the city, he said the artistic spirit and rich comic community are good driving forces to stay motivated. “You’re just constantly inspired and constantly creating. So coming here to the city, it’s just been wildfire.”
Kent creates other comics and creative ventures, including “Gulls,” a comic strip you can follow on Instagram about a group of seagulls and the tomfoolery they get into trying to make squawk-and-roll. As a supplement to that, Kent has recorded more than one album and produced vinyl with songs full of bird puns or even touching on topics like the infamous 1970 whale explosion on the Oregon coast.
On top of all his creative ventures, he works a full-time job that isn’t illustrating comics and while there’s nothing more punk than the DIY of creating comics, he knows staying motivated can be hard. For other artists, his advice is to go back to the simplicity of art.
“It’s like a little vacation,” he said. “Going back to the basics and doing something that’s a 90 degree turn, or even a 180, just to go, ‘I need to change for a little bit,’ just to reinvigorate.”
For Kent, the simplicity of Sketchy People is making drawings that make him happy.
Author of Sketchy People, Jack Kent.The Oregonian/OregonLive
“This is a visual journal of my life. And so that’s for me first,” he said. “And then whoever wants to come along this great ride of people watching, then come along. And this is a great, a great place. Like, there’s a lot of great people in these books, right? You know, as long as I’m having fun doing it, I’ll keep doing it.”
“Sketchy People Year Six” will be debuting with a book signing at Cult, 1204 N.W. Glisan St. in Portland on Thursday, June 2. Kent will be there from 4-7 p.m. and so will some furries, inspired by the furry on the cover.
“Portland is sketchy and I mean that in the best way possible. And I love this city for all of its diversity and fun and weirdness,” said Kent. “And I can’t wait to draw it.”
