Meet Thomas Pitilli

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Pitilli . 

Hi Thomas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist. When I was very little, my dream was to be a Disney animator. I would staple sheets of my drawings together in an attempt to tell a story, imagining it was a moving cartoon animation. It dawned on me one day that those little books I was making were much more like comic books than cartoon shows. It was then that my aspirations changed from wanting to be an animator to wanting to be a comic book artist! I followed that dream throughout my childhood, all the way to college, where I studied Cartooning and Illustration at The School Of Visual Arts in my hometown of NYC. Since graduating SVA in 2007, I have worked in many different areas as an illustrator, such as editorial, advertising, publishing, and within the last several years I’ve gotten to fulfill my childhood dream by becoming a comic book artist. Some of my clients include DC Comics, Archie Comics, Wieden and Kennedy, Wall Street Journal, Playboy, New York Times, and many more. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The life of a professional artist is almost never a smooth one. And it certainly wasn’t for me. Financial struggles, creative obstacles, personal sacrifices, these have all been a part of my professional journey. I don’t think anyone picks this as a career because they want a secure, predictable, comfortable life haha. Like many others, I chose to follow my ‘passion’. It sounds very noble and righteous, but over the years I’ve learned that it can get you into a lot of trouble as well. It’s very ‘instagramable’ nowadays to glorify following your passion, but if you’re not careful, following your passion can be at the detriment of so many other important areas of your life. I look back on the last 15 years or so of my career and realize in many ways, I took the hard road. Some of it was due to a lack of knowledge, but most of it was out of sheer stubbornness. It’s a double-edged sword though because that same stubbornness is also what has given me the ability to push through the tougher times and keep moving ahead. We’re complicated individuals, us artists haha. My advice would be to surround yourself with people who are less complicated, smarter, and loving. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I’m a full-time comic book artist. I’m working on a series of graphic novels that has yet to be announced but will be soon. My past graphic novels include Gotham High for DC Comics and Riverdale: Ties That Bind for Archie Comics. Although I’m very proud of the books that I have worked on and always get a kick out of seeing them in a bookstore somewhere, my goal is to somehow publish my own comic stories that I both illustrate and write. The title “artist” has always been a tricky one for me to feel comfortable using; I mainly see myself as a storyteller. Whether it’s a one-off illustration or a comic page, I’m always telling a story with my illustrations. 

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
None of us exist in a bubble. My artwork is a culmination of all my influences, my experiences, and my overall nervous system. I’ve been fortunate enough to study with some incredible professionals in the field throughout my education as well. Names that come to mind would be Marcellus Hall, Nick Bertozzi, Joey Cavalieri, Gary Panter, and many more. Perhaps more than all of that, I’ve always had the emotional support from my parents and family. It’s a hard enough profession as it is, and I couldn’t imagine how much harder it would be without that. 

Contact Info:

• Website: Thomaspitilli.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thomaspitilli
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzxfjFdpa47MOSXC8Axje6Q

Image Credits
Thomas Pitilli