After hours of frantically scribbling under a cheap lamp in a Portland apartment, junior Kevin Poyer straightened his posture and felt every stiff joint pop back into place. He pressed the cover to his lips and quickly pulled it back — making sure there was no smudge left from his kiss of achievement.
Five empty pens later, he finished his first zine.
The first issue of his zine “Violet Black” is a horror story about a teenage vampire of the same name. This is his first cohesive zine story, which he completed at age 15 while attending the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) pre-college art program. With minimal help, he handmade 20 copies of “Violet Black” in less than a week.
Kevin said that the inspiration for this fiery character and her own series comes from the characters seen in animations today such as Adventure Time, Steven Universe and Regular Show. He wanted to create a new, unusual character — unlike anything he’s done before.
“She’s basically a teenage vampire going through her life, trying to figure it all out,” Kevin said. “Doing things the best that she can.”
Kevin’s mother, Kelsey Poyer said that Violet is one of Kevin’s coolest characters yet. Now that he has a new way to tell stories, she hopes that Violet will get more chances to show off her unique and different personality.
“I definitely hope if she gets another story we’ll see some redemption for her, maybe a softer side,” Kelsey said. “I love that he has a new medium to utilize for his art.”
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Kevin has been an artist ever since he was old enough to hold a crayon, as drawing has always come naturally to him. He creates quick sketches of original characters, or drawings inspired by his friends and family. Most of his creations come directly from the sketchpad he keeps next to his bed, in case of late night inspiration.
Kelsey has always looked for ways to support and advance her son’s artistic ability beyond a sketchbook stashed away in his room.
She remembers his kindergarten teacher noting the artistic glimmer in Kevin’s eye at a young age, and suggesting to his parents that she let their son draw instead of write assignments. This stuck with Kelsey, and while she always let Kevin experiment in any type of activity he was interested in, it was clear that he was destined to be an artist.
Kevin Poyer said he has always found joy in creating art. To further his artistic talent, he attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art’s summer program this year.
“If you try to put someone like Kevin into a business school [it’s] just not going to work,” Kelsey said. “He’s not going to be happy.”
So when his parents were looking for summer art programs, the PNCA art program seemed like the right choice to help him truly prepare for a career in the art industry. They hoped that this week-long program would shed some light on all the opportunities that could come with an art career.
“I thought they did a really good job of highlighting things he can [pursue],” Kelsey said.
While attending the program, Kevin was enrolled in the class for zine design and publication — something he’d never tried before — where he received instruction from artist Kinoko Evans. Evans is an illustrator, cartoonist and printmaker. She has self published several zines, all of which have previews available online.
Kevin found motivation in her achievements, and she guided him to seriously consider pursuing zine design.
“She showed me the ropes, gave me her personal tips and had me work on a few projects alongside her to get me started down the road,” Kevin said.
On the first day of her class, Evans pulled a purple sheet of paper from her desk and instructed each young creator to fold it into a booklet.
“Make a booklet about anything you can think of,” Evans said. “Whatever you want.”
Kevin decided to draw quick sketches of different body types and uncommon beauty ideals, laying out a story that expressed self love and body positivity.
Before Evans’ class, Kevin was worried that he would find himself to be a one-trick pony, and that he would be an unsuccessful zine creator. He was unsure of his ability to create a story that people would like, especially as he was using a medium completely new to him.
He held up the final product, smiled and realized something — he could create whatever he wanted, and it would still be a valuable piece of art.
He didn’t have to fret over whether or not the story would be widely liked. He didn’t have to worry about the unexplored art medium. Whatever he put into the world — whether it be a quick sketch of a body, or a story about a teenage vampire — would still be worthwhile and treasured.
