Meet Jamie Primack | Comic Artist and Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Primack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My whole life, I’ve loved art and writing, but I never considered any of it to be a potential career option. It was always something I did on the side while working other jobs. When I worked in a cafeteria, I’d doodle on the sandwich shop signs. When I worked in a bookstore, I’d draw on the staff recommendation cards. If someone in my life had a birthday, I’d illustrate something special for them. I even worked as an English teacher in Japan for a couple years, and I’d create elaborate drawings on the chalkboards all the time. But at a certain point, people started asking me, “If you’re always drawing and writing while at work, why not make that your actual job?” With social media being such a pervasive part of everyone’s lives, I realized there wasn’t anything stopping me from sharing art online and self-promoting. I had the ability to build a career, I just had to actually do it. I left Japan and enrolled in a comic art school, and that’s when I started focusing on building up a social media platform by posting frequently and tabling at conventions. By self-promoting online and at shows, I was able to gain enough of a following that I could start crowdfunding and becoming an independent creator.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a comic artist, illustrator, writer, and cosplayer. That might sound like a lot of different things, but I’ve managed to keep it all under one umbrella by maintaining a very particular style. What sets me apart from other creators is that I work traditionally. While I’m fully capable of creating digital art, my comic art is always hand-inked, my illustrations are always hand-painted, and even my cosplays are homemade. On top of that, all my art and cosplay is known for its dark yet glittery aesthetic. For a while, I was known as the “space goth” because my comic art involves a lot of black ink and splatter, and most of my illustrations incorporate shiny, metallic paint. Even my cosplays are decorated with rhinestone makeup and jewels.
That being said, I’m really proud of the hard work and level of detail I put into everything I do. It’s difficult and time-consuming to handmake everything, but it’s also fun, and it sets me apart from a lot of others working in my field.
It hasn’t been easy, however. Getting noticed online or at shows can be a huge challenge, so I’ve tried to evolve and “level up” a little more every year. I used to work only in black and white, then evolved to color, then evolved to metallics. I used to only share still images, but now I take the time to make art process videos. I used to only cosplay online, but now I cosplay at shows too. Every year, I challenge myself to take things just a little farther than I did before, and I think that’s made all the difference. The best way to overcome a challenge is to just go for it. If you fail, at least you learned what you need to do to succeed on the next try. It sounds cheesy, but you really do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
More than anything, I hope people can see not only the amount of time and effort I put into all my work, but also all the love I put into everything I do. I wouldn’t dedicate so much time, energy, money, supplies, and risk-taking into all my creations if I wasn’t so passionate about it. I love what I do, and nothing makes me happier than seeing others enjoying what I do too.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m from Chicago, born and raised, and I still live here even now. As an artist, I don’t get out a whole lot because I often work from home 10+ hours a day, but I love Chicago, and I try to go out and have a good time as often as possible. As far as daytime activities go, we have some of the best museums in the country such as the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry. Not to mention we have the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium. We also have a lot of really cool historic buildings that are still in use, such as the Music Box Theater.
I’m especially into Chicago’s alternative nightlife scene and concerts, so I definitely recommend checking out shows at places like the House of Blues, The Empty Bottle, Bottom Lounge, and Reggies (where you can also get amazing chicken wings). Oh, and Nocturna events at Metro are the best! If you see DJ Scary Lady Sarah’s name on an event, you know it’s gonna be good.
As for food, no matter how cliché it is, I still tell people to get some Chicago deep dish pizza. Is it touristy? Yes. But it’s also a giant skillet full of cheese, so how can you go wrong? If there’s a type of food that exists, somewhere in Chicago you can find it. My personal recommendations are to check out the restaurants and bakeries in Chinatown (Happy Lamb has the best hotpot). There’s also Eleven City Diner, Corridor, and Crisp has the best chicken wings in the city. I also want to give a shoutout to my friend Mike Satinover’s restaurant Akahoshi Ramen. Mike studied the art of making ramen in Sapporo, he’s written books about it, and I guarantee you won’t find a better bowl of ramen than at Akahoshi.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Maybe it’s a little cliché, but I want to give a shoutout to my parents. I wouldn’t be the artist or creator I am today without their love of art, as well as their support. Growing up, my parents decorated every inch of every room in our home with art, and they always encouraged me to keep writing and drawing. My mom made sure there was never a lack of books around for me to read, and my dad would bring home stacks of blank paper for me draw on. My parents were initially skeptical when I suggested turning art into my entire career, but they’ve always been my biggest fans and cheerleaders, and they’ve never discouraged me from trying my best. My parents show up at conventions I work at sometimes, they back my crowdfunding campaigns, they follow me on social media, and they always tell people about the work I do. I’m eternally grateful to them for all the love and support they’ve shown me and my career aspirations.

Website: https://jamieprimack.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamieprimack

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamie.primack

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jamieprimack

Other: TikTok: tiktok.com/@jamieprimack
My Etsy shop: etsy.com/shop/theartofjamieprimack
My BINARY STAR comic series: tapas.io/series/binarystar