Date of event: January 28, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Renee Yoch began writing and drawing comics in 2006 and has refined her style over the past five years blending a version of Western cartooning with Eastern manga styles.

Renee has found great inspiration throughout her life from strong female characters in film and comic books. When asked about this, she replied..”Fashion. Not today’s gimmicky Gaga inspired tripe, but designs rooted in trends from the late 1800′s. I love the mentality of that era, when there was still undiscovered places and a high court mentality. The contrast between the savage and the civilized and what actually is defined by those things is forever interesting and thought provoking.”

This theme is evident in her work. “Even though I work mainly from my imagination, my designs are inspired by a massive quantity of research into period costumes and patterns from around the 1880′s second bustle period and Victorian architecture. I find enough information until I feel comfortable designing and creating my own content and twisting historical costumes into my own aesthetic.” says Renee of her character costume designs.

In addition to her comics, Renee sculpts finely detailed maquettes of her main characters from Sculpey. Looking at each delicately carved fold, button and smirk on the maquettes gives one a huge appreciation for the amount of concentration and love that she brings to her work.

Renee holds a BFA in fine art and digital art from the University of Bowling Green University (Bowling Green, OH) and an MFA in illustration from Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA).

Renee’s first visit on September 3, 2011 was a big hit. We look forward to her return.