Artist Biography

Will Mize (b. 2004) is a graphic, digital, and sequential illustrator living in Columbia, Missouri. Will is an undergraduate student studying for his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at the University of Missouri, after which he plans to enroll in postgraduate studies. His work studies the figures and imagery of many subsects of popular media and culture, primarily focusing on the graphic art and storytelling of comic books. He usually works with pencils and inks on paper but is actively expanding his repertoire with charcoal, colors, and digital media. While Will’s professional resumé is limited, he has completed commissions for school-sponsored extracurriculars, school newspapers, tattoos, and miscellaneous renderings of popular characters.

“What’s the Deal With Will Mize?”

Curriculum Veritae

  • 2018-Honorable Mention for the New York Times National Student Political Cartoonist Award

  • 2019-Present- Work Displayed in Public Gallery

  • 2020-Paid commission for tattoo design

  • 2021-22-Political cartoonist for high school newspaper

  • 2022-Paid commission for tattoo design

  • 2022- Paid commission for logo

  • 2023- Cover design for music single

  • 2024- Cover design for music album

  • 2024-Paid commission

  • 2024- Paid commission for merchandise design

  • 2024- Three paid commissions for musical artist branding and merchandising

-Artist Statement-

My work primarily consists of dynamic figure drawings and artistic renderings of popular media, usually including a stylized or engaging backdrop. I complete these pieces with graphite, ink, and sometimes alcohol-based markers or charcoal. I first pencil in the shapes of a figure and block out any supplementary elements in the design, before completing the fine linework and tracing over it with pens and india ink before adding colors. The characters and fanciful elements I draw have been extremely important and evocative to me since I was a child, and their consistent storytelling and designs have allowed me to find my own style and expression while still holding true to the features and concepts that make these characters so popular. I hope to continue to hone my talents of visual storytelling in order to create new content with these characters, and inspire the next generation as I was. Characters like Batman and Superman are timeless, and have countless interpretations that have each inspired someone different in another time or place. If I’m able to devote my work to that kind of storytelling perhaps I’ll be able to do the same.