Among the talented artists in Artists’ Alley at Comic-Con 2019, you’ll find one of the youngest professional comic book artists, 14-year-old Ethan Castillo from San Jose, California.
“I’ve actually never taken art until 8th grade,” said Castillo. “That was the first time I took art in school; it’s funny cause I don’t tell my teachers that I am an artist.”
He said his dad introduced him to comic books when he was about four or five and that is when he started drawing. He started using Post-It notes and now sells his Post-It note drawings of Spider-Man and other favorite characters at his table.
His dad took him to a comic convention in San Francisco when he was little, and he told his dad he wanted his own table for his drawings. When he was 8 years old, he had his own table at a comic convention. Then every year he was set up with professionals buying his artwork.
His biggest passion is drawing Spider-Man. He has drawn Spider-Man in different suits from different books. He also loves drawing Batman, Black Panther, and more recently a cover for Netflix’s show ‘Stranger Things.’ Also, at his table, he has some sketchbook collections from his earliest drawing days that customers and fans alike can buy to showcase his artistic development.
“I’ve done professional work for Marvel for Upper Deck,” Castillo said.
Castillo keeps a full schedule while drawing for about an hour every day. He also plays year-round volleyball and is a straight-A student going into 10th grade.
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As far as drawing goes, he plans to keep at it, wherever that takes him, and he continues to network when he comes to San Diego Comic-Con.
“My art teacher right now, I don’t think she knows. So, she is going to find out somehow, but I don’t want to be the one to say, ‘check out my stuff, I am on Instagram... and I have 20,000 followers!” Castillo said.
