Dave Kellett

Dave Kellett

Kellett in June 2011
Residence Los Angeles, California
Other names David Kellett
Education University of Notre Dame
University of California, San Diego
University of Kent at Canterbury
Occupation Cartoonist
Known for Creator of Sheldon and Drive
Spouse(s) Gloria Calderon Kellett (2001-present)
Website
http://www.sheldoncomics.com, http://www.drivecomic.com/

Dave Kellett is the creator and cartoonist of two webcomic titles, Sheldon and Drive, and the co-author of How To Make Webcomics.[1] He is one of a small but growing group of webcomic artists who are self-sufficient.

Early years and education

Kellett is a southern California native. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelors in English and Spanish. While there, he produced the daily comic strip Four Groups of the Apocalypse for the student newspaper The Observer.[2][3] He earned a Master's degree from University of California, San Diego in Literature with his thesis, "To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the 'public sphere' of eighteenth-century England."[4] He received the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship,[5] to attend the University of Kent at Canterbury in England (within the Centre for Cartooning and Caricature Studies). There, he earned a Master's degree in History of cartoon art propaganda with his thesis, "Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War."[6]

Career

Dave Kellett is the creator behind the successful web comics: Sheldon about a 10-year-old computer genius billionaire, and the sci-fi strip Drive. The author of twelve comic books, and the co-author of the Harvey-Award-nominated book How To Make Webcomics, Kellett regularly speaks around the country on the subject of cartooning in new media. His Ohio State lecture can be found here: Freeing of the Comics (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Currently, he is working on a comics documentary with twice-Sundance-nominated cinematographer, Fred Schroeder. He has been an invited speaker at Savannah College of Art & Design, the Society of Illustrators, Ohio State’s triennial Festival of Cartoon Art, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, Loyola Marymount University, South by Southwest Festival (SxSW), San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con, Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon and more. His cartoons have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and dozens of others.

Kellett holds two Master's degrees in the art and history of cartooning: First, at the University of California San Diego; and then at the University of Kent, UK, at its Centre for Cartoon and Caricature Studies, on a full academic scholarship from the Rotary Foundation. After working for Mattel Toys as the head writer and a senior toy designer for 8 years, Dave pursued cartooning full-time in 2007. Dave started Sheldon in 1998 and Drive in 2009.

Awards

Authored books

Kellett has authored the following books:

He also co-authored the book How to Make Webcomics.[12]

Press & interviews

Acting and other projects

Kellett was a part of the sketch comedy group And Donkey Makes Five from Los Angeles, California.[15] He also performed in Comedy Central's South Beach Comedy Festival in Miami in 2009.[16] Kellett has performed on stage in Skirts and Flirts in New York[17] and in Los Angeles.[18] He also performed in Der Inka von Peru at the George Wood Theatre in London.

Kellett is a co-host of the comics-focused podcast, Webcomics Weekly.[19]

References

  1. Drawn.ca review of How To Make Webcomics
  2. Forum on Sheldon Comics
  3. Starting the Next Course by KC Kenney
  4. ‘’To draw in the crowd : the cartoon and the "public sphere" of eighteenth-century England’’ by Dave Kellett
  5. Rotary Foundation article
  6. Thesis ‘’Philip Zec: Cartoonist in a Propaganda War
  7. Publishers Weekly on Harvey Award
  8. Comix Talk
  9. Kellett Biography
  10. Article on Kellett by Rotary Foundation
  11. How to Make Webcomics
  12. Wired Magazine: Underwire
  13. ‘’A Pioneer in Web Comics’’ by Stephanie Guzman
  14. And Donkey Makes Five
  15. South Beach Comedy Festival
  16. Skirts and Flirts in New York
  17. Skirts and Flirts in Los Angeles
  18. Webcomics Weekly

External links