Autobiographical Comic Book: Illustrate Your Experiences

Alec Longstreth is a cartoonist, freelance illustrator, and teacher living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He first fell in love with comics thanks to his grandfather who would read them in the newspaper, and soon began exploring iconic titles at his local comic shop and public library. Alec quickly fell in love with Disney comics in particular, and drew a six-page comic at just 12 years old that won a prize at a local art competition.

He started drawing comics seriously while studying technical theater at Oberlin College. Alec’s comics were featured in the student newspaper, and after graduating, he began self-publishing them. Since then, he has released 24 issues of his minicomic Phase 7, and won awards for both his first and second comic project, Isle of Elsi. He later moved to New York City to study illustration at Pratt Institute and launched his freelance illustration career, working with Highlights Magazine, National Geographic Kids, and Nickelodeon. Alongside creating art, Alec teaches workshops to students as the Director of Academic Outreach at The Center for Cartoon Studies.