Judah Beard may be 16, but he’s no novice.
The W.F. West High School junior has been creating comics and short picture books since he was 5.
Beard says he’s inspired by many artists, including Matt Groening, famed creator of “The Simpsons” and “Futurama.” His writing, meanwhile, is inspired by the work of Gary Larson, whose syndicated single-panel series “The Far Side” ran around the world for 15 years.
“My dad is also a big inspiration to me,” Beard told The Chronicle. “I found one of his old sketchbooks, and it was filled to the brim with crazy characters that inspired me to make some of my own.”
Beard said he’s currently adding to his portfolio of single-panel gag cartoons while creating “some small multi-page comics.”
The local artist is also working in a longer format.
“My plans for the future are to finish some smaller multi-page comics before tackling my goal of completing the first full issue of a comic series I've been working on for a while,” Beard said.
To see more of Beard’s work, follow his Instagram handle @judahbeard_art.
