- Interview Date: 6/7/2025
- Format: In-Person, One on One
Anime Herald: What is your origin story?
Batstongue: Oh my god, that’s such a good question.
Definitely the bonus features on kids DVDs. This is going to sound so corny: my favorite movie when I was a kid was Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. They have a bonus feature where you could learn how to draw the horse. I did that for God knows how long, until I got really good at it. That spiraled into me realizing that I like creating. That opened up everything for me.
Anime Herald: I’m a little older than you. Back in the day, in the backs of comics, there was the advertisement “learn to draw” and there was the horse.
Batstongue: Yes! I loved the bonus features. I just practiced, practiced, practiced until I got better. And then I got better.
Anime Herald: Did you know growing up that you wanted to be an artist?
Batstongue: I think so. There was that freedom to do what I wanted. I wasn’t worried about materials. I had paper, a pencil, and my brain.
Anime Herald: Did you go to school for art?
Batstongue: I did. I graduated last year with my BFA in painting. I’m doing that, and now, aside from the vending opportunities, I’ve dived into scenic painting for on and off-Broadway shows, and I also do freelance commercial logo and sculpture work.
Anime Herald: Where did you go to school?
Batstongue: SUNY New Paltz.
Anime Herald: Any shows in particular you’d care to mention?
Batstongue: Death Becomes Her. We’re prepping for Beetlejuice.
Anime Herald: Who is “we” in this case?
Batstongue: I work for a bunch of different companies. Infinite Scenic Studios. Cigar Box Studios. I’ll pick up freelance opportunities from any company that will give me a call back.
Anime Herald: I don’t want to say you’re a mercenary but you’re an artist for hire.
Batstongue: Yeah, we can say that.
Anime Herald: When you have time, what is your favorite kind of art to work on?
Batstongue: I like doing large-scale paintings. as huge and ambitious as they can be. You can find them on my website. I have a 10×8-foot piece that, when I get to move around it, and have that conversation with the asking and telling of what the piece wants, vs. “I’m done, don’t touch me anymore.” I think that’s where my best work shines.
Anime Herald: 4×3 feet is twelve square feet. That’s considered pretty large. 10×8 is eighty square feet. That’s enormous.
Batstongue: We take the canvas apart. It’s a jigsaw puzzle to set it up anywhere else. I also work intricately, not just on canvas. I do laser-cut panels. It’s like silhouettes coming out of a rectangular or square canvas.
Anime Herald: When you paint, what medium do you like to use?
Batstongue: I use acrylics. It’s the most accessible, and least harmful to my lungs. All material is bad material, but at least with acrylics I don’t need crazy ventilation. I use just cheap Michael’s craftsman paint. The cheapest I can find.
Anime Herald: You are the prototypical starving artist.
Batstongue: Yeah, for sure.
Anime Herald: Who are the artists who inspired you?
Batstongue: I like Craig Gleason. Super amazing and funny human being, and really talented. I like the works of Jeremy Bastian. I also like Little Thunder. She does a lot of portraits. Crazy talented. It almost looks like 80’s or 90’s media.
(Editor’s note: Instagram nuked Craig Gleason due to The Sims 4. I am not making that up.)
I’m currently doing a fellowship at Ann Street Gallery. It’s their “Emerging Artists” fellowship. I’ll be there for the next six months creating art and working on an exhibition. That will be around mid-to-late September.
Anime Herald: Do you read manga or watch anime?
Batstongue: Yes. I think the last thing we finished was Spy x Family and Jujutsu Kaisen. I’m waiting for the second season of Chainsaw Man. I’ve already read it all. I’m waiting to see how it takes off.
Anime Herald: I have to say Chainsaw Man has to have the record for the dumbest main character, in terms of intelligence, ever.
Batstongue: Yeah, it’s pretty rough. But it’s endearing. I thought the animation was amazing.
Anime Herald: And Pochita was pretty cute.
Batstongue: Yeah.
Anime Herald: Thank you for your time.
Batstongue: Thank you for your questions! They were great.
Batstongue Talks With Anime Herald at Five Points Fest – Seth Burn