Feehan tweets his way to the top
This grad is boldly going where no alum has gone before.
Mike Feehan, a graduate of the Graphic Design program at College of the North Atlantic (CNA), was recently chosen to illustrate the cover of a Star Trek comic.
It all happened because of one tweet.
“Last year, IDW Publishing launched a new line of Star Trek comic books and I had reached out to the editor of the comics over Twitter expressing interest in maybe drawing a cover for one of the issues,” said Feehan. “Once I got my foot in the door, it kind of snowballed into me drawing several covers as well as a four-issue arc for the main Star Trek comic series.”
The illustrator says he has been watching the popular television and movie franchise ever since he was a young boy growing up in St. John’s, NL. He has since gone one to draw 5 Star Trek Covers and 4 full issues.
“I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since I was a kid; it’s something my whole family would watch together,” he reminisced.
His love for comics, however, didn’t kick in until college.
“I have always been interested in making comics, but I didn’t really start reading them until I was in college. When I was a kid, I drew my own Spider-man comics, Pokémon comics, and weird anime webcomics, but it wasn’t until The Walking Dead that I found myself regularly in a comic book store buying books. Eventually I realized that I wanted to start drawing them as a career.”
Feehan graduated from CNA’s Prince Philip Drive campus in 2008 and said his college experience had a positive impact on him.
“I really enjoyed my time at CNA. Up until that point I was entirely self-taught when it came to creating art digitally, and the Graphic Design program and its instructors really helped me develop my skills and taught me how to create work at a professional level.”
In the past he says he has recommended the Graphic Design program to those who share the same passion.
“I would and have recommended the program to others. I can think of at least a half-dozen friends who have completed the program after I graduated,” he said.
Feehan says his work can be demanding and that it isn’t for the faint of heart.
“This line of work isn’t for everyone—I have a hard time maintaining a healthy work/life balance and I think in any type of creative work it can be difficult to separate your job from your identity,” he said. “But if you’re the type of person who is passionate about this type of work, nothing is going to stop you from doing it, and it can be so fun and so rewarding.”
In addition to illustrating comics, he also does storyboard work for commercials, music videos and tv shows – which, when combined, doesn’t leave much room for free time.
“Free time? What is that?” he laughed. “When I’m able, I like to go indoor rock climbing a couple of times a week. In the summer I’m swimming in ponds every day. I also love going out for food and drinks. Also napping with my dogs is one of my favourite things to do.”
For more information about Graphic Design or other CNA programs, visit www.cna.nl.ca.
