Meet Rio Burton | Illustrator and Comic Book Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rio Burton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rio, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I never intended to start my own business; in fact, my dream when I started out was to work for a studio as part of a team in the gaming industry. Long story short, that didn’t end up happening. I was getting more and more commission work, specifically in comics, until it made more sense for me to quit my other job at the time and start my own business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I started off, I was taking on any commission I could for a paycheck, for exposure, anything to get a purchase in the art world. It didn’t work. I had to learn the hard way to create work that I ENJOY. That’s when my art truly became mine, and the jobs I wanted started to roll in. It’s not easy. Life threw a lot of unique hurdles my way. I think this is why everyone’s path to their professional creative careers is so different. Due to personal life events, I didn’t get to sink my teeth in until I was in my mid-20s. At the time, I felt like I was “too late” to succeed in an artistic career. Another lesson learned: you’re never too old!
I kept pushing through, creating art that I was interested in and juggling side jobs until I got enough artwork coming in to make the leap to full-time.

I love telling fantasy stories with my art so that is what I focused on—creating fantastical characters and worlds. I created comics to showcase what I can do and that got me comic work. People look at my portfolio, see the dark fantasy I love so much and hire me for their own fantasy stories. This is what I love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This has happened. My best friend lives an ocean away! When she came to visit I took her to the mountains. We went on hikes, we went fossil hunting, we chatted late into the night and enjoyed being in nature together. I love being outdoors. I’ll show you something beautiful!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out someone I have worked closely with for years now, Pat Shand. He’s a phenomenal writer, and we co-created the graphic novel, Azza the Barbed, together. I was still new in comics, but he took a chance on working with me. It’s such a special feeling to find someone whose mind you just click with when working so closely on a project together. I’ve worked on many of his other projects, including his latest fantasy comic Wild Wisps. It’s a blast working with him. Every edit he has given me has made me a better artist.

Website: https://rioburtonillustration.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rioburton/

Other: https://bsky.app/profile/rioburton.bsky.social

Image Credits
All images were created by me!