COMMUNITY COMIC: Comic strip contest winner

We’re with David Sylvester, winner of Encore’s Comic Contest! He is a recent implant, finally settling here after living in almost every corner of the United States. We talk a little about his experiences here in Wilmington, and what inspires him as a creative person.

Winner of Encore’s 2025 Comic Contest by David Sylvester.

Giancarlo D’Alessandro (GA): Hi David, welcome to Encore! Are you a Wilmingtonian yourself? Where did you grow up and how has Wilmington shaped you?

David Sylvester (DS): Thanks so much for having me in Encore! I’m still fairly new to the area. My wife and I moved here a year and a half ago, but Wilmington has already made a big impression on us. I grew up in Hawaii and California, spent some time on the East Coast in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, then circled back to Northern California before finally landing here.

What’s really made an impression on me about Wilmington is the mix of things you don’t often find in one place—the vibrant art community, the contrast between the riverfront and the beaches, and the overall friendliness of the people. One surprise, though, was realizing there isn’t a proper art supply store for local artists. My wife, Sara, has been working hard to pull this together, and we’re excited to help strengthen and support the creative community here.

People come and go based on the season, but it’s the locals who make this place feel so special. Everyone’s been so warm and welcoming, it honestly reminds us of where we came from. And as a bonus, Wilmington is incredibly dog-friendly, which we absolutely love.

GD: What cartoonists and visual artists have inspired you and how have they influenced your work today? 

DS. Oof, that’s like asking, “What’s your favorite song?” I’ll try to keep it short!

When I was a kid during the doodling stages, I dumped whatever came to mind on anything and everything! One style I was fascinated with was Garfield—those weirdly shaped bodies and dry dry simple humor appealed to me. I traced Garfield, Jon, and Odie nonstop, trying to “figure out” how they were drawn before I even knew about “How-To” books. 

My brothers also expanded my world with comic books and story telling. They exposed me to Marvel comics, where I fell in love with the works of John Byrne, Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Ross as well as Illustrators like the Hildebrandt brothers who were absolute masters — way beyond anything I could do at the time. I never intended to match their styles, but they pushed me to experiment and pick up new techniques whenever I needed inspiration. 

I was also introduced to the underground side of comics by the likes of Peter Bagge, Gilbert Shelton, and B. Kliban. Their wild, witty styles fueled my love for humor, weirdness, and storytelling. Then of course there was MAD magazine! Everything just seemed so raw and silly then. 

One of my favorite memories was meeting another favorite of mine, Bill Plympton, back in the height of his Plymptoons era at a small comic-con/zine fest. For some reason, I had my portfolio with me. You know, when you were young you just carried your work everywhere — really just a messy stack of loose sketches. He asked if he could take a look. I froze, but he insisted. He flipped through, raised his eyebrows a few times, gave a couple smirks, then smiled. It was the longest 3 minuets of silence I’ve ever experienced. He handed it back and told me something along the lines of: “These are great. You’ve got fun characters. Keep at it, and never give up.” I was in awe. That stuck with me—never give up, always keep exploring and growing.

These days, I still find myself most drawn to the clean, expressive linework of my favorites, Bill Watterson and Gary Larson, along with the timeless humor and exaggerated expressions of Looney Tunes and Tex Avery.

GD: Looking at your digital art gallery, you've produced a lot of musician inspired artwork. What about popular musical artists provokes you to create visual artwork and what messages are you hoping to share when folks view the final piece?

DS: Music has always been one of those things that sneaks up on me and pulls me in. I don’t usually set out saying, “I’m going to paint this person.” Instead, I’ll stumble across a musician or a song that really grabs me or that I haven’t listened to in a while, and then I go down the rabbit hole—listening to their work, learning about their story, and trying to understand what moved them to create that particular sound. Once I’m immersed, there’s usually a moment—an expression, a gesture, a pose—that feels iconic, almost like it captures the essence of that artist in a single frame. That’s what I try to put on canvas or whatever medium I’m working with.

What draws me in about popular musicians is how universal their impact can be. A song can hit you in the gut, make you laugh, bring back a memory, or even shift your mood entirely—and yet millions of other people are feeling something similar at the same time. Translating that into visual art is my way of honoring that shared experience.

It’s not always just iconic musicians or pop culture figures, though—you’ll also catch me drawing the occasional silly creature strumming a guitar. For me, it’s all part of the same thing: exploring the energy and personality that music gives off, whether it comes from a superstar or a made-up character jamming away.

When people look at my pieces, I hope they don’t just see “a portrait of a musician.” I want them to feel the energy of the music, the story behind it, or maybe even be reminded of their own connection to that artist. Ideally, the work sparks a little curiosity too—maybe they go back to listen to that song again, or they catch a detail in the piece that makes them feel something new. For me, it’s all about capturing that fleeting but powerful intersection between sound, story, and image.

GD: Moving forward as the resident Encore Cartoonist, what themes in content can we expect from you? Do you have anything you're trying to convey to the general public?

DS: I’m keeping things open and playful but I have some ideas. Right now, I don’t have a set “cast” or running storyline, but I love the idea that one might slowly emerge—maybe a pair of weird characters, or something rooted in Wilmington’s local flavor. Who knows, it could just as easily turn into more dogs and their people “Far Side” style, or a bear and a wolf trading off bad dad jokes. 

My goal, I think, is simple: to spark a smile, maybe even a laugh, and let that little moment of joy hang around for a while. I want the cartoons to feel like a surprise—sometimes quirky, sometimes silly, sometimes even a little thoughtful—but always carrying that same spirit of playfulness. If readers start to see familiar “faces” pop up and grow into their own personalities, even better!

GD: Where's your favorite place to hangout in Wilmington? Are you a homebody or a man about town?

DS: I’d say I fall somewhere in between being a homebody and someone who likes to get out and explore. Most days, my wife and I take our two dogs for long walks through downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. It’s one of our favorite routines—a break from being inside, a chance to clear our heads, and honestly, it gets the creative flow going in a way that sitting at a desk never can.

We’ve made a little game out of it, too. We like to spot “faces” or creatures hiding in everyday objects—a shadow cast from a trash can, the grooves in a tree, even cracks in the sidewalk. It sounds silly, but it keeps us present, laughing, and noticing the little things.

Another favorite pastime of ours after a long walk is grabbing a pint—usually at spots like Eagles Dare, Fly Trap, Social, Cape Fear, Slante, Savard, Dram Tree, Seagate, Fermental or The Good Lie — and playing a game we call “scribble doodle.” One of us makes the weirdest scribble possible, and the other has to turn it into a complete doodle. It’s such a fun way to flex creative muscles, see things from a different view, and practice line control. 

We usually try to squeeze in a few rounds before our furry “celebrities” steal the show. Our pups are the real stars wherever we go, and we’re basically just their entourage.

But honestly, the best part of being out and about is the people we meet along the way. So many of them turn out to be artists, musicians, or writers, and that kind of energy is contagious. It reminds us we’re surrounded by a creative community full of people who just want to make something—something that makes others smile, laugh, or even cry.