The artwork on the signs for Midgard Comics on Lincoln Avenue can be attributed to one man: Charleston resident Roy Dare.

But that is not the first place Dare’s artwork could be seen. Dare said he has painted and sketched since he was a child. Some of his first artwork was in an unlikely place – his pillowcase.

“I was about 5-years old when I started,” Dare said. “I used to sketch on my pillowcase. I never got in trouble for it, though.”

His parents may have never punished him for his artwork, but they did have a part in his inspiration. Dare explained that his father was a World War II veteran who was a photographer who used to paint as well.

Dare used to watch him and it helped influence him.

“It sort of came naturally to me,” he said. “I never had any formal training besides some classes in middle and high school.”

Dare does not limit himself to a particular medium of art. He says he likes to paint and sketch portraits of people, landscapes, and his favorite: comic art influenced work.

“Working on comic art is my favorite because I’ve always been a big comic book fan,” he said.

Dare said that he doesn’t feel he has a particular style, but he likes to mimic a comic-like style for some of his drawings.

But Dare insisted that that was not the only art he does as he looked at his canvas at a portrait of his parents he was painting from a photograph.

Dare referenced some of his influences as Alex Ross, his favorite artist, who also paints drawings from photos.

Though Dare is enthusiastic about his work, he says it’s not something he thinks of as a full-time job, especially as a comic book artist he said.

“That sort of thing is hard to get into around this area,” Dare said. “But it’s not something I would ever pass up if someone had the interest.”

Dare instead focuses on being a family man. He says his biggest fan is his wife Linda.

Linda often looks over his paintings and sketches and helps encourage him.

“I’m my worst critic,” Dare said. “But Linda has always been supportive.”

Linda said she has always known Dare to be an artist, even when they first met. She said she enjoys looking at his artwork.

“Sometimes I will look at it and tell him what I think of his work because he always asks for my opinion,” she said. “But sometimes I will look at his painting and tell him what I think it is missing or what he could fix.”

But his encouragement does not only come from his wife, but from his three children as well.

Dare says that his children have also taken to art as they have done some work during their school careers.

Dare said his two sons were also interested in comics and they have often thought about creating characters.

He said he and his son, James, as of late have been working on a character together. He said he thinks it would be fun to be able to sell the character some day to a comic company.

“It would be nice to maybe someday approach a comic company and sell it,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily want to be the artist working on the project, but it would be nice to say, ‘that’s our character.'”

Dare says he usually paints and sketches in his living room or the kitchen. He said he likes to be surrounded by his family while he works.

“It helps my creative process,” he said. “If I work by myself and keep myself isolated, I tend to work on my work too long.”

Dare explained that he is a quick worker, but he takes his time. He does not rush his artwork – on average, he said it takes him about five days to complete a painting. Of course, he said, bigger projects may vary with time.

Dare had been buying comics from Midgard Comics for years and had been talking to owners Mark Waters and Mike Reinhart. They had discussed the signs of the old building, which Waters and Reinhart thought could use an update.

“It was sort of a mutual thing,” Dare said. “I had mentioned I did artwork, and after a while they approached me and gave me a chance to try painting them some work.”

Waters said a few years back when Dare talked to them about the signs and artwork, he brought in a Captain America painting that he and Reinhart liked so much that they bought it from him and asked if he could do more, replacing the original signs for the building. Waters says he likes the look of Dare’s artwork.

“It’s just the kind of artwork that I like personally,” Waters said.

Dare said Waters and Reinhart were the ones that convinced him to post a flier in their shop advertising his work.

Dare does not really have set rates on his artwork, but the most he has ever charged is $50 on a large-sized painting. He said his average price was around $20-30 dollars. But Dare says he is not about the money.

Instead, he says his artwork is part of who he is and what he would like to continue to do.