The world of John Malta is in another realm. His shaky uneven lettering, his colorful yet dark and eerie illustrations, his fascination with punk shows and pet lizards – they all make for something that’s weird and wonderful at the same time.

To this day, John’s cat doodle (I’m still not quite sure if it’s really a cat but I love him anyway), which you can find inside our DA coloring book, remains as one of my favorites.

For his feature, John answered a few questions for us in doodle form. His answers, as you will see, are full of character, full of texture, full of awesome. He also sent over some photos from inside his studio in NYC, where he is living now.

Moldy Magic. That’s how he refers to his work. And really, I couldn’t have come up with a better pairing of words to describe John Malta and his sultry craft. It’s bound to grow on you, if it hasn’t already.


Q: Introduce yourself.


Q: How old do you think you are?


Q: Tell us something.


Q: What animal represents you?


Q: What do you picture yourself never doing?


Q: What’s your favorite place?


Q: What’s your must-have appetizer?


Q: What’s a really good word? Draw it.


Q: Dog or cat? Or other?


Q: Show us your most-used tools of the trade.


Q: Define happiness.


Q: What do you want?


Q: Plans tonight?


It doesn’t end here! Have a fun peek into John Malta’s studio before you go.