CHARACTER DESIGN &
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS ROOM
Please note: I'm still in the process of transferring the Daily Zoo press archives from my old website to this page. A more comprehensive listing will be forthcoming.
My sincere thanks to the following journalists and media outlets who have contributed their time, talent, and resources to help share the story of the Daily Zoo.
The Press Room has been organized into the following categories:
• AUDIO
• VIDEO
You can also check out Readers' Comments here.
AUDIO >> Interviews & Podcasts
Creative Calling Podcast May 23, 2016
"Episode 24 - Networking with Your Character Design Portfolio with Chris Ayers"
Host Briana Gibson and I chat about a variety of topics, many of which relate to artists who are in the early stages of their careers.
In addition to the main interview, you can find "bonus content" here where I answer a few more questions.
The Picturebooking Podcast June 17, 2015
"Episode 29 - Chris Ayers: Healing & Drawing Together"
Host Nick Patton explores the world of creating and illustrating picture books in this weekly series.
Creative Trek Podcast Dec. 1, 2014
"Episode 14 - Chris Ayers: Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing A Day"
Sean O'Daniels hosts this weekly podcast that "takes you on a journey behind the minds of today's top creative professionals and artists."
The above link takes you directly to my episode, but a full list of episodes can be seen at creativetrek.com.
Minnesota Public Radio Jan. 15, 2009
"Artist Fights Cancer, With Cartoons" by Greta Cunningham
Streaming audio, transcript, and slide show.
VIDEO >> Interviews & Clips
The MedStar Institute for Innovation's Annual Forum Oct. 13, 2015
"The Daily Zoo - Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day"
I was invited to share my thoughts on inspiration and imagination.
St. Norbert College May 18, 2014
I was invited back to my alma mater to deliver the 2014 Commencement Address.
Sketchbook Tour with Scott Robertson Feb. 13, 2014
"Chris Ayers and His Amazing Sketchbooks"
In this informal interview my publisher and I take a flip through some of the Daily Zoo sketchbooks.
PRINT >> Reviews & Articles
​
"Meet the Artist: Chris Ayers, Creator of the Daily Zoo" by Emily Belanger
"I’d like to challenge people to keep in mind that we also need to be active in making time for creativity in our lives."
​
Character Design References Oct. 1, 2016
"Interview: Chris Ayers" by Auguste Dupin
"I believe our creative potential to be infinite, but only if we are good stewards to our imagination and overall health. This means, in part, taking time to play and replenish the well of your imagination by keeping your eyes, ears, and heart open to receiving new experiences. Soak it in!"
​
Coping with Cancer January/February 2016
"The Daily Zoo - Healing Together" by Chris Ayers
An excerpt from The Daily Zoo Vol. 3 - Healing Together.
Artzray Nov. 25, 2015
"A Drawing a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" by Christine Griswold
This interview includes such things as how I got my first break in the entertainment industry and my views on the concept of "failure."
Zoo View - Quarterly Magazine of the Los Angeles Zoo Summer 2015
"Zoo Sketchbook" by Chantel Mikiska
A short profile on four local artists who frequent the L.A. Zoo to sketch & sculpt.
"Book Review: The Daily Zoo Vol. 3: Healing Together" by Teoh Yi Chie
"Every book in the Daily Zoo series has been wonderful and a delight. Volume 3 is another great addition. It's touching and inspiring. Most highly recommended."
(By the way, Parka Blogs is a great resource for art book and art material reviews.)
"Book Review: The Daily Zoo" by Jeff Provine
"The real soul of The Daily Zoo, though, is the exposition of Ayers’s own fanciful, whimsical soul."
"Book Review: The Daily Zoo Goes to Paris!"
"The characters feel like they have a life of their own. Highly recommended."
Animation Book Reviews Jul. 29, 2012
"Book Review: The Daily Zoo & The Daily Zoo Year 2" by Sarah Knight
"These are a couple of really beautiful books, containing the wonderful imagination and creativity of a man happy to be alive. Chris’ sense of humour shines through in both the drawings, and the words, so it’s a pleasure to read as well as look at.
Highly recommended for lovers of animals, art or life."
"Book Review: The Daily Zoo Year 2: Still Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day"
"There is no lack of surprises from cover to cover. Very highly recommended."
David-Wasting-Paper Blog Dec. 17, 2009
"Cartoonist Survey #23"
David, an artistic blogger from Massachusetts, asked me to fill out a survey with art-related questions ranging from the technical to the philosophical. If you're interested in artistic methods and the creative thought process, you might want to check out not only my answers but some of the other very talented cartoonists he has interviewed (over 200 including the likes of Joe Bluhm, Jan Eliot, Chris Browne, Peter de Seve, Anita Kunz, Tom Richmond, William Stout...)
Spectrum 16 Nov. 2009
The latest volume of Spectrum, the annual compilation of some of today's top sci-fi and fantasy art, includes two images from the first Daily Zoo and is another fine collection of some amazing work by many talented individuals. If you're not familiar with Spectrum and you like dragons, femme fatales, and big kick-ass robots, you should do yourself a favor and check it out.
My thanks to the jury for including images from The Daily Zoo and also to editor Arnie Fenner for including a mention in his Year in Review essay: "The Daily Zoo: Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day by Chris Ayers [Design Studio Press] was an inspirational, often hilarious chronicle of defiance as Chris battled leukemia by drawing a new creature everyday for a year."
Next Day Flyers Blog Sept. 25, 2009
"Beyond Design - Featured Artist" by Karen Daniels
If you're curious about how I got my first break in Hollywood, I answer it in the very first question...
Appleton Post-Crescent Mar. 31, 2009
"Spring Break Time to Connect" by Elizabeth Sauter
College student and columnist Sauter relates her discovery of new appreciation, hope, and inspiration while reflecting on her spring break activities to passages she read in The Daily Zoo.
"The Daily Zoo Vol. 1 Book Review"
"The book is creative, inspirational, and beautiful. It's a journal written from the heart."
Parka runs an extensive blog which keeps tabs on all the art/design books as they are published.
St. Norbert College Magazine Spring 2009
"Animal Spirits: An Aardvark a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"
Along with an article about the story of The Daily Zoo and a book excerpt, my alma mater invited me to do the cover illustration for their quarterly magazine (which also happened to be Day 1063 of the Daily Zoo).
