About

Personal Stuff

Name?
Dawn McTeigue. Well, technically my name is Dawn Schwartz. I’m married & my husband’s name is Dan Schwartz. McTeigue is my maiden/birth name.

Why McTeigue?
I use McTeigue for my artwork because McTeigue is less common, thus easier to find me online. There was already at least one Schwartz that I was aware of in comics, and many thousands in the US alone, so I chose to use my maiden name for art.

How do you pronounce McTeigue?
Many people call me “McTeeg” and while that’s ok and I don’t mind, my family is from Ireland and the way THEY pronounce it is “McTeg” (just pretend all the other letters aren’t there).

I’m fine with people pronouncing my name differently than I do—it’s not something that gets under my skin. You’re safe. 😊

Kids?
3 kids, born 2002, 2005, and 2010. Boy, girl, boy. I listed their ages at first, but since they seem to keep on growing, I’ll leave their birth years instead.

The oldest two are in university / getting on with their own lives, so a lot of the time there’s just one left at home.

Pets?
A very fabulous (and evil) British Blue Shorthair cat named Sherlock.

Where do you live?
Calgary, Canada

You’re Canadian, eh?
Yes. I'm also an American & Irish citizen. Technically, I’m also Australian by birth, but I haven’t claimed citizenship. Too many to keep up with as it is.

Life story in a few words?
Was born in Melbourne, Australia. Have spent much of my life overseas & lived in Honduras, Japan, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Austria & Mexico.

Hobbies?
Aside from art, obviously, I’m also crazy about Holiday Decorating. In my opinion it’s never too early to start planning next year’s decor!

I don’t know if this counts as a hobby but I’ve always been borderline obsessed with art supplies—so much so that I started my own brand! Tempermentals is a luxury, goth-inspired brand of stain-proof pencil cases that I designed myself.

You should definitely check them out!

Other skills besides art?
I have mad skills at house cleaning! Lol. I can’t work or focus in clutter or messes, so I’m fast & amazing at cleaning house. Neat Freak over here!

Favorite music?
In This Moment, Marilyn Manson, rock music in general, and surprisingly… Kpop! My daughter introduced me to that world when she was a younger teen, and while she grew out of it, I got stuck. It’s so happy, energetic, the dancing is so fun, and I just love the whole scene. My favs are Taemin, SHINee, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, Aespa, and I’m always discovering more.

Favorite movies?
Wonder Woman, 5th Element, The Devil Wears Prada, Deadpool, Iron Man (all of them), Dark Knight. I’ll also watch just about any silly rom-com as long as it has a happy ending! No sad or “realistic” movies need apply here.


Love Between Fairy & Devil: Best show EVER!

Favorite shows?
I’ve watched just about everything, since I like to have something playing next to me while I draw, even if I can’t always look at it full-time. Our family loves anime too, which is another thing I was introduced to by my kids.

We’ve seen so many but some of the ones I liked best were Naruto, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Tokyo Revengers, and Fruits Basket. Then there’s all the Asian dramas and comedies which are super fun. “Love Between Fairy & Devil” is my reigning top pick. I’ve probably seen it 6 times.

Favorite foods?
Sushi, ramen, oatmeal raisin cookies, cheap hot dogs, and Chinese fast food places like Panda Express. At cons you can catch me snacking on Cheez-Its and White Monster Zero. I have been told many times that I have “the tastebuds of an 8 year old”. Oh well.


Can't beat milk and cookies :)

Now I should say that while those things are my favorite, I do try to eat properly when I’m at home. Which for me means smaller meals, getting adequate protein, and not eating too often.

Fitness?
I go to the gym 3x a week with my husband. He’s my personal trainer, and has made me a program to help my body combat the strain of drawing and desk work, and keep me strong for dragging heavy luggage all over the con circuit.


Not pictured: the never-ending soreness

Art & Professional

Current Projects:
Cover art for Comics Elite and Coffin Comics, and interior/cover art for DiVinica, the series I co-create and co-publish with my bestie JP Roth.

Past Projects:
I’ve worked for most of the comic companies out there in some capacity. I feel like a newbie on the inside, but I’ve got over a decade of comic art under my belt & am slowly becoming an old-timer at this. Lol.

Some career highlights are:

  • Co-creating Divinica with JP Roth. Interior artist/painter for all 6 issues published so far.
  • 10+ years as a cover artist for Coffin Comics
  • Interior penciller for 5 pages of Harley Quinn & Her Gang of Harleys #5
  • Variant cover artist for Marvel & DC

Did you go to school? / How did you learn to draw? / What kind of training have you had?
I’m self-taught. I had the interest as a child & drew all the time. I’ve also requested a lot of critique on my work and from that, I learn.

How long have you been drawing?
I’ve been drawing & coloring my whole life. I started working toward being in comics in February 2011 & had my first published piece in March 2012. (Cover pencils and interior inks on Ancient Dreams #1 by Rothic)


Me at 19 months old, already at it

How did you get your start in comics?
JP Roth, creator of Rothic, was a childhood friend of mine. She’s written a fair few novels & wanted to launch them as comic books first. She contacted me to see if I’d be interested in drawing for some of her books. At the time I’d given up on art, had a newborn baby & just wasn’t good enough (I thought), nor did I have the time to draw (fact, lol). However, she didn’t take no for an answer, and I’m SO grateful for her persistence.


Me and my bestie JP Roth - Bestselling novelist and publisher ❤️

JP Roth, Sabine Rich, Mike Krome & I started out in comics with NO idea what we were really doing. I'd always been a fan of J Scott Campbell & the whole Top Cow/Aspen crew, but beyond that, I knew nothing about actually working in comics.

I drew the teaser for Ancient Dreams on the wrong size paper, mostly drew at night when my kids were sleeping, was a full-time, stay-at-home mom of 3, and had just moved to Canada with no art supplies. I used some books, a slab of glass and a bedside lamp as my light table & worked on the dining room table, which was already too small for our family. Lol.

Those days were hard. I didn't know if I had what it took to be a comic artist, and seriously doubted myself on a daily basis if I was good enough to make it. I even had to take my youngest baby with me to SDCC and feed him hiding behind the Mrs. Fields cookie stands.... it was a rough go at the beginning. It's one thing to start out & be crazy when you have only yourself to care for, another whole ball of wax when you have 3 young children, so come hell or high water, this HAD TO work. Thankfully, it did!

My makeshift light table in the early days
My makeshift light table in the early days

I had many people, even artists I deeply admired for years, give me tips & pointers on how to improve, what to watch out for in my work, what a commission is, how to accept commissions, pricing, paper, printing... I was green in everything. I know I wouldn't be here today without those who helped & directed me.

Every day is a new challenge, and I still have far more to do, learn & progress in, but I'm excited for it all!

How long does a piece take you?
I’ve never liked this question as I don’t think any answer is a win for the artist responding. If a piece takes a long time then people think you’re really slow and everyone is full of tips for speeding up your process. If a piece is really fast it can devalue it in some people’s eyes, and sounds like you didn’t put much into it.

So honestly I’ve never really counted it all up. A piece takes what it takes, and it’s done when it’s done, as long as I meet the deadline. I will say that when I’m scheduling out my time, I set aside two weeks for a complete cover project—from concept to final colors plus alternate outfits/patches & color variants.

I’m not working on it that whole time, as so many other things come up in the course of running an art business, but working in and around all of that I’ve found that I can deliver a good piece in that time. Give or take a few “up till 4am” cramming sessions, but such is the artist's life.

Main artistic influences?

  • Eric 'eBas' Basaldua
  • J Scott Campbell
  • Mike Turner
  • Marc Silvestri

Favorite art study/reference books?

  • Anything by Andrew Loomis
  • Framed Perspective by Marcos Mateu-Mestre

Favorite pieces or projects?
Usually it’s whatever I’m currently working on. As once something is done, I start picking my art apart. Whatever I’m working on at the time has more potential as I’ve learned something new & am better at my job with each new piece.

Favorite art tools? / “What pen is that?”

  • Paper: Cougar Super Smooth 100lb Cover for non-painted pieces. Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor paper for Painted artwork.
  • Mechanical pencils: Tombow Mono Graph 0.3 & 0.5,Pentel Twist-Erase 0.9mm
  • Light table: Huion A3
  • Lead softness: 2H through 2B
  • Erasers: Tombow Mono Stick, Tombow Mono Zero 2.3mm round barrel, Faber Castell Kneaded Eraser
  • Pens: Copic Multiliner, Faber Castell PITT pens
  • Pencil Case: Tempermentals of course! 💀❤️🖤
  • Traditional colors: Copic & OLO Markers, Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle & Caran d'Ache Luminance coloured pencils, Schmincke Watercolours, Holbein Gouache, Liquitex Acrylic paint/ink, Gamblin Oil Paints
  • Art gloves: My fav are the Lululemon running sleeves, but will buy any thumbhole sleeves to draw with. I use them to protect the paper.
  • Digital colors: Adobe Photoshop CC
  • Digital Art Tablet/screen: Wacom Cintiq 22HD


All of that goes inside my Tempermentals Nightshade Case

Social media?
You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, & Deviant Art.

I do about two live streams per week on Twitch (twitch.tv/DawnMcTeigue) to draw or color for several hours and you can ask me questions, watch the process & have fun with the rest of the viewers.

Every now and then I put videos on YouTube and TikTok as well.

What cons are you going to?
See my Convention Schedule. I try to keep it up to date as shows are confirmed.

Can I get a commission?
Please see the Commissions page for everything on that topic.

Any advice for aspiring artists?
Draw all the time! My theory on art is that if you can physically hold a pencil you can be an artist. And some have proven that you can draw even if you don’t have hands, or can’t hold a pencil! I believe that art begins with an interest, and then time dedicated to practice is what makes you good.