In 2016, Joey Scherwenka was in 4th grade. He was drawing pictures, and all of a sudden, inspiration struck. He created the cartoon which became known as Jerry the Slime! Ever since then, Joey has been drawing comics. Joey, who is now an 8th grader, states that “I practiced and stuck to it even when I wasn’t sure about it.” Joey does many things with his drawing skills, some of which include drawing for White and Blue Press in addition to simply drawing for fun. His most common character is Jerry the Slime, a green gumdrop shaped creature named Jerry. 

Jerry the Slime does many things, including saving people who are in trouble and going on many adventures. In fact, creating those adventures is just what Joey loves about drawing comics: “Being able to show action through still-life pictures is pretty amazing.” He adds, “I like to create my own things or be inspired by things that other people made to make my own.” 

Although Joey doesn’t know specifically how Jerry the Slime came to be or where his inspiration came from, it was definitely one of the most important things for his art and comics. 

Joey’s classmates love to read his comics, and his peers give him many compliments as they are always enjoying Joey’s creations. 8th grader Mara states, “It is so cool how well Joey can draw.” While Lily states, “I think that Joey is a super good artist and his comics are great.” Even some teachers, like Mr. Kierzek, enjoy reading Joey’s comics. 

While the creation of Jerry the Slime can be traced to 4th grade, Joey has been drawing since he was three years old. In response to being asked how he comes up with his cartoons, he claimed, “I think of funny events that I might want to happen to me.” He also says that the main inspiration for his illustrations is “If I think of something funny, I like to draw it and be able to see it myself.” Joey says that his favorite things to draw are “Things that aren’t real, so I can picture scenarios that are not probable to happen.”

Joey is an amazing artist who enjoys what he does, and everyone who knows his talent hopes that in the future, he will use his creativity and talents to his benefit. Be sure to check out Joey’s latest comic published right here on the White & Blue Press website!