Much like the superheroes he draws, Ted Woods also has an origin story. Granted it’s not as dramatic as being bitten by a radioactive spider, but it’s still the moment that set him on the path that he continues to walk to this day.
“At 14, my dad took me to the grocery store,” Woods, now approaching 42, begins. Like most teens, rather than help with the shopping, Woods made a beeline for the magazines. “I flipped through a Green Lantern comic, and I just knew, that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
That day Woods left the supermarket with a comic and a dream. Since then, he has been building on that dream every day and is now working full time as a freelance artist.
His work favors the ink wash technique, mixing ink with water to turn black into shades of grey, similar to watercolor. While largely black and white, his images contain a great deal of depth. “I’m a sucker for detail,” Woods tells me. It shows. His reliance on traditional techniques, brushes and quills, adds to the tactile nature of his work.
More than two decades after the day at the supermarket, the universe rewarded his steadfast commitment to the craft with a full circle moment.
“At a convention in 2023, I ended up sitting right across from both the artist and writer of that auspicious Green Lantern comic. I got to tell them what their work meant to me, and they treated me as a fellow artist, not a fan. That was pretty special.”
While Woods has fingers in many artistic pies, including working as a comic letterer, a storyboard artist and poster illustrator, conventions are his bread and butter. He attends 12 to 15 a year all across the country, interacting with fans, fellow artists and the occasional celebrity. Having just returned from GalaxyCon in Raleigh, Woods provides insight into the experience. “You’re drawing for three days straight, it’s busy but it’s fun.”
“I really loved being in an environment that gave you permission to take your art seriously. I try to give that to the students I teach,” shared artist Ted Woods, who has turned a teenage love of comic books into a full-time creative career.
While custom commissions can take him weeks to complete, at conventions it’s mostly on the spot requests, each piece taking him anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours. Common subjects include people’s pets, their Dungeons & Dragons characters and drawing people as their favorite hero, villain or anyone they want to see themselves as.
Asked if any specific requests stand out, Woods answers with a smile. “A dad came by with his two teenage daughters and asked to be drawn as Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and for his two daughters to be depicted as zombies behind him,” chuckling, Woods continues “the daughters were scowling and rolling their eyes, so it was perfect.”
Passing the torch is another passion for Woods.
He started teaching his own curriculum in 2017, offering classes for children, preteens and teens. Unlike many, who “come from an education starting point” he puts art first and teaching second, meaning students walk away with not only valuable practical skills, but with a deeper appreciation for the practice of creativity as a whole. While the approach differs depending on the age group, the common thread is about creating a space where the kids are free to imagine and lean into their passions.
“I was the kid in class that drew all the time. I loved comic books and video games.” Becoming an artist was a natural fit, but he said it was his time at Savannah College of Art and Design that really validated his dream. “I really loved being in an environment that gave you permission to take your art seriously. I try to give that to the students I teach.”
He teaches regularly at Main Line Art Center and has taught at Perkins Center for the Arts. He’s also been in talks with Haddonfield Public Library about offering classes. Locals who have kids with a passion for drawing should make their interest known.
Between the teaching and the travelling there’s also the passion projects.
A chance meeting with paranormal noir writer Stuart Jaffe last year in Raleigh led to them collaborating on “The Illustrated Marshall Drummond Case Files” for which Jaffe supplied the writing and Woods, the images, naturally.
He’s also working on a graphic novel of his own. “YA focused, grounded in Greek Mythology” is all he can say for the moment.
But the project taking up most of his free time currently? His own Tarot deck. A re-interpretation of the original artwork through his own artistic lens. It’s a labor of love, reimagining the age-old symbolism for our modern times. “It should be done by the end of next year… there’s a lot of cards”, says Woods. A reminder that art, done by hand, with skill and intention takes time. And so it should.
