Hayden Bowen

Hayden (Kaguq) Bowen is a graphic artist from Whitehorse, YT, currently based in Victoria, BC, whose art is inspired by the powerful narratives of struggle and growth seen in his favourite anime and manga. 

Bowen comes from a highly artistic family whose parents surrounded him with art at a young age. “I have them to thank for my passion for [art] today,” says Bowen. [1] In elementary school he began sketching in the negative spaces of his school homework books with his pencil, recreating pop culture characters that resonated with him. When Bowen’s peers noticed his improving skills, a request from a friend really set things in motion. “One of my friends when I was around 10 years old asked me to draw a character from Dragon Ball Z, and when I was done, I was hooked,” Bowen recalls. In addition to Dragon Ball Z, other anime and manga that inspired Bowen include Berserk and Naruto. 

The sharply graphic style of these early anime and manga inspirations are still visible in Bowen’s work today, with graphite drawings featuring angular portraits and highly stylized features. “I always want to incorporate some of [that art style] into how I draw,” says Bowen. But he also brings in other elements, from classical statutory to portraits with hazy, sketchier edges. In late 2023 while living in Edmonton, AB, Bowen began experimenting with dipped ink pens, bringing a new medium into his repertoire. “It’s a certain style that comes from the way the ink gets picked up that I enjoy,” he says about the shift, which occurred in part through a connection he made at his local comic book shop, Rolling Tales, where he went every Friday to learn from graphic designer James Grasdal. “Grasdal [taught] me the fundamentals of storytelling and comics, how those two intertwine and the best way to do that. It’s about how to tell a good story,” says Bowen.

Bowen has been developing his own graphic novel, called a one-shot, which is a manga which can be developed into a full-length series. He has showcased his work at Rolling Tales and aspires to enter his one-shot into competitions. Bowen wants to use the experience to meet more artists in the industry as he grows his portfolio through the Comic and Graphic Novels program at Camosun College in Victoria, where he is currently studying.. “I want to make comic books,” he says simply of his plans for the future.