Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Chris Lewis via phone call on August 7th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
What inspired you to start creating Catholic art?
I had been a graphic designer for a number of years and I was a convert. I converted as a practicality to get married in the Church but eventually I started to have questions about the faith I accepted, and was being pulled to learn the faith for myself which led to a profound and authentic intellectual conversion. However in my 30’s I was diagnosed with lung cancer and this experience shook me spiritually. I learned I was grateful for my gifts and thought maybe I should use these gifts to help share the faith.
I started doing Catholic art for fun and as a cathartic experience. I used to be an illustrator. And I would hand-draw everything. I went into graphic design for stability.
When I started out sharing my sketches on social media my art took off. When you started Baritus Catholic in 2018, I was still working at my full-time graphic design job. Two years later, I decided to go full-time with Baritus Catholic.
How did you decide the name of your company?
I love reading ancient history. I was reading about the fall of the barbarians to the Romans in the 300s. There was a war cry that sounded like a trumpet, it was called “baritus”. That’s actually where we get the word baritone from. The war-cry and trumpeting reminded me of the angels ushering in the end time judgement in Revelation and the war-cry at Jericho in the Book of Joshua.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Tom Gould via phone call on June 11th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You’ve been faithfully posting a new comic every Friday since 2014, what inspired that commitment?
I graduated from John Paul the Great Catholic University in California. Matt Martinusen was starting a Catholic men’s blog called The Catholic Fellows. He thought it would be fun to start a comic for the Men’s blog. While the other writers moved on, Matt encouraged me to continue. There wasn’t a meaning to Friday at first, it was originally a deadline for the blog. But as I continued Tomics after the blog ceased, I figured I would keep posting on Fridays as that day has significance for us as Catholics.
How has your creative process evolved over the years?
I think I definitely look stuff up more. It used to mostly be Bible puns, but now I like to use the knowledge I have or acquire to teach the faith. So I’ll be more careful when looking up stuff. I use a Wacom Tablet, and I like to handwrite the lettering. I found a free website where I could turn my handwriting into a font, and have turned my handwriting into a font to save time. It helps with spacing and sizing of letters. I have tried to both streamline and keep the process personalized.
Your comics bring Scripture to life with humor and visual storytelling. How do you strike the balance between being reverent and being funny—especially when depicting scenes with Jesus and the apostles?
That’s a tough one. There are certain lines I don’t cross and not everyone is going to agree with where that line is. My approach to humor is to invite people into the stories. It’s trying to encourage people to the Gospel but understanding that people often think in turns of puns and jokes. I try to make the apostles look silly during the Gospels because they were bumbling fools at times in the Gospels. I don’t do that with Jesus and I don’t recharacterize individuals from how they are portrayed in the Bible.
You occasionally dive into the Old Testament and the lives of the saints. What’s been one of your favorite “non-Gospels” comics to create, and why?
For the Old Testament, in the story of Adam and Eve I portrayed Satan as a sock-puppet. Besides that, Moses puns are fun. The Israelites are freed from slavery and can’t help but complain soon after. Like what’s God done for us lately? I dial up the denseness about Exodus and the Israelites to point out the ridiculousness of their complaints.
Here’s the sock-puppet Satan popping up again in the New Testament this time.
You contributed artwork to the Council at Daybreak game from The Catholic Card Game. What was that collaboration like, and how did your style fit into the world of Catholic tabletop gaming?
Matt had made the Catholic Card Game already. He was great with reaching out to people to collaborate with. He got Fr. Mike Schmitz and Pints with Aquinas to make suggestions for the cards.
A few years later Matt had this idea to make a Catholic Mafia game (based on One Night Werewolf). This game was more illustration focused. I had fun making this game! Matt had all the names of the cards and concepts. I gave him a few test things and he either approved them or added adjustments. I was pretty free to design the cards/characters how I envisioned them.
If a young Catholic artist approached you wanting to evangelize through comics or visual storytelling, what advice would you give them—spiritually and artistically?
That’s a tough one, but I think definitely being knowledgeable about the faith. I have to relook up stuff about Catholicism to make sure I get it right. Before college, I had my Catechism. During college I had philosophy courses to help build up the faith. Nowadays, I look up things in the Bible, the Catechism, and Catholic Answers. I think I take for granted at times how valuable having this knowledge is.
Another thing is not to wait until the art is perfect to start. I think having a deadline where you have to post something helps you get over perfectionism. And the main thing is you are serving God in your art. As long as you are trying to represent the faith well and God well that’s the main thing.
Be open to criticism if you get the theology wrong.
Who do you consider your patron saint?
For my work and my confirmation saint is Lawrence. I connected with the gallow’s humor and his story is short and almost fairy tale like.
The Holy Family is another one I pray to a lot especially as I draw comics about them. Mary and Joseph are the two saints physically closest to Jesus.
Another saint that’s connected to me a lot is Joan of Arc. Her story is a strange place where theology sticks itself with history. Joan brings God into the reality of the war between France and England. Saints that have a very clear space in history help me.
Anytime I do a comic about a particular saint I ask them for intercession.
Where’s the best place for my audience to read your comics?
Instagram is where I am most active and I like the formatting. I think the slides are nice.
I’m a lifelong cartoonist from a big Catholic family. My art was inspired by animated superhero shows and the ever-popular “Peanuts” and “Calvin & Hobbes” comic strips; my faith was formed by my parents, several church communities, and my small Catholic college. I’ve been posting weekly “Tomics” for just over ten years now, and I hope to continue using my gifts to bring people closer to God in a way that’s accessible, faithful, and fun.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Nichole Lanthier via phone call on May 14th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Your story includes a 10-year break from visual art before rediscovering it in 2018. What was that moment of rediscovery like, and how has your artistic voice evolved since returning to your creative roots?
It wasn’t so much as a break as I really didn’t pursue art beyond a hobby. I was focused more on music ministry before having kids.
I pulled out the art supplies and started drawing a picture for my friend’s (Katie McGrady) daughter for her birthday.
Drawing was a way for me to pray. I started making prints for people and eventually opened an Etsy Shop. I have taught myself the more technical aspects of artwork and am still trying to learn.
I’ve noticed your “pixel art” design of the Blessed Virgin Mary fighting Satan (My son and I love our t-shirts!). Could you share the inspiration behind this striking imagery and what message you hope it conveys?
There’s an old illuminated manuscript of a priest who sold his soul to the Devil and the Blessed Virgin Mary was protecting the priest’s soul. The kids and I thought this was a great story and decided this needed to be one of our pixel shirts.
How does your Catholic faith specifically inform your artistic choices, themes, and the subjects you choose to create?
It is everything I create. It’s what I do specifically, faith-based work. It is impossible to separate my faith from what I’m doing. As someone who creates for a living I feel like I have an obligation to create something that can inspire others and bring them to God.
What type of music ministry did you do?
I was a singer-songwriter. From 2003-2018 I did ministry music around our diocese. We worked at a lot of the youth events in our diocese. Now I get to sing in our cathedral choir and I prefer this type of music, so it’s been very nice.
Your art helps support your children’s Catholic education. How has this practical purpose influenced your approach to your business, and how do you balance the commercial aspects with the ministry side?
It’s really hard. Since we got married we agreed that I would stay home with the kids. We also prayed about sending our children to Catholic schools. And once we sent our first child to Catholic school my art work started to pick up. We have had to put a lot of trust in God.
Interestingly enough, I don’t have a ton of time to draw due to running the other facets of the business.
It has been a struggle to balance the commercial and ministry sides. I have had a desire to give away my work for free at times, but I have had to tell myself that my work still deserves pay. At the same time there have been various ministries and circumstances to donate. I do try to price my art to be as low as possible to make it affordable.
Many artists struggle with vulnerability in sharing their work. As someone who describes feeling “very green with art,” how has putting your creations into the world as expressions of faith challenged or strengthened you?
It has definitely challenged me and has been an exercise in humility. I get nervous putting some of my stuff out there. Part of it is vanity, worrying about what others think of me. I start picking myself apart and thinking about what others more advanced in art would say. I have learned to push through those things. Some days it is tough. I follow so many talented Catholic artists and sometimes compare myself to others.
If you could create a dream project that perfectly encapsulates what your ministry means to you, what would it look like?
I’m always wishing I could do some large oil paintings. I do have a very long list on my phone of things that I want to paint. The crazy thing is it’s tough to find time to create. Honestly, I would really love to get professional art training.
Have you ever thought about iconography?
I have thought about it, but my husband is much more interested in that. He actually has an art degree, he took his career in a different direction.
How do you prepare yourself in terms of devotions or prayer before you create an artwork?
I try to listen to chant and get into as much of a contemplative state as possible. I love Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. I also have a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother of God. I really do enjoy drawing images of the Holy Family in their humanity and in their daily life.
I have plans in my list of doing more artwork focused on the Holy Family.
Where is the best place for my readers to find more of your work?
Right now everything is on my Etsy shop.
About Nichole:
Nichole Lanthier is a wife, mother of five, and artist living in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She strives to create pieces that will encourage others to turn their hearts and minds to God. Her work can be found in her etsy shop, at nicholelanthier.etsy.com.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Joshua Masterson via phone call on August 5th, 2024. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
How did you get into drawing cartoons?
I have been drawing my since I was little. Mainly drawing cartoons. My dad and my grandma are both artists. My dad specifically, taught me how to draw cartoons when I was around six years old.
Which artists/cartoonists do you model your style after?
Yes, definitely! It’s multiple people I drew inspiration from. One of the big ones is Norman Rockwell. His artwork was day-to-day life and there was so much detail in his work. For cartoon-work, I am specifically inspired by Bil Keane (The Family Circus), Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts), and Dean Young (Blondie).
My grandma was always telling me: “you can do cartoons! You would be a great cartoonist!” So she was that inspiration for me to pursue cartoons beyond a mere hobby. She also enjoyed reading the Family Circus cartoon and her love of that cartoon led me to being drawn to Keane’s work.
Who are your patrons saints you look to for inspiration?
The number one is Saint Therese of Lisieux. She’s been my favorite saint since I was 8 years old. I read her biography (children’s version). What stuck out to me in her story was that it was the first time I was able to relate to a saint. She was an ordinary person. There were details about her life that shared her struggles and it just seemed like she was a normal person. From that moment on, I wanted to be a saint like her.
Describe your cartoon creation process.
A lot of it is looking at my day-to-day life. Artists paint or draw what they see around them. I’m looking at life around me. I’m involved enough at my parish (altar serving, volunteering). I’ll obviously exaggerate some goofy situations but the cartoons are ultimately rooted in my experiences and my parish life.
How do you balance humor and reverence when creating cartoons about religious themes?
This comic strip and comics are typically funny. While this comic has a premise of being funny (i.e. Sunday funnies). I want this comic to show “Catholic life”. Just like in a regular life there’s times we spend in prayer (more serious) and other times we have fun and enjoy time with others. Sometimes I feel the need to bring a more serious and prayerful element to the comics. So I made up a character (Cordelia) who helps to bring that seriousness to the comic. She was an inspiration from God and came from my heart.
The nice thing about developing characters is readers can associate with them and know what to expect. Cordelia was that character who I created to help bring my readers to gaze upon the glory of God.
What has been the most challenging aspect of maintaining a consistent output of Catholic-themed cartoons?
The main challenge I’d say would be more practical things like writer’s block. On a more spiritual level this comic I like to consider it as God’s cartoon, but sometimes I can get my pride mixed in when looking at the metrics/numbers of views. My own ego can be a challenge sometimes. I know that God can still make good come from this.
Have you ever received pushback or criticism for your work, and if so, how do you handle it?
Actually one of the many blessings, the general audience is wholesome. So it’s rare to see negative comments. In the rare cases I have made a joke that didn’t go over well, my audience let me know and I’ve looked at the feedback I get and that steered my content to mirror that family/parish life focus.
Are there any particular Bible stories or Catholic teachings that you find especially inspiring or conducive to cartoon representation?
Saint Therese is a huge inspiration to me, again with the character of Cordelia I implement a lot of her philosophy and childlike faith. I have a tough time comprehending the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, but I can easily understand the Little Flower’s teachings.
For the Bible, I do try to incorporate various Bible verses and the psalms into the comics.
What is your favorite comic strip you drew?
This one was special to me as I grew up praying the Rosary together with my family.
What place does art have in passing on the Gospel in the 21st century?
I’d say it has a huge importance. Growing up in the 21st century, I have grown up with comics and I think that with social media it’s much easier to share art. Art is really powerful, a picture is worth a thousand words. All these ways of sharing art make it important to put good, beautiful art out to inspire people and draw them closer to God.
Thank you for taking time to chat about the faith and your cartoons.
Absolutely, it was a pleasure! God bless.
About The Catholic Cartoonist (Joshua Masterson):
My name is Josh Masterson and I’m the fifth of ten kids and was homeschooled. At my parish, I altar serve as often as I can at the Mass and also help train the new servers. Serving at Mass, helping out at the parish, and interacting with our priests have all served as my inspiration for making comics that show the beauty of daily Catholic life at a small parish. I have been drawing cartoons my whole life and so decided that this was a great opportunity to share the beauty and truth of the Faith through this obscure medium. I hope to continue drawing Catholic comics to bring joy and truth to the world.
