An Interview With Chris Zenga

Chris Zenga is an artist of the undead. His own personal website online is The Day After which is where he shows off all of his zombified creations as well as does omission work for anyone interested in having a zombified version of them self! His claim to fame though is the ever popular Zombears that he creates. Zombified teddy bears are cute in the twisted way that only we can love (and do we ever!) I’ve been enjoying his work since I first saw it and am pretty sure every zombie fan out there will feel the exact same way.

He also has a side project running on Twitter called Not The Satellite where he is telling a story of the outbreak as it is occurring – one tweet at a time.

1. What got you into zombies?

Return of the Living Dead. my dad used to take us to Rogers video on Friday and they would have something like rent 2 get the 3rd for free and every Friday I would get Return of the living dead. The tar zombie made me terrified of my basement for years and that theme song is burned into my brain.

2. When the zombie apocalypse finally occurs what’s your survival plan?

Make for Alaska, I think the cold Alaskan weather will turn the walking dead into corpsecicles, rendering them harmless.

3. Not including friends and family, who are 5 people you would want with you when the apocalypse happens?

  • Maynard James Keenan from Tool: he could sing me lullaby’s and calm my nerves at night so I can sleep.
  • Tony Ja (Ong Bak) because if you need a zombies head destroyed a MuiTai knee will do the trick
  • Richard Dawkins: when the masses start to believe this is Gods punishment for a lifetime of sins he is one person who could show them that their is no God and the epidemic is based in science and can be explained.
  • Gordon Ramsey: because if i gotta eat on of the first 3 guys he will make them taste good.
  • Billy Zane: because he’s fuckin Billy Zane and you said I could pick anyone.

Now ZomBears are a completely original idea, it’s rare animals are used as zombies in the first place. What inspired you to ZomBears?

“Giving the kids nightmares, one child at a time” every child had too many stuffed bears, they out number the humans easily. Could you imagine if they all rose up en mass and hungered for flesh. they would be unstoppable. If I was a child, the thought of my toys coming to life is a scary enough thought, now add in their desire to eat me and you’ve got nightmare written all over it!

Which was your favorite ZomBear to draw in the past?

My favourite ZomBear of all time, and I’ve drawn about 90 of them is my ZomBear of Fatima Re-Dux. The original was exceptionally fun to draw and I always wanted to re-visit her and make her more life like. I believe I nailed it with Re-Deux.

What medium do you use for your art?

All the drawings start out in 6H and HB pencils on Strathmore velum and if it is a color painting I use Desere brand water colors. All the Zombears where painted in oils on Fabriano canvas paper. Back when I started the ZomBear Series i had a deep love for oil paints. Then one day i hand an affair with water colours, divorced oil, and never looked back,

What sizes do you work in?

Large, I love to draw large. The 11″ x 14 sketchbook is my book of choice. I actually have seven 11″ x 14″ sheets taped together to draw a huge alligator for a children’s book my wife and I are writing called The Kitchen.

What exactly is it do ZomBears eat?

I never stayed around long enough to ask, but I have heard they love SPAM.

Aside from Bears what is your favorite undead animal to draw?

I don’t have one animal that I have drawn over and over like the ZomBears, but The Giraffe is my Mona Lisa. I have had more response and sold more prints of this painting than anything I have drawn before.

You have a Twitter based zombie story occurring as well, tell us a little about “Not The Satellite?”

NotTheSatellite is my love letter to the horror community. it is a story of john Q , a man who returns home from a trip out of town only to land right in the middle of a viral epidemic. and like anyone 16 – 35 does the thing that comes naturally, posts Tweets!

What gave you the idea for “Not The Satellite?”

I have been wanting to tell this story for a very long time but never knew how to present it. I decided that with the current volume of amazing zombie literature on the shelves now I didn’t want to risk just blending in. So I decided to take a bit of a jab at myself and social networks and make the story live, in real time on Twitter written as if John Q was in the middle of the Zombie Apocalypse and he was trying to find answers and keep anyone who might be reading informed.

You offer custom zombified portraits as well, for our readers interested what are your current prices schemes for custom portraits?

My standard rates on my Etsy store are:

  • $40 for a black and white bust
  • $100 for a fully painted bust
  • $60 for black and white couples bust
  • $130 for full body painted
  • I will custom quote for something like a full family portrait.


I think the nice little before and after of myself should be a good sell for quite a few of you out there!