Artists have always had a hard time making it, and Eric Vargas, a long-time Oak Harbor resident, is no exception.

“I’m eking out an existence by doing art,” said Vargas, 28, during a recent visit at Oak Harbor’s Lotus Tea Bar & Studio, where he frequently works and his art is on display.

“I’m still trying to establish a fan base and regular customers.”

Vargas’ style leans heavily toward fantasy and sci-fi. He’s been inspired by Japanese and American comics — not Richie Rich or Superman but newer, edgier comics like Saga, Black Science, Trillium and Rust. Also inspiring has been tattoo artist Jeff Gogué, who runs tattoo shops in Oregon and Massachusetts and whose lush, richly colored art leans toward fantastical animals and themes of mortality.

Vargas’ artwork is meticulously pen-drawn, then colored by hand or computer and sometimes computer-printed on canvas using a process similar to giclée. The finely detailed images depict male and female warriors, animals and fantasy machines. Some of the characters are his own creation.

Others have been popularized by different artists but are drawn with Vargas’ own spin, in a type of work known as fan art.

Vargas has made the most money from logos, tattoo designs, portraits and fan art commissioned by customers who learn of him through his Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram accounts.

He’s also earned money by producing more conventional images for ads for Oak Harbor-based sauce and seasoning firm Cornet Bay Co. He has produced an adult-oriented — but non-sexual — fantasy-based coloring book that has sold more than 100 copies at $10 each.

Vargas’ original works can be bought at the tea bar, his art on t-shirts can be found through DesignByHumans.com (search for EricLVargas) and his coloring book and some original art can be bought at his Etsy store.

Vargas earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Western Washington University in 2012 but got serious about making a living from art only in 2014. He has exhibited at Norwescon, a sci-fi and fantasy convention in SeaTac, and said he would like to exhibit at other, larger conventions.

His ideal future might include working for Renton-based Wizards of the Coast, maker of fantasy games including “Magic: The Gathering” and “Dungeons and Dragons.” He and a colleague are also working on an all-original video game they hope to crowdsource.

Vargas said he knows he faces a struggle, but he believes the effort is worthwhile.

“Even if you make it big as an artist, you’re not going to make millions,” he said. “It’s definitely not lucrative. And it’s not very consistent. But I do this for satisfaction”

“When I’m drawing, everything’s right. It’s meditative. It’s what I do,” he said.

“There’s nothing else for me that I could ever feel as satisfied with.”

To learn more: https://www.facebook.com/ericlvargas7; http://eroclvargas.tumblr.com/; http://pethalibut7.wix.com/ericlvargas#1