F.A.Q.

Q: “Interesting Papers to be Written”…That’s an odd name.

A: Yes, it is. My one proffessor used to say that line a LOT during class and one proffessor in the comic, Dr. Knox, is partially based off of her. And , as you’ll see, “Interesting papers to be written” becomes a tagline of Dr. Knox’s as well.

Q: What software do you use to draw the comic?

A: Adobe Photoshop CS5, and I lay out the text and bubbles in Illustrator.  I sometimes will draw my comics out on paper, then scan them and ink and color them in Photoshop. Most times, though, I draw them right onto the program with my good ol’ Wacom Bamboo tablet.

Q: How long does it take you to do a comic?

A: Well, that varies, as my loyal readers have unfortunately experienced. I am a junior in college and I have a pretty full class schedule. Usually, it’ll take me around six hours to do a comic. Now, I space that out, since I do one once a week (two was just too much). I hand ink and hand COLOR everything. I tried the BPelt filter that Jeph Jacques and other comic artists swear by, but I could never get the hang of it. It ended up taking me longer with BPelt, so I stick to hand coloring. That’s just me. I’m sure if I used BPelt more often, I would get better at it. It really is a good way to color things fast.

Q: Where do you get your material?

A: When I decided to definately start a webcomic, I wanted it to be very character driven. I don’t know where my characters came from. Other than Dr. Knox, my charaacters are not based on real life people. They just kind of…showed up in my sketch book. Actually, Del and Brianne showed up in my Sims 2 game. They were characters of mine   Aside from the characters,  I hope the elements of college I write about entertain other college students. Those elements of the plot are mostly things I’ve actually witnessed during my academic career, with some exageration, of course.  I wanted this comic to convey just how college kids are more than microwaves, and parties, and football games, and grades, and all-nighters. 

Q: What about all the supernatural stuff? Clairevoyants? Werewolves? Vampires? Androids?

A: The supernatural element adds, I think, a whole new layer to the characters. But I was careful to try and not be stereotypical in their depictions. And I do like to poke fun at Twilight quite a bit, what with Booker, and Del, and Harper. However, I’m secretly a fan of Twilight (don’t look at me that way). In the Papers’ universe, things like androids are known about. The difference in species/race in the different supernatural peoples represents, in a fanciful way, the diversity of our own world. The people in IPtbW go through some of the same problems, prejudices, and bumps in the road as different social, racial, gender, political groups go through today. 

Q: Who are your major artistic influences?

A: Oh, jeeze…(BIG BREATH) :  Marc Ellerby, Jeph Jacques,Kate Beaton, Emily Carrol, Paul Duffield, Vera Brosgol, Jen Wang….Uh…I learned to draw from watching my brother and the guy with the afro and the paint on PBS…also, I learned to draw by watching Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, The PowerPuff Girls, Samarai Jack….I’ll think of more…. My very first webcomic that I followed regularly was Marc Ellerby’s Ellerbisms. I’m also a huge fan of BATMAN and traditional Marvel/DC comics. HUGE fan of Warren Ellis! Also, I think WETA designs and video game art helped too.

Q: Who’s your favorite character?

A: Oh, I can’t pick! They’re like my children! But I can say that I enjoy writing for Lenore and Mongoose a lot. Also, I like drawing Harper,Del, and Dos.  But I love every one of my characters equally.

Q: How old are these kids?

A: Lenore, Mongoose, Booker are all 21. Stellan is 23. Del and Coral are 25. Bri is a year younger at 24. Dos’s age is difficult to place, however she “identifies with the maturity level of a twenty year old”. Sunset is also 20. Charlie and Chuck are both 18. Eve is 17. Anabelle is 22. Jasira is 26. Rodderick doesn’t remember his birthday. Harper claims that he is 29, but no one, not even Del, knows his real age. Dr. Knox only had to comment that “a true lady never reveals her age or her drink preference.”