Hark! A Vagrant:

topatoco:
“ “ “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
”
Ever since beatonna got all into ponies and whatever, she has decided that tiny historical figures are just TOO MUCH! So as she sat upon her throne of solid...

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
Ever since beatonna got all into ponies and whatever, she has decided that tiny historical figures are just TOO MUCH! So as she sat upon her throne of solid gold and Canadian maple syrup, she pointed her scepter down at us she declared:
“WEE THE PEOPLE TEE SHIRTS MUST GO ON LAST CHANCE SO I CAN MAKE ROOM FOR MORE HARK! A VAGRANT! MERCHANDISE!”
We bowed our heads at her order and as we left we thanked her for her incredible presence. And as is our duty to the Queen of Canadia, we have placed ALL the Wee The People tee-shirts on Last Chance! Click this link to appease Queen Beaton! APPEASE!!!

(via topatoco)

yarmagnargnar-deactivated201510 asked: What's your research routine like? Do you have any historical databases you use?

kelpmisc:

beatonna:
I use all kinds! Whatever you are looking for, there is usually a legit database of more than one kind to help you out. Archives like archive.org or google books, online exhibits and archives from museums, image archives from libraries, university online collections, government collections, newspaper archives. There is so much more out there than you think there is, always. And most of it is free. (I’m looking at you, Jstor!) (j/k I support academic writers being paid.)
JSTOR doesn’t pay us, we want it to be free too

You’re kidding! I always just assumed! God damn

End of Answer Time

Well that is an hour and a half of questions and answers - I don’t want to clog people’s tumblrs any more than I already have so I’ll put a pin in it for now. But this was really nice, it is nice to talk to you! Maybe from time to time I will answer more things since there were so many. Thank you for your questions! Have a nice afternoon!

xo

Kate

Anonymous asked: who r u

I am kate.

blueknightdragoon asked: I have so many questions I can't ask them all! One of the first things that drew me to your work was your ties with fellow Canadian comic artists like Ryan North, Emily Horne and Joey Comeau. Do you still keep in touch with them now that you no longer live in Canada?

I live in Canada and I saw Joey in Halifax a few weeks ago, ran into Emily’s boyfriend in a cafe yesterday, and was at Ryan’s house last night with friends! I am a fortunate lady. In the friend world.

mynameisnotalaina asked: What's your most prized possession?

It is a half set of books from the 1890s, histories of the Scottish Highlands, that my grandfather had and my grandmother gave to me telling my mom “give these to Katie, she will probably like them.” The books are cracked and falling apart from reading, and you can tell that they meant a lot to some generations of poor farmers with little education.

b1teme asked: Have you been Beaton any eggs lately

I love eggs don’t even joke, don’t even pun, son

yarmagnargnar-deactivated201510 asked: What's your research routine like? Do you have any historical databases you use?

I use all kinds! Whatever you are looking for, there is usually a legit database of more than one kind to help you out. Archives like archive.org or google books, online exhibits and archives from museums, image archives from libraries, university online collections, government collections, newspaper archives. There is so much more out there than you think there is, always. And most of it is free. (I’m looking at you, Jstor!) (j/k I support academic writers being paid.)

vivalatoons asked: Where can I buy that stuff pig you have? I WANT IT SO BAD!!

I love that you think it is a pig <3 <3 <3

They are ponies and they will be available from Topatoco as soon as they arrive!

tylermannart asked: What words of encouragement would you give to comic artists (such as myself) who just aren't finding the right story for their readers to enjoy?

I think this question is, you are making a story, and not finding an audience. But really, the story comes down to you. You make work for yourself, you make stories for yourself. If you make work for an audience, it won’t be as good. And you yourself must know if it is working or not - what you like about it, and what needs to be changed to make it a better comic. If the audience is not there, it may be that you need to sharpen your skills more, but the good news is, you get better at this just by doing it all the time. Make it for you, keep making it, and the audience will come.

daretobee asked: What book are you reading now??

I just picked up both Patrick DeWitt and Michael Crummey’s new books!

biggrumpybaby asked: Hi!! I love your comic sets for hamlet and the scottish play; any chance you'd ever do more shakespearean funnies?

Yes! I should. Also are we all going to watch the new Macbeth film when it comes out? YES WE ARE

sabindero-blog asked: It seems as though art is often categorized into two groups: art that is ultimately autobiographical (or at least, heavily informed by the creator's experience), and art that is more commentary by nature (less focused on the creator's identity and experience). Being aware that a majority of your work would appear to be in comics, does either approach appeal to you more, and do you consider either to be superior in most ways?

Neither is better, but I think the ability to switch between genres as I please keeps me fresh in both areas. When you need a break from one, you swivel your chair around to your second.

lovegood-and-boswell asked: Hi Kate! How do you balance your time between all the projects you're doing (especially now that you're writing books for kids)? Also, how come you get to have the cutest nephew in the entire world?

I’m really not good at this! I try to get better at it all the time. When I started taking on other work on top of the comics site, I realized that I could only have 2 or 3 things on the go at the same time, and that was an important thing to figure out, because if I have too much I can’t concentrate on anything and the work is garbage. You need to find out what your limits are, and how to work within them. Also, everything my nephew does is amazing.

dodgyboffin-deactivated20200714 asked: Will we ever get to see the Mile High Club again?

I need to talk to Meredith and Carly! I miss them.