omgclassykassie-blog asked: this might be crazy, but does life get easier ?
That’s not crazy. I think it does for many, and I hope it does for you. Everyone has a right to it. <3
koolp97 asked: I guess I would ask..what made you decide to write and do you think your work has drawn people more closer to you? I'm trying to decide if writing is for me. Thanks
It was the same impulse to create things that many writers have, and that you probably have. And it has definitely drawn people closer to me, and I to them. There is a constant dialogue with people, because you are communicating to them, you are asking them to look at the thing you made. And if they do, they are communicating back.
pineappletrashpile-deactivated2 asked: What are your thoughts on Czar Nicholas II?
He looked a lot like his cousin King George V! That is really what I think when I think of him.
heartemisword asked: How do you write and not get overwhelmed by what's left to do? I'm an aspiring writer working on my first novel and every time I make progress all I can think is I have so many more pages to go.
Truth - I have shied away from graphic novels because they are a long road, like you describe. But when I think about doing one, I imagine finding new ways to love it whenever I’d like to I’d like to drop it for something else. Thinking of having a full novel in my hands that I made. Starting is important, but it’s all about finishing! You can do it!
highkingpetermagnificent asked: Hi! I'd just like to say first that I absolutely adore Hark! a Vagrant. I was wondering how you find the motivation within you to create things on, if not a daily, at the very least a pretty consistent basis? That's the part of the creative process I struggle the most with. Thanks!
That is for sure a thing most of us struggle with. I think that it’s a good idea to foster different channels of inspiration in your life, so that when you are stuck, you have some options. Maybe it is looking at something totally different for a while. Maybe it’s reading about something you never knew about before. Maybe it’s shutting off the computer and tv and anything external. Whatever pulls you out of a rut in your mind is legit.
theclaustrophobicbumblebee asked: what inspired you to start drawing comics, and what tips do you have?
When I was growing up we only really had Archie comics and newspaper comics, so my earliest comics looked like newspaper gags. But when I came to university, I saw indie comic styles for the first time and it blew my mind. I wanted in. I think that if you follow what interests you the most, and draw all the time, you are bound to find your place creatively. The rest of the stuff comes after.
psifitopia asked: I love your comics generally and my favorites are the ones featuring the pirate and his Nemesis. :D May we have more of them? Were they inspired by any particular fandom foe yay couple?
I love them too! If I thought of more comics for them, I would draw them. I did not find out that foe yay was a thing until after I made it.
shadleyboy asked: Hi Kate! Since I consider you a creative artist, I'd like to know if you are a cat-loving liberal as I am. I live in the Greater Boston area which probably has the heaviest concentration of colleges, medical research facilities, and other institutions of higher learning in the country, and IMHO, creative artists tend to be liberal. I'm proud to be a liberal which i find akin to being progressive, and I believe that liberal ideology eventually becomes mainstream ideology.
I like that this question is “do I like cats” at its heart. Yes I do.
elphieandyero asked: So first you are fantastic and your books are amazing. If you could draw a whole comic based on one historical event which one would it be and who would be the protagonist (if there was one)?
It would probably be about this event where a bunch of convicts were dumped off a ship in Newfoundland in 1789 which I read in some journals years ago and remains a fave
toshio-the-starman asked: How did you become the Mightiest of Modern Maritimers?
Well Joel Plaskett is still around
lunarprotector asked: How do you feel about your work (comics in particular) reaching meme status?
This basically comes with the territory! My comics have a particularly meme-able quality, and it doesn’t really hurt what I do.
Anonymous asked: How much does a sense of place (New York vs. Toronto vs. Cape Breton, etc.) affect your work?
I think it has a real influence! But it’s not something I can describe now, I’d have to think about it a while. I always tell people that New York was an amazing place to be as a young artist for a while, because it lit a fire under you in a way I haven’t seen since. Everyone around you was making amazing work, everyone was working hard. You never knew who you were going to see at an event. Every day I would wake up in my New York apartment and think, I have to be better at what I do today than I was yesterday. Or I will probably die.
binaow asked: What or who do you think had a major influence in the fantastic drawing style you developped? It's amazing how diverse and recognizable your characters are :-D
I already had my style sort of down when I discovered Ronald Searle around 2009. But then like everyone else, he became my One and Only, he’s the master.
curios-a-tea-deactivated2018031 asked: If you had to choose one, do you have a favorite historical time period you like to draw (either costumes, characters, or mere inspiration)?
It used to be the Regency because Jane Austen comics are fun. Now it is the middle ages!
Anonymous asked: Do you do a rough draft of your comics first? how does that look? How long does it take?
I do a very light underdrawing in pencil, if it is a paper comic. If it is a digital comic, I have the luxury of getting to do more rough drawings. These don’t take long, because I believe that a lot of the time, my first set of lines are the best ones, in that they capture the movement and expression I’m looking for. If I labor on something too long, it looks bad. But that is why my comics often get a “they look dashed off” description - I am always chasing the energy of those first lines.