Bored Panda got in touch with Stephen Beals again. We wanted to find out more about his comic series and the creative process. First, we were wondering about his favorite moment or elements of the comic creation process, from conceptualization to the final product. Beals shared with us: “Maybe it's a boring answer, but I love the whole process! I would even feel sad when I finish if I wasn't always in a hurry to get it online. Designing a new character (who may or may not look like somebody I know) is always fun. If a character is based on a real person, I have to alter the design so that the real person doesn't see it and say, 'Oh my god, you've turned me into a cartoon!' However, some coworkers have discovered me (thanks to Bored Panda), and one person even read all of the previous comics (back to the day that I started working with her) to see what parts of her personality made it into the comic. That was stressful.”
We also wanted to know more about Stephen’s favorite tools or software that he uses for creating his comics, and what makes them essential to his process. The artist explained: “Winsor & Newton watercolor brush is my favorite tool. It can ease a trembling hand. My hands are not too steady after a long day, so it's safe to say that a good brush can hide a trembling hand. Recreating a similar brush in Photoshop or Procreate is essential. I can tell that you'll be amazed at how much your style changes with the tools you use, even if they are digital.”
Asked if he ever faced any criticism or backlash for the content of his comics, Stephen answered: “I went to a very good art school where we had to put our art on the wall. The teacher and each student would critique it. That was the ultimate test for becoming tough with the comments. It's one thing if fans of your work are praising it, but it's a completely different ballgame when peers you respect point out what they do and do not like.”
The artist continued: “Online, it's a bit of a free for all. There have been a few comics that have caused thousands of comments, and some of them (of course) can be quite nasty. I just remind myself that if I've made something that has caused thousands of comments, I can easily ignore the nasty ones because I've obviously hit a nerve. I should add that nasty comments typically don't add anything. If I don't like something, telling the creator that I don't like it only affects myself. If I had some sort of actual critique and wish to point out what works and what doesn't, it usually isn't nasty. Hateful comments continue to baffle me. I've had to block a few people on different platforms because they go out of their way to repeatedly tell me how much they do not like me. It's like blocking a debt collector.”
Lastly, we were curious if there is any dream project or collaboration that Beals hopes to undertake in the future. We found out that: “Yes. Graphic novels or books! The Humor section at most bookstores is sadly lacking comics. I think one-off collections with a theme are sorely needed. New Yorker cartoonists are kind of by themselves in the Humor section these days, and I think we need more funny books with funny drawings.”
