Just like last time, Bored Panda reached out to Jared with some new questions! First, we asked the artist if he has any upcoming series of works we should be looking forward to.
"I have several ideas for a series that I will (hopefully!) begin developing shortly. I would LOVE to try my hand at animation or cartoons. I have so many stories to tell of my family growing up that I believe many people would find, well, unbelievable. While comics are a fun way to tell these stories, I feel that the only justifiable way to share these humorous events is through animation with narration. Something along the lines of Jaiden Animations or Ice Cream Sandwich on YouTube."
We also wanted to know if the artist had a comic he was proud of, and we thought it was only fair if he'd share his thoughts with us!
"My favorite comic that I have made and that I am most proud of is my 'Dentists' comic. We've all been to the dentist, and they tend to be a little rough when it comes to flossing our mouths. Even I, a dedicated flosser, come away from the dentist with some sore gums afterward. But for those who do not floss, it can sometimes be a literal bloodbath! Of course, the more we floss our teeth, the less likely it is we will bleed! But it's still fun to think that some dentists are simply out for blood."
Artists go through a few art phases trying to find the art style they could call their own, one of the things that can help with that is expanding beyond your comfort zone, as stated by Jared himself.
"I would love to develop my skills as an artist in general. The brushes I use for my comics are fairly basic, so I would like to expand my expertise and incorporate brushes and techniques that yield more detailed comics. There are some truly talented comic artists out there, such as Zipfreeman, who can craft beautiful watercolor comics. One of my favorite comics that uses watercolor brushes is my 'Lord of the Rings' comic. I love the way that one turned out!"
Starting out with comics (or art in general) isn't easy, so we asked the artist if he had any tips to share.
"My advice for other comic creators is that they should take the extra time to improve their comics as much as possible. Too often we look at our creations and think, 'good enough' and post them without giving them a second thought. Sometimes I will finish a comic and want to post it right away, but I take a step back, maybe even sleep on it, and come back to the comic with a fresh mindset to see how I feel about the comic. Sometimes it's good to go! But other times I will find a mistake, or I rewrite the comic to help it flow better. Just take that extra time and make it the best comic that it can be."
When we look at a piece of art, what happens is that we usually perceive some sort of emotion, whether it's positive or negative is entirely up to us, but in the end, the artist still has achieved a certain goal - a reaction. We asked Jared to share with us what he'd like for people to take away when looking at his comics.
"The main idea that I would like my audience to take away from my comics is that life can be very difficult, but we can always look on the bright side even when times are hard. It's imperative that we look back on those trying times and laugh at them or learn from them. Like a baby having an accident on your face, or a dog, well, also having an accident on your face! It's terrible at the moment, but now you have such a funny story to share with family and friends. It can be challenging to have this mindset, but if we can find a way to focus on the positive aspects of our lives, then we will be much happier in the end."
For some people, art is not only a hobby, but something way more, and it seems that Jared certainly has his own goals he wants (or hopes) to accomplish when it comes to his comics.
"My goal is to make a career out of making comics and animations. Drawing has always been a passion of mine, but it can be tough to put food on the table while being an artist. I currently work full-time in a job that is manageable and I enjoy it, but it is not my ideal career path. On top of this, I am going to school to receive my master's degree in humanities, and I am a reservist in the United States Army, so finding free time to draw comics can be difficult. I would love to get to the point where I can support my family with my creations while also being able to provide my audience with more comics and animations."
Most creators tend to receive some type of comments about their work pretty much every day, but sometimes some of them stand out more so than others.
"One of my favorite comments is from an older comic of mine, which shows what it feels like to be tested for Covid. In the comic, the medical personnel administering the Covid test gets a little too carried away with how deep he pushes the cotton swab into a person's nose to the point where his whole hand is up in there. Someone commented, 'Can confirm, felt like the worker was trying change my mind manually.' Comments like these come once in a blue moon and I'm always jealous of a comment that is funnier than the comic itself."
Lastly, we were curious to find out if Jared had any other hobbies besides making art!
"One of the new hobbies that I have been getting into lately is board games! I always knew about the standard board games like Monopoly or Life, but once I was introduced to Settlers of Catan I became obsessed! I bought expansion after expansion and would bring them with me to family gatherings and force everyone to play. I eventually expanded beyond Catan and started researching other board games that fit my interests to the point where we have an entire wall dedicated to board games. Some of my favorites include King of Tokyo, Forbidden Island (or Desert), and Here to Slay, just to name a few. If you come over to my house, be prepared to play a few board games.;) I've made it a personal goal to one day work with a team of board game creators to illustrate and design a new board game that I would enjoy playing with my family."
