Given the chance, Bored Panda reached out to Ryan again with some new questions!
First, we talked to the artist a little bit about his workflow and schedule, here's what Ryan shared, "I would say I’ve streamlined my workflow pretty well at this point. Once I complete all the 'stages' (sketches, linework, color, shading & a background), I put it in the 'ready to post' pile. As to actually 'when' I post, I mostly just feel out the comic’s general aura, if it’s got a beginning-of-week or end-of-week vibe to it."
Discussing the business side of his work, the artist expressed to Bored Panda, "The ability to make a living or even just a small side hustle out of something you enjoy doing is such a fulfilling feeling." This perspective has motivated him to work on more "sellable" physical projects like comic books, zines, and stickers.
He also spoke about "Cardversation," a comic based on the concept of conversational turns mirroring card game turns. He said, "I actually loved (still love) the concept of it so much I got a little caught up on actual possible card game mechanics because I think it would make a really fun actual IRL card game… I still plan on looking into how possible that might be."
Highlighting the benefits of collaboration, Ryan noted, "Collaborating with other artists often gives you a glimpse into how someone other than yourself might be approaching the same issue or even tackling the same task in a totally different way. It can really broaden your horizons & workflow efficiency in ways you wouldn’t be able to do with only yourself to bounce ideas off of. There’s also a bit of friendly competitiveness that gets everyone involved to push themselves just a bit more for a really awesome outcome."
Ryan also likened his posting strategy to a TV channel's broadcast schedule, emphasizing the importance of regularity to keep the audience engaged. He mentioned, "I often look at it similar to a TV channel’s broadcast schedule, especially as a kid, knowing my favorite cartoon came on a time slot away from when I returned home from school got my TV tuned to their network every weekday as soon as I got home. Which was by design! So when potential audiences see that you post on the regular, they are in-turn more enticed to regularly see those posts. Idk…if anything, the algorithm is kinda like a creature, so feeding it regularly can only help, right? As for the balance, I’ve found jotting down any creative ideas & planning ahead to be very helpful. It’s not a month full of content; it’s just 4 Mondays + 5 Saturdays (or whatever it might be), grab 9 ideas out of the notes app & get to sketchin'."
