Bored Panda contacted Paul Woods to ask him a couple of questions regarding his comics. First, we asked the artist what some of the most rewarding aspects of being a comic creator are. Also, we wanted to know what keeps Paul motivated to continue creating. Woods told us: “The most rewarding aspect for me is seeing my work published in a newspaper or magazine. I’m a child of the '80s and grew up reading comics in the newspaper so to see my work in print is fantastic. I also still get a real kick out of making people laugh, I guess I’ve never lost that from high school when I used to draw caricatures of my teachers and show them to my friends. I’ve always been motivated to draw - I have a day job so I use drawing to switch off and relax. The day it feels like a chore or ‘work’ to me will be the day I stop. I have redone a lot of my old comics over the years which I really enjoy.”
Asked how his art style has evolved over time and what factors influenced these changes, Paul Woods answered: “I feel like my art style has changed so much over the years. Originally, I drew all the people in my comics without shoes but as my drawings improved it started to look a bit silly so I changed it. I find now I really focus on my background and put a lot of detail in the landscapes. One thing I have started doing is using books or online images as references when drawing animals. I’ve found this has really helped improved the quality of my drawings. One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that I still hand-draw all my comics, pencil on paper, then trace over it in black ink. I don’t use a drawing tablet.”
Next, we asked Paul to describe the most challenging part of creating a comic and share how the artist overcomes any obstacles or difficulties during the creative process. Woods revealed: “I find the most challenging aspect is trying to come up with something that hasn’t been done before. I will often come up with what I think is a unique joke or idea and a quick Google search will show the joke has already been done. This can sometimes be a bit frustrating. The other challenge is time. I have a full-time job and three kids so it’s difficult sometimes to find the time to sit down and create a comic.”
Then, we wanted to know how Woods manages to balance the creative aspects of his work with the business side of things, such as marketing and promotion. Paul shared with us: “I’ve never really gotten into the whole marketing and business side of things with my comics. I have an Australian company that represents my work and has sourced different print and online publications to feature my comics but other than that I’ve just left it to social media such as Instagram and Reddit.”
We were curious about the artist’s opinion on what makes a good comic, and what are some common mistakes that artists should avoid. Paul told us: “The best comics are those that do something original and can make you laugh out loud. People sometimes get too focused on the quality of the drawing but to me the joke is key. A weak drawing and a great joke are better than a fantastic drawing with a weak joke.”
Finally, we asked Paul how he stays up to date with current trends and developments in the comic industry, and how he sees the industry evolving in the future. The artist said: “I keep in touch with a few different comic artists on social media and through email. Recently there has been quite a lot of doom and gloom thrown around in regards to the comic industry and the death of print media but I think comics will continue to survive and evolve as they always have. I see comics predominantly being online in the future with the rise of online publishing platforms and social media. The technology for which us artists create comics is really evolving too, with most artists now using tablets to draw their artworks and email them to publishers or post them online. Thanks to the rise of the internet, anyone can draw a comic, and publish it online where it could be seen by anyone and everyone.”
