We got in touch with Pierre again and asked him some questions about his work. Since his comics often feature unique and memorable characters, we wanted to know how the artist goes about developing characters that fit the tone of his series. We found out: “My two priorities are that they look weird and are easy to draw. So a paper bag with a hat, or a kid with a spaghetti neck are my kind of designs!”
Mortel has also shared with us his personal favorite storyline and character that he created: “Beyond the Quackening, there are many storylines that I really like. One that got a lot of reactions was the Toxic Snake: everyone was arguing about whether he was poisonous or venomous, but he’s neither. He just has a toxic personality.”
We were curious how Pierre’s style evolved over time, and the artist told us: “I’m always trying to make my drawing both efficient and full of life. I started adopting my ‘shaky’ line work because of an injury that forced me to draw with my non-dominant hand, and I liked the resulting looseness.”
The cartoonist mentioned a few other artists who influenced his style: “I enjoy so many artists that it feels unfair to single only a few of them out. Still, I’d recommend Alex Krokus’s comics, 03_mania’s brilliant animations and FalseKnees beautiful and hilarious birds.”
Lastly, Mortel shared with us what in his opinion makes a good comic: “I think a good comic is made by really committing to whatever you like rather than trying to imitate some trend and hoping to get more attention that way. The biggest mistake is never finishing your stuff. Even if it’s bad, just finish it and make a better one! Keep finishing!”
