We contacted Ben Zaehringer again to find out more about his recent work. We wanted to know what, according to the author of Berkeley Mews, the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist are. Ben told us: "Drawing comics fills my days with a sense of purpose and creative fulfillment that is only rivaled by playing video games, except I don’t feel guilty spending hours drawing comics. (Whereas looking at my 'Tears of the Kingdom' playtime fills me with existential dread.)"
We were wondering how Zaehringer's art style evolved over time and what factors influenced these changes. Ben said: "When I started out, I tried various art styles because I wanted to organically discover a unique style over time, while still generally staying in the orbit of circle-headed, dot-eyed characters like those in 'Perry Bible Fellowship' and 'Chainsawsuit.' I eventually settled on thick lines and purple characters because that's what readers seemed to like!"
When asked to describe a pivotal moment or experience that significantly impacted his growth as a comic artist, Ben answered: "My old coworker Laurent Kermel once advised me to check my artwork for mistakes by 'flipping the canvas horizontally' in Photoshop, essentially like looking at your drawing in a mirror. No single piece of art advice has ever had such a profound impact on my life. Everything that's wrong with a drawing becomes apparent when you do this, and then you can fix it. Thank you, Saint Laurent."
Lastly, we asked the artist how he balances the creative aspects of his work with the business side of things, such as marketing and promotion. Ben told us: "I'm terrible at marketing and promoting myself. I should be doing a lot more. I should be selling 'Berkeley Mews' T-shirts, mugs, and window decals. I should be plugging my Patreon every chance I get; it's a great way to support me and get a glimpse of how I make comics. But really, if you want to make money creating comics, the grind is unending. The thing that will enable you to endure the monotony of the business side of things is your love for the craft. Without that driving force, it's impossible to make ten social media posts a day without getting crushingly bored.”
