We managed to get an interview from Pete and he told us how he got started creating these comics: "Like many, if not most, comic artists I was always drawing silly little pictures of people, animals, and things. Luckily I had great friends and family who looked at my terrible scratchings and told me they were good, so I never stopped. Always encourage the little artist wannabes in your life. I’ve been drawing coming ideas for years, but I began Once We Were Turnips in February 2020, and I will continue as long as people keep making gross snorting sounds from their mouthparts when they read my comics."
The artist shared whether creating comics is a hobby or career: "More of a hobby. I’m a graphic designer by trade, so having a creative outlet that doesn’t include clients or deadlines helps me stay sane."
Pete shares what inspires him: "Nonartistic inspirations? I’m inspired by small absurd things, like animal-shaped clouds, funny birds, funnier fungi, why cows moo, old kitchen implements, and my cats, who are also small absurd things. Words inspire me too. Not only novels, and poetry, but the history of words, the way words change, and how humans describe things. And music, of course, music."
The artist tells us more about his webcomic: "It's called Once We Were Turnips. It flips from slice-of-life to being utterly absurd. The name was going to be 'The Way of the Puddle' and then became 'Once We Were Puddles,' but for whatever reason, the next name idea I wrote down was Once We Were Turnips, and it made me laugh out loud, so that was that. My little characters aren't actually turnips. I’ve never leaned into the turnip idea. To me, they are just badly drawn people."
Pete describes his style and shares what inspired it: "Simple lines full of whimsy—is what I’ll pay someone to describe my style one day. I’ve always been inspired by simple comic art. The comics can tell a great big story with just a few lines. Old school comics like Peanuts, Gary Larson, and Garfield, shows like The Simpsons, Ren & Stimpy, and Invader Zim."
Here is how Pete comes up with ideas for his comics: "Sometimes it’s overhearing (or mishearing!) what someone says. Or basing the idea on an old fairytale or a bit of history. Mostly it’s playing around with words and situations. I have a mental list of things I won't do a comic about. I want my comic to be wholesome, so there's no swearing, guns, heavy violence, politics, religion, and hardly any popular media references. Doesn't leave me a lot to make funnies out of, but I manage."
He also shared what his brainstorming process is like: "As I said, I like to play around with words and situations. Taking a short snippet of a sentence and turning it on its head. Another thing I do is take two or three random words and see if it sparks an idea."
We asked if he has a sketch book or he creates digitally: "Both. I like to doodle in sketchbooks (you can see some of my weird doodles in my paintings) but for my comic, it's all digital using an iPad and Procreate. In the old days when you'd make a mistake on paper, it was basically ruined. With digital, I laugh in the face of mistakes. Ha!"
The artist shares what the most difficult part of creating these illustrations is: "Enthusiasm. Specifically, keeping the enthusiasm bubbling along. I find if I move onto little side projects for a while (other comics, zines, tie-fighter making, pencil sharpener collecting) I’ll eventually come back to my main comics with more energy."
Pete describes what his comics cover and his humor: "Weird situations, weird relationships, weird weirdness. My humor is mostly wholesome, a little strange, dopey like a kitten waking from a dream."
Here's some advice from the artist for those who want to create art: "Just remember that there are 50 million normal people to every artist (*cough* totally true statistic), so being an artist, someone who creates is not only fun but makes you super special. Create what makes you happy, and keep creating it until it becomes who you are."
