Bored Panda contacted Valérie and asked some questions about Mrs. Frollein's comics. First, the artist shared with us more information about the characters featured in her series: “My comics are mostly based on real life, so I don't have much ‘development’ to do to create the characters. They just ARE, you know what I mean? The characters are mostly a toned-down version of my BF and me. I don't include any of our swearing or things that I don't think would fit the funny but still wholesome narrative of the overall comic series. I also try not to share anything that might be unpleasant for one of the people the comics are based on. Even if I'd love to do that sometimes!”
Asked about the storyline she particularly enjoyed creating, Minelli answered: “My personal favorite storyline is definitely the one about my childhood dog! It's a sad one but at the same time a happy memory. I feel that everyone can tell how much that doggy meant to me, and a lot of people relate to it. I always receive a lot of cute pet pictures from followers in my DMs after posting a comic about my dog.”
We were also wondering how Valérie’s style has evolved over time. The illustrator told us: “I think my style almost remained the same. The characters didn't change that much. They are still very chibi-like and cute and they still don't have a nose! The few things that drastically changed are the use of colors and creating backgrounds. I used to only draw in grayscale but after a while, I felt that I wanted to use color, as I really love illustrating and creating. Using only gray felt a bit boring and sad after a while. (I used a warm color palette, inspired by the cover of one of my favorite albums: How to Be a Human Being by Glass Animals) The same goes for the backgrounds, I guess. The comics began to feel a bit flat and repetitive and I just wanted to put more details and love into them. It takes more time but it's also more fun drawing them!”
Lastly, Minelli shared with us what, in her opinion, makes a good comic and what common mistakes artists should avoid: “I think in comics, as in many other areas of art, it's important that it triggers something in the reader/consumer.
Be it to make someone laugh or to make them think. Maybe you can also get a tear or two out of someone.If a person feels different after reading a comic than before, I'd say you've done everything right!”
“I think the most common mistake is to expect to get everything right from one day to the next. Here, too, as in almost all areas, it's important not to be too hard on yourself. In an age where you upload everything to social media and expect an immediate response, it can be very demotivating if a post doesn't get the recognition you wanted and expected. I think that's when you try to bend yourself and no longer do what you actually want to do. You just crave likes and shares, etc. But it's all pretty arbitrary. The algorithm does what it wants anyway.
So it's best to just do what you want to do and try to have fun. And don't let it get you down.”
Finally, Valérie added: “It's easier said than done. Unfortunately, I can't always do that myself. I have to try to listen to myself more often.”
