Bored Panda reached out to Liz Climo to learn more about her creative process and herself. We got curious to know how her journey as a comic artist began. The artist shared that she has loved to draw ever since she was old enough to hold a pencil! "And once I started, I would always include little stories and jokes to go along with my drawings. That was always my favorite part - bringing the characters to life with a story or a punchline. I loved showing people my work and always hoped I'd made them laugh. I was so lucky to have a supportive family who recognized my love for making comics early on and encouraged me to pursue it as a career."
Animals in Climo's comics take center stage. Their endearing antics never fail to capture the hearts of readers of all ages. Naturally, we wanted to know what draws her to this theme, and how she comes up with the personalities and stories for each character. The artist told us that she started drawing animals as a way to separate her day job from her comics. "I worked on The Simpsons for about 14 years, and spending 40 hours a week drawing Homer, Marge & family made it difficult for me to rediscover my own style. Since I spent my days drawing people with big, cartoonish eyes, I figured drawing animals with little dots for eyes might be a good start! I also loved drawing animals as a kid, so it helped me tap back into what ignited my passion for drawing in the first place.
As I started making more and more comics, their individual personalities sort of took on a life of their own. For instance, the bear is often well-meaning, hungry and clumsy, while the rabbit is usually dry-witted and rational. These two characters developed their personalities first, and the others have slowly begun to take shape as well. Now if I have an idea for a joke, I can usually choose the animals based on their personalities, or how their appearance may make the joke funnier. I'll think 'this is something the alligator might say' or 'shark will look really funny trying to put glasses on.'"
Climo's artwork has captured the hearts of people everywhere. It's loved and recognized globally, bringing her immense popularity and widespread attention. According to the artist, there is a very big part of her that doesn't believe anyone ever sees these comics. "I'm not sure if it's an act of self-preservation or just plain denial. Nothing makes me happier than when someone tells me they enjoy my work, or that it has cheered them up or helped them through a challenging time. But that personal interaction only happens once and a while. While I do run my own social media, I don't spend much time reading through the comments or engaging (social media scares me a little, haha). I think having some detachment from acknowledging that the work is popular helps me continue to do it authentically, and saves me from my ego. On the other hand, knowing people enjoy my work and that it makes them happy is what drives me, and makes me want to keep doing my comics."
It's hard not to be charmed by these funny comics. If you're curious about how the artist comes up with ideas for her artwork, here's what Climo told us: "The comics I end up liking the most always seem to come from thin air (like the 'Did you know I'm a very good boy?' dog vs cat comic, which popped into my head one night as I was falling asleep). I keep a list of ideas on my phone and write one down whenever I have it. They're usually just pulled from normal, day-to-day stuff that I feel other people could relate to. Whenever I have an idea, I try to imagine how it might feel for different people looking at the comic. Am I poking fun at someone or something? Could I find a way to make this funny to more people, without taking a cheap shot? I don't think all art needs to be this way, but I recognize that this is something that I am able to do, so I want to continue doing it."
Climo told us that she has a new comic compilation coming out called Life in The Present, which will "unofficially" commemorate her ten-year anniversary doing comics. "I also have another project I'm working on, which has not been announced yet. I hope to continue to do this work for years to come." Stay tuned for the latest creations from Climo! Be sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for all the exciting updates and new artwork.
