We reached out to Zach again to find out more about his recent work. However, first, we asked the artist what some of the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist are, and what keeps him motivated to continue creating. He shared with us: “Since there isn't really a template for ‘How to make a living as a self-employed, non-syndicated comic artist’, the job feels kinda like an adventure where you're trying not to starve all the time. This leads to a lot of trial and error as far as trying new things, like delving into animation or writing for shows or making a comic series outside your niche. Some of it ends up being really fulfilling and enjoyable, but that doesn't always translate to lucrativeness. Adventure!”
We wanted to know more about the evolution of Zach’s style over time, how Extra Fabulous Comics have changed, and the factors that influenced these changes. The artist told us: “In the beginning of my comics when I hadn't locked in a ‘style’, I received a lot of super over-the-top angry backlash because I drew in a simple way which appeared similar to about ten other artists' styles at the time. I have zero consistency when it comes to my art so eventually my boring style crappily morphed into something that accidentally had a semblance of uniqueness. I knew I had something decent when people stopped threatening my life in the comments.”
Asked how he balances the creative aspects of his work with the business side of things, such as marketing and promotion, Zach said: “Self-promotion is probably the most time-consuming part of being a webcomic artist. The vast majority of the time I'm not actually drawing or making anything, I'm engaging with comments or answering emails or formatting and posting my stuff across what seems to be an endlessly growing number of platforms. There is a brief window in the day where I can fairly consistently get good creative work done, so I like to have that time blocked off just for that. 1-2:30 P.M. EST.”
We were wondering what opinion Zach has about what makes a good comic, and what are some common mistakes that artists should avoid. We found out that: “Now that I'm older I feel that personally, a good comic is the one I enjoyed making. Newer artists might not have that luxury all the time, and you definitely need to make stuff that's gonna grow your brand. A common mistake I see often is when artists refuse to grow or change or try new things, especially if that thing they're doing isn't yielding good results. Learn from other artists, listen to criticism, and grow as much as you can. Just because you might grow away from your original concept or style doesn't mean you won't find extreme fulfillment in the thing it can eventually become. Always grow! Trying new things is a good way to avoid burnout, as well.”
Lastly, we were curious how the artist stays up to date with current trends and developments in the comic industry, and how he sees the industry evolving in the future. Zach said: “I've been pretty fortunate up until now to have been able to shift pretty easily as the times change. I never enjoyed sticking to one format or another anyway, so change suits me. I feel that animation will become a bigger part of our lives as comic artists, since what we do is super similar to storyboarding anyway. I've been adapting a few of my own comics into little animations for a little while and I've received more well-paying job opportunities from that than just about anything else I've ever done.”
