This time around, Bored Panda reached out to Jess with some new questions regarding her upcoming works.
"I’m currently working on a mini-series about my mum's dog and if people enjoy it, I’ll probably be encouraged to do more. I’ve done a few comics with 9 panels lately and I’ve really enjoyed being able to have the time to stretch out the story and add extra details. Normally you have to work to get the joke to fit in 3-4 panels, which can be a challenge, so I’ll probably do some more of these longer ones when the ideas crop up."
We also wanted to know if the artist had a comic she was proud of, and we thought it was only fair if she'd share her thoughts with us!
"I find that the favorites of my followers aren’t usually my favorites and I’m regularly flummoxed by the ones that are popular! With that said, generally speaking, I get the most joy from the comics I draw about friends and family because often they don’t know that something they’ve said has given me inspiration and they just get to find out about it on Instagram or Facebook and I find that infinitely hilarious."
Artists go through a few art phases trying to find the art style they could call their own, and for Jess, it is likely the same, given that the artist is currently experimenting with other genres.
"I absolutely love background and concept art, so I’ve been doing some online study to learn a bit more about drawing perspectives, environments, and digital painting to improve that side of things.
I love the futuristic and adventure environment digital paintings and while I can learn the techniques to produce this art, I might have to try and connect with my inner child’s imagination because some of the work these artists come out with is just amazing. (Shoutout to almirgusic, rykyart, mr_rzp_artwork.)"
Starting out with comics (or art in general) isn't easy, so we asked the artist if she had any tips to share for those who might be starting out.
"I would say to anyone out there who wants to start making comics to make comics that make you laugh. Don’t try and think about what other people might find funny, don’t try to be topical or relatable. Just do it for you and you’ll naturally find people who like what you do. Secondly, don’t overthink character design, you can work that out as you go along. Making comics is great fun but it’s less fun if you put yourself in a box and worry about what everyone thinks of it.
Also, don't worry if you aren’t good at drawing, scroll all the way down to my first comics and have a look at where I started."
When it comes to people having opinions on her comics, here's what the artist thinks, "I want people to be able to have a little giggle! If someone can read my comics and think 'oh okay, someone else out there is bonkers too, it’s not just me' then that would be pretty great. Also, if people read my comics and tell me I’m funny, then I can tell my brother and sister that I’m the funniest in the family, which is all I really want in this world."
Most artists usually create art in order to accomplish something, therefore we were wondering if Jess felt the same.
"I have no aspirations for my work. I’m so happy with how it’s going along. After the algorithm fucked me in the arse back in 2020 and my numbers dropped, I went through a bit of a rough patch with my comics and lost my mojo. I’ve now come to accept that the numbers mean nothing and I don’t worry as much about whether a comic is going to flop and that’s taken a lot of pressure off. I love the followers that I have and if that’s all I have forever, then that's just wonderful because they’re great. They send me the loveliest messages and I’ve made some great friends!"
Rae has been in the comic scene for quite some time now so we were curious whether she had any comments from her followers that might've particularly stood out.
"No particular comment, really, but some advice that David Bowie gave once has really stuck in my mind over the years and I’ve tried to follow it.
'It’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfil other people’s expectations. They produce their worst work when they do that.'
'If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.'
Usually, the boldness that he talks about in my case refers mainly to 'should I post this comic that has a little drawing of Geoff’s wang in it?' But you know, me and David Bowie, we know what we’re about. (There's a YouTube video about this too!)"
Lastly, we wanted to know what kind of hobbies Jess has aside from making comics, and here's what she shared with us, "I have so many hobbies! I love sewing clothes, gardening, and baking, I play cornet, trombone, ukulele and I’m learning piano. Is playing Minecraft with my 8-year-old a hobby? Because if it is, I love doing that too. Okay, that’s it, maybe that’s not many hobbies? Anyway, that’s what I love to do."
