Bored Panda reached out to Deon Parson to learn more about the inspiration behind "Rosebuds", the creative process, and the themes of sibling dynamics that shape the strip. The artist shared that comics have always been a core part of his life. "Growing up, I used it to communicate my feelings with others and tell stories and as a means of comfort from frequent mistreatment. Because of how much comics have impacted my life, I’ve wanted to grow up to be a cartoonist and hopefully make stuff that brings the same kind of comfort and impact to me for others.
In all my works, I use a heavy focus on the theme of 'love', and in 'Rosebuds' case, its specific theming is 'love those around you.' Siblings are your first friends and enemies. You learn a lot about yourself through them and your interactions. Sometimes you love them, sometimes you want to sell them on the black market. They bring the best and the worst out of you. But at the end of the day, the best relationships understand this and embrace it all head on. They’re there for your success, your failures, your embarrassing moments (sometimes causing them), your tender moments, and everything in between. 'Rosebuds' is a celebration of that."
Family has been a crucial foundation in Deon’s life, whether through blood relations or the bonds of found family. "I grew up in women-dominated households, especially where most of my interactions were between my two sisters (I’m the middle child), so I was often in the mix of things between them. But I also grew up with friends that I’ve come to see as found family who’d take on the world if anything happened to any of us. Relationships like these have been a core foundation of what 'Rosebuds' is built around. The sisters are indeed blood-related family, but they’ve also chosen to be family."
The most rewarding aspect of creating "Rosebuds" for Deon is that the comic has realized the ultimate dream of a cartoonist—becoming a syndicated newspaper comic strip. "It’s currently in Sunday comics pages across the country, distributed by King Features Syndicate. It sits on the comics pages alongside the likes of classic legends such as Blondie, Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Family Circus, Curtis, and my personal inspiration, Garfield. Newspaper syndication is one of the hardest career paths an artist can pursue, especially in the modern age. 'Rosebuds' is now one of the few modern strips leading a new generation of newspaper comics.
Deon told us that he engages with feedback from readers nearly every day because he believes it’s important to build and be part of a community—and he finds all of them to be truly wonderful. "But I will admit that some of the best feedback I’ve received has been from cartoonist heroes of mine who are readers and supporters of 'Rosebuds'. Being able to know that the people that you grew up inspired by like what you’re doing and now consider you their colleague feels like a full-circle prophecy."
According to Deon, in "Rosebuds", Rosa, Maria, and Maricela share a "Rock-Paper-Scissors" dynamic that can shift depending on the strip or storyline, so the artist always takes this into account when writing. "I don’t think I’m a funny person, but I feel I can make heartwarming characters that are worth caring about. So, when I write, my hope is that readers can feel like they’re checking in on an old friend and seeing what they’re up to, maybe even learn a thing or two about them.
I do all my initial drawing and writing traditionally. I have several notebooks I use, separated by whether I’m writing for dailies or Sundays. When I get enough material, I do the final sketches, inks, and colors digitally. I have custom strip templates I’ve built that I can restructure and format if a particular strip calls for it. Because 'Rosebuds' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, I must work 4-8 weeks out to be ahead of publication, so there’s a lot of work to be had to keep the workflow consistent and timely. Lately, a week’s worth of strips can take up to 5 days depending on how demanding a particular strip is."
"My hope is that readers can find 'Rosebuds' as a sense of comfort during these crazy times. A rest stop that they can check into for a bit, see their familiar friends, and be able to move forward with their lives a little easier than they were able to beforehand. I hope they’re able to find a connection with Rosa, Maria, and Maricela. Find a laugh or a heartwarming moment that they can remember fondly and that will be there with them for times to come."
