Once again, given the chance, Bored Panda reached out to the lovely artist with new questions about her work and life!
When asked how she manages to stay creative and productive while being present for her children, Che explains, "My children are always my main focus, and art goes around them. So, if they need or want me, iPad gets put down and they get my attention. To balance parenting and still be productive, I keep my day very structured, routine is important. I make a tick list of what I want to accomplish each day. I use the time they're at school and the time they're asleep to work, and try to be careful not to burn out by keeping that tick list realistic to the amount of hours I have. My husband is also amazing for giving me time on the weekends to work if I have things I want to catch up on."
For Crawford, short and sweet four-panel comics are ideal, given the constant interruptions that come with her lifestyle. She notes, "Four panel comics are great for the kind of lifestyle where you can't necessarily work extended hours of time in one go. I've found when I work on longer format comics that I don't like being interrupted. I want to get lost in the story that I'm writing and drawing, and I find it difficult to pick up and put down what I'm working on as people need me. With four panel comics, they're short, to the point, and I can get them done in a couple days. I know the whole comic right from the get go, so it's okay if my train of thought keeps being interrupted while I work."
Che’s D&D-inspired comics have received positive feedback on platforms like Reddit. She loves engaging with the community and hearing their stories, saying, "I enjoy reading other people's D&D stories, so that's my favourite kind of response to get. There's a lot of fun and passion in the D&D community, and I love hearing people's favourite gaming moments. They remind me to keep looking for those moments of passion in life, that we all deserve to have fun." However, she also reflects on some of the less positive feedback, sharing, "As far as specific comments, I did get one last week that mentioned they felt like all my comics were about the players being assholes. It struck me quite hard, just because I thought I had been drawing my friends having fun and messing around with each other. It showed me that my comics don't always read the way I intend." Despite this, Che values the feedback, even when it’s critical, as it helps her consider how her work is perceived by others.
Creating a story in just four panels can be a challenge, and the artist walks us through her process: "All my comics come from moments that happen in actual D&D games I've played in, or have DM'd. But fitting them into a four-panel webcomic is still a learning journey for me. I start with a moment from a game that I think is funny, relatable or interesting, and then rough out the dialogue first. I split the dialogue into the four panels, and then whittle it down to the least amount of words possible, while still making it understandable." She also offers a tip for aspiring comic creators, advising, "My tip is to always run them by at least one other person before you post them online. But I'm learning that perhaps that one other person shouldn't be one of the other players at my game table, because they also have all the extra context of the moment in their heads."
Looking ahead, Che is excited about future projects and collaborations. She shares, "I’m actually very excited to say I'm working on a project with Viva La Dirt League, turning some of their Epic NPC Man skits into 4-panel webcomics. They're going to be released on their new website vivaplus.tv very soon! And on their other social media platforms down the line. Keep an eye out for them! This collaboration with other amazing New Zealand creators is absolutely the highlight of my webcomic career so far. I'm incredibly grateful to get to work with them, and excited for everyone to see the comics." For the artist, this project marks a significant milestone in her career, and she’s equally enthusiastic about the possibility of publishing graphic novels in the future, leaving us with a sense that there’s so much more to come from this talented and resourceful artist!
