First of all, the artist introduced herself: “My name is Ché and I live in Tauranga, New Zealand with my husband, two children, and our cat named Litmus.I grew up in a very creative household. My mum was always painting, playing piano, and reading my siblings and I stories. She encouraged me to draw, color, and write, and (because she had chosen science for her degree), to follow my creative dreams in whichever direction they took me.
I recently graduated with a Masters in Creative Writing, where I received first class honors. For my thesis, I wrote and drew a graphic novel about mental health that's set in a fantasy universe. It's still pencils at the moment, so I'm hoping to line, color, and get that on Webtoon at some point!”
We were curious to learn how Ché came to create comics, especially Dungeons and Dragons-related ones. She shared: “I've always wanted to be a storyteller but for a long time, I didn't know exactly what that looked like. I tried only writing while doing a bachelor's degree, then only drawing while doing an animation certificate. I struggled to want to write a description of scenery when I could just draw it. And I struggled to animate other people's stories when I wanted to tell my own.
When I finally clicked that I could do both (duh!), I enrolled to do a masters in creative writing. I'd had a novel percolating in my head for 10 years or so, but I went in not totally appreciating that each page would have 6-10 drawings and I had 250 pages to write and draw. It was an overwhelmingly large job. It took me three years of drawing for hours almost every day, and that was just the sketches!I worried, during that time, that I'd get out of practice using my tablet or forget how to use my digital art programs, so I set myself the challenge of also drawing one 4-panel, digitally colored comic a week.”
Ché continued: “My life, aside from my studies, was mostly taken up my being a mum of my amazing toddlers, and so my husband and I hosted a weekly Dungeons and Dragons session just to try and get in some adult socializing time without needing to find a babysitter.
The 4-panel comics started with fun moments about my kids that I didn't want to forget, but occasionally I'd recreate the silly and fun shenanigans we got up to around the D&D table. I posted my comics to Reddit (thanks r/comics, you're a wonderfully supportive community!) after I'd read the_reddot and pizzacakecomic's Bored Panda articles about their comics!
A Reddit user shared some of my D&D-inspired comics over to r/dndmemes and they took off a bit. I'd never intended to keep drawing comics about my children for long as I didn't want to put too much of their lives on the internet, even in comic form. So when my tabletop comics were enjoyed, I decided that those would be the subject of my weekly 4-panel challenge going forward. I love sharing the silly tabletop shenanigans that happen during my games, but even more, when I post the comics, I get to hear about everyone else's too.
It's wonderful to be a part of such a passionate community. Enjoyment is infectious and tabletop gaming with friends is some of the most fun I've ever had.”
Each artist gets to face different challenges when it comes to creative work. Ché shared what gets in her way the most.
“Time is my biggest challenge. Drawing is time-consuming. I used to have to find time to tuck myself away on my computer with my tablet but once I got an iPad, I could draw anywhere and this made creating comics easier. After school/daycare, my kids will sit at the table and color/playdo while I draw comics on my iPad and we just hang out and create together, without me having to disappear into the room my computer is set up in.
It can also be an interesting challenge to fit a story into four panels. I've definitely had some misses where jokes don't land or make sense. And I've had comics where I share too much or too little context,” wrote Ché.
Ché also shared her favorite comic that she has made and why.
“The comic about how my character got her horse, Dandelion. Working within the rules of the game forces players to be creative, and that leads to some of the most memorable moments. You never know where another player will take the story. The unexpected twists and turns are what makes the game most exciting for me. And it was a little bit fun to shock my friends.”
Also, we wanted to know what Ché would like for people to take away from her artwork.
“Firstly, that you can make comics too! If you want to! Don't stop yourself because you're worried you can't draw as well as you'd like, or because you're still learning. Create anyway! There are comics about everything, and in every style imaginable. There's space for your comics too. We'd love to see them.
And secondly, life is better when you have something you're passionate about. It can be D&D and comics, like me, or it can be something else. Head into each day having fun, finding moments of joy, and sharing those moments with other people. You deserve it,” answered Ché.
