Profile: Jae Waller, Writer – Illustrator

Note: Jae Waller’s web comic is a very vertical  comic. Very Vertical. For that reason, Madbadcat chose to excerpt a panel and link back to the original on the Mill City fiasco website.

::: Artist(s) Name:::

Jae Waller

::: Title of Projects:::

Mill City Fiasco

::: Publisher:::  (self-published?)

Lilyrei Studios (self-published, less official than it sounds)

::: Website:::

millcityfiasco.com

::: 1 ::: Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up? What’s your favorite color? When did you first realize you were an artist?

I grew up in the vast forest of northern British Columbia, Canada. My readership knows it simply as ‘Mill City.’ My favourite colours are turquoise and burgundy because I’m too indecisive to just have one – plus they look great together.

There was never a time that I realized I was an artist; it was more that I decided there was no reason I couldn’t be one. I got on the internet at age 11 and found Mena Baines’ Harry Potter fan art, thought ‘Hey, I can teach myself to do that,’ and it all went to hell from there.

::: 2 ::: What webcomic genres interest you the most? Who is your favorite webcomic artist and/or writer? How have they influenced your work?

I don’t know if I could pin it down to one genre. I’m fascinated by people and their interactions, so in plot-based comics I enjoy strips that explore relationships between people and do a lot of character development. I guess that’s a bit girly of me. But in gag-a-day comics I love authors whose sense of humour is both sardonic and tongue-in-cheek, who possess that ability to find humour in all aspects of life.

My favourite webcomic author is Aaron Farber of Men In Hats. MIH pretty much saved me from taking Mill City Fiasco in totally the wrong direction. I started writing for a Cyanide and Happiness-type audience, but they all turned out to be angsty teenagers who think reading macabre cartoons makes them hardcore, and I wasn’t really into that. Then one day my boyfriend showed me MIH and I realized that was the kind of comic I wanted to be writing.

My favourite comic artist is probably Andrea L. Peterson of No Rest For The Wicked. She has such a fantastic way of making things look beautiful and creepy at the same time, and I can’t wait to start experimenting with that style.

::: 3 ::: How did you get involved in comics? What was your first comic?

Once again I just decided ‘I want to learn to do this, and there’s no reason why I can’t.’ I’d been reading webcomics for awhile and it seemed like fun. My first attempt was a series called Acid-Tongued Reflux that barely made it past the drawing board. A couple years later I tried again with MCF and that one took off.

::: 4 ::: What is your favorite story you’ve ever drawn? Favorite character?

MCF is the only continuous project I’ve done yet, so it wins out by default. My favourite character is probably a tie between the photocopy puppy and the sardonic sheep.

::: 5 ::: How did you come up with the concept for Mill City Fiasco?

Honestly, it’s like a surrealist documentary of my life. I get inspiration from anywhere I can. It’s great because I can go out with my friends and call it work, and I can complain about anything as long as I make it funny.

::: 6 ::: What was the hardest part of creating your webcomic? What hardware (computer, scanner, printer, etc) do you use? What software?

The hardest part continues to be drawing it because of the glaring errors I made with character design. They look cute but are not remotely mobile. It’s fine when they’re just standing around talking… not so fine when I want to show them walking, hugging, holding objects. Seems like the kind of thing you’d realize when you’re first designing them, but I didn’t really know what I was doing.

I use a tiny 4×6 Wacom Graphire tablet, a gigantic 24" screen, and a Mac computer that varies between running great and barely running at all. I draw everything in Photoshop CS4.

::: 7 ::: How have you handled the business side of being an artist? How do you promote your comic? What’s the best and worst parts of being a full time, working artist?

How do I handle it? Not well! But there’s two approaches to running a webcomic. One is to be professional, don’t complain about things, stick to your schedule… and that’s great advice. Did it work for me? Nope. I rant and rave and update late when I’m swamped with schoolwork and treat my readers like my friends. They’re still here so it must be working.

I promote my work in a pretty low-key manner. I live in the world of independent music and theatre where you promote by word of mouth and giving your friends wearable merchandise. That said, Project Wonderful is also a great resource for advertising.

I am not a full-time artist, since I attend university full-time and occasionally work or volunteer or have a social life, but the best part of working as an artist is getting to work at home in my pyjamas whenever I want! The worst part is the petrifying knowledge that a career as a webcomic artist is just as doomed as a painter or novellist, but even the painters and novellists are laughing at your plight. The benefits far outweigh the costs though. I mean, come on… pyjamas.

::: 8 ::: Has the Internet helped your career as an artist? If so, how?

I wouldn’t have an art career without the internet. I learned to draw from the internet; my comic is only readable on the internet; I sell merch and promote on the internet. Even some of my art classes are on the internet because I’m studying at two universities, one of which is 800 kilometres away.

::: 9 ::: What is one stereotype about comic book writers/artists that is absolutely wrong?

That we’re all male! (Which also renders void the stereotypes that we’re sweaty and perverted and have no luck with women.) Webcomics are like democracy: they’re of the people, for the people, by the people.

::: 10 ::: What one stereotype is dead on?

That 75% of webcomics never reach thirty strips, 24% will make it past that but never become financially successful, and the remaining 1% aren’t going to tell you how they did it. The good news is that 100% of those artists and writers probably had the time of their lives making those comics.

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