Questionable Comics is a series where Dan Hill surveys professionals from every corner of the comics industry about their methods and experience. First up this week is C. Spike Trotman, one of indie comics’ greatest success stories, from her breakout webcomic Templar, Arizona to her anthology Smut Peddler to her numerous Kickstarter campaign victories. Spike is also the publisher of Iron Circus, one of the most interesting and unique companies in comics.
What current projects are you working on?
Oh god, too many.
A biography of Josephine Baker for First Second [called Black Pearl, due out this year] and I’ve written two scripts currently in production, a smutty GN called Iris & Angel and a coming-of-age GN called Lucas and Odessa. I’m also writing a thirst script, Joint Venture, another smutty GN.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Eclectic.
What’s your workspace like?
A goddamn mess. A desk with lots of empty Red Bull cans and coffee mugs, scatter books and comics and paperwork, two Wacom tablets, a phone, personal effects, food wrappers. I’m not a tidy person.
What do you listen to when you work?
Podcasts, usually! My Brother My Brother and Me, Escape Pod, BBC World Service. If I’m drawing or answering email, I like podcasts. But if I’m writing and need to concentrate, I like white noise. MyNoise.net is my favorite, the rain sounds particularly.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t compare yourself professionally with other people. Or more specifically, “Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlights reel.” You only THINK you know how much better people are or aren’t doing that you.
How do you get into art mode?
I’m kind of always in it. There’s no mental shift.
A drawing of Josephine Baker from Spike Trotman’s upcoming First Second biocomic Black Pearl
Is your work paper or digital based?
I went all-digital after I discovered Manga Studio, which I use in conjunction with Lazy Nezumi. The one roadblock that had been stopping me from giving up pen and paper before then was line quality; the minute I could coax a smooth, tapering, brush-like line out of a screen, I never looked back.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I think my work looks TOO digital. I wish it were rougher around the edges, sometimes, looked more spontaneous and effortlessly dashed-off. But when I try to achieve that look with rougher lines and chunkier brushes, I… really hate it??? I dunno what my problem is.
When’s the best time to work?
Late night. Fewer distractions! Nothing on TV! No noisy traffic or neighbors! usually!
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Carla Speed McNeil.
Jess Fink.
George Herriman.
Dwayne McDuffie.
Katsuhiro Otomo.
Rumiko Takahashi.
Kaoru Mori.
Moebius.
Aud Koch is a dynamic artist with impressive credits on titles for publishers like Marvel and Dark Horse. You can support her on Patreon, where she is currently serializing a couple projects.
What current projects are you working on?
The flavor of the week: I’m working on illustrating Christina Rossetti’s The Goblin Market, which is a lush gothic poem. When I’ve completed my work, I will bind it into little books and I will hide them in whatever nooks I can find.
The seasonal flavor: I’m currently writing & illustrating a comic called OXYGEN BURN, which is a love story masquerading as a superhero romp. It’s completely self-indulgent and it makes me incredibly happy to work on, which is the best kind of project. (I’m posting it to my Patreon as I go.)
Use one word to describe how you work.
Tea.
What’s your workspace like?
I do my best work in coffeeshops and teahouses, especially those with wooden tables and murmuring acoustics. A mug of tea and a pastry for a few hours at a table in the corner, and I am good.
What do you listen to when you work?
I am trying to learn to go without music. A lot of time, I feel like it clutters my thoughts, and I’d rather have a window open and listen to the rustle of trees or the rush of traffic.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
All the best advice I’ve heard is contained in Tanya Davis’s poem, “How To Be Alone.” There is nothing as important as learning how to be happy in your own head and body.
How do you get into art mode?
I don’t have an art mode, like it’s something that gets turned on or off. When I am drawing, I am drawing; when I’m not drawing, I’m not drawing.
A page from Aud Koch’s indie series Oxygen Burn, available on her Patreon
Is your work paper or digital based?
I work almost entirely in traditional media. For me, art is 20% skill and 80% learning how to work with your mistakes. There’s something magical when you figure out how to make an accidental ink splatter into a beautiful node in your composition, and control+z undermines this philosophy.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
While there’s a lot that I need to work on and there’s so much more for me to learn, there’s no one thing I wish I could improve. I am where I am right now and that’s fine.
When’s the best time to work?
After a long mosey around the neighborhood, when you’ve watched a slug inch across the pavement or when you’ve been yelled at by some squirrels or maybe when you’ve plucked some figs from a neighbor’s tree (they weren’t picking them anyway).
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Aubrey Beardsley’s art has had an incredible influence on me, and in mimicking his style, I found pieces of myself. Sergio Toppi was a recent discovery for me, but his work is profoundly gorgeous and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can from it. The graphic novels that I keep coming back to, year after year, are: David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp and Jillian & Mariko Tamaki’s Skim. There is always more to discover.
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