Questionable Comics is a series where Dan Hill surveys professionals from every corner of the comics industry about their methods and experience. First up is Naomi Franquiz, a multimedia artist who is featured in the queer women of color anthology Power & Magic and has been self-releasing a number of incredible short works.
What current projects are you working on?
I just wrapped up production for my short-story, “Songbird For A Vulture,” in the upcoming queer women of color anthology called Power & Magic, and I’m planning my next exploratory short following my most recent short, “S.O.S. – Swimming or Slowly Drowning.”
Aside from that, I’m currently working with two other comics writers on character designs for seperate projects – an upcoming web-comic series called WonderMart, and a submission for the Creators for Creators grant.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Intuitively
What’s your workspace like?
Cramped, unfortunately. I work digitally, and occasionally traditionally, so my computer and Cintiq share a desk that could afford to be a little larger and my drafting table is a would-be book-shelf and collection of references and too many bottles of ink and watercolor tubes. Due to space issues in my current home, it’s also in my bedroom. Suffice it to say the degree of separation between work and rest is minimal at best.
What do you listen to when you work?
It depends on what I’m working on and what mood I need to be in to create that work. Movie scores, anime/TV show OSTs, video game scores, etc. Though on occasion when I need to stay awake, I listen to something I can sing along to, which is loads of fun when I have the house to myself. That way I can be as obnoxious and off-key as I want and have a lot more fun with it. Recently, I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Steven Universe soundtrack, because it has such a wide range from fun and campy, to dark and twisted.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Keep it simple, stupid.” Find what needs to be the real focus of the piece, and make sure it stays that focus. Everything else around it should be subliminal. Sometimes this may feel like it’s -too- simple, but nine times out of ten that’s just my brain trying to overthink things again. I’m still working on staying true to this advice, but it’s a helpful reminder to edit, edit, edit.
An especially topical Mockingbird sketch Naomi Franquiz recently did
How do you get into art mode?
Sometimes, it’s as easy as waking up, getting my cup of coffee in the morning, and diving straight into it. Sometimes, it’s a struggle. Either way I usually try and make sure my mind and body are “awake” enough to think straight and that I have no other responsibilities to take care of first. Then, I usually block out everything else– put headphones on, turn up the music, and then crank out a few (sometimes many) warm-up sketches before I’m ready. If I’m on a really good art buzz, the time of day becomes nonexistent and I usually work way into the wee hours of the night.
Disclaimer: I am a terrible adult and frequently end up working through my little alarm reminders to, you know… do normal human things like find sustenance. Whoops. My bad.
Is your work paper or digital based?
These days, mostly digital. I don’t have a great scanner at home to really do any traditional work justice, so it’s easier for me to work digitally.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
Character direction. Sometimes I struggle with my characters and the action on the page being too stagnant and stiff, so I have actual post-it reminders around me to keep me thinking about directing the action. What is the character doing? Are they just standing there with their thumbs up their butt? If they’re not actively doing something, what is their body-language doing?
Every panel or scene should have something happening in it, subtle or overt, whether it’s the character doing it or the artwork creating the action. So I’m trying really hard to keep my finished work really gestural, fluid, and loose. It doesn’t always turn out super tight or polished, but I’m okay with it. I like rough work where you can see the artist’s hand in it, so that’s my constant reminder.
A page from Naomi Franquiz’s short comic work SOS- Swimming or Slowly Drowning
When’s the best time to work?
Right now, night time. The house is quiet, there’s usually less people trying to talk to me or message me or otherwise distract me, and I’m not expected to do anything outside of work. My sleep schedule is pretty whack because of it, unfortunately, but most of my work gets done at night. Who needs sunlight, am I right? Eh??
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Like I said before, I really love work where you can see the artist’s hand in the art, where it’s rough and gritty or just a little sketchy and messy, and where the art expresses more than the words do.
Some of my favorite creators in alphabetical order: Becky Cloonan (Wolves and Southern Cross), Fumio Obata (Just So Happens), Hajime Ueda (the FLCL manga and Q-K-Chan), Jillian and Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer), Mike Mignola (Hellboy: In Hell, specifically), and Sean Gordon Murphy (Punkrock Jesus and American Vampire).
These creators I think have really great ability to relate emotion and story-telling behind their images, and in comics I feel like you should be able to show and not tell. Outside of that, the energy in their work is so raw and immediate and just… really satisfying to study. I sound a bit clinical, huh?
Next is indie comics vet Eric Zawadzki, who has collaborated with Loser City’s own Danny Djeljosevic on The Ghost Engine as well as works at Black Mask Studios, MonkeyBrain and Image.
What current projects are you working on?
I’m working on a follow up project to Headspace with Ryan K. Lindsay and The Dregs, out in earl 2017 from Black Mask Studios.
Use one word to describe how you work.
Methodical.
What’s your workspace like?
It’s kind of an organized mess. I go back and forth between my Cintiq and drawing table. There’s different art tools scattered around in 3 or 4 different piles. I also have very organized reference folders on my computer.
What do you listen to when you work?
I listen to music when I’m doing layouts because that requires the most amount of concentration. That usually entails movie scores. Whenever I’m doing anything else in the process, it’s nothing but podcasts.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Schedule yourself and make goals. You’ll get more accomplished missing those self imposed deadlines than you would just making it up as you go.
How do you get into art mode?
I work either on a computer or beside a computer, so there’s usually about 15-20 minutes of procrastination on the internet. If there’s reference required, I usually get that set up on the computer and then I just dive in. Occasionally I do some warm up drawing in just ink.
A page from The Sepulchral City, an improvised comic Eric had been writing and drawing himself
Is your work paper or digital based?
My work used to be completely digital, but I’ve since gone back to paper. I print blue line roughs on to art boards and ink that. My line work when I was digital was absolutely atrocious. So that’s something I’ve been putting a lot of work into since moving back to paper.
What’s the one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
I want my work to be more animated and lively, with a little more style. I look back at work I did a year ago and, although the storytelling is alright, the work isn’t very exciting. That’s something I’m actively working on right now.
When’s the best time to work?
Mornings and late at night are by far the most productive for me.
Who do you consider to be inspirational creators in your field (classic and modern)?
Katsuhiro Otomo is a huge inspiration. No one does epic storytelling like he does. Jason Pearson for how lively and animated his work feels. Chris Samnee for his masterful draftsmanship and perfect use of lighting when it comes to storytelling. Cliff Chiang because of all the energy in everything he draws, right down to the backgrounds. Stuart Immonen for his character acting. Travis Charest for his use of mood and atmosphere. Olivier Coipel is another guy who is just so good at making stories feel grand and epic. And Matt Wilson and Jordie Bellaire are also big inspirations with their fantastic coloring.
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