OrcGirl: Interview
Question 1
What initially got your attention to wanting to create a comic in the first place and when did you start conceiving ideas?
Originally, Orc Girl started out as a novel. It was around October or November of 2016 and I’d just gotten into reading monster romances on Kindle, in particular ones about orcs as they are my favorite fantasy race. At the time most of the ones available were short stories or novellas, and I realized then that there were 3 things I really wanted to see in the fantasy that there was a severe lack of at the time. 1) I wanted a fantasy story that featured adult characters with mature situations (not a teen coming-of-age story.) 2) I wanted an erotic romance with a more involved plot. And 3) I wanted it to be about orcs.
So I started writing out the story in novel form with concept art, releasing chapters and short excerpts every now and then, but I was having a hard time getting people to read them. Then a friend suggested it might be more popular as a webcomic. Initially, I balked at the thought. I had done webcomic projects before and I knew how laborious they were. The last webcomic venture I was on lasted about 7 years (sporadically, of course) and I still didn’t finish it. After grumbling about it for a few months I decided to put out some “test” pages in October of 2017, and people seemed to really like them. I decided it was fate and committed to making a weekly comic of Orc Girl.
Question 2
Were there any projects you started that you discarded some time ago that you would revamp after completing more recent works?
The 7-year-long webcomic project I mentioned previously was actually a fan comic. It was a modern version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” called “Only Love and Music.” At the time it was a labor of love. It was a lot of fun to work on, and I had a bit of a following with it, but I didn’t really know how to market a webcomic or art at the time. I just had a story I really wanted to tell, so I did. To be fair, this was circa 2009 when I started it, and it’s amazing to think of how different the internet is now from back then. There are far more ways, and far more knowledge available, on how to market one’s self now. Every now and then I have readers who ask me about that story, and it’s something I would like to go back and reboot one day. However, 2020 me is very different from 2009 me. With the art skills I have now, my matured values, what I know now about business, marketing, and social media it would probably be a completely different story. And who’s to say that its campy, pencil-and-paper scratched aesthetic wasn’t part of its original appeal?
Question 3
What is your process when creating the storyline and pages of your patreon content as well as your flow in writing scripts?
I have most of the story in written form -either in prose or outline- spread out amongst digital documents, notebooks and scraps of paper. Before I sketch each page digitally, I plan out my panels in a simple storyboard format on… ready for this? A spiral bound notebook. Seriously, I have several notebooks full of preliminary sketches for several chapter’s worth of Orc Girl. In short, my process is rather crude, lol.
Question 4
What influenced your love of Orcs and the instigation of using them in your content creation?
I’ve loved orcs ever since I played one in my first D&D game in college. I just thought they were such a fun race to play, and full of nuance. But I think my interest in orcs stems from a lifelong love of the tragic, misunderstood monster trope. You know, the classic sad, lonely monster who is generally misunderstood by society and as a result is often made out to be the antagonist, and almost always has an unrequited love for a beautiful girl. Watching/reading these stories growing up whether it was The Phantom of the Opera, poor Quasimodo of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or The Creature From the Black Lagoon, I found myself sympathizing with the monster. I was a weird, outcast kid growing-up in a small town… In rural Kentucky… In the 90s. Need I say more? I suppose I identified with monsters, in a strange way. And I’d see the feminine object of the monster’s affection almost always rejecting him for the handsome “normal” guy and I couldn’t help but think: “Given a choice, I’d much rather have the monster. He seems far more interesting and more committed to a long-term relationship.” I always found the “monster” to be the more appealing mate. So here we are. The orc is basically the epitome of the misunderstood monster trope, and I think that endears me to them even more. The overarching theme of Orc Girl is that morality is not always a black and white issue. While there are certain things that undoubtedly right or wrong, for the most part, good and evil are more nuanced terms, depending on who is speaking them. I suppose I could have chosen any monster for my story, but I felt orcs rather accurately convey the point I’m trying to get across.
Question 5
What influenced you to create Jenny as she is and how did you get the idea to mix both a timid demeanor and a strong will rolled into one?
I wanted Jenny to be a very relatable character. I wanted my audience to look at her and be able to identify with her easily, while still giving her a vibrant personality of her own. Her timidity really comes from a lack of confidence. She’s kind of awkward too. But she is also a grown woman who is established in her convictions. She stands up for herself but does it in her own pragmatic way. However, if I made her too “strong” initially there wouldn’t be much room for her to grow. I think characters are more interesting when they make mistakes and learn from them. If all of the characters in a story have no room to grow or evolve, then what is the point of there being conflict at all?
Question 6
What parts are you excited to show everyone in Orc Girl in the near future, and how long do you anticipate the comic to be?
I’m really excited to show everyone South Keep, the Orc City. I’m looking forward to introducing all of the other vibrant characters that appear in the story too. Of course, I’m not ashamed to admit, that I can’t wait to draw the more NSFW scenes as well, lol. I honestly have no idea how long this comic is going to be. It will be a substantial storyline, though.
Question 7
In your fantasy world, what can you tell us about the race division, are many considered lesser than others, or is it based around survival?
The orcs in my world are kind of new to the whole monarchy thing. It’s only been in the last 50 years that South Keep was established as a kingdom. Before this, orcs were all just a number of nomadic tribes scattered about the world of Heliand. (I will reveal more about this later in the comic. Don’t want to give too many spoilers.) There are 7 orc clans in total. Six of them live together in sort-of harmony in South Keep. The 7th clan, the northern orcs, are rather ethnocentric and keep to themselves. Outside of South Keep, there are halflings, trolls, elves, ogres, dwarves, and of course humans. Halflings, trolls, orcs, dwarves, and ogres all get along, more or less, through newly established trade routes. Elves don’t like anyone else but know how to be diplomatic about it. Relations between orcs and humans are tense, to say the least. Humans think of orcs as lesser beings, and the feeling is mostly mutual. However, they aren’t currently at war with each other, so that’s an improvement.
Question 8
If you could live in your own comic world, would you and what race would you choose to be?
I would most definitely live in Heliand, and of course, I’d have to be an orc. 😉
Question 9
When creating your comic pages, how many panels do you normally try to go for, or what do you find is the limit?
It really depends on what I’m trying to say on the page. If there’s a lot of action, I’ll want the reader’s eyes to moving fast across the page to convey this, so I’ll put fewer panels (like 3 or 4.) But if there is a lot of back and forth dialogue I generally want the reader’s eyes to trace the panels slowly, so I’ll put more panels (about 5 or 6.) I rarely put more panels than 6, though, as I feel it makes the page look a little crowded.
Question 10
If you had to choose between Vargan or Grushnag as your mate for life (considering Grushnag was single without kids) whom would you choose?
Oh definitely Vargan. While Vargan is a flawed character, he’s basically my ideal man, lol. He’s deep and intelligent, but also compassionate. He’s dominant and masculine while still being tender and gentle. There’s a lot more depth to both Vargan and Grushnag that I haven’t covered yet in the story, so I suppose I’m a little biased, as well.
Question 11
Will we get to see the brothers in their youth, training with their father, and seeing how Vargan became enthused by the legends of Erda?
We will definitely get to see some flashbacks of their youth, their interactions, and lessons from both of their parents, and I’m really looking forward to showing them. The stories about Erda are just a part of the colloquial legend. Similar to the Faerie realm of Tir Na Nog of Celtic folk stories. Orcs in my world really love stories of all kinds, so Vargan and Grushnag would have grown-up with a number of tales about it.
Question 12
What developed your style when seen in the comic and what gave you the ideas for the body types of orcs?
I had to learn how to draw a lot of new things when I started this project. I’ve been drawing in an anime-esque style since I was fourteen, but working on this comic has taught me just how narrow my drawing experience was prior. I knew that if I were to draw orcs, applying the lithe, pretty-boy anime style of my youth would not be appropriate here. In short, I had to learn how to draw men. I also knew that I didn’t want my orcs to be perfectly chiseled muscle men, either. Historically speaking, the Mr. Universe bodybuilder look is a fairly new invention. But you can look back through history at traditional “strong men” in circuses and sideshows, for example, and while they don’t have the carved physique we associate with muscled manliness, you could never say they were anything but fit and almost inhumanly strong. Getting the bodybuilder look is nigh impossible without a Total Gym and a perfectly balanced diet -neither of which would be available in a Renaissance-style fantasy world. So I wanted my orcs to be undoubtedly strong and fit, but I felt it would be unreasonable for them to all sport a six-pack. In all honesty, the body types that I gave them are what I personally find more attractive, anyway. I like men who look like they work out, but don’t say no to a pastry either, lol.
Question 13
What program do you use for drawing out your comics and artwork?
I use several. I use Clip Studio Paint’s 3D modeling feature to create pose references for my characters first. I do all the drawing in Photoshop, and then I pop it over to Medibang to make the panels, do the coloring/shading and add the speech bubbles.
Question 14
If you could go on an adventure with Aragorn or Gandalf, whom would you choose and why?
Probably Gandalf. I appreciate his laid-back, zen attitude to most things. Every party needs that person who is always calm and composed in even the most harrowing situations.
Question 15
What would you say is your favorite weapon to draw when doing fantasy artwork?
I like drawing the battle-ax. It’s tough to get the angles just right, but since I’ve found a 3D model of it in Clip Studio it’s so much easier to get the perspective right. Now I think it’s really fun to draw.
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