Creator Spotlight: Kelly Tindall

So last week I advertised these interviews that I’m doing in a couple of comic groups, and now I have a backlog of like 10 interviews 😀

Today’s is with Kelly Tindall, who introduces himself much better than I can 🙂

D: How about we start off by you telling me a little bit about yourself.

K: Sure thing! I’m Kelly Tindall, a cartoonist from Montreal, Quebec. I’ve worked freelance for Image Comics since 2007 as a cartoonist, artist, colorist, and award-nominated letterer. I created the snow leopard-headed adventurer Archie Snow who ran as a backup in 28 issues of the book Proof. I also teach an introductory making comics class here in Montreal and I do a bunch of freelance work to pay the bills; caricature, logo and graphic design, and editorial illustration. I currently letter the Image Comics titles Bedlam and DrumHellar, and color the upcoming Dracula: Son of the Dragon book from Mark Sable and Salgood Sam.

My primary focus right now are my two webcomics Strangebeard and The Adventurers, which update twice a week. Strangebeard is about the world’s deadliest pirate who is also a twelve-year-old girl, and The Adventurers is a diary comic about my life with my two amazing daughters. I’m currently running an 80%-funded Kickstarter (UPDATE: now over 100% with 7 days remaining) for Strangebeard, Volume 1.

D: Most webcomic creators I’ve talked to normally have another job to support their hobby. What’s it like doing comics as a profession?

K: It’s marvelous, for the most part. I work from home, I have a flexible schedule that leaves a lot of time for my two little girls, and I get to do a bit of traveling on other people’s dime. Comic creators are also, for the most part, delightful and interesting human beings.

The biggest drawback is, like all freelance work, the lack of steady income.

D: How did you get started in the industry?

K: I quit World of Warcraft, basically. I channeled my computer game time into comics time, and I was approached to do backup stories for the late Image Comics book Proof only a couple of months later.

D: What roles in what projects have you done?

K: I wrote and drew the adventures of Archie Snow, the snow leopard-headed adventurer, in 28 issues of Proof. I also drew and coloured Proof #17. I’ve done the art for short stories in Machine of Death, Matinee Eclectica, I Saw You, and Zombie Bomb, and I am an award-nominated letterer. I’ve lettered books such as Green Wake, Rebel Blood, DrumHellar, and Bedlam.

D: Tell me more about the comic-making class you teach.

K: Making Comics is an intensive ten-week course I teach at Syn Studio here in Montreal. I show students how to design characters, come up with their own 3-page short stories, and tell the story using panels, speech bubbles, and shadows. It’s quite a lot of fun, and a nice way to break up the routine of working from home.

D: Since you make comics for a living, why do you also make webcomics?

K: Strangebeard, my flagship webcomic, was simply a story that I wanted to tell. I pitched it around for a full year, and everyone liked it but no publisher would take a chance on an all-ages book starring a little girl. Since I’m a firm believer in following your heart when it comes to comics, I launched it as a webcomic a year ago. Now, it’s gotten thousands and thousands of hits and I’m going to be printing it as a physical trade paperback when the Kickstarter succeeds in June.

The thing about webcomics is this: they open me up to a much wider audience than working on the production line in mainstream comics. Nobody’s as interested in me as a letterer as they are if they find out I’m the sole creator of a rollicking all-ages pirate book. It’s good to have your name above the marquee, so to speak.

Also, every skill I’ve been honing working in webcomics has paid dividends in my freelance artwork practice, as well. When people learned I could letter (from seeing my original webcomics) they hired me to letter.

D: How is webcomic production different (better/worse, etc) than comic production?

K: It’s a lot more work, for sure. Especially now that I’m at the stage where I’m planning a physical book. That involves a ton of marketing for the Kickstarter, a bunch of research into printing, and a lot of graphic design to build an appealing product that people at comic shows will stop to look at (and hopefully buy). With Image, I just hand all that off to the company to deal with.

It’s also nice to be able to publish pages immediately, without waiting weeks and weeks. The immediate feedback is nice.

D: Do you view them as different genres?

K: Mainstream comics and webcomics are vastly different. Not a lot of the same people, and not a lot of the same subject matter. I love them both but there’s a surprisingly small crossover.

D: What role do you think comics and webcomics can play in society/how do you think they can be a source for good, etc?

K: I think that the media that people are expected to consume has either a positive or negative effect on society in general, so I’m gratified to see that webcomics with strong, interesting female characters are becoming the popular ones. It wasn’t until I was well underway with Strangebeard that I discovered there’s not a lot of comics whose heroes are girls, let alone children. If I could change anything about the book, I’d make more of the characters female. I hope to be at 50% by the middle of Volume 2.

D: Any cool stories from industry or interacting with fans and creators?

K: Oh, tons. Most comics people are a ton of fun to hang out with, and a lot of fans are great, too. Meeting heroes of mine like Tim Sale or Guy Davis or Darwyn Cooke has been a big honor. It’s been very gratifying having fans come up to me at shows and tell me how much they like Strangebeard. When it’s little girls, it really feels like I’ve made a positive move in both my career and my life.

D: Any advice for fans and/or creators?

K: For creators: nothing gives you the right to be a jerk to anybody. Always try to be a good ambassador to comics, they deserve it.

For fans: you guys are the best. If you love something, shout it from the heavens! It’s hard work making stuff, and usually pretty solitary, so it’s great to hear that what we’re doing is being read and being appreciated.

Kelly, thanks again for being willing to be interviewed.  I’m glad to see that your kickstarter will be successful, but I still think everyone should check out his comics, and if you like them, get in on the kickstarter action 😀