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Creator Highlights are featured posts where we interview comic artists and novelists within the Tapas community. National Friendship Day is on August 5 and we thought it would be fun to chat with Red and Blue, creators of the comic “Pricks and Pretension.”

Please give an introduction about yourselves, your friendship, and your comic.

The two of us met in first year of art school, and our friendship sprouted from a mutual love of comics and animated film. “Pricks and Pretension” started as a fun way to dip our toes into the world of comics without much pressure -- using the pre-existing novel “Pride and Prejudice”, which has already had so many adaptations -- made it easier for us to get started. Both of our interests in diverse representation and queer content helped us to come up with a fresher narrative for an old-fashioned story.

A lot of creators on our platform usually work by themselves, what made you two want to work together on a comic?

Red: I think being in school really affected our initial decision making, as well as how intimidating it can be to make your first comic alone. If you have someone who’s willing to take on half the work, and you have a similar style/aesthetic and end goal, it’s super easy to collaborate. I think we have been pretty lucky because we both have a similar work ethic, and we are able to push one another to finish our goals and make sure we keep slowly improving our quality.

Blue: I would say the two of us are very lucky in that not only our interests match up, but also our approach to our work, as well as what we value. From the get-go we both really respected each other’s work, were very supportive of each other, and just vibed well in general. All of these factors made our decision to collaborate a very natural step. For comics specifically, neither of us really knew what the hell we were doing, so having a buddy to support you but also take the falls with you really helps.

What's your favorite part about working as a team to create comics?

Red: It definitely benefits the story overall. A lot of the time if one of us comes up with an idea that doesn’t necessarily flow well or interrupts another plot point, you catch it a lot sooner than if you were on your own. Even with personal works, we usually have one another look over our scripts to double check everything. Our story pacing for Pricks and Pretension is still far from perfect, but we have definitely come a long way from three years ago! Additionally having someone around to critique your technical work without sugar-coating is super beneficial, without Blue around I definitely would not have improved as quickly as I have (and I am still improving).

Blue: I agree with it benefitting the general process of creating the comic -- having constant and direct feedback is really beneficial. It also means that there will be plenty of disagreements and compromises, but I think this can be a huge strength. Working as a team on a project like this really helped me to view the work in isolation from myself; it’s not something that either of us can really claim as our own individually, and I think that fact in itself helps us let go of personal attachments and anxieties. It really lets the project take a life of its own, and keeps the focus on making and finishing work, not just dreaming.

Do your ideas ever clash? If so, how do you work it out?

Red: I think we have definitely had moments of disagreement, but most of the time it’s so minor or unimportant we are over it within a few minutes. Blue and I have a very similar work style, and because we are following a plot that has already been created it is easy to go back to the original content if we ever need to regroup. Otherwise, if a pose looks weird or a panel doesn’t look right both of us are pretty quick to fix it after it has been pointed out.

Blue: Although I previously mentioned disagreement and compromise, Red is right, it’s usually small stuff. I think because we have a good relationship we can be upfront with each other, and that way we don’t dwell on it and can move forward. When we do disagree on major plot developments and how we want to portray them, we talk it over extensively while maintaining respect for each other’s opinions. Sometimes we need to let it sit, then we talk again, let it sit, talk again. It can take time, but actually this kind of discussion can lead to the juiciest parts of the comic.

What skill does your friend have that you don't and wish you did?

Red: Blue has an excellent eye for palettes and has better technical skills than I do. I try really hard to learn from them, and they’re also super patient and willing to teach me whenever I ask for help. Their backgrounds are also super nice and they have a good sense of composition… I’m so glad they agreed to do Pricks and Pretension with me, I’ve been learning so quickly and they really push me as an artist.

Blue: Red is really good at seeing the bigger picture, and pushing ideas further. With page layouts, poses, and the writing component, she’s always trying to do something different from what we’ve done before. She also has so much motivation to try and do better, whereas I tend to get lazy and settle for “good enough”. Red highly praises my technical drawing ability but -- I’ll let you in on a secret -- I am really inconsistent when it comes to anatomical drawing, and Red helps me see my mistakes all the time.

How would you describe each other's creative style?

Red: Blue’s style is very refined and mature. You can tell a lot of attention to detail gets put into their works, as well as deep consideration into the content they are making. Outside of comics, Blue does a lot of printmaking (silkscreen, etching, and letterpress) and creates art books as well as independent pieces. They always stand out among our peers work, and are definitely respected by our professors and fellow students. I’m very lucky to be able to work with them!

Blue: Apparently this is a contest of compliments. Red’s style has really developed since I first met her. It’s got a bubbly charm to it, and she can push this to be more on the stylised cartoony side, or the more refined and realistic side without sacrificing the main charm. She’s also really talented at animation and has been working so hard at it; I’m really proud of her. I think animation has been a big point of frustration for her, but from a secondary perspective it’s obvious that it’s really helped enhance her artwork overall.

What is your dream project?

Red: I’ve always wanted to create a multi-series fantasy work, but I definitely want to refine my technical skills as well as my storytelling abilities. Otherwise maybe a slice of life comic about witches or a Joan of Arc type character, but more spooky and LGBTQ+.

Blue: Comics-wise right now I’d be down to make a series of short comics centered around a women’s boxing center. I’m not sure how hardcore I would want to go with the detail and the fighting scenes, so that’s on hold for now, haha.

In my regular art-practice I don’t really have dream projects, I just keep trying to move forward to something new with each work I make.

What is the creative process like, from beginning to end?

Our process begins with script writing; we have the rough outline for the entire comic written out on a shared google doc that we both edit. After the rough-in, we start specifying scenes and dialogue (and sometimes write notes on paneling if we have a particular sequence in mind). Following dialogue we move onto our thumbnails, where we will usually make 5-10 at a time, and try to make it as fluid to read as possible. After we do our thumbnailing, we will go home to our own workstations and send each other the larger roughs, for any more edits before we begin our outlining. We usually chat on discord or talk on a messaging platform during the entire process. We’ll send screenshots to one another so that we can fix problems as they arise and not after the page is completed. After that we save the images and schedule them on Tapas!

If you could give some advice to other creators, what would you want to tell them?

Red: Your first comic doesn’t have to be good, and it does not have to be long form. As much as it can be embarrassing to ask for critique or even post your work online, it will definitely pay off later on, so just post your content! It’s okay to not want anyone to say anything either, sometimes the most you can do is finish something. Also keep at it, it’s exciting to see how much you can improve after just a short year.

Blue: I would say with comics especially, you have to commit to making something and finishing it. I think a lot of people underestimate how meaningful it is to really complete something, whether it’s a zine, a short story, a chapter, or an entire book. If you’re intimidated, that’s okay, start small. For those who are just starting out, it’s super important to know that what you create will not make you happy right off the bat. There’s so much you have to learn on your own just by actually producing, so accept that you won’t like a lot of it early on and it will help you move forward. Finally, if you don’t have someone to collaborate with I still highly recommend finding a buddy to edit, critique, keep you on track, or at least validate your hard work. It can be really tough to stay motivated on your own.

What comics on Tapas are your favorites?

Red: “Liminal” by Kawaiila has been a huge favourite since the beginning of us posting on Tapas, and her other comics are also amazing (“South Northwest” is so good!!!). As well, “Long Exposure”, “Puu”, “It’s All for The Breast”, and “Curious Case of the Ring Brothers” are all titles I really adore!

Blue: Definitely check out “Liminal” by our friend Kawaiila; I ranted hard about how everyone should get a work buddy, but she really proves me wrong. She’s been working on comics before Red and I even got started, and she’s been doing it all herself. Huge respect. I also love “It’s All for The Breast”, as well as “Himawari Share”, “Danse Orbitale”, and “Coffee for Breakfast”.

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Thank you Red & Blue for taking the time to share your stories and recommendations!

This is Part 1 of a 2-Part National Friendship Day Creator Highlight. Click here for Part 2 with Kai & Dahae.