Presenting: Michael Buckley, Web Comic Artist
60 Ways to Leave Your Mother Alone
Hallmark designer Michael Buckley is the artist behind the web comic 60 Ways to Leave Your Mother Alone. In this PresentMagazine.com interview, he discusses the inspiration for the comic and its production.
Present: How did the idea for a web comic come about? I've seen a number of comics online and wonder what inspired 60 Ways.
Buckley: My wife wrote the original post "60 Ways To Leave Your Mother (Alone)" on her blog. It was quite popular with her readers. I also thought it would make a good comic book, so the webcomic is partially a means to that end.
Present: Tell us about the production method. I like the old-timey hand-inked look. Do you create the original in ink and paper and then scan the image? Do you touch up or rework the art in Photoshop or other software?
Buckley: I have a dog-eared cardstock template that I use to trace panel borders on Bristol board, onto which I sketch the final composition in pencil. This composition follows the roughs I've worked out beforehand in my sketchbook. Lately I've been doing final inks with an India ink brush pen and finishing up the lettering using a Speedball B5 nib. Final art is 17" x 3.5", which I then scan and reduce down to a 875 dpi-wide JPG. Other than adjusting for levels and cleaning up scanner-glass scratches and the like, I try not to do any alterations to the original art.
Present: How long does it take to finish a panel?
Buckley: I can finish a comic in an evening if I've got the rough sketch done. Maybe two to three hours, plus digital image processing.
Present: How do you develop ideas for a storyline? Inspiration from your childhood or your kids?
Buckley: With the exception of the "Read A Book" storyline involving the obviously fictional character Danny Hatt, everything comes pretty much verbatim from actual events, or as a close adaptation of actual events.
Present: Does the story last for a specific number of panels or does it vary?
Buckley: This is a good question, and I'm trying to be more deliberate in answering it for myself. Currently it varies from storyline to storyline.
Present: Isn't there another comic series that you were working on?
Buckley: Yes, I have three series tentatively lined up after 60 Ways. Sanjay & Samata: Flight From Rajisthan; The Tailor's Apprentice; and The Abortionist.
Present: What do you do at Hallmark?
Buckley: Currently I do Flash programming and user interface design for Hallmark's Multimedia Studio.
Present: What sort of arts education and training do you have?
Buckley: I graduated with a BFA in Painting from Kansas City Art Institute.
Present: Do you have influences from art, comics, literary, or other sources that shape your thinking about creating visual work and storytelling?
Buckley: I do, but I find it hard to separate what entertains me from what improves me. Is that what makes it Art? If it improves me? I don't know. Lately, I've been reading for the first time the old Bud Segar Popeye strips from the 1930s and I found myself actually chuckling at the cornball humor. That was surprising to me, though it shouldn't have been. Popeye is fantastic. I certainly took away some very good comic tips from Segar as well as the chuckles.
Present: What else should people know about you and your work?
Buckley: Well, I think everyone should make a web comic. Do it for yourself first, even if you eventually share it with others. But just get it out there in public where you can't take it back to fix it, tweak it, delete it, kill it. Get it out there and learn how to be a consistent producer, even if you're not that good. You'll get better. It may take years, but you'll improve. I wish I had started years ago.
Related Articles:
Read Past Articles · the Archives
Fun Thumbs
