Interview with Bowen McCurdy aka @bonesblubs
As part of my Unit 6: Final Major Project, I contacted @bonesblubs and asked if she would be prepared to do a short interview to be included in my project. Bones came back to me immediately and said she would be happy to. She wrote a great interview, and it was a big help, so huge thanks and gratitude.
Background:
Bowen McCurdy aka Bonesblubs is an illustrator born and raised in New York. Bones as she likes to be known trained at the School of Visual Arts in NY, majoring in Cartooning in 2018. Bones is a self published illustrator of small comics and zines, but has also a recently published graphic novel for Boom Comics called Spectre Inspectors which has a paranormal theme and includes an LGBTQ story arc. Bones has also published stories for IDW and Marvel.
I first came across Bones on Tumblr through the popular fandom based on the novel 'Heavens Official Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. At this time she was ithe planning stages of creating a small comic zine based on the novel. Bones published the zine herself and sold it on her Etsy stories and promoted it on Tumblr. I bought the zine last year.
Can you talk a bit about your influences and inspirations?
I try to be the kind of person who is inspired by almost everything- I absorb as much visual information as I can at a time, whether from other visual artists, musicians, media, or the way the light hits the trashcan outside my apartment. In comics, you have to know frivolous things like how to draw a chair or lamp, so every bit is important. I consider myself, like many from my generation, highly influenced by international media, such as European and Asian comics. I especially was drawn to horror and romance, two genres that were domestically often overlooked in graphic novels when I was growing up. Specifically, the French cartoonist Kerascoet is one of my biggest inspirations, but I have to give Becky Cloonan the credit for being the push that got me interested in making comics in general. At that time, it was rare to see women working in this field in the US, so she was the one to 'break the glass ceiling' for me!
What media do you like to work in best?
I tend to like instant gratification- speed and efficiency are highly valued in themcomics industry, and though I’d one day like to experiment around with traditional mediums again, I love the ease of working digitally. Comics are very hard to do, and they take a long time to make, so having the tools that programs such as Clip Studio Paint have to offer are priceless resources. Everything you need to tell a complete story can fit in a tote bag. It's the most cost-efficient medium when working on comics that I’ve found as well, which makes sustaining it a lot easier!
What made you want to create your own comics?
Although comics are hard to produce, they can be entirely self-reliant. This removes any impediments- I’m completely free to tell whatever story I like within the confines of my skill level. It’s a blessing and a curse; I’m now responsible for anything that comes after; if I’m unable to finish a project and see my vision through, that’s entirely on me. But having the ability to choose to take on that responsibility and use my voice is very important to me. I love collaborating, and I seek it out often, but I want to do so on my terms. This freedom is rarely found in other storytelling mediums, and it's something that ultimately makes each indie comic feel like one specific voice told it, for better or for worse. There’s a lot to be said about that! I also just think it’s neat that I can hold it in my hands when I’m done.
Could you describe your process or stages in how you create your comics, how you get there?
First, I script my story, often doodling in the margins if specific imagery is important to a scene. Then, I use that script to sketch out my thumbnails, which has the name suggests, are tiny sketches of the pages, each the size of a thumbnail. This stage is only to capture the flow of each panel into the next, and the character’s expressions. Much of the storytelling happens in this stage - everything else makes it look nice! Next is where many comic artists deviate - most will continue on to the layout stage, which is when you enlarge and articulate the thumbnails to be more legible, and then move on to pencils, a much more refined version. Because I use digital tools, I can combine these two steps and instead have one pass of layout/pencils. These are messy sketches that keep me loose when I go to ink, helping me to be more expressive and less precious with the final result. I also add my word balloons in this stage, since I want to make sure that I have enough room for them before I start on the final art. Inks are just cleaning up the pencils with a clean black line. Once I’vegotten rid of the sketch layers, I color, and I’m done!
You have based one of your independent comics around a popular Danmei novel, did you do any other research other than reading the content of the novel?
Definitely! I do a lot of research before each project I start like gathering reference photos, double-checking that information in my script is accurate,that the language used is respectful, etc. I don’t always catch everything, but doing my best to do so is essential to me, especially for stories that take place in locations I'm personally unfamiliar with.
What is your production process for creating your zines and comics?
I have experimented around with many online printer services, and ultimately have been using one that’s reliable, quick, easy to manage, and high quality! Although I loved producing my comics back in college by hand (printing, assembling, cutting, folding), I don’t have access to the resources my school provided anymore, and the quantities that I’m producing are much higher now than they had been back then. When printing online, I can simply send the printer a PDF of the comic I want, and tell them what type of paper for the cover and interior pages they’ll use, the quantity, and finishing (matte, glossy, UV, etc). Once I’ve approved their proof, I order in bulk and wait for them to arrive! I don’t have much room for storage, so many of the excess comics live under my bed.
Bowen McCurdy Links
www.bonesbunns.com
https://bonesblubs.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bonesbunns/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/bonesbunns
https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/bonesbunns/
