Reading Deviants: Dark White Comic

On August 7, Deviant artist DarkWhiteComic celebrated the three years anniversary of her Webcomic of the same name. “Dark White’s” world of Faya is on the brink of war between the Fairy Kingdom and the den Elves, but what will be the true spark of war? Only its creator Lilly can say.

Thank you for taking this time to answer some questions.

No problem. Thank you for reaching out.

Can you share a little about yourself and why you choose Deviant Art to showcase your comic “Dark White”?

I’ve wanted to tell this story for many years now. I know of a lot of webcomic artists who post their work on Deviant Art. It’s been a great way for people to find me and get to know my story. I have a lot of readers that find me on a random Deviant Art post and now fallow my comic regularly.

In a few sentences, can you describe the story and genre of “Dark White”?

The short version is this: Dark white is a fantasy horror story about a small band of misfits fighting to save their world from an army of demons.

Dark White is a high fantasy comic. I have a lot of undead critters in the story, so that’s where the horror aspect comes in. It’s whimsical, but there’s still some sense of danger and drama.

With so many main characters, how do you keep track of them all?

So far there hasn’t been a problem keeping track of everyone, but I may live to eat my words someday….

I write ahead. I have scripts that will take me years to tell. I spend a lot of time thinking about these characters. Who they are, how they feel about the other characters in the story, and what happens to them. Each one of them is an individual to me. So I can keep them apart.

With a slow build up, aren’t you anxious to get the action going?

Yes! I have a lot on my plate and I want to get this ball rolling! I want to get back to the characters we saw in chapter 1! I haven’t drawn Ramses in forever! But I know that big battles won’t mean anything if people don’t know these characters are. It can be hard to be patient, but it’s worth it. And some of the quiet moments have been my favorite to storyboard and draw. Things will happen when they happen.

Though your story lacks humans, it still drips with racism. Everyone hates the elves, no one trust half-breeds, the kingdom tolerates the werewolves. Is there a deeper meaning to all this hate?

Good question. There’s a lot going on. I think so much hatred is cancerous. Titus sees an opportunity to attack the world of Faya because of all that hatred. It’s complacency. We get so used to the way things are that we don’t see how it’s hurting us. Even the Elves, they’re so zealous and so hateful, that most of them don’t see what it’s done to their society. They’ve become a kind of cult. If my characters want to survive what I’ve got planed for them, they had better learn to get along.

Can you describe your drawing process for each page?

When I first started out, I sketched everything on paper. Every panel was a separate piece of paper and I would trace over my lines in Photoshop. I’ve stopped doing it that way. I’m 100% digital now. Everything is done in Photoshop. I think it took me a while to get comfortable sketching digitally, but I’ve been doing it this way for years now.

I have my rough sketch in and I ink on top of that on a separate layer. I make my color flats on a layer beneath my inks and I add multiple layers of shadows and highlights over everything. I’m constantly trying new things and finding new ways to improve. I’m sure my process will change again and again.

How long does it take to finish a page?

I spend about 20 to 30 hours a week making a comic page. It’s been my unofficial part time job for several years now. My family and friends have been very supportive. They know that inviting me over means that I’m bringing my computer so I can draw. I’ve spent my Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays drawing in front of a screen. I’m grateful for their support.

One of the biggest problems about making a Webcomic is the lack of support. It’s great that you’ve had that support for so long. So, who’s your favorite OC character to draw?

That’s a hard question. I don’t really have a favorite. They’re all my favorites but for different reasons. I’ve been having fun drawing the characters as children through this current flashback. Ronto-arc was such a brat when he was a kid.

Are you influenced by any particular style or artist? What style would you equate you art to?

I love animation so I can see its influence in how I draw. My favorite books growing up were the Chronicals of Narnia. Those books were a big influence on me. Elfquest is amazing. I can’t say enough good things about it. I love the art. I love the story. Wendy and Richard Pini are heroes of mine.

As far as what my art style is, I have no idea. I’m still trying to figure that out.

Wow! I haven’t read the Elfquest comics in awhile. Do you find inspiration from other avenues like TV, games, books, life, etc?

I watched a lot of Disney movies when I was little, and I still do. That and Studio Ghibli movies. I still have my old clamshell videos of all my cartoons. I just can’t give them up. My bookshelf is filled with horror movies and cartoons. I love monster movies. I love to read. I’ll read anything. I have one bookshelf for movies and four for books (and two mini cases) I have so many books and I want more. If I’m not drawing I’m reading. Books are man’s best friends. But dogs are a close second.

Which Deviants are you reading/watching?

I absolutely adore Trying Human! I love everything about it. Go Emy! Emy for President! Trying Human has a huge archive. I hope to have that many pages someday. It’s funny and heartbreaking and I love it!
Her Deviant account introducingemy has her concept art for the comic.

Lackadaisy is so good it’s like a chocolate ice-cream! Or pancakes! So much pancakes! Tracy’s (tracyjb ) art is jaw dropping and the story is incredible. I have her poster on character designs hanging in my bedroom.

And lastly, if an aspiring artist wanted advice on starting a Web comic, what words of wisdom would you give him/her?

Two things:

One: If you have a story to tell, don’t be discouraged. You can do this. It’s hard work. It’s frustrating. But it’s not impossible. Don’t feel like you’re art or your writing isn’t good enough. We’re artists. And artists are always really hard on themselves.

Nobody has ever made YOUR story before. And you’re the only one who can tell it. If you’ve got the drive, if you stick to it, you can do it.

Two: Now that you want to do this, you’ve got to set yourself up for success and plan. Write your script. I’ve seen so many artists on Deviant art get really excited about their story, post concept art of their characters, draw an amazing cover design, and fizzle out after a few pages. Have a script! Know where your story is going and who your characters are. However many chapters you’ll think you’ll need, you should write more. Even if it’s just a joke a day comic, you should have a stack of jokes written in a notebook before you ink your pages. If you’re stuck after one joke it’s time to rethink your concept.

If research and hard work doesn’t sound scary, if that makes you feel inspired and fired up, then I really think you’ve got something great in the works.

Fine words to live by ^_^. Thank you again for giving me a little of your time.

Thank you. And thanks for taking the time to interview me.

What to learn more about the world of Faya and “Dark White”? Then follow Lilly at here Deviant page as well as Webcomic site, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Want another cup of Geek? When caffeinate yourself at Caffeine Crew and follow us on Facebook.com/thecaffeinecrew.

The pie here is good too.