Miriam's Daily Adventures
I think you all deserve a laugh today. Sometimes emails fall into my inbox that really give me a chuckle, and Miriam's did just that, for she is a rather talented local cartoonist and her site is called Miriam's Daily Adventures.
A Miriam Daily Adventure drawn just for me!
Miriam just wanted to exchange links but I felt that it would be better to share her work with you all with one of my interviews. So here it is. Enjoy!
You're cartoons are very funny. How do you draw your everyday situations? Do you draw the situation the minute it happens or do you try and recall your day when you relax in the evening?
I mostly try to recall my day in the evenings, as I tend to be doing other work during the day. Sometimes I manage to be organised enough to do some in advance if I know I'm gonna be really busy for a couple of days.
Where do you get your ideas? Does this cartoon you really represent the real you? Does this many funny things really happen in your real life or are they observations of others?
It's a bit of a mix really, the cartoon is based on the real me, and I try to be true to life, but sometimes situations need to be exaggerated to make the strip work. Also, I am prone to fabricating things, as sometimes I think of a situation I just can't resist. For example in my comics I'm dating Predator and we mostly don't get on, which is obviously not real life. Predator and I never argue.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
When did you start cartooning?
Has your cartoon self grown up with you, i.e. did you draw yourself in cartoons as a child when you were younger?
(I'll answer the above two questions together) I only started cartooning in September. I came back to my parents in Tunbridge Wells after studying and working in London to look for work. I read a lot of webcomics and I'd always wanted to give it a go, so I started drawing my daily adventures to give me some purpose while I was jobless. I've always painted and have always drawn and painted myself in situations so I guess my drawn self has grown up with me, but my cartoon self is pretty new to the scene, and has a better sense of humour.
Apart from your cartoons, your website shows a really varied range of artistic styles, is cartooning your favourite?
I couldn't say it's my favourite, I think it's just such a different discipline to painting. My subject matter when painting is usually fairly serious, whereas with the comics I can be silly. Also, I think the comics are generally more accessible. When it comes to showing friends my paintings only a few will get into it, but everyone seems to like the comics!
Have you ever sold any of your work?
I've sold bits and bobs. Mostly I've taken commissions, as I'll admit I can be a bit precious about my paintings, as they're so personal to me it would be weird saying goodbye to them.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
Who has influenced you along the way?
I could mention a bunch of artists and cartoonists who's styles I like and things, but to be honest I think the best influence I've had was a kick up the butt from my sister (the same one who, when we were kids, said I shouldn't be an artist cause they're all poor.) who told me that if I wanted to be an artist I had to paint every day. Which is completely true. There's no point saying you wanna be something then never doing it. Starting the comics was a way of making myself draw everyday, now sometimes I think I could drop down to posting them 5 days a week but I'm so caught up in the challenge of doing them everyday I'm worried that if I miss one day I'll lose momentum and stop doing them completely!
There seems to be a never-ending supply of funny cartoons and cartoonists now that the Internet is such an easy medium to share your work; who has been catching your eye?
I've been reading webcomics for years, and the ones that have stuck with me are, xkcd, Cowbirds in Love, SMBC, Wondermark, White Ninja, Natalie Dee and Questionable Content. There's a bunch of other really good ones but those are the ones I'll read most days. When I was growing up we had a bunch of massive Gary Larson books as well, so he's definitely influenced on me.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
Do you draw for pleasure or for some other release/reason?
I do draw for pleasure, and I love making beautiful things (or, with the comics, making people laugh). But one of the main reasons I love art is that it's so powerful. I think the best example is Banksy, whatever you might think of him, his message is extremely powerful, cause you see it everywhere. It's gone from being on the streets to being in galleries, to being on postcards, and books on people's coffee tables. You see his work everywhere, and his message is clear, and so it influences people.
What would you do if you didn't cartoon for a living?
To be honest cartooning isn't how I make my living. At the moment I have a bit of a hodge podge of jobs, a bit of retail, a bit of nannying etc, which I'm actually really enjoying because it gives me time and space to draw. If I'd gotten a proper job, which was my intention when I moved back to Tunbridge Wells, I wouldn't be drawing anywhere near as much as I am.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
Has the digital 'age' helped or hindered cartooning?
I think it's helped it, as it's opened it up to a lot of people, such as myself, who probably wouldn't have gotten a look in otherwise. Programs like photoshop mean that they're easy to create, and then you can self publish by setting up your own website. Before the internet and computers people would only have seen your work if you'd managed to butter up a newspaper editor.
Are you hoping to prove your sister wrong and become a rich and famous artist or is it just a nice hobby and creative outlet now?
I'd love to be able to make a living from my art, it's everyone's dream to do what they love for work. Becoming rich and famous would be a nice side affect, but it's not really an aim. Although if Saatchi wants to make friends with me I guess we could go out for a drink or something. He can pay.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
For you, what is the hardest part about drawing your cartoons?
I'd say it's the final panel. The final panel is the *punchline*, I often think up good ideas for a cartoon but if I can't think of a good punchline then I can't use it as it won't be funny.
Any advice for anyone wanting to start documenting their life in cartoon form?
Just start. I wanted to do a webcomic for such a long time and was always put off cause I was worried that I wouldn't be funny enough or that I wouldn't be able to keep it up, but you don't know until you start. Also, it's a matter of pushing through even when you don't think the idea is very good. We have good days and bad days, but sometimes you just have to get the naff ones out of your system before a good one will come along.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
Do you have a favourite local artist?
Oh I've got some friends who are very snazzy, these are the links to some of their work. Unfortunately Tracy doesn't have a website but you can see some of her work on my old website as we exhibited together last year.
http://www.mykoo.co.uk/
http://esthertidy.blogspot.com/
http://miriamkendrick.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/work-from-tracy-mcculloch/
How much of the creation process is taken up by the writing, and how much by the art?
It really varies, sometimes I'll be staring at the paper for ages trying to write the comic, then it'll only take half an hour to draw and colour. Other times I'll think it up in a snap but the picture will be really complicated, so then the drawing can take ages.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
Do you get cartoonist's block?
Oh yes. I didn't get it until I'd been doing the comics for a couple of months, so was feeling pretty chuffed with myself, then it descended upon me. It involves lots of staring and complaining.
Do you draw onto paper, or onto your computer?
I draw on paper then colour it on the computer using photoshop. My drawing on the computer is pretty erratic. Although, being able to hit 'undo' on photoshop is absolutely amazing. Can't do that with painting, so mistakes outside of drawing comics involve lots of cursing and backtracking.
Are there any publications you've not worked for that you'd love to?
Not in particular. It would be cool to get a regular spot somewhere, although my comics are still pretty new in comparison to most that get into papers. I have been published in a youth magazine called /thoughts and they're having me again, which is rather nice.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
What's the best piece of advice you've received as a cartoonist?
I'm not sure about cartoon specific advice. I've had a lot of great encouragement which really helps! I've got a couple of friends who I bounce ideas off sometimes, and they give good advice such as 'yes, that's funny' or 'no, that's weird'. They're pretty vital.
Why do you share your work online? Purely for yourself or hoping to land a job in cartooning?
Mainly cause it's a great way to share my work. There's no point doing something if it's just gonna spend it's life under the bed. Also it helps a lot to have an online portfolio, I have had work come out of my website because people can see what I can do. Also I'm an internet junkie and spend so much time online that it was a pretty logical step.
A Miriam Daily Adventure. Click here for original size.
What drew (pardon the pun) you to Tunbridge Wells from London?
I moved to Tunbridge Wells 6 years ago from South London with my parents then have been back and forth for a few years, as I went to uni in north London then worked in Wimbledon last year. My internship finished in the summer so I came home while I looked for jobs and just happened to stay. Tunbridge Wells is great because it's a lot easier to get to know the community here. I know loads of people in London but it still can take an hour to get to someones house cause it's just so huge. It's nice being able to walk five minutes up the road to get somewhere.
What's your favourite pencil?
3B.
A Miriam Daily Adventure especially for my friend, Mike.
I think you'll agree, and more so when you visit Miriam's website, that she really is a funny girl and a talented artist so if you need anything cartooning she's well worth a thought.
I would like to thank Miriam for taking the time to answer my questions, and also Stewart, Lee, Mike (the "favourite pencil" question), Neal and Lesley for contributing some of the questions above.
I've always been fond of a 2B myself :)
Great cartooning, I liked the Predator "tweak"!
”Comment left by Mike on January, 16 2012
that's a fantastic interview, I especially like the "3B" cartoon!
”Comment left by Lee on January, 16 2012
Nice...
”Comment left by Zac on January, 16 2012