1. What draws you to create for young people?
As a child, I always imbued my toys with personalities of their own and sent them off on adventures. As it happens, my ten-year-old self and adult me tend to like a lot of the same things (Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Spider-Man, dinosaurs, exploration of the unknown, space, and maps), all of which shows up in my work in one way or another. So, I'm really still doing the same thing. And, if while I'm entertaining my inner child, other children are entertained, that's a bonus.
2. Please tell us about Ellie on Planet X (and any other work you’d like to share about).
Ellie on Planet X is a comic strip I published online for about four years starting in 2010. It's about a cute little robot who has been sent to explore a distant planet. There she encounters all kinds of life, some of which she makes friends with, like an alien she's named Jeff. The strips are presented as the real-life transmissions about her and her discoveries. I'm just the cartoonist who translates them into comic form for everyone to read. I've recently collected the first half of them into a book, with the second half due out early next year.
The latest project I'm working on is a graphic novel sized story about a small dog named MacFluff. He's sort of a detective and this is the first mission he's been assigned after the death of his beloved owner. He isn't sure he can do it by himself and it's about him discovering he's not all alone. It's loosely based on a short story I drew and self-published. I'll be publishing it online in the coming months.
3. Please tell us about your creative process.
My process is very organic. I write and draw all at the same time.
For instance, while working on MacFluff, I have a very good idea of the entire story. I sketch out character designs and key scenes, but I don't always know how or if they will fit into the final story. I often start drawing a page, not sure exactly how things are going to happen. Sometimes I go back and redo whole pages if I think there's a better way to tell that part. It can be a lot of extra work, but it all seems to work out.
When I was doing Ellie on Planet X, I worked this way too. But because it was a comic strip with no real story, I could draw whatever I felt like for that day. Sometimes I would even focus on what was happening at Ellie's Mission Control back on Earth. Whatever ideas popped into my head. Writing a longer story requires a little more planning, but I still leave a lot of room for experimenting.
4. Where can we find more information about your work?
I currently post on Instagram at EllieOnPlanetX. https://www.instagram.com/ellieonplanetx/
Ellie on Planet X the comic can be found at EllieOnPlanetX.com.
My newest comic, MacFluff, can be found at MacFluff.com.
Both my Ellie book and the original MacFluff short story can be found at my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/James-Anderson/e/B07P2MTKWD/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
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