| Interview with Laurel K. By : "Teh" Matthew J Gravelyn Recently, the good folks at the Newsletter gave me the opportunity to interview Laurel K., the author/artist behind Pimpette & Assc., a webcomic about a Pimpette and her posse of male escorts. She thankfully agreed to chat with me and I got to know her a little better. With her busy schedule, the interview actually took place on two seperate nights. So, without further delay, here is my chat session with Laurel K., brought to you by the ever-wonderful MSN Messanger. NOTE: This interview has been minorly edited to improve spelling, punctuation, and readability. The Interview Matthew J: I guess we can start with the generic interview questions. How long have you been doing your comic? Laurel K: Since September 2003, so almost two years. MJ: I haven't had a chance to read through your whole archive yet. Would you say that there have been any major changes to your work over the past almost two years or is it pretty consistent? LK: There have been some changes, definitely. Mostly in the style of the artwork. i've improved quite a bit with relation to proportions and shading. I also killed off a character in the second storyline; he was a bit of a ripoff of Hannibal Lector and didn't have very much character behind him. Also because I was starting to really get into doing the comic, and didn't think he had much of a future with it. MJ: So from what I have read so far, your comic is about, as the name would suggest, a pimpette and her would-be "brothel". What was the original motivation for this? Did you just wake up one day and think "Hey, i'll draw a comic about a pimpette!"? LK: Heh. Well there's definitely a story behind the creation of Pimpette as a comic. Pimpette herself was thought up by myself and my friend Jon during an English Media class. We were watching some news program interview a "pimp," and decided it would be amusing to create our own image of a female pimp. I drew her, and she started popping up whenever I got bored and doodled. People started getting interested and asked me to draw her in different things (and different positions, and in pornographic situations, which I never did >_< ). MJ: Well, I had a question on another specific character. LK: Sure. MJ: The character of Jon. Is he based at all or a lot on your friend of the same name who originally came up with Pimpette with you? LK: Haha. That's one of the characters I was going to tell you about. The character of Jon is based quite a lot on my friend Jon. Another friend decided in that first year, during a very long conversation about school subjects, that since the real Jon had dropped out of science classes, the only job he had left to him would be to join Pimpette and make money that way. Jon himself added the tail, horns, and shotgun later, and I put together a vague backstory for him, so that he could be a demon. Jon keeps pestering me about his character. I get a lot of requests to have him more in the spotlight, preferably with females. MJ: I'm actually going through your archives as we chat. I notice that in one of the comics you did a camio of a character from Sexy Losers. Now, based on the name of your comic, do a lot of people initially think your comic is going to be like that and involve more "mature" situations? LK: I think so. I mean, based on the name and the brief description I always give: "The adventures of Pimpette and her posse of 'male escorts'." People seem to focus more on the "Pimpette" and "male escorts" parts, but what I really have fun with is the "adventures" bit. There are only so many "mature" situations one can come up with before the comic gets boring. I like to think of it as a bunch of amusing stories about people who just happen to be in that particular "profession". MJ: Definately some mature jokes, or rather situations here, but nothing to alert the censorship committee about. So, drawing style. Let's talk about how you put this comic together. I notice you have a lot of different styles, but what is your primary medium when creating this comic? LK: Normally I start off with mechanical pencil and paper. I used to use regular printer paper, but, after an art class MJ: So how about the colored issues. Are those colored with markers/pens/pencils or do you like to scan them into Photoshop (or other program)? LK: I scan every comic into photoshop and colour it there. One very good investment I made a couple years ago [was a] wacom tablet. I would never be able to colour these quite so well with just a mouse. I did try colouring a comic with markers once, but it didn't end up looking as good as I would have hoped: [comic link]. Also I accidentally dropped something orange on it. I have a bit of a love affair with photoshop though. If I can draw it and ink it, I will definitely drag it into Photoshop and colour it. MJ: I thought that orange splatter was just part of the effect of it all. LK: Lol. Well, let's pretend it is then. MJ: I can do that. Alright, let's chat a little about community. Obviously the newsletter I'm doing this for is one example of that. Have you found any other community, online or in-real-life, since you started your comic? LK: The Keenspace forums, obviously. I don't know if I would even still be drawing Pimpette&Assc right now if I hadn't found the forums and gotten involved there. I've met a lot of people through the forums and am enjoying myself thoroughly there. As for real life, not quite so much. I'm in a sort of artsy program in college right now, and quite a few people are interested in the comic. I drew a strip during break one day and a bunch of them sat down to watch! Made me a bit nervous, but it was interesting. MJ: Do they always give you advice, like script ideas and new characters? LK: Yes. A lot of ideas I don't use. You have no idea the number of people demanding porn of some sort in the comic itself. Though I have been known to do a couple commisions here and there for fun. Some ideas I do use, however. The storyline I'm going into right now started off as a conversation about pimp conventions or something with a friend over MSN. It seems a lot of the characters/storylines in Pimpette&Assc. have their roots in long, drawn-out conversations with friends. Like a collection of inside jokes that I can put together so that they make sense to the rest of the world. MJ: A pimp convention. I suppose it could happen. Have you ever thought about trying to make your comic into something full time, like Quesionable Content, or is it just a hobby of yours? LK: Well it started out as a hobby. I'd love to be able to use it as a full-time job, but I think i'll just keep it as a serious sort of hobby. If it ever became like "work," it might not be as fun anymore, and I would hate for that to happen. -break- MJ: Alright, well, last time we chatted about you as a comic writer/artist, so let's get to know the real you. Which college are you at this semester? LK: Durham College (Ontario, Canada). Just finished up my second year, and i'm pretty sure i'll be able to go on to a third. MJ: What are you studying? LK: Multimedia Design. it's kind of like the hybrid child of Web, Graphic Design, and a bunch of 3D, video, and programming classes. LK: Tons o' fun, though the end of each semester tend to get a bit hectic. MJ: I'm actually finishing my second year at college as well, so I sympathize. Lots of programming projects due. Have you always lived in Ontario, or did you strike out on your own after high school? LK: Nope. I've lived in the same place since I was two. I haven't gotten around to moving out yet, since the college I decided on is only a ten minute drive from my house. I do plan on moving out right after my third (and last) year at college though. it's nice to be at home, but I'm 20 now and should be out on my own. MJ: Have any plans as to where you might set off for after college? LK: No clue! Heh. Everyone's been asking. I plan on getting a job, and then moving to wherever I can find a place that is close to where I'll be working. I'd like to move out into the country, or at least a small, spread out subdivision. I'm not a city person, really. MJ: On the rare occassion that your hectic school and webcomic life gives you a break, what do you do to relax? LK: Read. Anything and everything, pretty much. Right now I'm working my way through a set of Robert A. Heinlein books (I'm on "Number of the Beast" right now). If I'm not reading, I'm on my computer, sitting in Keenspace chat, going through the forums, or playing games (Sims2, Diablo2). I've gotten hooked on creating custom characters for Sims2 lately. MJ: Is that part of your school work or just something extra you like to do for fun? LK: Which? Reading? MJ: Well, I assume there is at least SOME reading that goes with school. I was actually refering to the Sims2 custom characters. LK: Oh! Nope, those are purely for fun. Sims2 actually comes with a program called "Body Shop," which lets you put together just about anyone you want. I thought it would be fun to create Sim2 characters of the cast of Pimpette. Some examples here (Frog and Satan): [examples link]. MJ: And these are playable characters then? Could you, for instance, give the files to friends so they could play The Sims: Pimpette Edition? LK: Yep. When I'm done putting together complete wardrobes (every Sim has like six types of clothes they wear!), I can "package" them and put them up for download on my Sims page, or email them out to people, etc. This is actually what I was planning to do when I finished each character; I should have the first ones done by May or so if people are interested. MJ: Do you plan to offer them to the public through your site? LK: Oh definitely! I've got a link to my Sims site in my blog (you can find it here: [Sims link]). I'm pretty sure the general public will be able to download anything I put up there, but if not I'll create a separate page on my actual site where people can download them. MJ: I predict a sizeable number of gentlemen, and even some ladies, will be excited to be able to see Pimpette in just her unmentionables. Let's shift gears here a little and find out what else you are into. What kind of music do you listen to? LK: Oh, just about anything, with the exception of country and most "pop." At this exact moment I have A Perfect Circle playing on my computer, actually. I like a lot of metal, though I will admit that some metal really really sucks, but I also enjoy some techno, rock, and what some people call "Emo" (Linkin Park, Hoobastank, etc). So, I pick bands from just about every genre. I like it all! MJ: Awesome. What's your music player of choice? LK: Winamp, on Windows - or iTunes on Mac. I'm not sure which I like more. iTunes converts audio file formats for me (aif to mp3, for example) and works seamlessly with my mp3 player (no, not an iPod). But Winamp, I have just discovered, has TV. Which is endlessly awesome, whenever I manage to get onto a channel. MJ: Which OS do you find yourself on the most? LK: That depends on where I am, what i'm doing. I was only introduced to Mac in my first year of college - in an arts program, so Macs are God to our teachers, apparently. We all got Powerbooks (laptops), and my Powerbook is a beautiful little machine. I love it. But my PC I bought just last summer and it is a very good machine too. I use it for internet and gaming, and often website design. I prefer my Mac for any graphic work, though, as its LCD display beats my poor giant monitor with its max 60Hz refresh rate hands down. MJ: Well aren't you just the poster child for "well-balanced". LK: I try to be. You should see some of the Mac/PC zealots at my school. I have decided never, ever to be like them. Lately myself and my boyfriend have been trying to get Linux installed on my PC. I've never used Linux and decided it'd be fun to try. MJ: They say the key to a succesful relationship is to do things together. I can't think of anything more romantic than installing a new OS together. LK: Hee hee... You'd think that... until you heard my boyfriend swearing at my computer when we couldn't get it to work. Something to do with my having XP, apparently. MJ: Damn that XP. LK: Aw, I kind of like XP. MJ: How long have you and your boyfriend been together? LK: Wow... that'd be... three years this October. MJ: Have you ever drawn him into your Pimpette Universe? LK: Heh, indeed I have. Not really true to his character, just his appearance. Kind of like a caricature of his personality. In this comic I had him turn the club into a LAN centre while Pimpette and the others went on vacation. Something he wants to do to our basement if/when we get a house. MJ: Good deal. Now i'm sure lots of people out there want to know what comics you read. What are your top couple comic picks?
MJ: I do too. I'm a big fan of Ctrl+Alt+Del, but i'll have to check out SP. LK: It can be a bit offensive for the weak-skinned, but I think it's great. MJ: For anyone who knows me, offensive is not a problem. Alright, well, like any good interview, I'll give you some free advertising time. Tell us: any upcoming conventions you may be at so we can come visit you? LK: Yes! I'll be at the CN Expo this year (August 26-28). I'll have a table in Artist Alley with a friend of mine, and I'll have prints, comic books, and maybe a few tshirts too! I haven't been able to send in my form yet, so if I miss out at getting a table, I'll be hanging out at Ghastly's table with a handful of soemthing or other to hand out. MJ: Realy quickly, where is this convention going to be at? LK: The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Toronto, Canada). MJ: Well, sadly I won't be able to join you. I guess you and the other Canadian Spacers will just have to let me know how it goes. LK: Aw. Well, we'll take plenty of pictures so that everyone can know how it went! MJ: Any thing else you'd like to say to our readers before we wrap up? LK: Ooo.. Nothing off the top of my head, honestly. Just thanks for all the support! I never expected the comic to go this far, but now that I seem to have a growing fanbase, I'm really having fun. MJ: I know I for one am having fun reading it. LK: Well thanks! MJ: It was a real pleasure chatting with you. I'm glad that you took the time. LK: You're definitely welcome. I love being interviewed, to be honest. It's fun. MJ: Maybe we can chat again. Maybe an interview on your showing at the CN Expo? LK: Awesome! I'll look forward to that. Comment on this article in our forum The opinions and views expressed within Keenspace Monthly does not reflect those of Keenspace or Keenspot. The Keenspace Newsletter is NOT officialy associated with Keenspace or Keenspot. |
in college, I fell in love with this special brand of marker paper. Doesn't eat up the ink quite so much, and my pens last longer. So, I pencil everything in, then get out the felt-tip pens and ink it all. Then erase. I always get little bits of eraser all over everything in the house. I think it annoys my housemates.
LK: Ooh, tough choice. I'd have to say my current favourites would be