Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Rude-McCune.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as a physics major, but the difficulties of higher math and gifted kid burnout caught up with me. A friend in college was making webcomics at the time, I didn’t realize that was a thing you could DO. They were printing books and going to conventions…. it seemed glamorous for a budding artist like me.
So I got a part time job and did comics on the side. Honestly the next 15 years could be summarized like that. But somewhere in there 6 books materialized, both solo and with teammates.
Now I’m working on a story thought up way back in the college days. It’s been enough time that I can see the faults and it’s not too precious to change things. It will be a better story now that I’ve grown up a bit.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My work focuses on webcomics, which are frequently posted for free on the internet. They’re extremely accessible, but don’t make much money. I crowdfund to print the books, but it can take years to draw enough pages to fill one. Unfortunately “proper work,” the kind that makes you money, takes time and energy away from the creative process. So managing creative energy is always a challenge.
I’m the kind of person to hermit myself away when I’m unhappy. Recently I found a local sketchbook jam group. Being with them always refreshes my creative juices.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My comic works are varied, but all revolve around comedy of some kind. Laughter can diffuse so many negative emotions. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to lighten someone’s day.
Since I’m self taught my art style is very different from mainstream comics. It’s somewhere between manga and Bruce Timm’s Batman and Superman style. Also very colorful. I pick colors that make me happy, haha.
What are your plans for the future?
My current project, Crash Landing Party, is a long-form character drama that will take many years to finish. The hardest part will be keeping the motivation I started with through to the end.
In the meantime, I just bought supplies for shrink plastic keychains. I’m excited to make my own one-of-a-kind merch without paying for huge order minimums.
Pricing:
- Comic Trade: $20-30
- “Floppy” Comics: $5
- Character Commissions: $35-150
Contact Info:
- Website: http://projectshiro.com
- Other: projectshiro.bsky.social; https://mastodon.art/@rudesara; https://crashlandingparty.com
