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Webcomic Wednesday: Kawaii Not

December 30, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Kelly Cipera
Off

kawaiinot

kawaiinot_strip001Every once in a while I need a webcomic that is a little irreverant — how about you? Kawaii Not mixes cutesy images with fart jokes and innuendo for a fun read that anyone would enjoy. As mentioned in our interview, I was first introduced to Kawaii Not not as a webcomic, but in print at a local bookstore. What was supposed to be a quick stop for a few “necessities” turned into an hour flipping through the book and literally laughing out loud (and getting weird looks).

It was recently, as I was talking to a friend about webcomics (since I am always on the lookout for new ones to read), that I was informed that Kawaii Not was, in fact, a webcomic. Needless to say, I squealed and headed over to the website. From there I proceeded to read every strip (again) and I knew I had to try and talk to the creator, and fortunately for me (and you!) Meghan was kind enough to answer some of my questions!

Kelly Melcher: Would you please start by introducing yourself and your background in art?
Meghan Murphy: Name: Meghan Murphy. Art Background: Went to an arts high school, then proceeded to earn a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts, and then a master’s degree in Computer Graphics Design. Then decided to go and waste all that education as hard and as often as I could.

KM: How did Kawaii Not get started?
MM: I really just started it to see if I could do it. I was playing around with the idea of making a comic, when the name “Kawaii Not” kinda emerged from all my notes and doodles. And the name dictated the direction.

KM: How does it get from your head to where we read it on the Internet?
MM: I start with a sketchbook filled with half-ideas, quarter-ideas, and barely legible scrawls that might be ideas at some point. Then I start looking these over and try to find one that just needs a little more thought and work to become a real strip. I draw it up, scan it, then bring it over to Adobe Illustrator where I create the final, polished product.

kawaiinot_strip226KM: My first exposure to Kawaii Not was actually stumbling across one of your books at a book store. What is your preferred medium, print or online? Why?
MM: Couldn’t say. I mean, the only reason I got a book published was the exposure having an online comic gave my work — but I didn’t start Kawaii Not with that intention at all. Both media have their strengths and weaknesses, and I just feel lucky enough to have had a little bit of success with each so far.

KM: What strategies do you use to keep the content of Kawaii Not fresh?
MM: Since my strip is of the gag-a-day variety, I basically have to come up with fresh content every time. Which is both liberating… and a pain in the ass.

KM: What is the future of Kawaii Not?
MM: I truly don’t know. I am continually surprised at where Kawaii Not takes me, and I’ll probably remain surprised at where it goes from here.

KM: For folks interested in your art, what else have you done and where else can people see it?
MM: I do occasionally do work that doesn’t feature talking farts and crapping rainbows (but still sometimes weird), and it can be found on my official-like portfolio site Murphypop.com. I also have a slightly less official, more loose and free collection over at deviantART.

(Kawaii Not also now comes in sock form through a partnership with Sock It To Me Socks).

KM: At Fandomania, we like to ask: What are you a fan of?
MM: All sorts of stuff. A small sampling off the top of my head: Terry Pratchett. Warren Ellis. Azumanga Daioh. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Lost. Diesel Sweeties. Nemu*Nemu. Scott McCloud. Mary Blair. QI. The Venture Brothers. Psych. The Haunted Mansion ride. The Bugle podcast. Movie marathons. Stuff That Is Good Not Bad.

I would like to thank Meghan on behalf of myself and all of my associates at Fandomania for taking the time to talk to me about Kawaii Not.

Interviews, kawaii not, Webcomic Wednesday, webcomics

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About the Author
Kelly Cipera has been a bookworm from a very early age, discovering the fantasy genre in the 7th grade by reading The Smallest Dragonboy by Anne McCaffrey during an English class. After that it was too late; science fiction and fantasy became insatiable habits helped along by her father. Married to a rocket scientist, she now lives in Virginia and continues to read voraciously.
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