Welcome to the Awesome People Portfolio! project!
The first series of interviews for FfK: APP will consist of introductory interviews with 10 webcomic creators. From July 5 to September 6, there will be a new interview each Wednesday at 9AM PST; be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out!
And now, Series 1, Interview 3: Draco Plato!
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B.E. patrons: get your printable PDF of the interview here.
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Tell us a bit about your comic 🙂
I currently have four ongoing comics; Zenchav, Zenchav Out of Order, Soul Hymn, and Witch Carnival~! All four of the stories are connected through the life times of the characters. Zenchav and Zenchav Out of Order are especially connected since Zenchav Out of Order takes place at the end of Zenchav. All of the stories have magic as a common element, as well as reincarnation.
What inspired you to start your comic?
I’ve been creating stories ever since I was a child, and I really wanted to put faces to my characters and bring the stories to life visually. My world is so large because all of the stories I’ve created in my life I’ve managed to connect together into one large story, and the four comics I’m working on now are just pieces of that.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome (or are overcoming) in creating your comic? What strategies have worked well in your experience?
Backgrounds and perspective were a huge hurdle for me, and they’re still something I struggle with. I learned to use 3d programs in order to utilize models in my process to help overcome this weakness. Blender and SketchUp are great tools for this.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of creating a story and putting it out there (online or elsewhere in the world)?
A lot of people wait until they think they’re “good” enough, and I think it’s better to just go ahead and start. Your style and art will grow with you the more you work on your comic. I was one of those people who waited and I regret missing out on all the years I could have been creating my stories and how much further I’d be now if I’d just kept with it then. Also, there’s a lot of free hosting platforms for webcomics now and they can be really great for building an audience, but I think it’s also good to make a main site if you can.
Which of your characters do you most identify with and why?
I feel like there’s a part of me in all of my characters, so it’d be hard to say I’m more like one than the others. Damon and Lyall are probably the two I most easily see from their perspective though because I’ve spent so much time thinking about them over the years. Firosofi is the one that’s more what I would like to be like so I identify with him in that way.
When do your comics update and where can folks follow you & your comics online?
Zenchav updates every Monday on the main site, Zenchav Out of Order updates irregularly on Fridays, Soul Hymn has a bulk update in my online comic magazine StArt Faire each month (which I tend to upload to my main site the last Thursday of every month), and Witch Carnival updates every third Thursday of the month. Zenchav also updates on Tuesdays on Tapas.
I also made a twitter just recently that’s for comic updates only, so that it’s easier to keep up with them.
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Follow Draco Plato:
https://twitter.com/KhyatiXUpdates
Read Draco Plato’s comics:
https://tapas.io/series/Zenchav/
Support Draco Plato’s work:
https://www.patreon.com/KhyatiX
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Follow @KhyatiXUpdates on Twitter for updates to Draco’s comics.
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Up Next on Awesome People Portfolio!:
Series 1, Interview 4: Terrana Cliff
Falling for Knowledge 