This month’s cover artist Becky Appleyard talks comic book art, inspirations, and advice for artists…
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m a lifelong doodler, tabletop games enthusiast and comic book lover. Although I’m originally from the South I have called Nottingham my home for eight years and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else! If I’m not hunched over my tablet drawing, I’m usually out and about walking my Corgi, Merry.
What is the story behind the cover?
I wanted to capture this vibrant, joyful time of year, loads of flowers, bird song and a bright blue sky. After such a long, gloomy winter, we’re all excited about springtime events and hanging out in pub gardens again. The goal was to capture some of that energy!
What inspires you as an artist?
I can go through phases where particular imagery sparks something in my brain - nature, folklore, 90s fashion, cottagecore, and liminal spaces are all topics I’ve drawn inspiration from in my work. Currently browsing images of armour and medieval artwork is what instantly inspires me to draw!
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…
I feel lucky to have drawn many live-action roleplay and table top role playing games (TTRPG) character commissions over the years! A highlight of my work for this community was two crowd commissions, 50-70 high fantasy characters, everything from mischievous fairies to drunken dwarves, partying around their respective campfires. I felt like my hand was going to drop off by the end of these projects, but they were both wonderful challenges.
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
Constantly consume and appreciate artwork, visit exhibitions and makers markets, cover your walls in prints, take out random comics and art books at the library. If you’re always open-minded and curious about art, you will always be within reach of inspiration.
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Bryan Lee O'Malley! Scott Pilgrim was the first non-superhero comic I ever read, and it was quite literally life-changing for me as a creative! It led me down a path to so many indie comics and made me see that art didn’t have to be realistic or flawless to be valuable. I’d want to talk about storytelling, comic panelling and refining a unique art style.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?
Thank you to anyone who has shopped at a crafty market or store that stocks small businesses and independent artists - your support for these communities goes a long way and helps keep artists going, which I think makes the world a much more interesting place!
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