Photo Content from Samantha Davies
Samantha Davies makes the webcomic 'Stutterhug' - a collection of silent oneshots involving many cats, demons, rabbits, dogs, magical rituals, dragons, witches, mermaids and even the ocassional giant squid. There are 90 'episodes' so far, you can read them all for free on Tumblr and Tapas. 
Hmm… big thing would be how to finish projects, even if I have lost confidence in my idea/skills. Small but very useful thing was how to use Adobe Illustrator - that program is impenetrable without a good teacher!
When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
Figuring out I wanted to pursue comics has been a slow gradual process where a lot of things have been unplanned. I just tried to move towards things I was good at and interested in and seem to have ended up here!
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Having an editor to point out my mistakes and talk through ideas with!
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
My first children’s graphic novel ‘Hexvet’ will be out on December 12th and my ongoing silent webcomic project Stutterhug is available now free to read online. You can also read ‘The Shape of Things’ my longer silent comic, a Tapas Premium webcomic, but be warned it's currently on hiatus, the bane of all webcomic readers’ existence.
Are there any new Creators that have grasped your interest and why?
I’m not sure about new but there are a lot of excellent webcomics artists working! Recently I’ve been reading (or re-reading) Pascalle Lepas’ ‘Wildlife’, Mari Costa’s ‘Life of Melody’, Der-shing Helmer’s ‘Mare Internum’ .. I tend to enjoy comics with a fantasy element but that also feel very personal and emotional, I think that’s the main link between many of the things I enjoy.
If you could work for anyone you choose, who would it be?
Myself? But a me who is rich enough to hire editors and talented artists and writers to execute my ideas for me.
What are some of the common challenges that new and experienced creators face and what advice do you have for overcoming them?
Not finishing things and feeling as if your work is not good enough to share are two common issues I see (and experience). I don’t have any concrete answers other than to try and develop good habits, remind yourself how much progress you’ve made and remember you don’t need to be the most technically skilled artist in the world to make interesting work that can connect with people.
My favourite strips depend on my mood... but my very first popular comic ‘Calling Up A Friend’ is still a strip I like a lot because the concept just came organically from doodling in my sketchbook - which hardly ever happens! I feel most satisfied when a finished strip managed to capture accurately a feeling I had without being too on the nose about it.
RANDOM FACTS ABOUT STUTTERHUG
- I drew silent comic doodles a lot before realising they counted as ‘real’ comics and actually tried to finish them
- I’m not sure the strip would exist if it wasn’t for Tumblr’s scrolling format and the supportive community of young artists that existed when I began posting
- None of the characters in “Stutterhug” have official names because no one speaks
- Colouring is the most challenging part of the process for me…even though my colours are very basic
- I often just draw comics to cheer myself up
- Thinking up ten facts is hard
My characters are a magic mouse, a demon cat, a pack of wolves, a snake, many mermaids, witches, medieval dogs, dragons, a kennel lad, an alchemist, a giant squid, several rabbits… Listen, there’s a lot going on.
Your Journey to Publication
Well I shared comics online for 3 years and picked up freelance projects where I could. I signed up with Tapas Premium to experiment with publishing a longer comic after using their site casually as one of the hosts for “Stutterhug” and finding their editor, Michael Son, very supportive of creators and original work. I’ve published two chapters of ‘The Shape of Things’ with them so far and hope to return to the project in the future when time permits! On the print side of things I was recommended as a variant cover artist for Boom! Studios by Josceline Fenton who makes the excellent webcomic “Hemlock”. Boom later got back in touch and asked me to pitch my own project to them and “Hexvet” began development.
ABOUT TAPAS MEDIA
The Harry Potter brand, anchored by the best selling book series in history and believed to be worth well over $15 billion, all began as one person's whimsical imaginings during an afternoon train ride.
It's stories like these that fascinate us — one person's story changing the world. There are many more stories waiting to be discovered, and at Tapas Media, we want to help your imagination take flight. We're here to help storytellers publish their work, build fan communities, and earn rewards from their creative labor.
If you have a story to tell, let Tapas Media help you share it with the world.
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Well I shared comics online for 3 years and picked up freelance projects where I could. I signed up with Tapas Premium to experiment with publishing a longer comic after using their site casually as one of the hosts for “Stutterhug” and finding their editor, Michael Son, very supportive of creators and original work. I’ve published two chapters of ‘The Shape of Things’ with them so far and hope to return to the project in the future when time permits! On the print side of things I was recommended as a variant cover artist for Boom! Studios by Josceline Fenton who makes the excellent webcomic “Hemlock”. Boom later got back in touch and asked me to pitch my own project to them and “Hexvet” began development.
ABOUT TAPAS MEDIA
The Harry Potter brand, anchored by the best selling book series in history and believed to be worth well over $15 billion, all began as one person's whimsical imaginings during an afternoon train ride.
It's stories like these that fascinate us — one person's story changing the world. There are many more stories waiting to be discovered, and at Tapas Media, we want to help your imagination take flight. We're here to help storytellers publish their work, build fan communities, and earn rewards from their creative labor.
If you have a story to tell, let Tapas Media help you share it with the world.
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