Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
You’ve already met the creators and writers of the new webcomic, “Fashion Forward,” sisters Shawnelle and Shawnee Gibbs. Catch up on their Lady Geek(s) of the Week feature here. Now, get introduced to Linda Chung, interior page artist, and JM Tolman, the cover artist.
Together, these ladies bring the story of a young, time-traveling fashion designer to life. Read on and get to know them!
Q: What drew you to Fashion Forward as an artist?
Linda: It’s comics about fashion!
And time traveling! But mainly, fashion! I love looking at
fashion and how things are designed so it just clicked for me. When I met
the creators/writers Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs, they were such an
enthusiastic and creative pair. The storyline was great and so I jumped
into it. With Fashion Forward, it was definitely a new and different thing for
me to draw–kinda like trying a new and different fashion style. It was
exciting as an artist.
Q: What was your process for creating the art pages for Fashion Forward?
Linda: The process starts with the writers giving me the text, layout, and loose description for a set of pages and then I create them using photoshop on my Cintiq. There were reference images of fashion and people that they sent me and I would also look up. It was a fun challenge for me to incorporate them throughout the comics. The most enjoyable part was getting to finalize the sketches! It’s such a delight to look back on the pages and see it all come together.
Q: What did you consider when creating the cover for the inaugural issue of Fashion Forward?
JM: For covers, I always start off with four rough sketches, each illustrating a different idea. Once one idea is chosen, I do a slightly more refined sketch with four color variations. After the final rough is chosen, I move onto the inking stage, which is entirely digital.
Finally, after the inks are done and approved, I color the piece, which is my favorite part. I love playing around with color!
Q: A little bird told us that you two know each other from art school. Was it serendipitous collaborating with an old friend?
JM: I did! We even graduated at the same time. And it was very much a serendipitous thing- while I did read the story before I drew the sketches for the first cover, I didn’t realize who the interior artist was until much later. It was a pleasant surprise!
Q: What do you want readers to take away from your art?
Linda: As an artist, I would love it if readers can immerse themselves in the world I created and travel through it fluidly. I love telling a story visually. On a deeper level, I hope readers understand that fashion, like art, is unique and different for everybody, and there are many ways to enjoy it and share it with the world.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
JM: There was no discovery, unless you count the first time I heard the word. When, at the age of four, you drag a Godzilla figure everywhere you go and your hero is Princess Leia, it is very, very hard to deny that you are a geek. I didn’t even try, heh.
Linda: Sometimes I’m still rediscovering my geekiness! There are so many new and amazing things to geek over. The first recollection would probably be in middle school when I watched a lot of anime and made fanart and cosplayed. I thought it was something that everybody liked and did for a hobby, and I hung out with people who enjoyed the same throughout high school. Looking back now, what I thought was cool and popular was considered “geeky” and not widely acknowledged.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
