Rachael Smith

Comic writer and illustrator based in Hebden Bridge, UK. Creator of Flimsy the Kitten, House Party, The Rabbit, Artificial Flowers, and Bess. Draws comics for Doctor Who.

Have you always been creative and artistic?

Yeah, ever since I could hold a pencil I've always been drawing!

How would you describe the style of your work?

My style is very cartoony I guess. Kate Beaton, Bryan Lee O'Malley, and John Allison have all been pretty big influences.

What’s in your pencil case and what’s your favorite tool?

I use blue col erase pencils to sketch stuff out, then ink with a black kuretake brush pen. I usually use Bristol Board to work on. I colour and letter in Photoshop.

Who is your favorite superhero?

I'm really enjoying Squirrel Girl and Hellcat right now. I don't really have a favourite.

If you could have one super power what would it be?

I'd like to talk to cats.

Where do you look for inspiration?

I've tried to read more novels this year and it's been really helpful. I read Terry Pratchett for the first time in January so I've been working my way through those. Video games have been really good too - just for experiencing a different way of being told a story. Broken Age was really good. I'm playing The Witness currently.

Who are your favorite artists or comic book authors?

Kate Beaton, Kate Leth, John Alison, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Jaime Hernandez and, um, I should probably stop there, I could name hundreds!