Crimson Chains is a self-taught artist who has always loved to create comics and stories. Star themes and aesthetics are some of her favorite things to create, and Star Crossed is her first published work.
I had the opportunity to interview Crimson, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hello! Thank you so much for reaching out, I am super excited! I go by Crimson Chains (She/her) and I’m an adopted Chinese American and creator of the comic Star Crossed. I’ve been drawing for nearly two decades and creating comics and stories for about the same amount of time!
What can you tell us about your comic, Star Crossed? Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
Star Crossed is about Polaris who is king of the stars and his knight Yildun. Due to Yildun’s lower status he feels unworthy to love Polaris, even though the king is willing to throw away tradition for their relationship. It’s a soft and sweet love story with a little bit of yearning!
The inspiration for this story is rather funny, in my opinion. For Star Crossed the story wasn’t something I thought of and then designed the characters, rather, it was the other way around. I drew a king with white hair, closed eyes and a star cloak and then a knight looking at him solemnly and instantly fell in love with the drawing. I posted it to my discord channel and talked with fans about it and slowly developed the story from there.
How did you find yourself getting into storytelling, particularly comics/graphic novels? What drew you to the medium?
I’ve always been drawing comics as far back as I can remember picking up a pen! I don’t think there’s been a long period of time in my life where I haven’t been creating a comic or two. Back in high school I was working on three at once and the longest one got to be 1800 pages. I think I just love watching a story come to life panel by panel, it’s very satisfying.
For those curious about the development behind making a comic, how would you describe the process?
My process is particularly chaotic! I wouldn’t really recommend it to most people, haha. I sort of have a general outline in my head about where the story will go, points A to B to C and then as I draw I let the parts between those points fill out. I think it can make the pacing a little messy at times, but, for me it’s a lot of fun.
To me, comic making is a marathon and not a race. It requires a lot of focus and it can be hard to slog through some scenes which aren’t as interesting or are difficult to draw. But, looking back on the story and all the places it goes is very rewarding.
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
I feel like it’s hard to name them, as, I’ve just always read a lot of comics and manga growing up and it’s all been very fun and interesting, but, I can’t say if there are any in particular which influence me! When I was much younger I’d often trace panels out of Calvin and Hobbes pages or try and copy a jpeg I found of Sesshomaru online somewhere. I think maybe it was just having access to a lot of really different art styles which inspired me to just keep drawing.
Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by, reflected in, or that inspired your love for storytelling?
A lot of the stories I read growing up were fantasy based, I remember checking out basically every book I could find in the library which mentioned dragons! I’m not sure there was any particular story that inspired my love for stories, I just think I had a lot of fun reading and it grew from there.
Are there any like that now?
Lately I find myself really enjoying reading autobiographical comics! Definitely “Fun Home” is a really excellent read which I find myself going back to a lot. It’s very interesting seeing so many different perspectives and life experiences.
Besides your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
Haha, I feel like there’s not a lot to know about me which would be interesting. I really like birds and I sometimes think it would be fun to be bitten by a goose.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to that question)?
Oh, another tough one! Perhaps “How long does it take to draw a page of Star Crossed?” In which case the answer is that it takes anywhere from 6 to 8 hours depending on how complex the page is. My favorite part of the process is coloring the page.
Are there any projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
At the moment I am only working Star Crossed! But, I definitely have some plans down the line for my next comic. I’d really like to draw a comic based on the story of Swan Lake, except the cursed prince falls in love with the son of the sorcerer. It would be a light hearted comedy, I think!
What advice would you give to any aspiring creatives out there?
Especially with comics I think my biggest advice is to just start! The biggest roadblock I see with creating comics is that people can get too caught up in the planning and the idea they have to start out perfect. If you look at any comic creator you see their work get better as they go, both in story and in art, it’s okay if it’s not exactly what you want from the beginning. Tell your story, learn as you go, and enjoy the ride!
Finally, what LGBTQ+books/comics would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Heaven Official’s Blessing is a great book series, I also enjoyed reading Cherry Magic for manga!