Purpah is an artist and writer based in Burbank, California. They earned a BFA in Illustration and has since gone on to create “Suitor Armor” on WEBTOON as well as writing for other projects. They live with their partner, their cat Imhotep, and bunny Bellatrix.

I had the opportunity to interview Purpah, which you can read below.

What can you tell us about your project, Suitor Armor? What was the inspiration for it?

Suitor Armor is basically a combination of everything that I love and want to see in fantasy. Fairies, knights, intrigue, romance, magic, and mystery! It follows Lucia, a fairy hiding in the human capital, who meets and develops a connection with Modeus, an enchanted suit or armor. As far as the inspiration for it, there were a couple things beyond just wanting to make something that I liked for myself. At the time I made it we were in a bit of a dry spell when it came to fantasy content, at least big-media wise. So I wanted to make something for myself in the meantime to fill that need. The base idea, a lady falls in love with a sentient suit of armor, came from a dream that I had! I keep a dream journal next to my bed that has lots of little idea snippets from whatever understandable dreams that I might have. They serve as really great and unique inspiration.

As a creative, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially graphic novels/webcomics?

I have always loved stories, especially creating characters. I had been making characters for a long while for fun and intended on making it into a career by entering the field of animation as a designer. Telling stories myself was never in my plans, my writing had always been private. I had been posting my art for a while but never my writing. Unfortunately, I was finding no work as a character designer. Not hearing back from portfolio submissions and struggling a lot with my confidence as an artist. I actually jumped into comics as a way to keep my spirits up, something to keep me busy and have some fun while I waited for any word back about work. So I fell into it more than anything and discovered that I really enjoyed the art of telling stories in that format! A perfect combination of my love of drawing and of writing. Now I can’t see myself doing anything else!

How would you describe your creative process?

With any idea I have, it all begins with a massive brain dump. Writing down anything and everything to do with the idea into a specific notebook dedicated to the idea. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad or even really, really stupid. I put any idea or variation down on paper to organize through later. An idea is much easier to organize when ALL of it, the good, the bad and the ugly, is written down. Same thing with the art design for characters. I don’t try to get it right on the first draft or the first sketch. After that it’s all a manner of narrowing it down and tossing out certain story beats or designs to get it to all come together. A huge part of this is getting feedback from other people whose opinions I value and trust. Staying in your own mind for too long can smother the process and leave you going in circles. I am a perfectionist at heart so I’ve had to learn how to be messy and not get it all right the first try. Also to take breaks to consume other people’s work and media and let it fuel me and provide inspiration!

What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult?

I really enjoy designing the characters for stories when it comes to art! What they wear, how they wear their hair, all the details that tell you something about a character without saying it outloud. The design process is so rewarding when a design finally comes together and makes it all more magical when I get to draw and write those completed characters coming together to form a story. Writing it is very much the same. Seeing plot points come together to create a finished story, all the hard work resulting in a completed arc is so satisfactory it makes all the revising and hair pulling well worth it.

When it comes to illustrating comics, making sure panels are not all the same is the most difficult. Especially if it is a very ‘talky’ sequence, it can be really easy to have it turn into shots of two heads just talking. Keeping it fresh and interesting can prove to be a challenge and really has me exercising those weak composition muscles. And as for writing, plugging up plot holes! Trying to create obstacles and reasons for characters not to go in certain directions to keep things on track. When characters take on a life of their own it suddenly becomes like keeping a child on a leash and keeping them on taste. But you have to come up with believable obstacles or reasons why characters can’t just do something the easy way, or else there would be no story! And that can be a chore to do but is obviously necessary if you want an engaging story.

As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

Guillermo del Toro is a big one for me! I haven’t watched a film by him that I didn’t love. He has a wonderful way of combining gothic themes with romance and whimsy. Fantastical and emotional and always leaving me crying. Jim Henson fantasy movies, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, are also big sources of inspiration for me. Honestly, most fantasy movies from the 80s, The Neverending Story, Lady Hawk, The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, The Black Cauldron. There is just a certain magic and appeal to fantasy from that time that is hard to recreate these days. They don’t hesitate to embrace darker themes while still having beauty and hope throughout. I think it’s important not to sugar coat those darker moments in fantasy. It really showcases what the heroes are up against and has them facing hard moments and losses. And of course I can’t go without mentioning the obvious Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

There was a time when I was graduating High School where I had to decide if I was going to pursue art as a career or stage acting. I had been very active in theater when I was young and had a big love of it that I had to come to the decision when it came time to apply for school if I was going to go into illustration or travel overseas to study theater. I don’t regret my choice to stick with art but I often wonder what things might have been like had I gone in the other direction. I don’t do any productions anymore, not nearly enough time, but I love going to local theaters as well as the bigger ones to watch the live performances. I still stand by the opinion that it is one of the oldest and most magical ways of telling stories. Knowing that people have been on stages telling tales for audiences throughout history makes the experience of watching and acting in it feel like you are a part of that history. I will always love and respect it.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

I have yet to be asked if I might consider exploring other genres. Fantasy will always be my number one as it affords a lot of flexibility in presenting themes and lessons as well as an endless sandbox to explore creatively. But I have been pondering over the idea of diving into science fiction at some point. The two genres really are like brother and sister and share more similarities than they do differences. It would present new challenges for me to take on. One of my favorite game series has always been the Mass Effect trilogy. That would certainly serve as a huge inspiration for me if I ever did brave the science fiction waters. And Star Wars as well!

What advice might you have to give for aspiring storytellers out there?

Don’t be afraid of critiques and feedback! You should be actively seeking it out. I don’t necessarily mean asking the comment section on social media, but rather either going to people whose taste you trust, people who you trust to be honest with you, or even a community of other creatives that serve to help one another. The worst thing you can do is get too stuck in your own head. Not every single thing needs to be run by another person, it’s important to trust yourself as well, but not being afraid to take it to someone else for a fresh take. Sometimes a different perspective is all it takes to fill up a plot hole or to find a workaround to a creative block.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

There is one that I am currently working on that I am very excited about. I can’t give too many details but I am very excited to take everything I have learned in the past five years on Suitor Armor and apply it to a new plot and characters. It has been a marathon on Suitor Armor and I think it will help to make this project even better than the last.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

Luckily, I have a ‘favorite books’ shelf that makes this an easy list to hand out!

• –  Princess Academy, Goose Girl, and Book of a Thousand Days all by Shannon Hale
• –  The Appeal by Janice Hallet
• –  If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
• –  Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
• –  The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
• –  An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson