Interview: Meet Samantha Human, The Creator of Benjy and Friends
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While flicking through the internet on a random afternoon, I came across a ridiculously cute comic with an adventurous little cat named Benjy. I could feel the Instant endorphin release of pure happiness throughout my body. I just wanted more, plus who were the friends? I had to know!
Well, after lots of browsing, I have found the creator and I would love for YOU to also know about her and her wonderful creations.
Let me introduce you to Samantha Human and her comic “Benjy and Friends“. The comic follows the cute antics of Benjy, and his new-found friends Lotty, Quincy, Shady and Taffy!
After going on a secret mission, where I had to fight off seven dragons with my bare hands, in the search for Samantha, I… well, the thing is, let me not lie, I just DM’d her on Instagram haha… And she responded and here we are. Amazing interview, with an amazing person. Check it out below!
Firstly, Benjy and Friends would not exist, without its amazing illustrator and creator Samantha Human. Who is Samantha? Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
“I can honestly say I have never been referred to as an illustrator before haha. I see myself as the Disney-obsessed introvert, sitting quietly in the corner drawing animals. I have always been an animal lover and actually wanted to work in wildlife rehabilitation as a teenager. Turns out you need to be really book smart to go into that kind of field, so I ended up going down the creative path. I moved to Cape Town in 2009 to begin a career in 3D animation. With animation, you are stuck staring at a screen all day, so I always made sure to give time to traditional drawing. No matter what I am doing creatively, I am at my happiest when it has something to do with animals.”
Benjy and Friends follow the story of Benjy, Taffy, Lotty, Quincy and Shady. How did you start the comic? Where did you draw your inspiration from?
“I was doodling one day at work, and I ended up with a kitten which I found quite appealing. After a few weeks of doodling him, I started to wonder if I could make something out of it. I decided to put time into developing the character, and eventually ended up with Benjy and Friends! All of the characters are based on pets I grew up with.”
Your stories are fun, cute, humorous and filled with ‘real life’ situations of what Benjy and his friends would probably be getting up to on a regular basis. Do you have any special pets of your own? Are some of these stories… true? Haha!
“I am unfortunately not currently in a situation where I can have a pet, but as soon as I am, I want to adopt at least two cats. My parents are addicted to rescuing animals, so I grew up with many cats and dogs (bull terrier being my dad’s favourite breed). Having grown up with so many pets, it is really easy to think up situations Benjy and his friends can get into.”
What is your drawing / creating routine? Can you tell us a typical day in your creative process?
“I am usually up at 5 am (which is very unnatural for a night owl), get myself some coffee fuel, pick some background noise going, and get drawing. I usually have a vague idea of how many drawings I need to get done each morning. By 7 I need to finish up whatever I am doing and get ready for my actual 8-5 job. On the weekends, I will spend most of the day drawing while watching my husband play games. I can’t work in silence and enjoy backseat gaming, so it’s a good set-up.”
Talking about your creative process, do you write a script or make up the drawing as you go? I can imagine that creativity can also strike you at any time of the day!
“I have woken up and jumped out of bed a few times to quickly write down an idea before I forget it haha. I have a notebook that my husband and I scribble ideas into. My ideas tend to be more on the cute side, whereas my husband usually comes up with the funnier/smarter concepts.
Each week, I will decide which character I want to focus on, and then I go through the book and pick the idea I am most interested in at that moment. I wouldn’t call them scripts, they are usually just a phrase or a few doodles. I will then very roughly scribble how I think the idea would play out. If it is working, I get right into drawing it properly, but if I feel it’s not reading, I will pick another idea. Luckily the comic does not follow a specific storyline, so I am free to do whatever idea I want.”
Who are your biggest artistic influences or inspirations?
“I love Tori and Samuel by Bobblejotart. The colours, the designs, and all of their content are really appealing. Cat’s Cafe by Matt Tarpley appeals to my love for wholesome content, and WeFlaps Comics is really funny and relatable.”
What does your drawing space look like?
“It’s a pretty simple setup. I just have my laptop and wacom on a small desk in our living room. I need some sort of background noise while I work, which is usually provided by my husband playing games.”
When is the best time of the day for you to start your creative process?
“I tend to do my best work first thing in the morning, or really late at night when the world is sleeping and there are fewer distractions.”
This might be a difficult question, but which Benjy and Friends character do you love the most (Besides Benjy!)?
“I love them all dearly, but I won’t lie, Quincy is the closest to my actual personality, and so I have the strongest bond with him.”
Do you have any quick advice for aspiring comic book illustrators out there?
“Make the content that YOU want to make, not what is trending or expected at that moment. It is a lot of hard work, and you want to be pouring those hours into content that you love.”
I found myself, to be quite curious about what happens next with each character! How often do you release a new comic?
“I can’t wait to show you more! I release a new comic every Monday.”
Who inspires and motivates you the most in your life?
“I work in a creative field and am exposed to amazingly talented people every day. It is both intimidating and inspiring. I never expect anyone to like my work, so when a stranger tells me my content made their day better, my motivation to keep drawing goes through the roof!”
The best quote that you have ever heard that you would say you live your life by?
“Prepare for the worst, then you will never be disappointed. It is a little on the pessimistic side, but it is one I truly live by. I would be destroyed if I expected great things every time, I created something. So when things do go well, it really is a celebration. Not everyone is going to like your work, and that’s ok.”
What’s next for Benjy and Friends and Samantha Human?
“Benjy and Friends are still young, so for the moment, the aim is to keep creating, and hopefully find an audience who enjoys the content. As an animator, I have naturally started working on short, animated clips of the characters, but I haven’t got a timeline for those. I do hope that it can one day be my full-time occupation but for the foreseeable future, Comic Con Africa, Comic Con Cape Town next year, and a new update every week.”
Meet The Characters:
If you would like to Follow “Benjy and Friends” – you can find them on the below channels!
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Website – and I am a strong believer in Supporting With Ko-Fi!
To Samantha, Benjy, Lotty, Quincy, Shady and Taffy… Thank you so much for sharing the love, and sharing the joy across the internet. Thank you for joining me for the interview! Stay Curious! Stay Blessed!
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