Interview with Julie Campbell

"Nature always influences everything I create, even if it’s a fantasy"

Julie Campbell is a freelance illustrator and comics creator based in Fife, Scotland. I found some of her zines about Scottish nature at La Belle Adventure in Edinburgh and reached out for an interview. Below, Julie discusses her myriad of comics influences and how her appreciation of nature and place have been a through-line in her work—and her life.

Describe your comics journey—how did you get into making comics?

I read most of the standard UK comics as a kid, from Twinkle when I was little to the Beano, Dandy, Beezer etc. As a teenager I started reading my brother’s 2000ADs, and then got into DC and Marvel—especially the Vertigo imprint—and started to see how varied and interesting comics could be, and I was hooked!

I always loved drawing, and had long been illustrating my own story ideas, normally involving animals, nature and fantasy worlds (so I guess not much has actually changed!), but they were mostly unorganised pictures and speech bubbles, without much of the traditional comic look to them yet.

From my late teens and into university (where I studied zoology), I really started putting my first comic ideas together, using fineliner and ink washes, but it really wasn’t until I became a full-time Mum that I really started to complete and print my first actual comics, starting with a small 8-page comic about my love of woodlands. Since then, the idea keep coming, and I make them as fast as I can!

How did you develop your comics voice?

This is always such a difficult question to answer! Regarding style, most of my comics and illustrations use a limited palette, normally one chosen colour, a lighter version of it, and a black. Originally I started working this way as I found full colour work very difficult, so I started using just one colour instead, and now I love working with a limited palette and use it for most of my work!

I don’t know how to describe my comics voice, but nature always influences everything I create, even if it’s a fantasy story in a made up world, I love to think about the landscape, the place, and reflect it in the story and the dialogue.

What are some of the joys and challenges of making nonfiction comics? Of writing about place?

I think when I write about a sense of place, it’s always a very personal interpretation, shaped of course by my own knowledge and experiences, so I always worry a little bit that it might not hold relevance or meaning for other people. I’ve had good feedback about this though, so hopefully I’m doing okay!

I also try and make sure my nonfiction comics look just as interesting and exciting as fiction. I’m always concerned with making sure it doesn’t look or feel boring, so there’s always a need to find a balance between words and pictures, and make the pages as accessible and interesting as possible.

Writing nonfiction can also mean a lot more research, so making sure you allow time and space to carry out research, gather resources, and also liaise with experts where needed is critical, and needs to be built into your normal comics working practice.

Are you working on something now?

I’ve just finished and printed my latest nonfiction comic “How to Watch Wildlife”—a fun little guide to learning more about nature in the UK. My background is in natural history, so this comic has been planned for a while, and as the perfect mix of my twin passions of nature and comics, and I had such a great time making it!

The comic gives tips and guidance on where, when and how to watch wildlife, what you might see, and how to identify and record what you spot and contribute your records to a nationwide effort to help grow our knowledge of our wildlife.

All information about my comics and where to buy them can be found on my website - www.juliecampbelldraws.com.

Facebook - Information on my latest projects, new products and upcoming events

Instagram - Behind the scenes look at current work and influences

Twitter - Behind the scenes about my work and comics.