Interview with A. M. Frasier of the MeltedPOT

I just finished (my first!) interview with A. M. Frasier, creator of the webcomic the MeltedPOT. If you’re a Google+ member, you can read the article here. If not, I’ve posted it here for you to read below:

The MeltedPOT presents G+SPOTlight conversation #3
on +Kim Belding the Author and illustrator of Picpak Dog. Kim is an animator residing in Canada. His strip has provided me with some good chuckles.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
How did you come up with the concept of Picpak Dog

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
I made the first drawing of Picpak when I was 5; it was inspired by Tom and Jerry. I started the comics when I was 8, and modeled it after Garfield and Snoopy, my favorite cartoon characters. Puns and literal humor have always been the heart of the strip, but it’s become more prominent lately.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
I love Tom and Jerry. Now that you mention it I do see a resemblance to Garfield and snoopy. That answers why I have a certain familiarity with the character when I look at him. You’ve done a great job on the design. He has a very iconic look. I’m sure even though you first drew him at 8 he’s evolved quite a bit in his look.
Do you have any early drawings?

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
Yes I do! They’re in my first book. (hint hint) lol… In the early drawings he has more Disney style eyes, and he’s a little furrier. Thanks for your comments about the look; I try to make the comics and design look as authentic as possible. I don’t just throw comics up on a site… I try to make an experience out of it, you know what I mean?

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
I do. It’s one of those things that I don’t think readers think about. But other artist definitely do. I often look at some ones work and out of curiosity wonder how they came to the final decision about their work.
If you had to do a log line for Picpak what would it be? If you had to do a tagline for a movie poster for Picpak what would it be?

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
The logline is “The everyday happenings of a big pink dog, a smaller blue cat and everyone else around them”. The tagline for a movie would be “Picpak Dog: Don‘t Watch It“. Not that any studio would ever let you use it. But it‘d be a neat social experiment, and it‘d funny to see how people would react to a movie they wanted to see but was told by it otherwise.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
That really did make me laugh out loud!
That’s funny. The curiosity would eat them alive, “WHY are they saying Don’t watch it.”!

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
Exactly! The curiosity would drive them to check it out. Or it’d be a complete marketing failure. It could go both ways.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
I see you’ve attended or attending animation school. How has that experience been?

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
It was fun, but living in one of the least animation-friendly communities in Canada made it hard. The school moved each year and almost didn‘t open for my final year. As you may know I made a short starring Picpak for my final assignment. I start a job story boarding and animating in a couple weeks.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
Congrats on the story boarding job!!! Is it with a studio?
WOW the school kept moving I’ve never heard of such a thing. How did you find and decide to go to that school?
What did you do to stay inspired in an area that was not animation-friendly?

Kim Belding Jul 9, 2012
It’s a small film production company. Given that our gov’t cut the film tax credit and the majority of studios are leaving the province, I consider it a rare opportunity. My sister had actually found the school and told me about it. My comic’s what’s keeping me inspired. It always has been.

A. M. Frasier Jul 9, 2012
Your comic as your inspiration? That’s a beautiful thing. That shows a lot of focus. If you can make it in a place with very little I believe it builds focus and skill. I’m from a small town in Northern Ohio. Not much inspiration there but since I’ve moved to L.A. (the land of distractions and always something happening) I’ve learned how to focus on what’s important…my craft.

A. M. Frasier Jul 10, 2012
Are you allowed to talk a little about the  projects you’re working on at the studio?

Kim Belding Jul 10, 2012
All I know for sure is it’s a show for preschoolers. But if what I’ve read online is correct, it’s called “Louis Says” and will air on APTN.

A. M. Frasier Jul 10, 2012
Very nice! Within the realm of animation what would you ultimately like to do?

Kim Belding Jul 10, 2012
I’d like to stick with storyboards, because it reminds me so much of doing comics. In fact, I was the only one in school that actually liked doing storyboards, lol.

A. M. Frasier Jul 11, 2012
Would you do storyboards for live action?

Kim Belding Jul 11, 2012
I’ve thought about it. That of course, would involve finding something that’s live action.

A. M. Frasier Jul 11, 2012
Lol yes I guess that would be a good start.
So what is the future of Picpak?
Do have other projects you’re developing?
If so any tentative dates as to when we’ll see those projects come out.

Kim Belding Jul 11, 2012
I‘m making designs for a company that makes T-shirts for truckers. I‘ll post them on the site if I can when they become available.

As for Picpak, amongst the current storyline and puns, Picpak will meet Jeff Jr‘s cousin.

A. M. Frasier Jul 11, 2012
Lol sounds interesting I’ll look forward to seeing your work. And I’ll definitely keep tuning into Picpak.
I hope u haven’t taken up too much if your time.

Kim Belding Jul 11, 2012
No, it hasn’t. Y’know after five years (two on my own domain) this is my first interview? I really appreciate it.

A. M. Frasier Jul 11, 2012
Hmmm really? You definitely have a good comic so i’m surprised about that.
About how many readers do you get a month?

Kim Belding Jul 11, 2012
I get about 1000-2000 hits a month. It used to be more, but I don’t stress over it.

A. M. Frasier Jul 12, 2012
That’s really good! What do you do to get new readers? On and offline?

Kim Belding Jul 12, 2012
Twitter is my biggest form of advertising. Interacting with other cartoonists really spreads the word. Offline, I show people my book. They don’t necessarily visit the site, but they read my comics all the same.

A. M. Frasier Jul 12, 2012
I have to agree with you. Gaining respect from your peers and others that are serious about what they do is important. Have been to any comic conventions yet?

Kim Belding Jul 12, 2012
Sadly, no. There was one around here a couple months ago, but I forgot all about it.

A. M. Frasier Jul 12, 2012
I meant to ask, why do you think you lost readers? You said it be more. How much more?

Kim Belding Jul 12, 2012
Within the first few months of my comic on its own domain, it went up as high as 4000. Of course, there was a lot of heavy promo and excitement, which are two things to factor in. Nowadays things have teetered off, and the numbers are more consistent, which of course means consistent, regular readers. And that’s never a bad thing.

A. M. Frasier Jul 12, 2012
Yes that’s what we all are striving for the true fans. Did heavy promotion include buying ad space at all?

Kim Belding Jul 13, 2012
Yes, I used to run quite a few ads on some popular sites. Garfield Minus Garfield was the biggest if I recall.

A. M. Frasier Jul 13, 2012
Garfield Minus Garfield I’ve never heard of them. Why did you stop using them? Why did you slow down on ads period?

Kim Belding Jul 13, 2012
The site seems to advertise itself. It picks up the same amount of readers whether I put ads up or not. I don’t have much in the way of spending cash right now, but it’s something I’d like to start up again later.

A. M. Frasier Jul 3:53 AM
I’m sure your comic will continue to do well.
Are there any words of artistic wisdom you would like to add before we end the discussion?

Kim Belding Jul 8:11 AM
I believe this covers most of it:
http://pcweenies.com/2012/07/11/50-things-ive-learned-about-publishing-a-webcomic/
Also: Good writing can save bad art, but good art can’t save bad writing.
Thanks!

A. M. Frasier Jul 8:31 AM
Nice!!!
I’m glad we could have this discussion. Thanks for taking the time to talk.