An Interview with Arthman

By Kasaix • 5 years ago

Kasaix: Friends and foes of Doujins, welcome to another interview with a wonderfully talented artist. This time, it’s Arthman, someone I’ve been following for quite some time. I managed to reach out to him and he’s generously agreed to the interview. This guy has a unique and excellent art style all his own, and varied stories and locations in his one-off images and comic series.

But I digress. Thanks for hanging out Arthman. How’s it going?

Arthman: I'm doing great, thanks for having me!

Kasaix: Glad to hear it. Let's start at the top, what first got you interested in art?

Arthman: Well, like most kids I was stuck in front of the TV most of the time, and I really liked cartoons. They felt larger than life, they had a sense that anything could happen, and it really jumpstarted my imagination. I liked doodling and drawing, especially when compared to other arts and crafts. Illustration seemed clear and straight to the point, so it kinda stuck with me. I wouldn't say I was huge into comics growing up, but I did read Calvin and Hobbes a lot. It was enough to teach me the "perfection" of the comic format, how it kinda got the best of both worlds between animated cartoons and books. So since then I wrote and illustrated my own comics. Not porn obviously :D, but as I grew up I did gag strips starring characters based off my family and pets, a superhero comic, slice of life stuff, gritty dark fantasy and even sprite comics back when those were a thing. I never published this stuff online though, never thought it was good enough even if I did get some encouragement from friends and family. I guess what made art stick with me was how people reacted to it. There's something to creating something that sparks a reaction in people that I find very appealing. It wouldn't be until a few years ago that I decided to nut-up and pursue this trade seriously.

Kasaix: That's nice, you had people to encourage your pursuit of art. When did you decide to go from safe for work to not safe for work art?

Arthman: shortly after I started establishing myself online, I starting practicing my fundamentals more and eventually I decided to draw nudes, but y'know, the reptilian brain started to really like the practice. Not to mention most of the art I take in is adult oriented, and I follow a lot of talented artists, almost too many! I started posting stuff on the /i/ board of 4chan, and got a warmer reception than one would expect, so I had another confidence boost. I was already working on a webcomic called Panopolis, but I suddenly wanted to try my hands at a full-blown hentai comic. This first comic would be Ironbound, and I worked on it while still working on Panopolis, at times, taking higher priority than what was at the time my main project for my career. Not to mention I was hankering for a different direction in writing. Panopolis was a sort of tribute to shounen anime mixed with some classical mythology, but I wanted to do something a little more humble in scale. Sure enough, I started posting pages for Ironbound, and I get way more feedback than I did for Panopolis. Of course, porn gets more attention, but I was actually getting a lot of compliments on the story and characters. That's when I started feeling at home doing hentai, though I still have some non-smutty ideas I'd like to explore in the future

Kasaix: I'm glad you got such a warm reception. I remember Ironbound, it's how I found you on Hentai Foundry. Fantastic work all around. Your comics are always excellent. Dirty Little Secret, your newest comic, had a really great ending. I commented it on HF, but I'll repeat it here. It had a really upbeat and positive ending. A girl learning to overcome really bad parenting, opening up to her friend, and finding acceptance and a stronger friendship. And there is no such thing as too wholesome.

Arthman: I'm glad the tone hit-off well, I try to vary the "feeling" of a story as I go from comic to comic, chapter to chapter. keeps things fresh for me. It will especially contrast with the "Grittier" art I do sometimes

Kasaix: Yeah, things are really varied in your comics, from feeling to setting. One comic is in modern times, another can be in the bronze age with magic. Did you make your own universe?

Arthman: I have at least a couple! Panopolis, the comic I've mentioned before, is the same setting as Dirtwater, but on a different continent/district. It's an alternate universe where every classical mythology is actually true, such as the Greek, Sumerian, and Arthurian myths. After World War II, the world governments decide to relinquish their sovereignty and form a globalist superstate that basically runs on a bad mixture of every form of government that ever was, depending on the district or zone, and presently it is a dystopic retro-cyberpunk with Fantasy sprinklings. It was inspired by how boring I found Shadowrun to be. The setting of Ironbound, "Iron Age", is my oldest setting, in that I've been working on it for the most years. It started off as a generic medieval JRPG like setting, but as my taste for fantasy changed I geared more towards a more savage "Frank Frazetta" feel to it. I have other settings in mind, but I haven't made comics for them yet, just some concept pieces

Kasaix: Awesome. I love seeing people go all in on their works to create their own universe. I tried it myself in some lewd writing, but lost the will to continue a few stories in. I'd love to continue, since I love what I wrote, but procrastination hit me hard.

Which character or characters do you like to draw the most, and why?

Arthman: I like having any excuse to draw any of my characters, frankly, but Dee is definitely near the top. Mostly for how she expresses herself; how her stern facade can easily melt into bashful excitement, and right back to great concern. Plus she's got a rockin' bod', that helps. Another character I like to draw but don't make the time to is Raemus, because he is a bastardized mix between my love for Heavy Metal, and fascination with historical figures. I entertained such themes in Panopolis, but I think Raemus and the setting he's in bring a bit more nuance that I can play with

Kasaix: I like Dee too, and yes, she does have a rockin' bod'. In fact, I really love how you draw your girls in general. Curves in all the right places. I like Penny too, shy and a bit naive, but with a hidden dirty mind.

What project are you most proud of, something you'd show to people to give them an idea of what your work is about?

Arthman: Honestly, It might be Dirtwater, Namely Dirty Little Secret and The Big Deposit, mostly because I feel it's a better balance between my strengths as a writer and artist. The setting really helps in that it's realistic enough to buy into, yet fantastical enough that you're caught off guard, yet not baffled by what happens. I'd be more proud to show off Ironbound if the art aged better :P, but I think the story and characters carry it enough that you can sit through it. I'm definitely excited to finish the current chapter for Dirtwater though, it won't be like chapter 1, and I can't wait to see if that's a good thing or not!

Kasaix: Nice choices. I bet it's going to be great. You're one of those artists who can do no wrong, unless you really going out of your way to mess with people, and to my knowledge, you haven't done that yet. please don't do that

Looking forward, do you have a project you really want to work on down the line?

Arthman: There is one huge story I'd like to do involving my character Raemus. It would be in a setting based off the one my friends and I used when we played Pathfinder. A setting akin to Ancient Rome, but after a world shattering cataclysm. Raemus was a disgraced noble before, but after losing what little holdings and property he had to the cataclysm, he forsakes the gods and ideals he honored his entire life, and gives his favor to the dark gods he believes have taken over. From then on, it's a sardonic tale of an unholy hellion who rediscovers his strength, and uses it to finish what the cataclysm started. Very grim on the surface, but I'd hope Raemus' foppish self-assured egotism would be enough to add levity to such a tale

Kasaix: Pathfinder the role-playing game akin to D&D?

Arthman: Yup, used to play with my friends a lot, but pen and paper RPG's have become a bit of a redundancy to me as of late

Kasaix: All of that sounds amazing, and I hope to see it soon.

I don't want to take up too much of your time, so let's wrap it up here. Do you have any parting words for all your fans?

Arthman: I can't express how much you've done to carry me through the years. It's hard for a lot of people to get the motivation to get out of bed and pursue their dreams, and you've been keeping me on a high for quite a while. I hope you guys can find a similar inspiration in your own lives as well! We need more folks with bugs up their asses to get shit done! Thanks for being that bug, guys!