Welcome to the first edition of the Splatoon Community Spotlight! This series will be dedicated to showcasing the freshest squids on the block, and celebrating their work to help make our community cooler and stronger.
Our first guest is not even a squid, but the lovely Miss Jenna "TamarinFrog" from Searching For Bananaflies! If you've seen great Splatoon fan-art floating around, she's most likely one of the main culprits!
W: "Important first question then: Are you a kid, or a squid? Be honest now!"
Jenna: "Hahah! Neither, I'm a frog!"
W: "Haha, that's a fine answer! You might be a very rare species in Inkopolis! As the artistic amphibian you are, who or what inspired you to art as you were growing up? I'd imagine lily pads would be a difficult canvas to use."
Jenna: "Haha! True, luckily I've always had access to pen and paper and I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. As for what inspired me... I've always been a big fan of story telling. My parents read me a lot of stories and I watched a lot of animated movies and cartoons. Disney was a big part of my childhood. I also read lots of comics. Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes come to mind first. Later, around age of 7, I got into video games. Pokemon came out around that time and since then video games have been a big part and inspiration in life."
W: "Disney always had the best animated films, indeed. Do you have a particular favorite, and why is it Aladdin? =P
So Pokemon was what drew you into gaming? What other games do you admire, either from a gameplay sense or an aesthetic sense?"
Jenna: "They sure have been! Haha! My favourite classic is actually Beauty and the Beast. Wreck it Ralph is from the modern ones. And it was actually Mario 64 that got me into gaming and that game will always have a special place in my heart. But Pokemon Red and Game Boy Color was my first own game and console. I'm a big fan of Nintendo games (obviously). My favourite series are Mario, Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Earthbound, Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Kirby and now, obviously Splatoon. Haha! I'd like to mention old classic PS1 platformers too though. Such as Spyro and Klonoa. I put many hours into those back in the day. So I'd say platformers and games with colorful and imaginative characters and environments are my thing."
W: "Oh man, I totally forgot about Klonoa! Now I must have that game back in my life! Speaking of colorful and imaginative characters, what inspires all your different squid OC's (Blue, Angelo, Belladonna, etc)? Do you like that they've seemingly taken to personalities and stories all they're own from all your fan feedback?"
Jenna: "Hahah! Gosh... Yes. I think good characters have a life of their own and they manage to surprise even their writer. It is also very nice that many people seem to love and care about these characters and it's nice to receive questions and feedback. As for what inspired me in the first place? I honestly don't know where they all came from. Haha! At first I was a single mother of two cute squid kids, now I have over 16 + plus one octopus. Warning to anyone thinking of adopting their own squid OC, they multiply fast. Hahah!"
Pictured Above: "Meet Team P
W: "I think you may have inspired another wave of them just from how much emotion you give them, making them feel like actual people.
With so much art that you've done, I wanted to ask a bit about Heroes of Inkopolis? What are your goals for the series? Would you like it if this story became canon officially?"
Jenna: "Haha! Thank you kindly. And certainly. Let's talk about HoI. My goals... To get it done obviously. Haha! I haven't had this much fun working on a comic in a long time but it is still a huge project, like any comic is. I have just started sketching the third and final chapter and I'm drawing new pages for next update. And it becoming canon? It will certainly be in my own world and works but you mean "officially" as in so "officially" that Nintendo acknowledges it? It would be biggest dream come true. Haha!"
W: "Ah yes, I meant canon as in Nintendo uses it for Splatoon 2: Modern Squidfare =P. What do you find to be the most challenging part of making the comic?"
Jenna: "Yes! It would be amazing (Nintendo, call me)
Pictured above: Heroes of Inkopolis, Page 3 (Read it here!)
The most challenging part? Hmm... I'd have to say drawing weapons. Haha! I still have to use my big collection of in game reference shots when drawing hero roller and charger. Maybe at the end of this project I can draw them from memory. Haha!
I'm also trying new stuff with page layouts. I have a few mangas next to me when I'm sketching so I can get some ideas from them. Usually I can come up with a page layout no problem but I have have had a few pages where the panels just didn't want to come out right until many trials and errors. In times like these I'm glad I work fully digital now so editing and erasing is easy.
Writing the dialog can take some time too. I'm not a native English speaker but thankfully I have a friend who is and she helps me with that before I upload pages."
W: "Very cool, I know many people wait with baited breath for each page. Shifting gears a bit, if you could choose your own theme for a Splatfest, what would you like to see?"
Jenna: "I hope so! I better continue working on it after this.
I'd choose fantasy vs science fiction! (I'd be on fantasy side)"
W: "Are there any part of the Splatoon Universe you'd like to explore more? Or do you enjoy it being a bit mysterious? Like the battle between the Octarians and the Squids, or places outside of Booyah Base?"
Jenna: "Good question. As much as I love the series and the world, I think one of its charms is that it's so odd and we don't know much about it. Imagination is a powerful tool. I haven't read any translations of the official art book yet so I don't know what answers it has given us. Hehe."
W: "Indeed, sometimes it is better to leave things to the mind. You may have indirectly answered this before, but I still wanted to ask what makes the Splatoon fandom so special to you?"
Pictured above: Day 6 of Inktober "Mummy" (Source)
Jenna: "Oh gosh. Before Splatoon I was a bit down and it had been a while since I had had any interest in video games. I barely played anymore. But then the global testfire came out... Boy I was literally hooked!
I love how much fun the game is, I love the character designs... The game has made me laugh (squid parties). It has made me furious (losing streaks in ranked). I've met many new people and made new friends thanks to this game. Who would have though nerding out about squids with people would be this much fun! Haha! And like I said, I was going through some tough time and I was a bit down at the beginning of summer but I think Splatoon has helped me to keep smiling.
It's hard to say what exactly is the most special about it. It's a big package that just makes me happy and I'm glad I can share that happiness through my drawings.
Wow that was cheesy. Even for someone like me who loves cheese! Haha!"
W: "That's a very sweet and real answer! Besides, I've never heard of anyone complain about too much cheese, haha. =P Finally, to slow things down, is there anything you want to tell to other aspiring artists or fans of yours?"
Jenna: "That is true. There is never too much cheese, haha!
And sure! Draw for fun! If drawing is your hobby and it's not fun then what's the point? Draw what makes you happy and tell stories you'd want to read. People will notice this and see the joy in your works.
Never compare yourself to other artists (especially more well known ones). Instead, let them inspire you. That said, play video games. Read books/comics/mangas. Watch movies, cartoons and animes.
Don't give up if something looks off in your drawings. Keep practicing and look for references. Art is a school that never ends. Might as well make it a fun learning environment.
Also, have some other hobbies too. I'm the worst example here but sitting in front of your computer all day drawing is not good for you. Take care of yourself and your body too."
I want to thank Jenna for taking time from her schedule to chat with me, and hope for many more days of amazing work! Follow her on her Twitter here! Do it! (Or Belladonna will show you how much the dynamo nerf doesn't matter!)
Got someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Lemme know in the comments and leave some love for Jenna down there too! <3
