What is "Just Caitlin" about?

"Just Caitlin" (JC) is an online webcomic about 12-year-old Caitlin Schwarez and her friends Juan, José and Sarah. The comic follows the kids through their various adventures and misadventures.

How often do you update?

At this time, I update one page every Monday. I have another webcomic, I Just Work Here, so at this time I'm unable to update JC more frequently than that.

How did JC get started?

JC got started when I was 12 years old. My parents were getting a divorce, and it was very hard on me. Circumstances forced me to grow up very quickly. I drew a one-page comic with myself in it, and found it not only made me laugh, but I found I could be a kid in the comics, something I didn't feel I could do in the real world. The comic got left alone for almost a year, but I started drawing myself more and more in my sketchbooks. When I was 13 things at home were continuing to get worse, and I desperately needed an outlet. I dug out that one-page comic, and on a whim started drawing more of them. Once I started, I couldn't stop, and after a few short months instead of living through the comics I had characters I was watching grow and develop. Furthermore, Caitlin was no longer me, she had her own life, personality and set of friends. JC was no longer a coping mechanism; it was a passion.

Wait, you were drew these comics when you were 12???

Yes. From the ages 13 to 15 I was drawing one strip per day. However, the comics you see in the Archives are NOT the originals; the originals were drawn on computer paper with mechanical pencil; in the summer of 2010 I began re-drawing them all using professional inks and papers.

Are Sarah, Juan and José from real life?

No. Sarah is based very loosely off my best friend at the time, but Sarah is not meant to BE that girl per say. Juan and José are both completely fictional. I should also point out that aside from Caitlin, NO ONE IN JC IS FROM REAL LIFE!!! Caitlin's family, friends, school, backstory, everything is completely fictional.

So there's no real-life Aunt Marge?

Heh... no. No real-life Aunt Marge. Everyone seems to think there is because of how perfectly obnoxious she is, but there is no real-life Aunt Marge. Thank Heaven.

Where does JC take place? Are they in the country?

JC takes place up north in Minnesota, near Minneapolis. They aren't in the country, they're in a suburban area with plenty of surrounding forests and lakes (Minnesota is chock full of lakes).

Where did you go to art school?

I never went to art school. As a kid I was ALWAYS drawing; the closest thing to lessons I ever took was using the "How To Draw The Lion King" book my grandparents got me as a kid. Everything I've learned I've learned on my own, and occassionally from a book here and there. The idea of taking art lessons actually makes me mad; I refuse to have someone tell me how to do the one thing I love most.

However, I don't mean to suggest I think art lessons are bad in any way. Lots of people take art lessons, and there's no reason they shouldn't. Art lessons are a great way to hone and develop your skills, and a good teacher will work with you to accomplish your goals in a way that works best for you.

What do you use to draw JC?

The comics are drawn on 11 x 17" sheets of 200-weight bristol board. First I draft them with a blue drafting pencil, then I ink them with a Winsor & Newton Series 7 #2 sable brush. I use Indiaman Deep Black Speedball Ink. The pages are then scanned into my computer and colored using Adobe Photoshop CS5. More on this process to come in the TUTORIALS section!

Do you have any other comic strips?

YES!!! I have a strip called "I Just Work Here" (also mentioned above) about social workers. I also did a few pages of a strip I called "Bricks And Stones" when I worked at LEGO, but there are only like 2 of those.