We chat to illustrator and comic artist, Jade Sarson, who claimed Payback royalties for the first time last year. She tells us what she plans to spend this year’s royalties on...
Can you tell us a bit about your work?
I'm an illustrator and comic artist based in Bletchley. My work is a blend of Japanese and European influences, and combines traditional and digital techniques. I do most of my work on a Cintiq graphics tablet, in Photoshop.
I'm mostly known for
Cafe Suada, a teastained web and print comic series about a teahouse and coffeehouse that are stuck next door to each other, waging war over customers and romance. I've self-published four chapters of the comic in print and the fifth is currently updating weekly
online.
I really enjoy playing around with interesting layouts, typography, characters and colour schemes, and there are a lot of experimental ones available to view on
my website.
What made you decide to sign up to Payback?
I had heard about Payback before and thought I didn't qualify. Then in my second year of freelancing I realised I'd had work published in a surprising number of magazines and anthologies, and a lot had been mainly for advertising my work, so weren't paid.
Payback allowed me to gain a little extra income from having done those projects, and the process was really simple, so I thought, "Why the heck not?". I had also illustrated my first novel, so that helped push me to give it a go.
How did you spend last year’s Payback royalty?
I received around £80 from Payback last December, which was helpful for covering some expenses including a comic convention I needed to book in January. Nothing too exciting but every bit helps! Maybe I'll buy myself something nice this year, like... more comics.
What advice would you give to anyone signing up for the first time?
I found it helpful to write down all my relevant ISBN/publication details on a piece of paper before filling in the form so I could refer to it throughout the process instead of rifling through a pile of them. Much quicker!
Also, you don't need detailed information for all the publications your work has appeared in. The form only asks for a sample of them, so don't worry if you haven't got every single publication to hand.
What do you have coming up that we should know about?
I'm currently working on two projects right now, along with my weekly
Cafe Suada comic. One is the
Digitalis project for Milton Keynes libraries, in which I host series of workshops about comics for the public. I am also producing a comic to encourage new readers into the library, set to be published next year.
The other is my first full length graphic novel,
For the Love of God, Marie!, to be published by Myriad Editions in 2016. It’s about a girl with the gift of understanding, who is often misunderstood. I'll be blogging progress on all the projects on
my website.
Find out more about Jade Sarson
Has your work ever appeared in UK books and magazines, or on TV? Apply to Payback by 6 October 2014 for a share of over £4 million in royalties. Find out more.
Artwork from 'For the Love of God, Marie!' by Jade Sarson © Jade Sarson