desymbol: 8 Comics About The Awkward Part Of Everyday Life By Ristay

Ristay is one of those rare artists who can tell a story both verbally and visually. So when she mixes the two together, you’re in for a treat. Her comics are exciting combinations of unexpected, vibrant pictures and sincere, witty texts that are impossible to close after you start scrolling. However, it’s the former that Ristay lays out first.

“It’s usually the pictures that come first, I try and be accurate about the place and how it looked (as per whatever story I’m recreating) but I’m not always the best at sketching scenes so I focus on expressions and mood instead. Text is the last thing. I’m dyslexic so I try and have someone proof it before I share my work but there are times no one’s around so I just wing it,” the artist told Bored Panda.

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Seduction

Ristay is really productive and delights her WEBTOON followers with up to 5 comics every month but the pandemic has been testing her creative resilience. “With COVID, I think I’ve been more stressed about income than anything,” she said. “I’ve been working overtime with side projects out of that fear of my employer shutting down (been a few close calls and I’ve had a lot of hours cut) so drawing time has sadly been cut down. but I’m still trying my hardest to keep dishing out some funny content to make people laugh though.”

But maybe all of the added challenges will result in even more awesome comics. Ristay puts a lot of herself in them. “I have tried to change things in them to help me stay relatively anonymous, so in some stories, I change the location, character look, and so on, but in the end, I think they are just minor changes. The situations and stories are still very true to me and the actual experiences I went through,” Ristay explained.

Headphones

She even had many people realize who is the actual person behind her online identity because they read a story and remembered it happening to their old high-school friend! “So basically, anyone that knows me personally would know Ristay is me just by being presented with one of my works, I think.”

In such a difficult time that is 2020, Ristay’s comics provide a much-needed break from all the frightening and weird stuff that is happening in the world right now. Going through them is like hanging out with a friend. Chill and comforting.