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One of my favorite things to do at any comic con I attend is to walk through the artist galleries. It’s fun to catch browse through everyone’s artwork and while we attended Dallas Comic Con: Fan Days last weekend, we came across one artist whose minimalist style caught our eye.
Meet Eliamaria M. Crawford, illustrator of the “Elia In a Box” comics, and she’s definitely one you won’t forget! Not only does she draw the comics but she also has a YouTube channel.
Interview questions by ChinLin Pan
How did Elia In a Box start? Did you always draw comic strips?
Eliamaria: I drew a comic strip for my friend Javi, who was the sound board operator on a show I was working on at the time [Wizard of Oz], and it was centered around a moment where he messed up a sound cue during one of our shows. I made it as a show gift and he and the stage manager, Taylor introduced me to the webcomic world and to keep drawing them. I had been drawing comics for a bit, but nothing set in stone in terms of style or theme. I would dabble in gag jokes with stick figures, to trying to make a storyline in manga-style, but this slice of life stick figure line is what stuck and I ended up loving to draw.
“Elia In a Box” is kind of like personal branding in a sense! Since you incorporate yourself as a character. What types of adventures does Elia experience?
Eliamaria: Elia from the comic is kind of like my conscience. I kind of describe her as the “Animated Lizzie McGuire” type to myself. I draw myself like that in experiences of life, thoughts I have regarding life, and anything that is humorous in life that I wish to share from marriage to customer service.
What is your creative process?
Eliamaria: Drawing is kind of a cathartic activity for me. If I’m mad, I draw. If I’m sad, I draw. It’s a bit of a release. If I’m not feeling anything negative, I just find something that inspires me at the moment, and sit down and just doodle. I try to draw something every day to keep the practice going. That’s usually how I get into warming up. Then I just put on some music, brainstorm ideas, and just create what I feel or need to create at that time whether it’s a comic strip, sticker line, Youtube video, whatever!
Are there any artists you draw influences from? If so, which artists?
Eliamaria: Since my style is so minimalist, it’s hard to draw inspiration for my specific style. If anything, I find influence in the most detailed of art or art that is completely the opposite of mine. Mainly for drawing challenges like ‘can I draw this too and will it be just as cool in my style?’ kind of thing. Some of my favorite artists are Marlo Meekins and Camille Rose Garcia for the exotic, twisted Disney-esque caricature style, amongst many other artists I draw inspiration from daily thanks to Instagram.
Ideally, how do you want people to feel when they see or purchase your work?
Eliamaria: Happy. It seems cheesy, but I really hope that I can bring a smile or laugh to someone with just a look at my art. I like making people laugh. A lot. That’s what the goal of my comics and art is.
What are your favorite fandoms of all time?
Eliamaria: I am a fangirl of many fandoms. I currently obsess over “Steven Universe,” “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” “Harry Potter,” and :Game of Thrones.” Probably more but those are my main ones I can think of right now.
What are you currently working on? Any upcoming projects?
Eliamaria: Right now, I’m trying to make more web comic content so I can catch up on my missed weeks as well and content for my art YouTube channel. Once those get up-to-date, I am going to sit down and continue working on a graphic novel project I have been putting off and off for a while. I hope to have it all written by next year so I can start drawing it and going through the publishing process!
You can follow Eliamaria M. Crawford’s Elia In a Box on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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