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Comics
Interview With Artist
ADVERTIsem*nT
Not everyone is a fan of dark humor, but well, if you are here already, perhaps you know what you are in for. Today we’d like to showcase some of the newest works by the talented comic artist Dave Contra, whose comics never cease to amaze us with both the creativity and the absurd scenarios that tend to get crazier each time.
In his last interview, Dave told us a little bit about himself.
"I have lived in several countries around the world, and had a great childhood. I used to catch snakes and boogie board. As a kid I loved drawing, but then I gave it up completely when I was a teenager. Later I became interested in film. I went to film school, and then worked in video production for a number of years, which I hated.
But I did get to travel around China filming a cooking show, which was cool. One thing I really notice now, when drawing comics, is that I think about 'camera shots' for the panels, as if the comic is a short film. I feel like having a background in film/video is a big help. Film language translates really well to comics."
If you’d like to see Dave’s previous post on Bored Panda, then make sure to click here.
More info: Instagram | patreon.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
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ACatInPandasClothing ACatInPandasClothing Community Member Follow
NO! OSCAR!
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This time around, Bored Panda reached out to Dave with some new questions. First, we wanted to know if perhaps the artist was working on some new series or perhaps something similar. "I don't have any series planned at this point, my aim is just to create stuff that is either funny in a messed-up way, or stuff that is purely messed-up. I am definitely still getting very mixed reactions to my work, which I enjoy. I've even started enjoying the haters! Funny story: a hater DM'd me the other day, and I turned his message into a comic. You can check it out here. He ended up seeing that comic, and messaging me again saying he loved it! We're buddies now, and he said if I ever come to his neck of the woods (Bavaria) he'll take me to Octoberfest. Life is funny.”
#2
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寿司す 寿司す Community Member Follow
The fire in the eyes.........
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#3
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Display Name Display Name Community Member Follow
Hehehe
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We also wanted to know if the artist had a comic he was proud of, and we thought it was only fair if he'd share his thoughts with us! “I think my favorite is still this one, 'Bobby is a tree'. It was one of the first comics I did where I was trying to capture a very existential mood, rather than try to be funny. To be honest, the kind of thoughts or emotions behind comics like this are pretty messed up. I do them every now and then, and they're actually like revealing very personal dark aspects of my own personality, just in a cryptic way. It's a bit like self-therapy.” ADVERTIsem*nT
#4
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Dhairya Gupta Dhairya Gupta Community Member Follow
Oh nooo
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ADVERTIsem*nT
#5
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SCP 504 SCP 504 Community Member Follow
Nail polish remover helps weaken superglue; try that
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Artists go through a few art phases trying to find the art style they could call their own, however, it seems like Dave is pretty happy with where he's at currently. “Oh man, art style is something I am actually struggling with still. I'm definitely not a ‘great’ drawer. I guess I'd like to reach a level where my drawings are not high art, but are still appealing to the eye, and just get the idea across. Also, my style has definitely gotten a bit 'simpler' over the last year, and there's a good reason for that: I have a 9 to 5 job, and then I work out after work a few days a week, so by the time I get home and make dinner, etc. I can be exhausted. So I've been trying to learn some tricks to speed up the process. Also, what I found encouraging was that some of the really popular comic creators have super simple styles. I guess the ideas are really the important part.”
#6
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Chucky Cheezburger Chucky Cheezburger Community Member Follow
Awww...thats actually kinda nice.
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ADVERTIsem*nT
#7
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chicken chicken Community Member Follow
who would've thought that star diarrhea would be beautiful
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Starting out with comics (or art in general) isn't easy, so we asked the artist if he had any tips to share. “My main advice would be to just start, and set aside a regular time each day to work on them. In the beginning, there is a lot of fumbling around, learning what your own process is. That takes a while, so you just gotta keep going. Also, there will be a LOT of moments where you feel like quitting. You just have to push through. Always push through that wall, and keep going. When you feel discouraged - just keep consuming comics from creators you like, that will inspire you.”
#8
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Why? Why? Community Member Follow
She won't be getting any head tonight.
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#9
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A.J Milne A.J Milne Community Member Follow
Fear unlocked
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When it comes to people having opinions on his comics, here's what Dave hopes to achieve with his work, “I mean, the number one goal is to make people laugh. Just give them that 3% boost to what could otherwise be an average or even sh**ty day. I also create comics where I want people to actually examine their lives, mortality, existence, the universe, complicated plumbing systems, the flatness of a pug's face, etc., etc.” ADVERTIsem*nT
#10
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寿司す 寿司す Community Member Follow
they give kids i phones at birth? No wonder kids get glasses early.
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#11
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寿司す 寿司す Community Member Follow
Stayed on the computer doing work before he could fulfill his long life dream of going to the Bahamas....R.I.P😥😥😥
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For some people, art is not only a hobby, but something way more, and Dave certainly has his own goals he wants to accomplish when it comes to his comics. “Well, I'm a super small-fry. I'm like an amoeba, or a raisin stuck between the tread on your boots. So at this point, my main goal is to make people chuckle, and sometimes think outside the bubble, that's all. If water-cooler small talk is the disease, then I'd like my comics to be a tiny pill taken a few times a week to help ease discomfort and constipation. For me personally, the BIG dream is to quit my job and make a living off of my work, that would be f**king incredible. But yeah, that is a LONG way away. One can only dream…”
#12
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
Hehe
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#13
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Why? Why? Community Member Follow
Nailed it!
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Artists receive countless comments about their work pretty much every day, but sometimes some of them stand out more so than the others. ADVERTIsem*nT “There is one Reddit comment that really stood out. It was in response to my comic called ‘9 to 5 to 2005’ which you can see here. The comic was about a middle-aged guy, in a dead-end 9 to 5 job, suddenly being transported back to the happiest moment of his life, many years prior on a beach in Thailand, with a topless girl in his arms. This comic was so personal and true to life that I actually felt emotional creating it. Anyway, the comment, from a Reddit user called ‘verac757’ was: ‘Christ I RELATE to this... I used to be a party boy fooling around a lot and enjoying life. Now I have a fully remote job, work like an hour a day, and make 80k a year doing it. Miserable as hell. I was happier being a broke college student partying. Life is nothing without adventure. That's it. I'm doing something. This comic was the wake-up call.’ Yeah, that was pretty dope. I loved that I actually made someone feel something.”
#14
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Chucky Cheezburger Chucky Cheezburger Community Member Follow
May the farts be with you...yeah yeah, I know...still, it's a fart joke so nyah.
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#15
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foxking foxking Community Member Follow
spread the knowledge!
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ADVERTIsem*nT
Lastly, we were curious to find out whether this whole art journey Dave went through has helped him with something in life, and here's what he shared with us. ADVERTIsem*nT “Well, I'm the kind of person who always needs a project, otherwise I start to get really anxious. Watching TV definitely doesn't cut it - it's not a deep enough distraction from the absolute horrific s**t-show that is existence. I feel like I need to create something that addresses the absurdity of life to actually feel a little better about it. Before doing comics (I've still only been doing it for less than a year), I was trying all sorts of things. I used to make short films, I wrote a few very bad novels, and then for years, I was writing kids' illustrated chapter books. I never got published, though. That sucked. I think by far, creating comics has been my favorite.”
#16
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
Oookay
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#17
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Robert Kuntz Robert Kuntz Community Member Follow
Awesome!
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#18
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A.J Milne A.J Milne Community Member Follow
Is this a good or bad thing? I can't tell
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#19
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
Lol
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#20
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寿司す 寿司す Community Member Follow
Poor rock must be bored staying there forever.
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#21
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
Guardians of the galaxy 3, only in theaters Maytember 16
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See Also on Bored Panda
19 Haunting Pictures That Showcase How The Most Beautiful Places Can Change After Being Abandoned
Mom Demands Her Whole Family Be Upgraded To First Class, Forcing 13-Year-Old To Give Up His Seat, But Gets Deplaned Instead
#22
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SCP 504 SCP 504 Community Member Follow
Travel well, my friend. Do not be afraid. I’ll see you in the next life!
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#23
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SCP 504 SCP 504 Community Member Follow
…alright
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#24
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Alias Delfs Alias Delfs Community Member Follow
This awakens something in me I … I do not like this new emotion
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#25
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Andonis600 Andonis600 Community Member Follow
And he definitely didn’t run out of air
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#26
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ACatInPandasClothing ACatInPandasClothing Community Member Follow
Vikings be like:
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#27
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Izzah Smith Izzah Smith Community Member Follow
Wtf is this game
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#28
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Display Name Display Name Community Member Follow
Poor robot
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#29
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ACatInPandasClothing ACatInPandasClothing Community Member Follow
the secret life of toast: in theatres notober 69th
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#30
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Cayde-6 Cayde-6 Community Member Follow
That's enough bp for one day.
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#31
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ACatInPandasClothing ACatInPandasClothing Community Member Follow
ive seen faces in a lot of these
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See Also on Bored Panda
6 Y.O. “Realizes Something Isn’t Adding Up” With Great-Grandparents Living Wealthy On Ordinary Jobs
Parents Demand 18-Year-Old Son Start Acting Like An Adult, He Goes No-Contact And Offers To Sell Parents His Forgiveness 16 Years Later
#32
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Sir Tarsier Sir Tarsier Community Member Follow
Relatable 😭
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#33
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Anish Kambli Anish Kambli Community Member Follow
0.0
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#34
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Alias Delfs Alias Delfs Community Member Follow
What? Please someone explain
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#35
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Why? Why? Community Member Follow
He really made an ash of himself!
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#36
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
But doughnuts ARE the best!
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#37
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Fun Size Gay Kid ️🦈 Fun Size Gay Kid ️🦈 Community Member
He doesn't even have tearducts
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#38
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Zion joy heperi Zion joy heperi Community Member Follow
And this is how potholes were made
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#39
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Izzah Smith Izzah Smith Community Member Follow
Toaster is that you
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#40
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PenitentEyeball PenitentEyeball Community Member Follow
…
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UncleRussian UncleRussian Community Member Follow
Once again BP labeling something that isn't dark humour as dark humour 🙄
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Miss Benzo Miss Benzo Community Member Follow
I laughed at a handful of this. They are random and wacky. I feel the author was not even trying hard to offend anyone. Haha. I liked the dinosaur one, the Trex reaching for fruit in the tree : that shows you some people's 'gratutude'.
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Miss Benzo Miss Benzo Community Member Follow
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UncleRussian UncleRussian Community Member Follow
Once again BP labeling something that isn't dark humour as dark humour 🙄
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Miss Benzo Miss Benzo Community Member Follow
I laughed at a handful of this. They are random and wacky. I feel the author was not even trying hard to offend anyone. Haha. I liked the dinosaur one, the Trex reaching for fruit in the tree : that shows you some people's 'gratutude'.
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Miss Benzo Miss Benzo Community Member Follow
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