Initial concept of Mag, in her theatre costume, from Trinity
Veronica ‘Giobissan’ Zumerle
Manga artist and character designer with a love for cats and Nicholas Cage.
1. What drives you to create stories?
To me, stories are a way to understand the world, to share experiences and communicate, as we live briefly through someone else’s eyes. I want to create tales that move people and resonate with them.
2. What inspired the story published on Chronicles?
I wanted to portray a society divided by status, culture and identity in a way that seems unresolvable, and, even in a desperate situation, to find a way to hope and change.
3. Describe your process for creating a character, including what you start with, what inspires you, and what challenges you.
I hold on to my stories for a long time, so the process involves building up ideas and inspiration, as well as considering the needs of the story, which can completely subvert it. Even when creating specific characters, I start with a mood board featuring attributes that I want the character to have, as well as something completely unrelated for contrast.
You could also say that I sometimes prioritise making the design cool over making it functional.
Veronica’s alias, Giobissan, surrounded by studies of character designs
3. How about your process as a script writer?
I do my best to divide the process as much as possible, to focus on one thing at a time, from the story’s trajectory to the specific scene. I use an app to have all my inspirations in order and easy to find, and I like to keep myself open to different ideas until I have a steady foundation.
4. What tools do you use the most?
For Trinity, I worked entirely on Clip Studio Paint. It was the first time, as I usually prefer to ink by hand to have a better grasp on the space and composition of the page, so I had to calibrate and print some tests to adjust my process.
Cover of Veronica’s digital portfolio
5. What kind of scenes move you the most when you’re drawing?
My strongest feelings while drawing are the joy of portraying something just as I imagined and the frustration when I feel it’s lacking. I try to make the character’s personality and the energy of the scene shine through composition and framing.
6. Your main sources of inspiration right now:
I listen to a lot of educational podcasts and videos, and for Trinity I kept Biorg Trinity by Oh! Great close by, to study the panelling and the use of negative space.
7. Who would you choose to collaborate with if you could work with a Japanese professional artist / writer?
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some amazing Japanese teachers I’d love to collaborate with, but if I can shoot my shot I’d say Oh! Great, for coherence, Takeshi Obata, or Katsura Hoshino.
8. What do you want to convey with the story you’re publishing on Chronicles?
It’s easy to feel disheartened about the world right now, but I really believe that it’s up to us to change a system that doesn’t work because it’s one of our own making.
9. How do you deal with work stress and creative blocks?
It depends: if I have a deadline I tend to push through, and if push comes to shove I try to lower my standards as a perfectionist: sometimes it’s easy to forget that a manga is read as a whole, and the leaf at the bottom at the page doesn’t matter. If not I tend to be aimless and disorganized, so I keep lists of manageable tasks and I try to work consistent hours. I also like to take some time to read and find inspiration.
10. Describe one of your typical workdays. Do you have any rituals to help you immerse yourself in the creative process? Is there a specific place or type of music that helps you?
I don’t have a consistent schedule, but I try to work an even amount of hours every day since I’m a night owl. While I work I need to listen to either music, audiobooks or podcasts.
Veronica’s Instagram