Illustration |

Through the Looking Glass: A peek behind the curtains

Cindy Zhang

I chose to create a collection of short comics. Each comic will contain one or more of my original characters. With every new character added into the comic, there are also separate character profiles to introduce the new character.
For a while, I have wanted to create original characters as well as build a slight back story for each of them. In the past, I’ve made a few comics, and I found them enjoyable. Therefore, I took this as an opportunity to not only create something I like but also be able to come up with original characters and stories. The comics in particular are meant to be humorous and relatable. I want the readers to be able to see themselves in one or more of the characters, bringing in a familiar sense into my work.

Without further-ado, I present Through the Looking Glass: A peek behind the curtains.

ARTER MCGOUACHE of BUNNSVILLE

Arter McGouache, an artist that is derived from everyone’s struggling inner artist. They live in the tiny village of Bunnsville, located on the edge of Emberland. You can find them in any parks or in their backyard painting or drawing away.

When creating this character I knew that they would look like the stereotypical artist. The beret, the moustache and even a slight accent.

After discussions with my professor about breaking the fourth wall, I decided to make Arter the creator behind all the comics and creations of the other characters. 

PLANTLING O’BUSHLEAF of PINECREST

Plantling O’BusLeaf is a character that I created to resemble hopeless romantics. The ones that believe in love, that yearns for a happy ending.

Being a plant isn’t easy, Plantling is always up and going from city to city searching for different seeds to plant in her garden. If she isn’t out and about or tending to the gardens, you can find her in her treehouse in Pinecrest, watching dramas with a bowl of strawberry sorbet and a box of tissues.

DAMIEN MAUVE of BUNNSVILLE

Damien Mauve, a citizen of Bunnsville is a neighbour to Arter. She is quite feisty when it comes to getting things that she wants. She loves a good garage sale, and especially loves free stuff.

Similar to Rhea and Plantling, Damien is constantly on the move, bouncing from city to city. Which makes her hard to track down. That is unless there is a city-wide garage sale or a new thrift store popping up. Therefore, if you want to track her down you just need to post on Facebook marketplace regarding a yard sale of some kind.

ESMERAY DAWN of EMBERLAND

Esmeray Dawn is a character inspired by my days working in my family restaurant. She is the character that works part-time dealing with difficult people and the struggles of everyday work life.

She works with her co-worker Rhea at a small Sushi restaurant located in the busy streets of Downtown, Emberland

In her free time, Esmeray enjoys having a picnic under the night sky, watching movies, and doing stick and poke tattoos.

RHEA STERLING of LIMBO

Rhea Sterling is a mysterious character. She works alongside of Esmeray at the Sushi Buns restaurant.

She tends to keep to herself unless she’s with her close friends. Rhea enjoys sculpting dolls out of polymer clay, as well as reading poetry.

She is someone who isn’t easy to find but will come to you when needed.

She usually resides at the Crystal lights library or the town’s potion shop on the border of Wonderland and Emberland. Other than that forget trying to find her, she’ll come to you when the time comes.

Wonderland (Revamped)

The following comic which features several characters is a revamped version of Wonderland that my group of friends and I are a part of. Many characters have their fairytale counterparts which are hinted in their brief profiles.

Angelina Hopper, also known as the White Rabbit is a nice and charismatic character. She can be found running around the mystical gardens in Wonderland watching time go by. Ever since her brother sacrificed himself, she has not been the same.
Chesrah Grinn known for her disappearing act is a mischievous and stealthy character. Once a theatre performer, Chesrah was used to faking a smile. But after her village was burned down, all that was left of her was a permanent grin. She is also very unpredictable thus no one really knows where she’ll be at any time.
Cinder Emberson, the dormouse of Wonderland, is a timid and curious character. Formerly known as Cinderella III she was sent down a mouse hole in order to escape her wrongfully accused crime.
If she isn’t out hunting for cheese, you’ll find her at the table having tea with the Mad Hatter.
Jade DeLuna is Wonderland’s mail delivery system, and also the Red Queen’s personal delivery hare. Once trapped in the moon, she now resides in the castle next to the Red Queen.
Morgana Haze, known as the Mad Hatter works as the Red Queen’s ally and right hand. Reincarnated from a sorcerer, she possesses many powers. If she isn’t in deep conversation with the Red Queen , you can find her in the royal garden drinking tea.
Rosella Wynter, the powerful leader of Wonderland resides in her castle, located in the southern part of the city. Once a royal turned rebel when her hood was stained red, she decided to create her own world filled with misfits who fatefully landed in Wonderland.

Behind the Curtains

You have reached the end of the collection, thank you for taking your time to read my comics. As a gesture of my thanks, here are some exclusive behind the scenes. <3

Cindy Zhang

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Cindy Zhang is a Vancouver-based illustrator who creates comics, as well as concept art. She works both digitally and traditionally. Many of her pieces feature human figures and a narrative focus. She is known to showcase aspects of gore and visual distortion in many of her creations. Her works are mainly inspired by her everyday life, stories that she is told and some being derived from imagination. In her free time, she can be found at nearby cafes and bubble tea shops drawing away. She also spends her time with her pet dog, a Shih Tzu named Flash.
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