We love hearing stories of how artists first discovered their creative passions. Some had artists as parents or family members, or were introduced to creativity at a young age, others discovered their passion later. Some went to art school, others are completely self-taught. Some learned primarily traditional art, others have always been 100% digital, and others are familiar with both.
Cozy_Shiki, of Shiki’s Cozy Comics, who grew up in Tunisia but is now based in Germany, got into comics as a young age, making them with her mouse and trackpad. Her older brother saw her interest, and supplied her with her first drawing tablet, a Wacom Bamboo tablet! She outlined the story of getting support from her brother and pursuing her art dream with the comic “Dream On, Little Sister,” which went viral online. We loved the story of how Shiki’s older brother, and the Wacom tablet he got for her, set in motion a path that led her to where she is today as a comic artist!
One of us here at Wacom was already a fan of Shiki’s work, and got in touch with Shiki to talk about the viral comic, her background, choosing to persist in comics despite setbacks, and why she chooses to be vulnerable about mental health in her work. We also sent her a MovinkPad Pro 14 all-in-one portable drawing pad to try out and give us her opinion on.
She made the following comic about the experience and about the MovinkPad Pro 14! Check out the comic below, and keep going to read the interview with Shiki. Note: the below interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How did you first discover your passion for art? I know you got your first Wacom tablet from your brother; and you’ve shared comics about other siblings’ creativity. Did you feel like you had opportunities to nurture your creative passion as a young person?
I first discovered my passion for art when my mom bought me magazines of Winnie The Pooh at a young age. I found myself replicating the illustrations in my notebook. Then I became a huge fan of Witch Magazine, and later manga and anime. After drawing from a lot of those references, I slowly started scribbling my own drawings and developing my style.
Early on, you enjoyed art – but studied engineering in college. Why? What do you think about art school and the difficult choice a lot of young creatives have between doing something “safer” like pursuing a standard college degree, compared to going to art school or self-teaching?
I’ve always been passionate about art since a very young age. But I was also a good student with high grades. With a lot of influence that art in Tunisia won’t get me anywhere, I simply followed my grades towards a “safer” direction which was engineering.
I think this difficult choice between the “safer” path and one’s passion is something a lot of creative people face. Some of my friends who are great artists opted for other careers like med school. I didn’t, but I don’t consider any choice to be the “wrong” one. We all think and function differently, and everyone has their own circumstances. Whichever path you end up choosing, quoting my favorite anime Cowboy Bebop, “You’re gonna carry that weight.”
How did you end up pursuing art after graduation, and what kept you going through the first couple years of struggling to make art your career? What advice do you have for a young artist who’s struggling to make a creative career work?
During my last year in college, I started a Tunisian webcomics series which found a lot of success. I felt motivated to give making comics and animations a try. So after graduating, I convinced my family to let me take some time off and try to make a living from my art.
Two years passed with no income! I felt so discouraged, and struggled a lot with my mental health during that time. What kept me going was the love I was getting from my readers and viewers. They’re really kind to me, and some of them still stuck around until this day. The final push that got me out of my dark place was my brother helping me get a job as a designer. I could then balance having an income in a creative field, and making my comics on the side.
I can’t promise that this “big magic” is a fixed point in time for every artist out there. I worked so hard to make it happen, but I was also so lucky. What I can say is that if you follow your heart and passion, it won’t be an easy journey. But once you make it, every sweat and tear will feel worth it.
Why do you make comics in particular? Did you experiment with other art forms early on, or did you always love comics?
My earliest drawings were based on Winnie the Pooh comics; they were my first influence. Then I started making caricatures about my family, and later friends. I love making caricatures! At some point I also experimented with manga style for a while.
You’ve recently had a chance to try out the new Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14. What do you think about it so far? How might it change or affect your creative workflow?
I love the drawing feeling on the MovinkPad Pro 14. It’s smooth and light. And I love the vivid saturated colors on the OLED screen. I’ve already created some comics with the tablet using Clip Studio Paint. I used to draw with the software on my PC, and it feels good coming back to it. I’m certain I will keep making more art using it!
Your style is very loose, dynamic, fun, colorful, and expressive, while still being extremely clean. How did you develop your art style?
I think the references I used while replicating art at a younger age helped me develop my own style. There’s no shame in referencing other artists, and the more I drew the more my personal style kept developing until I finally could call it “Shiki Style.”
You’ve been very open and vulnerable about mental health and other difficult topics in your comics – and some of those have had some of the widest reach online. What inspires you to be so forthcoming and honest in your work, and why do you think it has resonated with people so strongly?
The first comic I did about my mental health goes back to 10 years ago. It was about my fight against fear and The Monster, with a twist at the end. I remember readers loving it and connecting to it.
Then I went back to the light silly comics, until about a year ago when I published a comic about my late dad on reddit. I never expected it to have such an impact on people, and the kind reception encouraged me to work on more personal comics. Artbymoga also inspired me a lot with her raw comics about mental health.
When I make a comic about my mental health, I do it partly to help myself, like journaling. I just put my feelings and thoughts into canvas. I’m always anxious to share such personal matters on the internet. Then I read the kind comments about how the comic resonates with someone or helps them through their struggles, and it fills me with gratitude.
Speaking of mental health, you changed the name of your comics from “Shiki’s Stupid Comics” to “Shiki’s Cozy Comics.” Why?
I had the name of “Shiki’s Stupid Comics” for over 10 years. I named it that because I always thought my comics were stupid, and in a way, worthless. When I started posting my personal comics, though, I saw how they impacted people. And a lot of my readers wrote that the comics weren’t stupid at all!
Slowly, I started perceiving my art through a different, kinder lens. One day, I decided not to devalue my work anymore, so I changed the name to “Shiki’s Cozy Comics” and published a comic announcing the transition. My readers were so supportive and wholesome, as always!
Do you have anything coming up on the horizon that fans of your work should look out for?
I don’t have anything planned, but it’s my dream to make a comic book and publish it one day. Who knows…
About the artist
Cozy_Shiki of Shiki’s Cozy Comics is a Tunisian comic artist and animator based in Germany. She’s known for her bright, dynamic, and often silly journal comics, which cover her life in Germany, her family history, and honest explorations of mental health.
