CASSANDRA CALIN is a cartoonist and humorist best known for her semi-autobiographical webcomic series, Cassandra Comics, in which she talks about her life with curly hair, high expectations, and other daily problems. Originally from Romania, Cassandra immigrated to Canada when she was a child and later earned her BA in graphic design from L’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). The New Girl is her long-form graphic novel debut.

I had the opportunity to interview Cassandra, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me! My name is Cassandra. I’m a cartoonist, illustrator and author. I’m best known for my webcomic series Cassandra Comics, where I talk about daily life, relationships, curly hair struggles and high expectations. I’m originally from Romania, but I moved to Montreal, Canada, when I was a kid and I got my B.A. in Graphic Design from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM).

What can you tell us about your graphic novel, The New Girl? What was the inspiration behind this project?

The New Girl was inspired by my immigration experience and my adolescence. It’s a middle- grade story about new beginnings, friendships, first periods… The main protagonist, Lia, is leaving her home, Romania, to move to Montreal with her parents and her little brother. With that comes many changes: living in a new home, going to a new school, learning a new language, making new friends… And on top of that, Lia also gets her first period and has to figure out how to deal with painful cramps and discomfort.

The New Girl is said to be inspired by your own memories immigrating as a young person from Romania. What does it mean for you as an author to write this type of experience into your work?

My immigration story is an important part of my life and my identity. It’s very personal, and I believe that writing about such experiences can have a positive impact, especially on readers who have been through something similar. A big change like this can be scary and uncomfortable at first, but ultimately, it will also lead to new opportunities and personal growth. My immigration experience shaped who I am as a person, and I cherish that I got to relive those memories so vividly as I wrote The New Girl.

As a creator, what drew you to the art of storytelling, particularly the comics medium?

I’ve always enjoyed telling stories through visuals. Ever since I was a kid, I loved reading graphic novels and creating my own comics in my sketchbooks. I like the aspect of letting the art speak for itself and not relying solely on the text, especially when conveying emotions or a certain mood. A lot of my Cassandra Comics episodes don’t have text: just four panels, with a
visual punchline at the end. And I noticed that those comics often get a very positive response because they’re so accessible and universally understood.

Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?

Growing up, I’ve always loved stories with strong girls and/or women protagonists. I was a big fan of the graphic novel series W.i.t.c.h., created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa. The story was about a friend group of five girls who have magical powers. They have to protect the universe, but they’re also just regular teenagers dealing with school,
responsibilities, family, crushes… It’s a fun read, with lots of adventures and lovable characters. In The New Girl, the graphic novel series that Lia reads, Spell, references this series, to emphasize just how important it is to me. It is thanks to W.i.t.c.h. that I became passionate about graphic novels, dreaming of writing one myself someday.

How would you describe your general creative process?

I always have my notes app ready, to write down any ideas that come to mind. After that, I’d usually draw thumbnail sketches but, for The New Girl, I had to write a script first. Before I started writing, I had a monthly schedule in front of me and I’ve colour coded the important days (such as the first day of school, Lia’s birthday, the day she gets her period each month, etc.). I
wanted to make sure the timeline was consistent throughout the story. After that, I began writing the script in this format: Chapter # and title, date and place of the scene and key points. I visualized each scene in my mind as I wrote it. The script itself was also colour coded, to highlight the important story progression parts (like Lia’s period management, her French
improvement, how her friendship with her classmates evolved, etc.)

After the script and the thumbnail sketches were done, I did some research and drew a few reference sketches as well, such as the girls’ fashion, the school’s architecture, the classrooms and where each student is seated, Lia’s apartment, bedroom… I even built some of the sets in Sims, just to have a more accurate 3D layout for reference. I’m very detail oriented and I had a
specific vision in mind, which made the creative process more thorough, but very fun too. And then the last steps were inking and colouring, which are both pretty straightforward. I draw everything digitally on Photoshop, using a Wacom tablet.

As a graphic novelist, who or what would you say are some of your greatest artistic and creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

It’s hard to pick a specific creative influence / inspiration, because I have so many. I’d say, in terms of artistic style, I’ve always been influenced by anime and Japanese woodblock art. I also really like Tim Burton’s style: especially how he designs his characters. Jean Jullien is one of my favourite illustrators, for his simple and punchy artwork. And, as I’ve mentioned previously, the series W.i.t.c.h. also inspired me tremendously, and it’s the reason why I got interested in comics and graphic novels.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?

I love sketching a lot, because that’s when I’m making decisions. And I especially enjoy drawing my characters showing emotion or a funny scene where I can fully exaggerate their facial features.

One of the most frustrating moments for me is when the flow is disrupted, and I feel stuck. It’s happened that I worked on a page, and I just couldn’t create exactly what I had in mind because I started overthinking. Or there were pages that took so long to draw that I felt like I would never finish them. But it’s okay, it’s part of the process.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I think people know a lot about me already because of my webcomic series Cassandra Comics. I’m fairly introverted, I enjoy being chronically cozy, I’m a plant mom, I like running sometimes… I’m not sure if there’s anything I haven’t shared already.

What advice might you have to give for other aspiring creatives/ graphic novelists?

If you’re an aspiring creative, try to stay consistent and have patience with the process. Stay true to your voice, continue creating what makes you happy, and naturally you’ll find people who genuinely connect to your work. Also, don’t be afraid to explore, get inspired by other artists and try new things. If you look at my comics from 10 years ago, you’ll notice my art style has changed quite a bit. I also have a separate Instagram account @cassandraart where I have fun trying different styles, art mediums, subjects, colours… To me, an artist’s growth comes from consistency, curiosity and creating what makes them happy, even if that means trying something new every now and then.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I don’t have any other projects at the moment! I’m mostly focusing on Cassandra Comics.

Finally, what books/comics/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

I highly recommend Tillie Walden’s graphic novels, she has a captivating way of telling stories and making the reader feel immersed in the each scene. I’m also a fan of Robin Ha’s Almost American Girl, a graphic novel memoir where she talks about her own immigration experience from South Korea to the U.S. It’s a touching story and it inspired me a lot as I wrote The New
Girl! If you’d like a fun and comical read, I recommend Kristen Gudsnuk’s Making Friends series. Her fourth book just came out and it’s wonderful – great for any age! There are so many talented graphic novelists out there, I’m always excited to discover their work.