Amusing Comics About The Romance Between A Girl And A Vampire, By Julia Loopstra

Not all vampires sparkle in the sunlight, but they can sure act like they’re warmblooded. That’s what the talented artist Julia Loopstra wants to show the world with her amusing cartoon ‘Vampire Boyfriend.’ The cartoon, drawn in a very unique and pleasant style, details the relationship between Peg and her boyfriend Neculai who is a vampire (the hint is in his name).

Bored Panda reached out to Julia to talk to her about her work, her inspiration, as well as her hopes and dreams. So scroll down for the interview to learn more about the artist, enjoy her drawings and upvotes your favorites! Let us know what you think of Julia’s illustrations in the comments, and remember to share this post with your vampire-loving friends.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from classic children’s book illustrations like the work of Edward Gorey and Quentin Blake,” 25-year-old Julia from California talked to Bored Panda about what motivates and inspires her to draw. “Artists who are able to balance childlike sweetness with human oddity are my favorite, so in my own work I enjoy combining colorful watercolor with my own sarcastic and somewhat dark sense of humor.”

“When I was still in grade school I didn’t really consider being an artist despite the fact that I was constantly working on various self-driven artistic projects, like drawing detailed treasure maps, sewing clothes for my toys, or building miniature fairy houses out of sticks and pine needles.”

“I used to draw little comic strips and have doodle wars with friends but I didn’t really consider art seriously until I was approached by one of my high school teachers who encouraged me to look into art school,” Julia revealed her winding path towards artistic mastery.

“In my experience, it’s important for an artist to make work that speaks to them rather than trying to fit into a specific artistic box,” she gave advice to other artists. “When we’re starting out and still trying to find our artistic voices, it’s tempting to think: “How would a more successful artist approach this?” But I’ve always found that I make my best work when I consider: “How would I approach this?”

I really appreciate how well this conveys what works about their relationship: Neculai is jaded and miserable, but Peg brings joy and light back into his life <3.

“In terms of making comics, the things I usually think will be popular are the ones that flop. When I made Vampire Boyfriend, it was a short series meant to make me and my buddy laugh, but I got such an overwhelmingly positive response from people that I’ve just kept making them and it’s turned into much more than I ever imagined.”

I feel like that in the second square, it’s the classic villain scene of “well, well, well...what do we have here?”

The high-energy artist exclaimed that she’s always working on various projects and is incredibly busy. “I make weekly comics like Vampire Boyfriend, but I’m also painting, embroidering, and writing. I’d eventually like to work in children’s literature, as that’s where my love of drawing began.”

“In my spare time I love swing dancing, podcasts, and collecting teeny tiny odd knick-knacks,” she added.