I am Alina Tysoe, the creator of the webcomic What's Up Beanie? which is now also a book. Ask me anything!

Congrats on the book Beanie! I am curious to know what was your favorite part of creating this book aside from drawing itself? :D

Thank you!! Honestly every part of it was very fun in its own way, but nothing compares to the feeling of holding the physical book in your hands at the end!! Also drawing the longer exclusive stories was a very fun challenge :>

What's the age difference between you and your sisters? Always wondered this.

Loved your comics for so long!

Thank you so much!
And my sisters are 16 and 14 years older than me :)

What is your favorite type of dog breed and why?

ALL DOGS ARE GOOD DOGS :D cause they are

When I was a child I had a Boston Terrier named Beanie! She was wonderful

Aww! Good name :D

Congratulations Beanie! Any advice for keeping yourself motivated through big projects? I find myself losing steam in the middle of long term projects, and I am trying to get better at time management and motivation. :)

Aww I completely understand!! I've had a really hard time with this too. I think starting with smaller projects to prove to yourself that you can finish something can be good to do! And for longer projects - breaking it up into manageable chunks that you can celebrate finishing!

I bought my girlfriend your book for her birthday a few days ago, as she put me onto your comics really early on in our relationship! My question: have you got the dog yet?

Aww that's so nice!!! ToT
And not yet :' ) but i am hoping -this year!!!

do you have any future projects you want to create?

Yesss! I have LOTS of ideas for fantasy graphic novel stories, and some picture books! I'm busy working on something right now in fact, hehehe

Graphicnovelgraphicnovelgraphicnovel!

:> HEHE

Hi Beanie, love your comics - they are so wholesome and cute! I have a few questions:

• Do you only speak Russian when you're with your parents & sisters?
• Is Mike from New Zealand?
• Why did you decide to leave Canada and move back to New Zealand? Was it mostly to get closer to your family or were there other reasons as well?
• If you weren't an artist, what career would you have picked instead?
• Do you play any sports?
• Will you ever reveal what you look like?

Sorry that it's so many questions! Keep being awesome, your comics make so many people happy ♥️ And I hope you can finally adopt a dog soon!

Hi hi! Thank you!!
- Yes I speak Russian with my family mostly :> unless one of us forgets a word and then we say it in english haha.
- He is!
- Yep mostly family reasons!
- I think I would probably be a writer or work with animals!
- I do not :' D. I am very unsporty!
- And maybeeeeeee XD, don't have plans for face reveals yet but maybe in the future!
You're very kind, thank you so much!!

What is your favorite game to play? Minecraft? PHASMOPHOBIA?

OOOOO that's such a hard question ToT! I think top three single-player games: Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, Witcher 3! Multiplayer - Raft, Minecraft, Stardew Valley!

Whats a merch item that you wanna make?

I would LOVE to make a plush aaa

What is your fav anime ?

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood!

Also which story based on a real event in your life did you have the most fun illustrating? 🙂

OHH that's so hard. I think a lot of the comics involving my siblings are always very fun to draw. I had a lot of fun to draw the comic that I posted today!

Hi, Is your family originally from Russia or New Zealand?

Russia :)

Are you familiar with Kate Beaton's work at all? Your style is a little reminiscent of hers.

Yes! I am a HUGE fan :D

Beanie :D, what's your most favorite doggo story?

Ooooo. I feel like I make most of them into comics as soon as I remember them!
My current favourite one is about Ellie: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzjRYoMWRN/

When you moved from Russia to NZ, how hard was it to learn English?

Quite hard!! It was a bit stressful to navigate high school with almost no english but I got better the more I practiced!

What is your favorite dessert?

ohhh can't pick just one! jellytip ice cream! tiramisu! blueberries! pie! blueberry pie!

What was your favorite part in writing the book?

Drawing the new longer exclusive stories! It was very fun to draw comics that were made specifically for the book format!

What was your favorite animation to create and why?

This one: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatsupbeanie/video/6939914037761182981?is\_copy\_url=1&is\_from\_webapp=v1

How long have you been drawing comics for, and what made you take off so suddenly? It felt like I had never seen your work before and then boom, suddenly it was everywhere! (Congrats on the book btw!)

(thank you!!) I've been drawing Beanie comics specifically since early 2019, and comics in general for much longer :> . And I have NO idea! I have definitely been blown away by the response to the comics and so grateful for everyone who reads them!

When you do the blanket burrito, do you put the blanket over yourself and sit on the edges or do you sit down on the blanket and pull the edges over you? (me and my sister always argue what is the right way to do it :D)

OHHH both are very good methods! I tend to stand and wrap it around me and then sit on it XD

Favourite video games?

Breath of the wild! Skyrim! Witcher 3! Stardew Valley!

Hi Ali!

Love your comics!!

How do you decide the topic of your comics? Do you have it planned in advance or you just decide according to what has happened that week!

Thanks!

Thank you!!
Yes I have a list of ideas on Trello that I add to every other day - it helps with keeping myself less stressed out to have a bunch of ideas ahead of time :).
I tend to write down funny things that happen, random memories that I remember. Sometimes I brainstorm random topics to try and make myself remember things that happened when I was a kid.

What's your favourite holiday to celebrate?

I love Halloween :D!

I'm a longtime fan and pre-ordered your book the moment you made it available. I was excited to read it, but my 7 year old got to it first and she has blown through it many times. Fun fact: her name is Lena and we've always called her Lena Bean so she feels a very special kinship with you. :)

My question is: What artistic media from growing up do you feel had the most influence on your current style, both professionally and in your comics?

Also thank you SO much for pre-ordering the book <3 it really means a lot!!

That is so incredibly sweet and I feel so honored to share a nickname with Lena!!! I'm so so happy she enjoyed the book.
Ohh that's a very good question. I definitely read a lot of picture books and watched a LOT of animation. Sailor Moon, Ghibli films, Disney films etc. Also a lot of Soviet-time animation (if you look up Cheburashka for example). I think a big conscious inspiration is the loving attention Ghibli films often pays to small happy and beautiful moments from everyday life. I'm not sure I'm 100% successful at doing the same, but it's something I try to put into my work whenever possible.

What animated movie were you obsessed with as a child? And maybe adult ? :D

I LOVED Howl's Moving Castle! and still do. I watch it at least once a year.

Any advice for aspiring comic artists?

Don't let imposter syndrome getting in the way of making comics!! If you feel like your comics are not good enough when you start out - remember that the more of them you make, the better they will get with every comic!

What are your favorite facial expressions to draw? And are there any facial expressions you find difficult?

OOOO I love drawing facial expressions in general. I think anything to do with intense emotions. Maybe my favourite one to draw is ANGRY INTENSE EXCITED - happy face with angry eyebrows and intense eyes XD. I find crying can be a bit difficult to draw without looking weird.

What's your favourite kind of soup?

potato leek soup! pumpkin soup!

How many pages does your book have?

224 pages :D!

How many languages do you speak and or read/write?

Russian and English!

Cheese burger or cheese pizza? ╏ ” ⊚ ͟ʖ ⊚ ” ╏ (Sorry, i got no interesting questions to ask) (-_-;)・・・ Are puppies interesting?

V●ᴥ●V. ▼・ᴥ・▼. (◠ᴥ◕ʋ). ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗

Cheese burger! Pizza is good too though :0
Puppies are very interesting haha

How did you come up with Beanie (character styling-wise) and decide that 'yep this is how i want to do more of these from now on"?

I did a LOT of style experiments and tried picking something that would be easy enough but also very fun to draw. I think as time went on, the style got more complicated again XD even though I tried keeping it simple haha. But yes the main decision point on the style was definitely it being fun and enjoyable to draw!

Where does the nickname Beanie come from?

Someone called me alina-bean, and it stuck!

Hello Beanie,

What do you use to make your animations?

Toon Boom Harmony :D!

What is the most surprising thing about becoming a webcomic artist and now author that you didn't think of before? CONGRATS on the book! :)

Thank you!! Hmm a couple of surprising things! I think the surprising things about both is that they are more work than I expected - in a good way! I think it's always deceiving how much work goes behind the webcomics and books that we read :D. It's a fulltime job hehe.
And the other thing is the response of the readers and how fun it would be to chat to everyone in the comments about the stories that I post! I LOVE reading everyone's own stories about their lives that they share with me, and I definitely didn't expect it to happen!

What’s your favorite animated show right now??

OOOO Centaurworld!

Of nobody else is going to ask, I will. What's up Beanie?

The ceiling!! haha
But in all seriousness, not much! Having a good morning :> eating cereal and replying to this AMA

Hi Beanie!! I love your comics so much, they bring me endless joy<3 Now I gotta ask, whats something, besides drawing, that you enjoy a lot?

Aw thank you so much!!! Other things that I really love doing is reading fantasy books and playing video games hehe! Also playing with dogs ToT!

What inspired you to make the comics?

I love slice-of-life autobio comics and also writing down silly things that happen to me, so it was a natural next step to try making some autobio comics myself :D

Will you get a puppy now that you've moved ?

YES! I am really looking forward to adopting a dog as soon as I'm able to!! We currently live in a place that doesn't allow pets :< but I'm hoping this year we will move again to a place that lets me get a pup pup

Not the most original question, but what is up, Beanie?

THE CEILING :D

What first got you into drawing?

I was VERY little when I started drawing so I don't remember too well XD, but I always felt the need to tell a story so probably something to do with that

What is your favorite type of pizza?

margherita pizza!!

As someone who is trying to find their footing in webcomics, how long did it take you to gain a big enough following on Webtoons to earn you ad revenue? Or did you already have a following that followed you to Webtoons?

I post my comic weekly and market it on social media... What else can you recommend to someone like me who has a small following for my comic and trying to build it?

Thanks!

ARGH I totally replied to this and I guess it didn't send nooo. Let's go again.
I do think that a bunch of people followed me onto Webtoon from instagram so that helped, but it still took a bit of time to reach the threshold of ad revenue. I feel like growing on any sort of social media/webcomic websites is a BIT of a mystery, and I definitely got very lucky. All i can say is to focus on making the content you love and people will be drawn to it because they'll be able to see the joy through your work. Posting on a regular schedule (which you do already clearly), marketing on social media, and engaging with the comic/comic reader community on social media websites can help a lot. I wouldn't be where I am now without the support of my webcomic peers. It's unfortunately very hard to guarantee any sort of following growth but I wish you all the best!!!

I love your account!! How are things with Ellie the Potato?

Things are good!! She's living her best life :D

How many dogs would you adopt if you could?

A billion XD. Naw probably like 3 realistically, so that i can spend a good amount of time with each one

Hi Alina! I really love your drawings! I like to draw but I am just getting started, can you share your process and how you make your drawings? Do you use Adobe illustrator or photoshop?

Thank you! :-)

Thanks so much!! I mainly use photoshop or if I’m drawing on the iPad - I use a program called Procreate (and an iPad pencil). I draw every digitally but sometimes do a sketch on paper first :)

Hey, I follow you on Twitter! Congrats on the big move! Any tips for aspiring visitors to New Zealand? My wife and I have always wanted to go!

Thank you! Ohh good question. I feel like I'm bad at giving travelling advice XD. But I will say it is a beautiful country and definitely travel around to see all sorts of cities and don't just stick to Wellington/Auckland - there's so much beautiful nature to see here!

Have you had breakfast yet, Beanie?

No :' D SOON

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF SOUP?!

potato leek soup! pumpkin soup!

1. What other tablets do you use besides your iPad? if any, would you recommend the brand Huion?
2. I want to start out doing digital art but I have a huge imposter syndrome calling myself an artist!!! Also how do you overcome impostor syndrome?

I haven't tried Huion but I've heard it's good! I use Wacom Cintiq :D

Oops, replied too quick - ughh imposter syndrome is so tough. Definitely be kind to yourself and focus on doing what you love <3. I say if you draw- you are an artist!!! You can definitely call yourself an artist!

How old are you now ? I'm curious on the timeline in your comics from childhood to now.

29!

What was the moment of your life that made you feel demotivated the most? And how did you get out of it?

Ohh very good question. I think I've had a few moments like that, like when a project of mine got rejected or when I felt like I didn't have a direction in my creative life. I think it just took time to get over it emotionally and then slowly work up my confidence to continue working on something!

What's your favorite Ghibli Movie?

Howl's Moving Castle!

Hi Beanie! I’m a huge fan, and my two little kids are particularly fond of your animated comics on Instagram as well~ As someone who enjoys drawing webcomics, I’ve found my art style and character designs to change ever so slightly over the years. I want to eventually create a book compilation and wondered, did you find yourself redrawing old comics to have the overall aesthetic consistent throughout your book? Or did you keep the old comics as is, even if the art style or format was different back then compared to now?

Love your work so much!!!

Hi hi! Thank you so much!! Im always so happy to hear it when kids enjoy my work too :'), that is SO sweet.
Yes I definitely relate to the art style changing a lot over the years. If you scroll back to the beginning of my instagram account you can see how different the style looked XD. I definitely ended up redrawing a few of them for the book as they just looked odd next to the newer work. Best of luck for making your compilation book!!

How do you like NZ so far?

It's pretty great :)

What’s your favorite way to take a break from creating?

Playing video games :D

How did you come by the name Beanie?

The book is amazing btw!

Ahh thank you!! And Beanie came from a nickname, where someone called me "alina-bean" then it transformed into Beanie and stuck XD

:O surprised to see you here.

my question is, what is your best memory of your doggos?

O hai! :)
Any memories of snuggling with them are my favourite. Like sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket with Amanda, or sitting in the sun with Dolly, or Bonnie leaning on my leg for cuddles. I love and miss them all so much

I love your comics and every time I see the new one come out I play a game where I try to guess which expression is your favourite to draw before you post that on your story. I'm on the money like 75% of the time.

My question is do you have an all time favourite expression you drew? Or is it like picking between your children and you couldn't pick just one favourite?

AW THANK YOU!! haha i'm always so excited when people enjoy guessing that! haha
I definitely struggle to pick a favourite expression XD. but I definitely love drawing intense faces!

Thats so funny! I just read today's comic with the baby eating a sugar orb.

Whats your favorite traditional medium? You seem like a watercolors person.

& What advice do you have for artists going through artblock? I've been in once since Jan and I havent created any new or inspiring pieces, which has left me pretty defeated.

Love your comics :)

Haha I hope you enjoyed it!!! It was a very fun one to draw :D
And you're totally right - I LOVE watercolours and also ink!
I'm so sorry to hear about your artblock. I actually have them very often myself, so I really relate to the feeling of defeat. I have two responses to that - one is to figure out whether it's artblock or actually burnout, because they feel very similar. You may potentially just need a break and to be kind to yourself. Remove the pressure of having to make something and return to art when you're feeling better. Watch/look at things that inspire you in the meantime. If it IS artblock - I find doing drawing studies and random drawing games (like drawing prompts) can be very helpful in slowly getting unstuck from it!
Hope your artblock goes away soon, and thank you so much!

I love your comics! I think one of my favorites is the one where you are playing King’s Quest (or some other point-and-click adventure game) with your sisters.

Would you ever be interested in making an adventure game like that?

And

What are your favorite dating sims/visual novels?

OH YES omg, I would love to make an adventure game one day!
And I haven't played any dating sims/visual novels actually :0, feel free to recommend some!!

How are your comics always so funny and awesome??

Aww shucks >w<!

Whats your favorite soup?

potato leek soup! pumpkin soup!

Я так и знал что ты русская, с имени триггернулся сходу))) У тебя милейшие комиксы, очень нравятся <3 1) Как правильно читать твою фамилию по русски? 2) Напомни где заказать твою книжку, а то я провтыкал))) 3) Будет ли когда-нибудь face reveal?) Интересно же посмотреть на тебя)) 4) В комиксе который только что вышел в инсте, ребенок хотел съесть шарик для стирки? Я так и не понял что там изображено

Спасибо большое!! 1) Тайсо! 2) ее можно купить в моем магазине https://store.dftba.com/collections/whats-up-beanie 3) вполне возможно хаха! Пока планов на это нет но думающую будущем )) 4) это был липкий сахар из сахарницы в кафе хаха! Спасибо большое за вопросы ))

Довольно необычная фамилия для русской девушки, хотя ты похоже уже давно американизировалась ☺️ У меня просто до твоего ответа в голове уже на автомате читалось это смешное "Тысое" 😂 Но теперь буду знать) А если не секрет, от кого тебе досталась фамилия и в каком возрасте ты переехала из России?) Это пожалуй последние два вопроса, не буду забирать тебя всю у других реддиторов)) В обозримом будущем закажу книжку, надеюсь они не закончатся к тому моменту 🤭

Хаха Тысое)))) ну да это потому что фамилия не русская! Я взяла фамилию мужа.
Уехала из России примерно в 13 лет ))

Hi Beanie I love your work, it’s so wholesome and inspiring!

Would you ever consider getting into teaching or giving talks/classes on comic-creation sometime? :)

Thank you so much!! Ohh I haven’t thought about that before. Perhaps if there’s interest - I might do something like that!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go to?

Oooo! Japan or Italy! Or maybe the US to visit some cool webcomic friends :>

What's your favorite kind of soup?

potato leek soup! pumpkin soup!

Were you hoping another project would be successful before you did so well with What's Up Beanie or was that your sole project for a while?

I’ve started up a bunch of webcomics in the past and they didn’t go anywhere and I gave up haha. I also made a lot of picture book and graphic novel ideas that didn’t work out!

Hi, Alina. I hope all's okay. Congrats on the book ! I stumbled upon your comics fairly recently and I've been finding that they're a great escape when the world gets too crazy. I love your artwork, especially the one picture of you as Baby Beanie just sitting outside looking at the fireflies. Is nature such as that an inspiration at all for your comics? Just curious because, again, the one of the fireflies looked like it had a lot of heart put into it. Also, do you have favorite films and musicians?

Hello! I am well! Thank you so much for your kind words! :)
Yes you're totally right, nature is a huge inspiration to me in that way - nature always put me in a sense of wonder as a child, especially things like fireflies. I am glad it came accross that way!
Ohhh that's always a hard question! Let me see what my current favourites are hmm.. Favourite films: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Howl's Moving Castle, Boy, The Mummy 1&2 (with Brendan Fraser)
Favourite musicians: my music taste is VERY eclectic. Currently I'm listening to a lot of Ghost, Glitch Mob, The Birthday Massacre, Panic! At the Disco and Lorde :)

What inspired to animate your young version of yourself and your present version of yourself in the same comic? Very unconventional!

I think someone asked me “what would you say to the young version of yourself you you could” in a Q&A once, and I drew it! Then I liked the dynamic between the two of.. me XD. So I kept doing that!

Is What’sUpBeanie a metaphor for the seven deadly sins? Haha jk my real question is more like do you have a favorite fan theory about your comic? And can you confirm or deny? XD

LOL! I actually don't know of any fan theories about the comic??? Are they out there???

Sorry, I meant to post that separately! Haha random. But I don’t know. I assumed all webcomics had a mysterious fan theory-ish element to them. Certainly we don’t know everything about Beanie yet do we?

Haha that's true! I hope there ARE some fan theories, I would love to read some haha

Do you really have a swizzle of hair that sticks out in real life?

Theres a bunch of single hairs that stick in stubborn little curls all over my head tbh XD

Hey Beanie, been following the instagram for a year now. I draw and love it, but i feel like ive barely lifted my pencil this past year. I get the occasional idea but can never bring myself to do it any advice?

P.S. your other account, with the other art deserves way more praise

Aw thank you so much!! That’s so kind! It sounds like either you have art block or you’re burnt out! Figure out which one it is - because perhaps you just need a break and to put less pressure on yourself about being productive! If it is art block - doing art studies and art games/challenges/art prompts helps me a lot to loosen up and get back into drawing if I’m not feeling up for it :). Hope that helps!

Repping from tumblr!!!

What's your LEAST favorite part of the digital art process?

Woo hello tumblr crew!! Hehe Ohhh.. hmm. I hate it when staring at the screen starts to hurt my eyes XD

Hello Beanie, I always see your posts, I hope I'm not too late. What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Hello! Ohhh good question. I think I have a few that stuck out to me:
- remember that not everyone will like the art that you make, and that's okay because people have different tastes
- break up big goals into small manageable goals so that you can get a sense of accomplishment from progressing through them
- tell people that you care about that you love them more often, tell people whose work you like that you like their work, tell people that you appreciate that you appreciate them more often - because people often don't hear those things often enough :)

Hi, Alina! I love your comics and your style! <3

For a while I have been wanting to make illustrations and comics as well, and post them online, but I've had trouble orginizing my schedule and fitting it in with my job. Any advice for time management? How do you do it?

Also, for an aspiring artist, which platforms/websites/social media would you say are the best to showcase their work? I've been thinking on Instagram, because that's where I find the comics of the artists I follow, and I really don't know if there are any other important sites where I should be.

Finally, what is your favorite movie snack?

Hello! Thank you so much :)! Ohh yes it can definitely be tough to manage a job at the same time as doing art on the side. While I still had my full time job - I basically could only work on the comic on the weekend, and sometimes I overworked to get it all done which wasn’t very healthy.. haha. But as long as you know your limits and you have a little bit of free time here and there - I think it’s definitely possible to do comics/art on the side. As long as you don’t push yourself too hard. I’ve managed to switch to freelance work since then so I am more flexible with the time spent on my art now.

I post on a lot of websites! Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and even Reddit here is good too! For comics specifically I also recommend Webtoons and tapas

When you speak English, what kind of accent do you have? Is it Russian, kiwi, or maybe Canadian? As someone from the UK who emigrated to the US I'm interested because some people lose their home accent quite quickly and others do not.

I think my accent is an odd combination of everything XD. No matter where I am, whenever I speak English people ask me where I'm from haha. I think I have a definite hint of a Russian accent, a relatively strong kiwi accent but now there's a bit of a Canadian thing to the way I speak too. Very confusing. You can hear me speak at a livestream I did here - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CSU9TTCJkQ7/ and see for yourself haha!

What is your favorite genre of webcomics to read outside of your own?

I love fantasy webcomics!! action adventure :D

I love your work so much! Favorite Pokémon if you have one?

Thank you!!! I am very basic and love Pikachu XD. My favourite Pokemon since I was a kid!

I just wanted to say, congratulations on the book. Your comics never fail to bring a smile on my face at the end a long day. ❤️What would you say is the hardest part of drawing comics? Also, what's your favourite animal (after dogs) ?

Thank you SO much :' ) <3 <3 <3.
I think the hardest part of drawing the Beanie comic is moments when I feel like the idea for a new comic sucks or I'm not happy with my art. And my favourite animal after dogs.. hmmm... I think it might be cats! Or red pandas!

What's your favorite emotion to draw?

Any sort of intense emotion. Intense excitement (with the lil angry eyebrows) is a good one!

I'm not familiar with your work but I'm always impressed when someone can commit to this kind of endeavor and see it through. I commend you for it.

I love drawing, I've got tons of saved sequential pieces in various states of completion. And growing up it was always a dream of mine to do a comic. But the way the landscape is these days, I just hate social media. Reddit is literally the only one I use, and increasingly sparingly at that.

Did you amass your following through Instagram initially? Primarily? Any organic growth that you've noticed didn't come through social media advertising and outreach?

Thank you so much for the kind words! I completely understand, social media can definitely be a lot - I have to carefully manage the time I spend there, to make sure that I don't burn out!
I started out on Instagram and never paid for any ads or outreach anywhere, so I feel like i can say the growth was organic. I just started posting comics there for fun and was very surprised by the response! So I will say at least there's definitely hope for organic growth, but like most of my webcomic peers I also often find the algorithms/the way social media works quite frustrating. That said, I do think that it's very cool that it's still possible to start from nothing on the internet and the fact that likeminded people that enjoy your work can find you with relative ease. I'm not sure that's very helpful sorry, haha ... But thank you for your question! Best of luck with your art and comics! :)

Favorite tea flavor?

Oooo peach!

Is there an animal you have a difficult time drawing?

Horses :'D