Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Caitlin Rose Boyle, and I am a cartoonist & storyboard artist currently based in Vancouver, BC. I write & draw comics like FRANKIE & the BEASTLY BOG SONG and JONESY, and I work in animation on shows like Disney's AMPHIBIA and Nickelodeon's RUGRATS reboot. I also co-created and co-directed a Nickelodeon short called THE NIGHT CREW in 2014. My work is very cartoony and fluid, and primarily digital.
What do you use to get the job done?
When I'm drawing comics or working on an illustration, I draw on a 12" iPad Pro from 2018 - I like that it's portable, and does a decent job of replicating the feeling of drawing in a sketchbook. I added a Paperlike screen protector for a little bit of that toothy paper feeling, but I just use the standard Apple Pencil nib. For storyboarding, I work on a 2020 MacBook Pro hooked up to a large (21.5 inch) Wacom Cintiq on an Ergotron ergonomic arm, with a small Logitech Pebble Bluetooth mouse. I also use a full mechanical keyboard for shortcuts; I tried to switch to a small hotkey keyboard at one point, but I never did get the hang of it.
For comics and my personal work, I draw in Procreate. There's a little bit of a shortcut learning curve, but once you get it down it's very comfy to work in. If I need to format something for print, then I'll usually import it into the desktop version of Clip Studio Paint - I moved away from Adobe a few years ago and never looked back! When I'm working on storyboards, I use Toon Boom's Storyboard Pro, which is the current industry standard.
What would be your dream setup?
Honestly I'm pretty happy with my setup! My one biggest gripe is how fast the iPad loses its battery charge - I feel like half the time I'm just getting into the groove of a drawing or a comic page when the 10% battery alert pops up. I can technically work plugged in, but the iPad gets really hot & it kinda defeats the purpose of working on a portable surface... in my wildest dreams, I have a drawing tablet with full Procreate functionality that lasts a full workday before I have to plug it in again.