The Cavy Comic series, created and published by KJ, also writing under the pen name Karine Jans, is a collection of humorous stories following the adventures of feisty guinea pigs. Belgium born KJ speaks Dutch although the comics appear in English.

The series began in 2004 when members of an online cavy forum and fans of her artwork asked KJ to draw guinea pig comics. They began as simple fun but were an instant hit and fans begged for more. She quickly needed a name and settled on “Cavy Comic.” KJ made a quick and dirty set of drawings, scanned them in and made more comics. Future story ideas were kept logged in a document while in production.

As the Cavy Comic fan base grew, KJ continued to produce more stories. In 2010, six years after penning the first comic, her comedic tales began to appear for sale on Amazon. The comics are available in paperback and e-books for use on Kindle, iPads, tablets and desktop computers. The seventh book in the series, Cavy Comic VII was published in May of 2011 but KJ has ideas prepared through 19.

The fans of Cavy Comic are an important part of KJ development process. She posts drafts and ideas online weekly in her Facebook group. These draft versions are not print ready but intended for discussion and development. After decisions are made, KJ moves to a final phase where drawings are hand made, scanned at a higher resolution and refined with more detail, better colors, and improved language.

KJ’s guinea pigs and their comical antics inspire her throughout the series. She credits them for being such wonderful creatures who enrich her life. Guinea pigs staying with KJ as guests in her home make guest appearances from time to time.

Main Cast of Characters

Image courtesy of Karine Jans Floopy - too smart, gentle, very friendly. Floopy loves figuring things out and adoring KJ’s husband.	Image courtesy of Karine Jans Kooky - Bossy, grumpy, active, sweet. Kooky enjoys are poos, food and being KJ’s best friend.	Image courtesy of Karine Jans Bibi - very kind pig, docile. Bibi enjoys loving KJ’s husband and remains a baby to express her sweetness.

KJ and her husband, named Pappi in the stories, also appear in the comics alongside their famous guinea pigs. The cavies are well loved in their home and KJ’s husband says he adores all the comics he has appeared in over the years.

Sketches and development
At the beginning of each new comic’s development, KJ returns to her idea document. Notes on conversations and actions are transformed into full text. Appropriate drawings are selected from her collection of draft sketches and combined with text. She enjoys adding basic guinea pig care into her stories. Her creative cages and toys have generated much praise from the guinea pig community and she loves finding new items to keep her pets busy, active, and healthy.

Finalizing and publication
Once the story is developed, KJ gathers her story elements and copies them into empty comic frames on the computer. The characters are carefully posed in each frame, one at a time, to prevent repetition. Objects are added and new drawings are created as needed. Text is added digitally in a clear font and size. The entire page’s composition is taken into account as elements are tweaked in a final state. Finally, a drawing is made to serve as a book cover and the book is ready for publication.

KJ’s husband assists her as the final editor of her work because she is dyslexic. Her Dyslexia also inspired her to chose a limited background throughout her comic series. Keeping her drawings simple promotes readability. KJ also deals with symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and can only work when she is well enough to do so. Working well ahead of her publishing date helps her to keep on track and also maintain her health.

KJ’s full color “Cavy Comic” stories are available on Amazon along with “Guinea Pig Adventures” a photo book series and “How to Entertain Your Guinea Pigs.”

KJ hopes her Cavy Comic continues to make fans smile and is an inspiration for guinea pig care with each new publication.

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