
Rachel Smythe is a comic artist and folklorist based out of Wellington, New Zealand [4]. She is the creator of the widely-successful, international, web comic Lore Olympus; a modern-day deconstruction of the classic Greek myth, The Abduction of Persephone. Rachel Smythe has worked full time on Lore Olympus at Webtoon Entertainment Inc. since March 2018 [3]. She interacts with fans of her work by reposting their artwork and cosplay on her Instagram and Twitter, and attending comic conventions.
Artistry[]
Rachel Smythe has been producing artwork and posting it online since roughly 2004 [11]. She graduated from Whangunui School of Design (Whangunui, NZ) with a Bachelorās degree of Computer Graphics and Design (2005-2007) [3]. Interest in her projects has fluctuated since she started posting art online, and Rachel has said that there was so little interest āat the start of 2017, I could not pay people to look at my artwork.ā[11] Launched in 2018, Lore Olympus has been Rachelās most popular project to date, with over 4.8 million regular readers worldwide. She has explained that the built-in audience on Webtoons āhelped a lotā when it came to building a fan following of her work[8]. She has been grateful for her experience with Webtoons saying in 2019, āas an artist [the people at webtoons] really look out for you, and I can say they are such a great company to work with. You know, itās just been one of the best years of my life working with them this year.ā[11] While illustrating Lore Olympus, Rachel Smythe intentionally relies on colour and lighting to create atmosphere [11]. Over the years she has used many art styles, her mindset is that āestablishing a style is ongoing as long as youāre creating art.ā[15] Regarding her medium, Rachel has said āwhat really drove me to make comics in the first place is I really wanted to be a director, but like being a woman in my 30ās, based in New Zealand, who had trained to be a graphic designer was kind of unrealistic to retrain to be a director. But when youāre making a comic, it is kind of like being a director in a lot of ways; like you pick everything that goes in it, and the flow of it, and what everyoneās wearing, and decide how everything looks.ā [7]
The tools and programs that Ms. Smythe uses while creating Lore Olympus are [1]:
- Wacom Cintiq 22HD with Photoshop CC
- Ipad Pro with Clip Studio Pro
- brushes from www.kylebrush.com, including:
- Kyleās drawing box - Wet Pencil - line art
- Kyleās paintbox - Gouache a go-go - Shading (sometimes)
- Kyleās real watercolour - Medium wash texture
- FX - add Canvas - for texture (used on an overlay layer in photoshop)
- Jason Brubaker font pack from https://gumroad.com/jasonbrubaker
Creating Lore Olympus[]
Rachel Smythe started Lore Olympus in May 2017 [11]. She has said she ābasically started it out for fun.ā[11] It launched on featured on March 4th 2018. Creating Lore Olympus is her full time job. [6] In August 2019, Rachel opened up about working around 60-70 hours per week on Lore Olympus. [1] Her workdays are Monday to Saturday, with Sunday as rest day for herself. She uses the Pomodoro time management technique during workdays, and stretches during longer breaks. [6] The story beats for Lore Olympus are planned by Rachel one to two years in advance and fine-tuned with her editor. [1] Ms. Smythe says she āreckonsā Lore Olympus will total 3 seasons. [7] The art in episodes 1-30 was done completely by Ms. Smythe. Following that, some of the flats and inking have been worked on by additional artists in order to āto increase the quality of the comic and also quality of life for [Rachel].ā [7] This also serves as a support system, as Rachel has explained āIn the future when I have events and things, or life, happening to me, I know that I can have a team to help me out when I need.ā [7] When asked about the hardest scene she has drawn, Rachel has said it was chapter 24. [10] Although the scene had disturbing content, she felt called to include it in the story for a greater good.
āIt needs to be educational for people and it needs to help. Thatās the main thing, I was like I have to help people with this.ā [10]
āWho do you know that hasnāt been sexually assaulted? The number is depressingly low, right? Why is that?
There is no short answer or an easy fix. I have a platform. I can tell a story that will hopefully educate and help others feel acknowledged and vindicated.ā [9]
Talking a bit on Lore Olympus she has said:
āThis is a deconstruction.[ā¦]So itās basically looking at particular genres, and kind of twisting them a little bit. So Iāve kinda got like the monster-boyfriend genre and thereās a plotline at the moment where like Hades is much older than Persephone and, you know, itās a little like āeughā, kinda thing! This is something that we see in movies and stories a lot. Itās like youāll have the female character, and then youāll have the male character who is very old and wise, and theyāre like āI know so much more than you because Iām very very oldā Haha! So itās looking at the framing of those sorts of cultural tropes, and twisting it up a little and observing it, and kind of having a bit of a laugh with everyone. Especially with my character Persephone, sheās a very soft protagonist. I basically designed her in such a way that I wanted her to be relatable for people, especially young women, because I feel like thereās a lot of media where they have a āstrong female characterā and theyāre really good at doing backflips and stabbing people and saving everyone from totalitarian societies and things, and itās really cool and thereās definitely a place for that, and itās super important. But also I think we need representation for softer people, who their idea of having a breakthrough is just verbally learning how to stand up for themselves. Things like that. Just little relatable things.ā [11]
Early Work[]

In 2004, Rachel released an independent webcomic series called The Doctor Pepper Show, a NSFW story set in a dark neo-Victorian setting described as "a world where evil doctors rule, girls wear frilly underpants and people use their manners."[16] The Doctor Pepper Show was discontinued in 2006, allegedly due to Rachel transitioning into college. While it's implied through its marketing that the comic went through redraws, the original version of The Doctor Pepper Show and its redrawn pages are not accessible through traditional means, only discoverable through The Wayback Machine and sparse websites that are still active such as Rachel's BigCartel shop.
The Doctor Foxglove Show was later released on the Webtoons platform on January 5th, 2016, starring a new protagonist and plot set in a similar neo-Victorian setting as The Doctor Pepper Show. It is described as a "'surreal thriller that follows a young woman and her struggles adjusting to her place in between life and death".[17] During its time on Webtoons, it would release an intro and its first two chapters between January 5th 2016 and June 12th 2016 before ceasing production, around the same time production of Lore Olympus began on Tumblr. Some sample pages and concept art pieces of The Doctor Foxglove Show can still be found on Rachel Smythe's Deviantart and Artstation, but the comic has since been removed from the Webtoons' Canvas section.
Personal Life[]
Rachel Smythe is a 37-year-old woman from Aotearoa, currently residing in Wellington New Zealand. [1] Since 2007, she has worked as a freelance designer/illustrator and she has been posting online since 2002. [3][11] Rachel admits that she is āquite sensitiveā and that she doesnāt read the Webtoons comments very often. [7][9] On this decision she said āSometimes I think itās better to just focus on making the work. Like I said, sometimes, yeah, Iām missing out on those comments from people who are really nice; but my way of repaying them is taking time to make them really good content to read later.ā[11] Sometimes if a large number of people on her Patreon have requested something similar she has kept it in mind, but otherwise Rachel has tried to craft Lore Olympus without outside influence, because as she has said āIām the one that has to stand by my work at the end of the day, and articulate why I did what. And Iād like to make my own choices for myself.ā [11] Rachel has opened up about writing Lore Olympus with dyslexia, ADHD, and anxiety on her Twitter. [2] She also posts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. [1] She has attended Chromacon in Auckland New Zealand as well as L.A. Comic Con as a creator for several years. [1] Rachel has said before that creating Lore Olympus is ā[her] dream job.ā [10] Practicing gratitude has helped her cope with the difficulties that come with her work. [10] Some of Rachelās likes include skin care, manicures, cartoons, movies, podcasts, folklore, snacks, and coffee. [1][2][9] Advice she gave to anyone starting out in comic creation: ājust do it.ā [8]
Awards and Honours[]
- 2019 Ringo Awards Nominee (best colourist)
Sep 2019
The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. The nomination ballot is determined by fans and pros alike.
- 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominee (Best Web Comic)
May 2019
The nominations in each category are generated by a five- to a six-member jury, then voted on by comic book professionals and presented at the annual San Diego Comic-Con held in July, usually on Friday night. The jury often consists of at least one comics retailer, one librarian (since 2005), and one academic researcher, among other comics experts.
- Chromacon 2013 - Comics Category winner
Chromacon
May 2013
Third place for comic entry
- Chromacon 2015 - Comics Category winner
Chromatin
Third place with comic book entry.
Resources[]
You can buy Lore Olympus Prints and Merch at:
- https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/loreolympus/
- https://loreolympus.threadless.com/
- https://www.hottopic.com/pop-culture/shop-by-license/lore-olympus/
Links[]
- https://twitter.com/used_bandaid
- https://www.facebook.com/UsedbandaidIllustration/
- https://www.instagram.com/usedbandaid/?hl=en
- https://www.deviantart.com/rachelsmythe
- https://nz.linkedin.com/in/rachel-smythe-b407b211a
- https://www.twitch.tv/rachelsmythe
Gallery[]

Rachel Smythe
References[]
- 1 https://www.facebook.com/UsedbandaidIllustration/
- 2 https://twitter.com/used_bandaid
- 3 https://nz.linkedin.com/in/rachel-smythe-b407b211a
- 4 https://rocketreach.co/rachel-smythe-email_92947088
- 5 https://frolic.media/creator-rachel-smythe-dream-casts-lore-olympus/
- 6 Webtoon Creator Schedules https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRTFIXUflyI
- 7 Webtoon Rachel Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy2WQSy_f5I
- 8 Creators 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14e4pRgXOM
- 9 https://gossamerrainbow.wordpress.com/2018/11/24/rachel-smythe-lore-olympus/
- 10 Girl Wonder Podcast https://soundcloud.com/user-35260934/all-about-lore-olympus-with
- 11 Dan Ekis Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SgG6ZdZlp4
- 12 Temple of Geek Podcast https://templeofgeek.com/interview-with-lore-olympus-creator-rachel-smythe-at-l-a-comic-con/
- 13 https://2015.chromacon.co.nz/portfolio/rachel-smythe/
- 14 https://www.instagram.com/p/BqZbL1cBhLS/
- 15 https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/qa/viewer?title_no=1320&episode_no=18
- 16 http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/p/1101/doctor-pepper-show-the
- 17 http://fromearthsend.blogspot.com/2016/01/weekend-reading-doctor-foxglove-show.html