Leanne Franson

Leanne Franson (born 1963 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian illustrator and cartoonist.

She illustrates picture books, children's novels, educational texts, pamphlets, and magazines.

She currently lives in Martensville, Saskatchewan, near Saskatoon.

She is bilingual in English and French.

She has an adopted son from China who is homeschooled.

She also has two cats, Sadie and Alley.

She is known for her semi-autobiographical comics featuring the female bisexual character Liliane, Bi-Dyke.

These have been included in various anthologies and collected in books.

Her comics bring a bisexual woman's perspective to the queer comic scene, including some controversy.

After studying Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, beginning in 1982, where she graduated in 1985.

Leanne Franson also worked at Le Pavillon des Arts in retail sales from 1986 to 1991.

During her time in school, around 1986, she began drawing comics.

She studied ceramics from 1988, graduating in 1989, at the Banff Centre, School of Fine Arts.

Early in the 1990s, Franson contributed comic strips to a monthly publication LesboInfo.

Franson began working in illustration in 1991 for both trade and educational books.

Franson also contributed comics to the British group Fanny created in 1991, which published cartoon anthologies via Knockabout Comics.

For example, in Oh... (1992) her "full frontal" image of a woman putting on a bra without any underwear on, required a full-page warning prior to its appearance.

"'Everything changes the world in some way. One person who feels alone who finds a like mind in a comic is a change. One person who is down and is inspired by a comic to laugh is a change. One person who had an unchallenged bigoted idea who was provoked to rethink it, and vote differently is a change.' - Leanne Franson"

Franson states that she, "collected only Betty and Veronica comic books" growing up in addition to spending much time at the library where she found refuge in the comics of the Leader Post.

Franson published her first comic in 1992 since then has self-published more than twenty issues of her minicomic series Liliane.

Franson first created Liliane in 1992; her work has been described as closer to an "extended essay" than an average comic.

Franson explores all things queer in her comic series, facing topics like IVF, interracial relationships, and bisexual butch representation in the LGBTQIA community.

While she tackles heavy topics, Liliane the Bi-Dyke radiates light, with her simple drawing style.

Franson would later move from Montreal to London in 1994 in order to learn about the comic scene abroad.

Franson is mostly known because of her reoccurring comic character and alter ego: Liliane the bisexual dyke.

She has published three books, Teaching Through Trauma (1999), Assume Nothing: Evolution of a Bi-Dyke (2000), and Don't Be A Crotte (2004), which each contain a series of comics featuring Liliane.

Just like Franson, Lilian's day time job is illustrating comic books.

Leanne Franson was influenced by the simple style of Ben Wicks, as well as Lynne Johnston's characters.

She took a break from publishing comics between the years 1999 and 2004.

Franson works as a children's book illustrator for several Canadian publishers, in both English and French.

She has published under the following publications in French: Soulières Éditeur and Les éditions de la courte échelle.

As well as English publications such as Scholastic Canada and Bayard Canada, as well as Orca Press and Annick Press.

Leanne Franson's main focus is now on her illustrations.

According to Scholastic, she has illustrated close to 80 different books.

In addition, Franson's work has been featured in magazines, textbooks, and even a commercial.

Leanne Franson first works with pencil, then technical pen and dip pen.

She then layers her images with acrylic ink and/or India ink, but also does digital drawing using a Wacom Cintiq touch monitor.

In early 2016 Franson began making ceramic goods again and works in her home studio.

She, as well as her son, work with both stoneware and porcelain.

Franson prefers hand-building her tiny pieces but also throws on the wheel.