I want to give you all a heads up and let you know the comic might look weird for a bit. What’s going on? Well I’m trying not to suck anymore.
Last year I really felt like I hit a wall in terms of my artwork. I had gotten myself into a rut and rather than try and get out of it, I just sort of sunk into it. I was in a real funk artistically for a long time. My new year’s resolution this year is to break the fuck out of that. In 2015 I am doubling down and refocusing on drawing. Stuff like the Destiny fan fiction and the more recent LoL fan comic are examples of this but it’s going to be bleeding into the normal comic as well. There’s just no way around it. I have to try new stuff, push myself way too far and then walk it back in some cases.
Step one has been to start sketching. I’ve always been envious of artists who fill sketchbooks but I’ve never been able to do it. I have gotten in the habit of only drawing when I have something I need to draw. The reality is I always have stuff to draw like comic strips, pins, PAX program covers, posters, book covers, merchandise designs, PA presents projects, or our own side stories. Whenever I draw it’s because something needs to get drawn. That is changing.
On Friday I spent the night sketching with Katie and had a blast. She’s one of the best I’ve seen at sitting down and just filling pages in a sketchbook. It was incredibly inspiring and exactly what I needed to jumpstart this new year. I kept going back to the sketchbook all weekend and tried to get in at least a couple doodles every night. It felt really good and I can see myself loosening up and trying new things. I’ve always been intimidated by pen and ink when it comes to drawing. I forced myself to ditch the pencil though and I tried my hand at a variety of different pens and markers. It was scary at first but I really love some of the results.
This is going to be painful for me. I’m going to share all this stuff with you guys. All my sketches, all my experiments, all my failures, and hopefully a few successes. I have not been this determined to improve since 2003 and it’s long overdue. I’m committed to improving this year and I’m not going to do that without trying new things. So sit back, relax, and watch as a 37 year old cartoonist has an artistic breakthrough.
or a complete mental breakdown.
Sketchdump:
-Gabe out
