From my Drawing Board...
Let's do a cartoon!
Hello, cartoon fans!
Those who like cartoons often wonder about the process behind them. As a token of thanks for your attention, today I'm going to choose one of my most popular cartoons from the last few months and show you step by step how I made it.
The idea
Most of the cartoons that I create on my digital drawing tablet begin as sketches in these notebooks. I like to think of them as the nursery where I plant ideas to see if they flourish. After letting them sit for a while, I revisit them to see which ones seem most viable.
The color sketch
After choosing the ideas I want to develop further, I create digital color sketches. I do them quickly and intuitively. If necessary, I send these sketches to my editors for their feedback.
Starting the final version
Once the final idea is chosen, I look for reference images and start drawing the final version. A note about references: although I can draw a lot from memory, it is a good habit and even a sign of professional humility to document yourself visually whenever possible because often you end up picking up details in your reference that can enrich your drawing. Of course, it is the artist in the end who decides what he ends up drawing and how he draws it.
The final color
Once the line art is finished, I will add color. Oh, I forgot to mention that when I draw digitally, I almost always use Photoshop or Procreate. If you're interested in the technical aspects of my digital process, let me know, and I'll share more details in the future. For now, I'll just say that I usually use the same three to four brushes to create all my cartoons.
Polishing the details.
After finishing the overall color, I add the details and dialogue, for which I usually use computer fonts generated from my handwriting.
Done!
And this is what the final artwork looks like, which will then be sent to clients.
And by the way, if you're wondering where you can see my work or how to support it, these days most of my cartoons are posted first on Tinyview.com. That is, if you want to be the first to see and share them, subscribe to that site and follow me! That way, you are supporting me to keep doing my work, and in return, you are guaranteed to see most of my cartoons before anyone else, as you receive a notification as soon as I upload them; plus, you have access to cartoons made exclusively for this site, where, to top it off, each cartoon is accompanied by an extra commentary from me on the topic of the day.
You can also follow my work regularly on sites like GoComics, Arcamax.com, and Dailykos.com, by Subscribing to newsletters like Counterpoint, and, if you and I are lucky, you can also find it occasionally in different print or digital media like Politico.com.
If that's not enough, pleas consider subscribing to this, my personal Substack for which I'm already planning several ideas for exclusive content including an archive of cartoons, anecdotes and various curiosities from the world of cartooning, creative processes and life itself.
So, see you around!
Greetings,
Pedro