Cockahoop: Behind the art
Many people, upon looking at a comic strip, often find themselves asking, "How do they do it?"
Which is really a short way of asking, "How do those artists bring together such disparate elements as portraiture, comedy, anatomy, typography — and, yes, psychology — to create a sum at once greater than the parts and yet that touches the human soul in a way no other medium can?"
In an attempt to answer that question, and the many other questions that necessarily arise when one is reading a comic strip, I have provided this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a recent comic strip I drew.
While my membership in the Freecartoonists' Guild precludes me from giving away all my trade secrets, it is my hope that this simple look at how my comic art is made will not only provide a deeper understanding of my art — and, by extension, the whole of the Western canon — but inspire others out there to bring more laughter, more magic into the world.
Of course, not everyone has the talent (or the time — time spent sketching and erasing, writing and rewriting, erasing some more because you used cheap paper, and finally digitally editing the words you misspelled; oh, the time!) required to bring a comic strip to completion.
But for those few brave souls who dare to make this world a better place, I say: happy stripping!
Sincerely,
Todd Stadler
Comic Artist