The Big #500: Process

Feb22

The Big #500: Process

by dgriff13 on 2012/02/22 at 12:00 am

Posted In: Comics

A teaser, to fully hype-up the reveal of the FIVE-HUNDREDTH Z&F comic! I get asked often about my process as an artist… well, this USED to be it. Long ago, before I owned a mac, before I realized the powers of Photoshop (and then Illustrator), before I admitted my handwriting was bad enough to start using a font. :0)

Tune in Friday to see the final!

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Mark Stokes

Love this, Dawn! What a wonderful way of showing us how you work your magic. So impressive, too, I’m sure you’re gonna inspire a lot of artists to try old school themselves! Congrats on your 500th!
- dgriff13
  
  why thank you Mark! I have to admit tho, while it was fun for a bit to go back to my roots, this REALLY made me appreciate my Tablet laptop even more LOL!
Saeed Faridzadeh

Wow. Thank you so much for showing this. I love seeing these step by step images of comic strips being created from the ground up. Can’t wait to read the final product.

And you snuck in some Dunkin Donuts into the mix.
- dgriff13
  
  Hi Saeed, you are very welcome! It was fun to document. After about 5 hours at the drawing table, the DD Latte was NEEDED!
qka

Congratulations on 500!

So the latte gets the job done. What’s the alcohol that gets the job started?
- dgriff13
  
  thank you! The drink in the beginning, if I remember correctly, was Seagram’s whiskey with honey. man that stuff is good.
Bearmancartoons

Whatcha drinking today?
- dgriff13
  
  whiskey, baby. But “girly” whiskey I guess, it had a honey flavor.
Byron

How the hell did you get a post to show multiple images like that? The old fart must know…

And very cool to see the process too!
- Drezz Rodriguez
  
  Animated GIF.
- dgriff13
  
  yup, nothing more than an animated gif. I believe you can also upload a flash .swf file– which would be nice for fully interactive comic. Like– click on the character and the balloon appears. Would be fun to do that one day as well.
  Actually, I used a swf file a while back for another landmark comic including a ton of cameos. If you clicked a character, you were linked to their site. It was only on drunkduck (cameos from other DD comics), but it seems the new site there doesn’t allow swf’s now. bah.
Jerry Benedict

Cool… I always enjoy seeing someone’s creative process!
- dgriff13
  
  me too! thanks!
Drezz Rodriguez

I love the fact that you’re using watercolors on this. Great process post – very inspiring.
- dgriff13
  
  I barely any experience with watercolors but love the look and rough feel to them. Wish I could master the medium, but who has the time? Thanks so much Drezzy!
William Vincent LoGreco, Jr.

Cool Beans! Wow, water colors, you really did go old school with this one. Did you use bristol? And how well did that hold up to the WC?
- dgriff13
  
  I did use bristol, and somehow.. I may have drawn it on the wrong side? Not sure. The paper managed to hold up pretty well though (said it would work with wet and dry mediums)– got a little rough in places, but only Jeff Couturier can see it at this point as he won the PWITM contest and has the original now!
George

Wow! You took it back, Dawn. I commend you for tackling your 500th comic in such a fashion. I still pencil and ink, but I can’t imagine going back to hand-lettering and coloring (shivers). I can’t wait to see the final piece in its beauty this Friday. Congrats, D!
- dgriff13
  
  the hand-lettering was my biggest pet peeve, for sure.. it’s not easy to read, LOL. You all will be thankful I use a font, once you see it! and I was never great at adding colors, which is why I opted for photoshop back in illustration classes in college. Thanks George!
Nsciacca

Well done! Show the “youngin’s” how it was done in the olden days! Whiskey on the rocks… nice touch~
- dgriff13
  
  heh thank you! I’m usually the “youngin” even in these cartoonist crowds, so it’s funny to hear that! Maybe next time I’ll have a cigar with my whiskey and really make myself feel “classic”.
Goeber.com

Congratulations on your 500! I hope I hit that milestone one day.
- dgriff13
  
  thank you Goeber! you look a bit like an alien yourself :0)
  - Goeber.com
    
    That’s because I am.
Bob Bello

Brava! Keep up the good work and always kindle our hopes! THX
- dgriff13
  
  thank you Bob! :0D Consider your hopes kindled.
Frank

“Old?” “Dusty?” I wish my desk looked like that!
- dgriff13
  
  well… heh… you shoulda seen the very FIRST picture. a bunch crap in a pile, and underneath that, a drawing table.

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The Big #500: Process

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