In 2007, I read about a few people who kept daily diary comics. At the time, I was really struggling ideas and motivation to draw, so this seemed like a good way to get ink flowing.
I only managed to keep up the daily comic for just over three months, then I got out of the habit and didn’t bother to pick it up again. Which is too bad, because in addition to being good technical practice, it was always a great source for unexpected ideas. I was also happy to have about one hundred strips by the end of it.
About two years later, I was reading about a bunch of cartoonists and cartoon-related practices, and I came across James Kochalka. I had read some of his stuff before, but had yet to obsess over it. Typically, I’ll get turned onto an artist, and then madly consume nothing but their work for months and months … so there are a lot of great artists’ work I’m not really familiar with yet.
Then I started reading Kochalka’s daily diary comic, and I realized what a wuss I am.
Anyway, I’ve since started doing a quick strip before bed every night again. I’ve only been doing it for just over a week, but I’m hoping to seriously stick with it this time. It’s already paid off too. I’m finding myself much more inclined to draw comics in my sketchbook, which was mostly filled with faces up to this point.
To celebrate my hopefully lasting freedom from wussiness, here are some of my favorite strips from 2007.
01
02
03
Meeting Billy Mavreas for the first time
05
06
07
08 - Gun Dog
09
10 - Badly drawn, but gross
11 - Awesome.
12
13
14
That’s all for now…