Original New Yorker sketches

Daily Shouts behind-the-scenes

Hello everybody! *crickets*

I thought I’d share some original sketches from one of my Daily Shouts pieces, “Phone. Keys. Wallet.”

Process:

I’m always (re-)discovering my process for making comics.

I’ve come to find that my North Star tends to be allowing myself the freedom to be loose with some playful doodles and goofy figures to start.

There is something so freeing about drawing quick, silly shit. It reminds me of being a hyper kid when I could never get my ideas down fast enough and had no concept of being precious with my art.

I struggle with perfectionism as an adult; so pencil + paper and keeping my initial efforts low-stakes really helps me to feel creatively open. Playful doodling will almost always inspire ideas that make me happy.

This piece came pretty easily to me. It’s a simple ritual my husband would say every time we left the apartment, so all I did was expand on the idea and then wrap it up with some cartoonish absurdism (my favorite).

Hey, look! A surprise Rocko cameo (of Modern Life fame) through the backside of my sketchbook. I remember when I drew that Rocko I was proving to myself that I could still draw him. I used to draw Rocko religiously as a kid. I still love his character design and draw eyes like his in my characters often.