This month, one of my gag cartoons is published in the Laughter, The Best Medicine department on Page 35 ... If you're not a subscriber, I highly encourage you to pickup a copy of the magazine!
In the spirit of the month, I've included a few little "treats" that show the evolution of this particular cartoon, from rough sketch to the final published version ... Enjoy!
"Cardiovascular" in Reader's Digest Canada Magazine (October 2007).
Whenever I rough sketch a cartoon, I tend to work pretty loose and lightly, so I've bumped the contrast so you can see the lines clearer. As you can see, I like to put a little more detail around the faces to help me get the expression correct in the final inked version ...
Rough Sketch - Facial Details.
The original drawing for this cartoon was done on a piece of Strathmore Smooth Bristol board (total size 11"x7"). Ironically, it was a "scrap" piece that I had trimmed from a different project. I guess the lesson here is to never waste!
You'll notice that my original rough sketch had a set of weights off to one side ... Unfortunately, these made the final cartoon a little too wide for it to be suitable in the magazine. Part of me also thought that they were a little unnecessary for the gag.
On the other hand, the clock was a subtle enough decoration ...
Rough Sketch - Full Size.
I find inking with a traditional dip pen to be a lot of fun. The following image is the unaltered scan of the inked cartoon. You can see a little hint of the rough pencil work where the weights were (and at the bottom where my caption notes were) ...
Inked Cartoon.
I'll provide a few more snapshots in an up-coming post. In the meantime ...
Stay TOONed!
- Mike Cope
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