If ever there were a year to expect the Grinch, it was 2020. Adapting the Grinch for our comic (“You’re a Mean One“) was driven by the spark of an idea, and the allure of drawing one of the most iconic holiday characters ever created.
At this point, my sketches for the comic are pretty bare bones. I work out a the focal areas in detail and just quickly block in the rest. Then I get to inking the final linework. It’s all digital so it’s easier to work on the fly, try things out, and back up or redraw when needed.
The first panel of the comic showcases the Grinch in all his malevolence, so I spent my time getting the look on his face about right. I took inspiration from the Chuck Jones cartoon from my childhood rather than the original Dr. Seuss book or more recent depictions.
Of course, the three screenshots I took make it look like a pretty smooth process, but this sketch was my third attempt and there were hundreds of micro adjustments made while laying down the finished lines. I really need to start doing process videos.
There’s nothing like drawing an existing character to bring your own art style into relief. Somehow my linework, and details like where I place clothing folds and other textures, as well as other choices (clearly, I am fond of the “pointy belly”) seem more pronounced here.
My coloring process remains mostly the same. Once the inks are done and dialogue balloons are set, I flat the characters and objects. I have to stop myself from obsessing over choosing the basic colors I will use in the comic. I try to just go with my gut and move on. Then I add my soft shadows—just a gradient shadow to add shape.
Next I go in and draw in the hard shadows. This adds a crisp, cell shaded look to the artwork and, I think, makes everything more dynamic. Then I add the background colors. I have learned to save this for last, and do it on a separate layer in Photoshop so that I can change my mind a dozen times before I settle on what I want. Finally, I add a little texture behind the background color to separate it from the other elements and make the characters pop.
This comic isn’t flashy, but it’s fun in all the little details. Walliver’s Pikachu slippers are a call back to our Halloween comic (“Halloweeners”) from last year. Cliff’s bear paw slippers are taken from my childhood. My uncle had those slippers and as a kid I thought they were the greatest piece of loungewear I had ever seen. It’s a good example of where I currently am as a cartoonist. I hope you got a good chuckle out of it, and I hope your holidays weren’t too “Grinchy.”
Jeremy
