When I was speaking at Ohio State a few weeks back, the curators of the school’s (excellent) Cartoon Museum indulged my request and pulled out some original art from Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes. Aside from being amazed at how small they were, I was struck by how gorgeous his brush-work was.
And it got me thinking…that after a decade of drawing Sheldon by more modern means (read: archival pens), I should give it a go with good ol’ brush-and-inkwell, and see how I do.
So! While lecturing at Savannah’s SCAD last week, I ponied up for some brush supplies, and gave it a go in a park. This first attempt, below, is more than a tad overdrawn (I was experimentin’ with line weights and brush techniques), but it let me know I was at least passable at it.
(Click HERE for a larger version.)
Cut to: Today’s strip. This’ll be the first one I’ve ever drawn by brush-and-inkwell. And it came out pretty OK! So it’s something I’ll be trying more and more of. I figure if I bust out the ol’ brush 2-3 times a week, I’ll be pretty fair at it in five years or so.
So…let’s check back in five years and see whether that’s true. 🙂