Man, I hope enough people remember that old reality TV show, “COPS”, to appreciate this one. I always thought about other uses of the format, such as “COOKS”, so here it is– the last comic of 2018!

So, I am back to just drawing the images directly without using photos or poseable dolls as models. I have been experimenting with the 100% digital art for the last few months and while I have learned a lot, I think I am going to mostly stick to just drawing my own stuff with little outside help. While it was great using the references for keeping perspective and dimensions spot-on, it also took a lot of extra time so I was basically scrambling from comic to comic,m getting things done at the last minute– it was actually kind of exhausting. I could only draw while at a computer, and a lot of times it is impractical to have a laptop out: I’m at work or in an area where I only have a few quick minutes to myself, enough to draw a full page of comics by hand but with a computer I’d barely have to to boot up and get the program running before I’d have to pack it up again.

When I draw my own stuff, I can crank out pencil art pages weeks in advance, scan them all in, and then I can ink and color them later. I can work on multiple comics at once, each at different phases of the creative process, and it is much easier to build up a buffer a few weeks in advance and then take time off for a few days without interrupting the story. Plus, with the photos and models, the characters started to look more and more the same, since it seemed like my personal style was being edged out by the desire to adhere to the more rigid poses.

I learned a lot and I will probably refine my use of art dolls and photos for later comic projects, but for BOHICA Blues I think I’ll stick with the freehand style, with all the advantages and disadvantages that brings to the table.

So I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season and we can all look forward to a happy New Year together!