Behind the Scenes, Pt 1 (Patreon)

I recently rediscovered a short series I wrote detailing how I turn an idea into a comic. I originally wrote it for my book Kickstarter, but we never ended up using it. I thought I may as well share it here with y'all since I assume at least one of you might be mildly interested. Enjoy!

Sketchy Ideas

Hey gang. As a fun bonus, I thought I’d show what all goes into making a Lovenstein strip. I’m frequently asked questions about my process so hopefully I can answer some of them in this update. Allow me to pull the back curtain, ruin the magic, and show how the sausage is made.

First, I need an idea. I’m thinking about joke ideas all day, every day. It’s become second nature to me. Whenever an idea pops into my head, I write it down. Most of them are bad, but I write them down anyway. If I’m on the go I’ll jot it down in my phone, but I usually write them in notebooks with a Ticonderoga pencil.

You heard me. Just standard, wide-ruled notebooks. I don’t use drawing pads or sketchbooks. I’ve doodled in notebooks since I was a kid and that’s just what my broken brain likes. I think physically writing it down taps into something very primal, as insane as that sounds. I’ve filled dozens of notebooks with bad ideas. They truly look like the scribbling of a mad man.

Once I have something I can work with, I’ll write a script and lay out the panels. I always do a rough sketch of every comic first before switching to digital. That way I can get a feel for the comic as a whole and how I want it to flow.

Quick doodles have a great chaotic energy to them. Some of my favorite poses and expressions were random pencil sketches. For example, I made an entire comic because I loved the way I drew a super stoned dude sitting in a chair.

Next time, I’ll show you how I transform these little doodles into those sweet, sweet jpegs you know and love. I’ll focus on this comic I recently made so you can see how it all comes together. That’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed seeing the source of all this stupid shit.