“Something About Celeste”: Artist Creates Humorous Comics With A Dash Of “Friends” Vibes (29 Pics)

Eric mentioned that he doesn’t consider himself a naturally gifted artist. For him, it would be simpler to draw characters standing next to each other and delivering lines. “It would be easy to draw the same position for four panels, only changing the angle of the eyebrows, opening or closing mouths, and perhaps moving an arm here or there. These comics are called ‘talking heads’ comics. Unless the dialogue is phenomenal, these types of comic strips tend to be boring to read. I could easily make a ‘talking heads’ comic within 30 minutes to an hour, and then post a comic online daily. Instead, it takes me 8-10 hours to make a single comic, which I have to spread over several days because I also have a day job. So, therefore, I am only able to post a comic once a week.”

The most challenging part for Eric is how he goes about visualizing each of the four or more panels. “I try to think like a movie director. Since I don’t make ‘talking heads’ comics with a fixed vantage point, I try to move the ‘camera’ around per se. ‘What is my opening shot?’ ‘From what direction is my first character approaching from?’ ‘Are the two characters standing on the same plane or is one slightly behind?’ ‘Do I need to draw a background to give a sense of perspective?’ ‘Should I use a wide shot to give a sense of atmosphere or should I use a close-up shot to capture the facial expressions?’ These are questions I deal with even before I start drawing.

I, like pretty much every other cartoonist, hate drawing hands. But I refuse to just draw my characters with their hands behind their back or their hands stuffed in their pockets. Hands are, after the facial eyebrows, the best way to convey and emote feelings. So I always draw fluid (at the best of my limited ability) body postures as well as interesting facial expressions. My dialogue, which would only be ‘meh’ if my characters just stood there, becomes more interesting to read when paired with funny faces. 

So long story short, the most challenging and rewarding aspect of the creative process is trying the right blend of written text and visual art to tell a joke in the best way possible.”

Eric mentioned that he doesn't consider himself a naturally gifted artist. For him, it would be simpler to draw characters standing next to each other and delivering lines. "It would be easy to draw the same position for four panels, only changing the angle of the eyebrows, opening or closing mouths, and perhaps moving an arm here or there. These comics are called 'talking heads' comics. Unless the dialogue is phenomenal, these types of comic strips tend to be boring to read. I could easily make a 'talking heads' comic within 30 minutes to an hour, and then post a comic online daily. Instead, it takes me 8-10 hours to make a single comic, which I have to spread over several days because I also have a day job. So, therefore, I am only able to post a comic once a week."

The most challenging part for Eric is how he goes about visualizing each of the four or more panels. "I try to think like a movie director. Since I don't make 'talking heads' comics with a fixed vantage point, I try to move the 'camera' around per se. 'What is my opening shot?' 'From what direction is my first character approaching from?' 'Are the two characters standing on the same plane or is one slightly behind?' 'Do I need to draw a background to give a sense of perspective?' 'Should I use a wide shot to give a sense of atmosphere or should I use a close-up shot to capture the facial expressions?' These are questions I deal with even before I start drawing.

I, like pretty much every other cartoonist, hate drawing hands. But I refuse to just draw my characters with their hands behind their back or their hands stuffed in their pockets. Hands are, after the facial eyebrows, the best way to convey and emote feelings. So I always draw fluid (at the best of my limited ability) body postures as well as interesting facial expressions. My dialogue, which would only be 'meh' if my characters just stood there, becomes more interesting to read when paired with funny faces. 

So long story short, the most challenging and rewarding aspect of the creative process is trying the right blend of written text and visual art to tell a joke in the best way possible."