i'm currently participating in brush week 2025, an art challenge where you redesign your character with a new theme. while i drew my design for the "wretched" brush, i thought it'd be fun to take some photos and talk through my cartooning process.

here are my initial sketches. these were the first things i drew all day, so they were a bit stiff.

at this stage, i don't erase much. you can see multiple ideas for limb placement and shapes laid on top of each other. any one of those lines could end up being interesting, so i keep them all.

i drew a bunch of gestures until i hit on something i liked.

now we're talkin! this is the first pose that i felt had some potential.

at this point i stopped, took a step back, and considered the composition of the sketch. here are some of the strengths and weaknesses i identified.

there are plenty of anatomical "errors" here. like, the haunches in this sketch make NO sense - if an animal's leg rotated that far, it would be an indication of a serious medical issue! but cartoons are abstract art. i'm not drawing for accuracy, i'm drawing to evoke energy and motion. the legs read well; therefore, i will keep them.

there are also elements that aren't working for me because they aren't abstracted enough. those ears are in roughly the "correct" spot, but they're not adding any energy or interest to the drawing.

here's my next draft. i've exaggerated the line of action i identified in my first sketch, and moved the arms and staff. the result is a more energetic drawing with a clearer silhouette.

but it's still not perfect. here are my thoughts.

with these notes in mind, i refine the sketch again.

this is starting to look like a decent cartoon! my only notes are in the horns/ears area. everything else is shaping up.

my final sketch:

and the thoughts i carried as i moved into inking:

fool that i am, i committed the cardinal sin of lazy dtaftsmanship on this pitchfork. i will pay the price in the next step. i think i'm paraphrasing an old tumblr post here but every time i hear a little voice in my head whisper "you can fix it in inks!" That Is The Devil Speaking To Me Directly.

time for inks.

not bad..... buuuut that pitchfork looks like crap from a butt AND it ended up crowding out the other elements i was so careful to fix!!! if i had taken the time to tie down the drawing, this wouldn't have happened. that's what clip studio paint is for i guess.

i have not finished this drawing digitally yet. i'll upload it here when i do. but that's where this blog ends for now....!!!

i hope you enjoyed this lil peek into my brain. bye 💋