We contacted Dave again to ask him some follow-up questions and discuss his work further. This time, we were curious to learn more about Coverly’s approach to character design. The cartoonist shared with us the considerations he takes into account when creating characters for a new cartoon: “It might sound either dumb or counterintuitive because single panel cartoons like mine (the joke-a-day variety) don't use continuing characters like comic strips do - but character design is actually crucial for that very reason.”
Scroll down to see the new selection of cartoons we curated for you today, and to read our full interview with Dave.
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The artist went on to give us a glimpse into his creative process: “Single panels create a whole new world every day so the cast of characters changes every day, but those characters have to be drawn to fit that day's particular world and particular gag. The people and animals must have a look, and more importantly a facial/body expression, that best tells the joke. For instance, sometimes a character needs to look passive or deadpan, so they'll either have dot eyes or glasses (even the animals), while other times the eyes need to express a reaction. Getting that wrong can spoil a joke, but getting it right can add an important element of visual humor to a verbal gag. The best cartoons are when the idea and the words (when there are some) and the drawing work together to make it humorous on all levels. Of course, I'm not always successful, but that's the goal!
The other aspect of design is that single panels without continuing characters can only differentiate themselves visually from other single panels by having a style that's all their own. When people read Garfield, they don't think 'oh, that's a Garfield cartoon because I recognize the drawing style,' they simply recognize Garfield the character. So we single-panel weirdos really need to establish our own style to allow people to immediately think 'oh, that's a Speed Bump' or 'that's a Rhymes With Orange,' etc.”Readmore
<<This Artist Made 36 New One-Panel Comics About Funny Everyday Situations>>
When asked which comic artists and comedians he admires for their work and style, Dave responded: “Oh, so many, too many to list them all,” before mentioning a few and encouraging us to look up their work—because they’re all brilliant! Coverly listed artists like Quino, Liniers, Mr. Pants, Lucie Arnoux, Nick Galifianakis, Jim Borgman, Ed Steed, Richard Thompson, and Ann Telnaes, and added: “...these are all pro's pros. I'd say I'm tending to really enjoy quirkier cartoons right now that don't feel as though they're influenced by any other cartoonist in particular. To be candid, I don't read a lot of single-panel cartoons because if I see a joke that's perfectly executed that subject matter feels lost to me forever - my brain knows I'll never top that idea. I prefer to work in more of a creative vacuum with my ideas influenced by the real world and not other people's ideas.”Readmore
