Cartoonists work hard at finding the funny in the everyday. From “play on words” to puns, and mixed metaphors to malaprops, the possibilities are endless. The only thing required is patience, willingness and a curiosity to see what goofy paths one’s mind will take. But the fun doesn’t stop there since the drawing also complements the gag (or sometimes even replaces it!) Suffice to say, the “cartoon perspective” is not only a verbal one, but very literally, a visual one, too!
As a cartoonist, I’ve found inspiration by first focusing on the cartoon perspective…
Or – the visually funny angle – in the work of other cartoonists I admire. I adore Sempe’s illustrations and also love, love the work of Andre Franquin. I admire Franquin particularly for his depiction of movement and action via elegant and seemingly effortless lines; Sempe inspires me with his bird’s-eye (yet completely down-to-earth) views of humanity.
To that end…
Lately I’ve been trying to capture action while also experimenting with unusual perspectives in my drawing. As an example, in the subway sketch below, I decided to depict my three subjects from slightly above even though I was sitting directly across from them on the subway car when I was sketching:
Taking the bird’s-eye-view perspective even further…
I decided to “cartoonify” myself tonight. For reference, I took a selfie first:
And then proceeded to quickly ink out the cartoon version:
Of course, I need to practice many more bird’s-eye perspective drawings before they’re second nature. But more importantly for tonight is getting comfortable – horizontal that is – for a much needed good night’s sleep!
Nightie-night!
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