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We’d like to thank Irene for her guest strip that was inspired by Monday’s comic “Flying High”!

Thanks again!

CoNtEsT!

Starting NOW we’re having a contest for your chance to win a FREE signed (by Tommy Blaze) copy of our book KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR – THE FIRST 100!

It’s easy!

We’re just trying to get new readers to really take advantage of our mailing list, so…

The first person can get 50 friends or family members to sign up for our mailing list will win! Just MAKE SURE they put down in the “how did you hear about KOHD” section they put your name as the reference.  If they don’t put your name as a reference, we won’t know where they came from.

The easiest way to win is to sign up for the mailing list yourself (if you haven’t already), and forward it off with a message about the contest attached.  If you’re not signed up yet, click here.

Keep in mind it’s FREE to sign up for the mailing list, and it’s a simple reply to get off the list if certain people no longer want to be emailed.  No obligations, catch or gimmicks about it!

Good luck, play fair and we’ll announce the winner as soon as there’s 50 new readers with that person as the reference!

Our next piece of fan art comes from our friend Bearman!  Bear also has a great strip over at Beartoons along with a great blog that is updated almost daily.  Definitely check it out today.  You’ll find his political and topical humor quite amusing.

He’s been an avid reader over here at KOHD and we really appreciate the contribution (along with everyone else that has contributed)!

Thanks again, Bearman!

Nate here (cartoonist for KOHD).

Sometimes it can be interesting (or not) to see exactly how something is created or made.  I thought I’d document via picture – just for the fun of it – the making of a Knocking On Heavens Door comic.

The one I decided on documenting is “The Tenth C”.  A bigger comic compared to the typical 3-4 panel daily strips, but it’s still basically the way any of the comics are created – in just a bigger format.  I just took snapshots of each process as I went along with it.

And from here, I’ll try to explain it as best (badly) as possible.

To start things off, I use a Strathmore 300 series Bristol board and lay it out on my drawing table.  Especially with these bigger comics, it’s important to make sure it’s secured well.

After the paper is fastened down well, I start creating the panels.  The height of the panels are four inches.  The length of the strip is 13.5 inches.  So, for this particular comic, the entire thing is 8 1/4 X 13.5 (quarter inch between rows is the 1/4 inch part).  Along with the panels, I draw the lines for where the text will be.  These lines are spaced out evenly, and there’s a quarter inch space between the rows so that it’s easy to read.

From here, I start adding the text.  All of this is done in pencil (of course).

And after all the text is lined up well and proof-read from Tommy’s script, I start sketching out the characters and the actual comic.  Making sure the text is right is CRUCIAL.  If there’s a mistake in it after it’s inked, it’s sometimes tough to repair – but it needs done.  Yes, I’ve had this happen quite a few times.  It’s a natural frustration of cartooning.

Now it’s time for some inking!

I’m an old-fashioned cartoonist in the sense that I don’t use computers or any digital software to ink.  I use the previous standard of India Ink and a dip pen.  I do this because it’s the only way I can put energy into the lines.  It’s just like guitar playing, sports or anything else that’s physical.  It all shows how enthused you are on the paper to the public.  Though there are some people that can pull this process out well on computers (creating lines), I don’t think I ever could.

I use mostly 2 different types of ink nibs for inking.  I also use a brush (for background, etc.), but I’ll get to that later.

To start things off, I start inking the boarder.  For this, I use a Hunt C-5 pen nib and – like I mentioned -  black India ink.  I like the way the lines look in terms of quality, texture and color, so I’ve been using this pen nib for years with all of my comics even beyond KOHD.

You’ll notice I have a few breaks where the lines don’t meet.  You’ll recognize that I do that pretty frequently just to give the comic some “breathing room” so it’s not so compact.

The next part is inking the text.  (Again, VERY important this part comes out well.)

With the text, I use the same pen nib that I use for the characters – a 513EF pen nib.  The only time I use the c-5 pen nib in lettering is for anything bold.  Otherwise, it’s the 513.

A lot of other cartoonist use computers or markers for lettering, but I like the uniqueness that it offers doing it this way.  Maybe I’m just crazy, because this way takes twice as long.  Oh well.

And now we’re ready for the main out lines of the characters and comic.

Doing this first part of the actual comic, I try not to shade much or anything.  My main focus is on the gestures and expressions of the environment and – in this case – Spencer.

You’ll see I DID shade a lot along with everything else – however – it’s all part of the rhythm I have going at the time, too.  And believe it or not, that shading is a huge part of the actual gesture and texture of the strip – so if I incline to do some of it early because of the movement I have going at the moment, I’ll just go ahead and put it in.

Next is filling in the gaps.  The darks, other shading, spots missed – and in many cases – correcting mistakes with White-Out!

I fix most of my work up in the computer once uploaded.  Much easier that way.  However, if it’s a simple fix, I’ll just use the good o’ White-Out.

This is also where I use a brush that’s dipped in the India Ink for the bigger areas that are dark.

After all of this, I get out the eraser and take out all of the pencil marks.  And now…

I’m done!

From this point, it’s just a matter of scanning the image, resizing to fit online and “touching it up” if needed.

You’ll notice I don’t color Knocking On Heavens Door much.  It’s not because I don’t want to, but we (Tommy and I) decided it actually looks better in black and white.  When I do color, I use Photoshop sometimes – but more often than not – I use watercolors.

And below is the finished product as you see it here in our books and online.

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In case you have ever scratched your head about my cartooning process, now you won’t have to scratch so hard!

It’s been years and years of cartooning that have kept my style this way.  I still continue to learn new techniques and concepts.  I believe every cartoonist on earth – no matter how long they’ve been doing it – is the same in this area.  I discover new things almost daily.  However, so far, this has been my overall way of producing material for KOHD, MAD Magazine and other publications and comic strips that I work with.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.  I’d be happy to fill you in.  No secrets here!

Until next time!

- Nate

This piece of fan art comes from our good friend Robert Matejcek!  His outstanding graphics and attention to detail make his illustrations quite incredible.  On top of that, he also has HIS OWN funny comic strip, Spilled Ink.  Check out his website and comic today by clicking HERE!

Thanks again, Robert!

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