Bored Panda reached out to the creator of “Gracks and Gribs” and they shared more about themselves.
“I originally set out to be the next Shakespeare. In college, I read all of his works, along with the classics of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. I even wrote a five act play in iambic pentameter. Now, I draw a cartoon about a cat farting on a dog. Life has a way of catching up with you, I guess.“
We were wondering what drew the artist to the world of comics, to which they replied: “Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, and Tintin. Then, The Far Side was everything in Middle School. The first comic strip I drew was called The Lower Lights and that was definitely influenced by The Far Side. I still enjoy reading a good book of cartoons on a rainy day. Or on the toilet on any old day.”
As for the creative process, the artist commented: “I stare at a black page on my tablet until I decide to draw a dog or a cat. Then, I stare at the character until some sort of dialogue spills out onto the empty space above the character. Next comes either a thought bubble or a speech balloon. Then, I reduce the opacity of that layer in order to draw the next layer. The second frame is pretty easy, but the third frame is more difficult. The hardest frame to come up with is the last one. That’s because this one completes the joke. I do this six times a week.”
We also asked the artist to share what they hope audiences will take away from their comics.
“My hope is that, in the future, someone will look forward to curling up with my comic book on a rainy day. Or on the toilet any old day,” wrote the artist.
Lastly, the artist added: “Remember not to try anything Gracks and Gribs do in the comic at home. Regardless of how annoying your siblings are, pink eye is real… and really contagious!”
