Creating a new comic is like embarking on a thrilling adventure for many artists. Ever wondered about how they breathe life into captivating stories and illustrations? To explore this and more, we reached out to Dogmo.
The artist shared that he requires a mild state of "inebriation and a touch of profound sadness to truly feel inspired. Once there, I warm up by making crude drawings of injured Ninja Turtles, such as wheelchair-bound Raph or paraplegic Leonardo. For reasons unknown, these rituals open a door for me creatively that would otherwise be locked shut."
Dogmo told us that his comics almost never contain aspects of his real life. "Contrary to what's been depicted, I've never slept with Santa, never been peed on by a dog, never been pulled over by a dog, never been to hell, never been to heaven, never been to baboon heaven, never caught my dad using shower drain hair as a toupee, I don't blush from a deck of cards depicting sexy horses, my p***s doesn't look like a weird insect antenna, I don't solely communicate via the vapid sayings on coffee mugs, and I am not - nor ever aspire to be - a human toilet."
Being creative is like a puzzle with both tough and fun pieces. Curious about the artist's perspective, we asked Dogmo about the most difficult part of the creative process and which part he enjoys the most. The most difficult part, as the artist jokingly shared, involves ritualistic sacrifices to his god for divine inspiration—"each more bloody than the last." A close second? Remembering to keep his iPad charged. On the brighter side, the most enjoyable part is "all the hot tail I've gotten because of making webcomics," he added.
"I crave the external validation that only sharing things online with strangers can bring. The kind and rude comments both are a delight to read. I particularly enjoy it when arguments break out in the comment section. People ought to do that more often. Being named 'dogmo' (which is not shorthand for 'dog molester'), people often mistakenly tag me in photos of their dog. Please continue to tag me in photos of your dog. Or any pet for that matter - I'm actually more of a cat person."
