Jimmy expanded on explaining what sparked his interest in transitioning from animal-themed comics to the more surreal and absurd themes explored in "jimmytried".
“I had an idea for a comic with a dinosaur seeing a shooting star and wishing for the end of the world. I don't draw dinosaurs in my They Can Talk series and the joke is a little too dark for that too, but I still really wanted to draw it. I started jimmytried as a way to share my other ideas without giving myself any restrictions.”
We were wondering how Jimmy turns his wild ideas into concise, single-panel jokes. The artist shared his process: “If I have an idea for a joke, I try to distill it down into a single drawing and line of text. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it's really satisfying. It's surprising how much exposition and setup you can communicate through a little black-and-white drawing- sometimes a joke doesn't even need any text at all- that's my personal favorite.”
Jimmy also shared what impact social media response has had on his comics.
“I have been a lot more disciplined with They Can Talk and have felt more pressure to continue that series and meet readers' expectations. On my jimmytried account, there's really no methodology or branding behind it- it's one step beyond sharing my sketchbook. I've contributed some cartoons to The New Yorker, and that has certainly been a big influence on my writing, especially comics that are more timely.”
Jimmy’s content is constantly evolving, therefore we got curious: what we could expect next? Jimmy shared a sneak peek into his future plans.
“I am working on some longer-form stories. I've gone from four panels to a single panel to pages and pages.”
And lastly, Jimmy added: “I share all of my comics- They Can Talk and single-panel ones on Patreon. I also share my inspiration (and sometimes explanations) for my comics there too. It's a great way to support my work and get a little peek behind the curtain.”
