Bored Panda reached out to Harry Bliss again to learn more about his work. His cartoons often show the special bond between dogs and humans, but he also covers other topics that make us smile. We asked him how he chooses the themes for his cartoons and what current events or trends inspire him. Harry shared that he usually doesn't focus on current events or trends. "I’m not particularly interested in commenting on these things; there are plenty of other cartoonists who do it much better than I can. My cartoons are quite autobiographical, with lots of dogs, trees, nature, and the occasional human. I’m all about nature. I draw what I love…trees!"
If you wonder how a typical day of a cartoonist looks like, Harry Bliss shared his routine with us: "Well, I’m usually up at 6:30 in the morning. I read for an hour in bed, play Wordle, then wake up to let the dog out. We play fetch across the street and then head in for breakfast. I read some more until about 10 AM. After that, I sit at my desk working on cartoons until noon. At noon, if it’s not too hot, we go for a nice hike in the woods. I tend to my garden, which is a kimchi garden. I’m dealing with slugs at the moment—they love my Napa cabbage! I don’t eat lunch. I work again from 6 to around 7:30 or 8 PM. I’m always jotting things down in my journal, often throughout the day. Sometimes, cartoon ideas come from there. I have countless drawings of my dog, Junior. I’ve been doing this for the past 15 years and it’s very rewarding. I have the best fountain pen ever, and I love to see the ink flow from it. Mont Blanc—amazing!"
Bliss sees cartoons as a bit of an escape. "If someone can look at one of my cartoons and be taken out of their current state, sort of drop into some pleasant narrative: a dog with his owner walking in the woods…I feel this is helpful in some way. I know it is for me when I draw these images. My process removes me from anything else happening in the world. My meditation. I think it keeps me sane. Plus, laughter is a nice elixir for depression. My cartoons have evolved into the autobiographical form. If you want to get to know me as a person, just look at my cartoons because I’m in all of them. I’ve moved away from irony and sardonic humor, and have found myself being more accepting of cute cartoons. We need cute these days. I also am leaning into the esoteric.?
Bliss told us that he thinks a good cartoon needs to be uniquely specific. "It can’t be too broad. It needs to come from a visceral place in the creator's mind and at the same time relatable to a wide audience. Not easy. I think impactful cartoons are often contemplative and existential. Some are poetic."
