New Artistic Style Planned For The Think Shop Comic Strip

Finn - Boy Genius

Over the last month, I've been experimenting stylistically with the strip.  I studied countless published comic strips to discern the elements most appealing to me, elements I'll likely adopt to create a more appealing visual experience for my readers.  At the same time, I took a deep dive into the capabilities of my go to digital platform, Adobe Illustrator, which has turned out to be a bit limiting.  This rough illustration of Finn incorporates many of the stylistic elements I will likely add to the Think Shop strip over the next few months.   

I sketched and colored the above illustration using Sketchbook Pro.  Unlike all my prior strips, the color is not flat, giving Finn's clothes and hair a more realistic show, with depth similar to watercolor.  I've yet to find a brush in Illustrator that achieves this precise look.  As a result, I will change my digital workflow to incorporate Photoshop as my coloring platform. 

I will also likely include crosshatching within shadows to incorporate object depth and help achieve the hand-drawn appearance I've come to appreciate.  To date, none of my strips have included crosshatching or shadowing to a significant degree.

I still feel very comfortable with the line tools in Illustrator, although minor tweaks to achieve a hand-drawn  aesthetic will creep into my work.  Over the next few months, let me know how you like the evolution of my Think Shop strip as I begin to make these changes.  Thank you!  ​