All of the strips start out with a basic idea, with a set-up and a pay-off. I try to do some quick roughs just to get the characters and props figured out...At this early stage all I'm concerned with are the elements I'll need to include and the actions that will help tell the story. Moving forward everything can and usually does change.
Then I lay out the panels and begin roughing in the story...
Next up is the final pencil art where I will move things around so they fit properly in the panels. I usually 'warm up' for the inking by tackling one of the easiest panels first...
Inks are then completed and all pencil lines are erased...I purposely used some old, slightly yellowed bond paper for this one because I wanted a nice warm tone to the overall strip.
The color stage is where all of the real fun begins. I usually start by figuring out what colors the characters will be and then work on the palette for the backgrounds based on those choices. My main concern for this one was that the autumn leaves would read powerfully against everything else because they were an important part of the gag. And a couple of hours later it's all done!
