A couple of weeks ago, somebody wrote me on Tumblr asking how I come up with my ideas. He said he’s an aspiring artist, and that his biggest problem is finding inspiration. He explained how he spends long nights staring at a blank canvas, and it was turning him off to art. I replied, admitting that I had spent the past hour or so staring at a blank computer screen, completely uninspired, and had finally decided to take a break to answer some emails.
I spent most of my twenties turned off to art. Although I was working as an artist, I never really considered myself one. I hated my own drawings, I felt they were much too stiff, lacked construction and energy. I would feebly attempt to draw differently, the way I was “supposed” to, and always came back to my own style. Eventually, I started doing more things that forced me to be uncomfortable, like taking improv classes and singing karaoke. I realized that if I was terrible at something and looked like a complete idiot doing it, the absolute worst thing that could happen was that I’d be terrible at it and look like a complete idiot doing it. Turns out, that’s not such a big deal. So I started drawing the way I like, and started posting my drawings online. It’s not necessarily that I like how I draw now, it’s just that I’m much more comfortable with who I am.
One of the first comics I posted to my Tumblr page, back when I still wasn’t exactly sure what I should be posting or why I started the page in the first place.
Ideally, my ideas just pop into my head. Those are usually the better ideas, the comics I’m most proud of. Other times, I sit down with the intention of doing a comic, and I’ll usually scroll through a google image search of animals, or animals+funny, or animals+cute, or animals with long necks, etc, and try to get ideas that way. And then there are the times where I just sit down and attempt to force an idea into my head. Those are the blank canvas times, the times where I usually have a mini panic attack and ask myself “what if you can never think of an idea ever again?” Luckily, I’m pretty easily distracted, so when that happens I usually just go on Facebook or make myself a sandwich or something and my anxiety is gone.
I’d been trying to think of a comic with a rattlesnake for a while, but couldn’t think of anything that I hadn’t already seen before. Then this idea popped into my head, and I thought “that’s ridiculous!” and drew it anyway.
Once I’ve come up with an idea, even if it’s terrible, it’s going to be finished and posted on Tumblr or I’m not able to move on with my life. I’ve posted every comic I’ve ever done, and finished every comic I’ve ever started- even the ones I hate. For some reason, I am not able to move on from one idea to the next until the first idea is executed (and to me, for some reason, that also means posting it for all the world to see). I hesitate to say this next thing, because I realize how silly it’s going to sound, but once I’ve thought of a comic, it needs to exist, I want it to have a chance in the world before I can move on. And if it isn’t well received, I think “Aw, it’s okay guys. I still like you.”
I didn’t like this comic at all when I drew it. I kept it on my desktop, went to bed, then looked at it again the next morning and still didn’t like it. I posted it anyway, and it actually ended up being one of my more popular comics.
Luckily, when I’m stuck, I have a few go-to characters who I feel pretty familiar with, and it’s usually easier for me to do comics with them. I’ve drawn them enough that I feel more of a connection with them, so I can almost think of them as friends who I can place in absurd situations. The rabbit and bear are always inspired by my husband (the sarcastic, smart rabbit) and myself (the clumsy, ridiculous bear.) The frilled lizard has taken on the persona of my good friend Edwin, who is one of the kindest people I know and would gladly shield you from a storm or even fashion himself into a kite for you if he were able.
Sometimes I just want to draw an animal, even if I don’t have an idea. I’ll just think “I GOTTA DRAW A RHINO” and it just has to happen. If I can’t think of anything funny, I try and draw something that might make me happy if I saw it. I keep in mind some of the wonderful emails I’ve received from fans, and try and draw something that might make them happy. There’s a lot of really disturbing stuff on the internet, why not make something sorta nice?
If do run out of ideas, I don’t believe I’ll ever stop drawing these characters. Even if it means sitting and staring at a blank screen, completely uninspired, I will keep drawing them because I want to see where they go next. And even if it’s no place special, and the wonderful and surprising reception they’ve received fades away, I’ll think happily to myself “it’s okay guys. I still like you.”
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YOU GUYS LIKE PRINTS?!?
Good news! I want to make some for you. Simply pre-order my new book The Little World of Liz between 8/18-9/19 and send proof of purchase to [email protected]. Everyone who pre-orders will receive an exclusive signed 3×5 postcard (up to 3) and one lucky winner will receive a CUSTOM print! You can pre-order from Barnes and Noble, Indie Bound, Books a Million and Amazon! OR you can order & pickup from Diesel or Vroman’s bookstores in Los Angeles, where I will be having signing/launch parties this Fall (more info about that coming soon).
Tags: artwork, business, cartoons, comics, liz climo, writing
These are delightful and I am delighted by them. Thank you so so much.
(ps was this you?
)
Whoever it was, I love them. And these cartoons, they are just lovely and adorable.
Actually no, I made that! My name is Drew and I’m a fan of Liz Climo’s. I came here to read her piece and saw this! Hi Liz!
HOW COOL. Hi Drew! Thank you for this adorable dinosaur gif! Know that you are spreading joy throughout the world.
Hi Drew! Love this gif! Do you have a site where I can see more of you work? 🙂
This was wonderful. A lot of it resonated as someone who is just now trying to write some songs on guitar. Sometimes I panic and I think I wrote one song I like, and I will never write another. But usually it just takes stopping for a night and picking things up tomorrow with a fresh mind.
Each and every one of these made me smile.
I especially loved the dino-pals working out their side hug.
Also the HUGS octopus.
Hugstopus
The opposite of nopetopus!
As a huge fan of using “nopetopus,” I really loving having “hugstopus” now.
The dinosaurs are actually a dad and his son. They are so adorable!
I love it when that frilled lizard comes across my dash. Thank you for making such a cute comic.
I love your thought process! Because sometimes I just want to do a thing and can’t get past all the failure that hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t happen. SHUT UP, BRAIN. OK?
Oh this made me so happy. I love your Tumblr site so much, and it’s delightful to hear your talk about your work and your process (and also reassuring to know everyone just sits and stares at blank things until they get distracted). Yay!
I love when my Tumblr and Toastie worlds collide. I’ve seen many of your comics around, and I always think they’re super cute. That last dino one in particular gets me right in the feels!
I LOVE THESE.
I Love it all… All those characters are amazing, really!
One question, international pre-orders can participate to receive the postcard? Even if I pre-order from book depository? *Say we can, say we can, pleeeease*
Rory and his dad! So cute! Glad to see on your tumbler that they are getting their own book.
aw, I love your comics!
Just FYI, the Toast as a books publicity machine works on me 100% of the time.
Just gonna go re-read Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals while I wait for this book to arrive. Thanks Toast!
(As an aside, this post arrived approximately 23 minutes after I resolutely vowed that this was the pay period I was actually going to stick to my cash-only, no-extras money diet, lol.)
Okay, this is off topic, but I’ve had the same problem – how do you do cash only when SO MUCH of our lives is on the internet??
That’s all, just wanted to commiserate.
Well, I obviously don’t.
You don’t buy things, that helps. I’m really trying to stop buying things (like just for 2 weeks, and only things that are not like groceries etc), but I’m not successful.
I like all of these, but the octopus one is definitely my favorite. so good.
Your art is ADORABLE. *adds tumblr page to bookmarks*
yo, anyone ever have the experience of seeing something that is JUST SO CUTE that you start to cry?
WELL, I’m sobbing right now
Yes, and I wish I understood why it happens! Glad to know I’m not the only one.
The lizard kite made my freaking month.
If Liz is wondering if this Toast piece was worth it: Liz, I have never run across your Tumblr page before and I am currently in your shop with just over $100 of prints in the shopping cart, SO.
Love, love, love.
I desperately, desperately need a t-shirt with the dino side-hug comic on it. It reminded me so much of my dad and me that I teared up.
Seriously. I would pay to fly you out here and hand-draw it on a shirt for me if necessary.
Wow, in the midst of such a world-historically shitty month, this made me smile. I didn’t know your work before, so THANK YOU to you and to the Toast for running it!!
Wow, in the midst of such a world-historically shitty month, this made me smile. I didn't know your work before, so THANK YOU to you and to the Toast for running it!!
HI DREW! So nice to meet you! People ask me that a lot and it's the GREATEST compliment because it's basically my favorite thing on the internet!!
These are so sweet and kind and lovely, Liz. Like another commenter above, I got tears in my eyes. Thank you for sharing, and I’m adding your book to my Amazon cart right now!
Ahhh! I’ve followed you on Tumbr for ages. I love your work so much. What a pleasure to see you on The Toast and read your thoughts about it. Thank you!
I love your dinosaur comics the most because I think they describe the dynamic between parent and child (at least as I know it) so well. I find it difficult to speak to my father because we see things from very different points of view and I think we’ve just lost our ability to communicate over the years, but I gave him a print of one of your dinosaur comics one Christmas. I think it expressed everything that I was unable to say in words and he understood.
These are wonderful. I’m so glad I saw them today.
Hi Liz. Your cartoons are very adorable. Made me smile after a bad day. I saw all your cartoons and love all of them.
Keep up the good work. You are amazing 🙂
Love your cartoons–the baby dinosaur wedging in for a hug reminds me of one of my dogs, nicknamed The Wedger). Thank you for spreading niceness instead of disturbing stuff.
And congratulations on being true to yourself as an artist
Stephanie (your Mom’s cousin)
Perhaps not your intended purpose, but thanks for the new background. I tweaked the constants for output resolution and the colors. I’m considering writing a script to randomize the colors or subdivisions every few minutes… and down the rabbit hole I go.