Critter Comix Week 13 !

A redraw of a panel from Scott McClouds “Understanding Comics” book

There’s that trend going around like, “And that’s why I decided to draw myself in such a simple style. Would you have listened to me if I looked like this?” And I’ve been meaning to redraw it.

The original, as well as an assortment of others replicating it.

Admittedly, Critter Comix is not the best showcase of my artistic capabilities. The comics are pretty easy to produce, and sometimes don’t require as much effort as my normal work. One thing that I can NEVER do, even in my regular work, however, is self-portraits.

I HATE them. I hate realism and portraits in general, but it’s a bit more bearable when it’s someone else I have to draw, but the worst thing for me is to draw myself.

When I was working on this comic, I kept getting stuck on the same thoughts over and over:
my hair isn’t that light,
my eyes aren’t that big,
my skin isn’t that shade,
my face doesn’t look like that from every angle.

And then it turns into this weird internal debate: what counts as a “fun cartoon exaggeration,” and what is just me quietly making myself look better? Like am I stylizing… or am I editing?

Because if you draw yourself too good, it feels embarrassing. Like okay, relax. That’s not you. That’s a version of you with better lighting, better proportions, and a full PR team. But if you try to be more “accurate,” it starts to feel weirdly harsh. Like now I’m just sitting here looking at my pictures for way longer than I’d ever like to, and examining every single line and imperfection that makes up my face.

So I kept redrawing it. Over and over. Every time it looked a little too nice, I’d tone it down. Every time it felt a little too real, I’d pull back. It never quite landed anywhere comfortable, it just kept hovering in that awkward space between “not me” and “too me.” The first draft is attached below, and i kept going at it with the liquify tool, comparing it to me, and seeing how much closer I could get it to be.

First draft!

I still don’t like the portrait, but I think it’s good enough now that you can at least tell its ME. At some point I realized there’s no winning. You’re either adjusting things a little or confronting things a little, and neither option feels great when it’s your own face.

So yeah. This is why I stick to my silly cat caricatures.