Process, Cont.

Chicago artist Jeff London contributes this statement, by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, to our discussion on different approaches to drawing. I would label this "content over representation: 

"What I try to convey in my panels is a human truth. Rarely do I begin with a caption or idea. I begin by drawing something -- anything, say, a couple watching TV. Maybe there's a dog on the floor and the couple is arguing -- pretty common, right? Next, I try to imagine a narrative which led up to this 'frame.' Perhaps, even a narrative beyond what I've drawn. What are these two people fighting about? Politics? Love? Sex? Children? A Mother-in-law? What is the motivation for their actions? In short, what's the story behind the drawing? Investigating the characters both before the drawn panel and after will fuel potential for dialogue. One or both of these narratives will inform a caption. If this doesn't work, I get my girlfriend, Sofi to write a caption -- she's very good."