uo1 (2)
My 2011 strip uo1 was one of those little experiments that worked exactly as I wanted it to on the first try. Just a quick exercise in body language, motion, and mood. Things that, at the time, I hadn't worked on much due to my almost exclusive focus on character. Looking back on it now (right this moment, as I type) it was an incredibly important step in my development from guy-who-draws to cartoonist. It was also one of the first things I drew where I put some real thought into its design/presentation. You might even call it branding considering Historieta ZZ was a placeholder name for a theoretical publishing house.
The idea of redrawing it came from a desire to see how the concept could be updated. In the end I decided to keep the action unchanged because I was so happy with the original. Just updating the look became the big motivation. It was drawn very quickly, as I wanted to keep the movements fluid, dynamic, and even a little sloppy. The majority of the time spent on this was the last panel and getting the colors right.
Below is 2011's version (I could never decide which layout was better - vertical or horizontal). As seen in the first of these the last panel was a later addition. It just felt like something the strip needed. I don't know how evident this is, but it was the only panel drawn on paper. The rest was all tablet (as is the entirety of the new one).
✦ ✦ ✦
Here’s some Eros Ramazzotti, why not.
