Here's another angle on how to cartoon: When creating a scene, a background setting for your characters and their props, first sketch out the composition relying purely on memory, as opposed to the majority of the time when we use photo reference and/or Google Image. This forces you to use a visual shorthand and render only those readily remembered elements that add up to give an impression of - in this instance - a corner store.
So in a way cartooning dovetails quite nicely with stereotypes and icons - components of residual, shared memory + cultural symbolism = short-cuts. Ho-ho's, gas-station quality coffee and ubiquitous creamers + sugar, the overhead a cigarette rack, newspaper rack, an ice-cream cooler. It's a puzzle where you also have to design and draw each of the pieces. Some assembly required.
You have to decide where in the visual chaos of a convenience store to situate your point of view. This is kind of a "security camera" angle on things. It makes sense, since you would want a security camera to be able to take in all relevant material in the vicinity of the checkout counter.
ReplyDeleteThose things are so notoriously low-res it didn't even catch whether it was a sixpack of Moose Drool of Moosehead (boy does that ever sound like an exciting night in rutting season)
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