We’re excited to introduce a new artist making waves with his unique style D.C. Stuelpner Known for his quirky humor and surreal approach to art D.C. describes himself on Instagram as a Drawer of drawings, dumb comics, misshapen heads, and occasional body horror. Intrigued by his distinct style we learned more about his creative process the inspiration behind his comics and what makes his work stand out. We spoke with D.C. Stuelpner to learn more about how his journey into comics began. I loved newspaper comic strips from a young age and thought about creating one but I always struggled with coming up with the characters and building the world he shared. I made a few comics here and there but nothing consistent. Fast forward a lot of years and I’ve ended up drawing the occasional comic book written by others while also exploring other art forms like caricature and digital painting. It’s clear that his path to comic creation was a winding one but it’s what led him to develop the unique style he’s known for today. Please scroll down to explore his latest series packed with absurd twists peculiar humor and an occasional dark turn that makes his art so captivating and unexpected.
More info: Instagram | deviantart.com | reddit.com | drawerofdrawings.artstation.com
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As AI art began to emerge which could easily replicate the style I had just started to develop I also began experiencing some eye problems. The combination of these challenges made the future of my art career feel uncertain. To cope with my frustration I created a comic strip about my eye floaters. That experience made me realize that many of the best online comics rely more on clever writing than intricate artwork. I thought This could be a good fallback plan if my eye issues worsen or if AI art becomes dominant. That’s when I decided to dive into creating comics focusing on creativity and storytelling as my main tools.
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When asked about his process for generating new ideas for his comics D.C. Stuelpner revealed his unique routine. Every night while I’m in the shower, I force myself to come up with a comic strip idea. I usually reflect on things I’ve seen during the day or pick a random topic or common saying and try to find the humor in it. If I’ve turned into a prune from the water before landing on an idea I’ll step out sit in a dark room and give myself another 10-15 minutes to brainstorm. Most of the time what I come up with is pretty bad but occasionally I hit on something worth drawing. Then I’ll sketch it out read it back and wish I had spent a little more time in that dark room.
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The series is filled with distinctive and memorable characters so we asked the artist about his creative process and how he developed these characters. The cartoonist shared that When I’m not parodying an already established character, I aim to make them look like regular, everyday people. I draw a lot of caricatures so I’m always searching for what makes someone unique. Even the most ordinary-looking person has something distinct about them it’s just a matter of noticing it. Creating a contrast between how someone looks and how they act or sometimes leaning into that contrast helps with the humor.
I often use actors as references. While drawing a comic, I might think This kind of looks like an actor so-and-so and then I’ll go look up photos of them for inspiration. Photo references help keep the characters looking consistent across the panels, which I find to be the toughest part of a drawing. I also tweak my style depending on the situation. Sometimes a more realistic approach works better other times something more cartoony fits the gag or it’s simply based on what I feel like drawing at the moment.
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We also explored the artists and comedians who have influenced the cartoonist’s series. The artist shared I discovered Jhonen Vasquez and Ryan Ottley around the same time I was thinking about pursuing art as a career, and they had a huge impact on my early sensibilities. I’m also a big fan of the artists from Mad Magazine, especially Angelo Torres, who has been a major influence on me. These days I mostly read manga for my comics fix. For art I’m inspired by Yukinobu Tatsu, Kensuke Nishida and Boichi.
When it comes to comedians, it’s a little harder to pinpoint specific influences. I’m drawn to dark comedies, and you don’t get much darker than the films of Todd Solondz. Conan O’Brien was a major part of my childhood and I even had the pleasure of him complimenting a cartoon penis I drew on his podcast long story but it makes sense in context. I also love sketch comedies like MadTV, That Mitchell and Webb Look, and Key & Peele plus improv-based podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang. As for books, my primary form of entertainment is horror-comedy and Jeff Strand is my go-to author for that genre.
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