Brian Russell is an illustrator whose humor feels relatable to many as the situations he draws are often just like the ones most of us face in our everyday lives. This connection comes from the fact that Brian’s art is deeply personal. The family of characters in my comics is based on my own family me my wife and my three kiddos he shared. We’re always cracking each other up with both real and imagined scenarios. The co-workers and other characters that show up in the comics are typically inspired by people I’ve met along the way. Scroll down to check out Brian’s latest work and don’t forget to take a look at his previous posts for more of his hilarious and relatable comics.
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We asked Brian about his creative process and he gave us an inside look into how he brings his comics to life. The drawing part usually takes me about two hours from start to finish he explained. I begin by sketching with a pencil on some paper that I use as a template, then I ink it on my computer. But the writing part? That’s a whole different story. Some jokes come easily and practically write themselves while others have been sitting half-done in my drafts for years.
As for his techniques, Brian doesn’t think anything he does is particularly unusual. Something I’m not sure other people do is laugh while making the comics he shared. I guess it’s a good sign that I think what I’m working on is funny Ha There are plenty of videos from my weekly Twitch live streams where I’ll draw apart and just start cracking up. It’s clear that Brian enjoys the process just as much as the final result and his infectious laughter might just be part of what makes his work so enjoyable.
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Also Read:
- Nellies Nest Comics: 20 Quirky Strips You’ll Love Scrolling Through
- When Rival Dragons Become Cat-Sitters – A Hilarious Twist from Part Time Dragons
- Got Dreams? – A Heartfelt Comic About Life’s Journey
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It’s almost always difficult to come up with new ideas Brian admits when talking about creative block. Lately, I’ve decided not to force too many ideas. Instead, I jot down life-based concepts as they come to me. I’ll take notes on my phone or whatever is handy, and sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don’t. If an idea isn’t working, I set it aside and move on to something else.
For Brian, deadlines can help spark creativity. My brain likes boxes and restrictions he explains. So just knowing a deadline is coming up often helps organize my ideas. That said there are moments when a comic doesn’t work out as planned. There are times when I’ll start inking a comic and realize the joke doesn’t hit as well as I thought it would when I first sketched it he admits. “But you just have to figure it out or pivot. To stay productive Brian tries to keep at least two comics in progress at all times. If one doesn’t work, I can always switch to the other he says staying flexible and ready to adapt.
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Brian draws inspiration from many great artists, each contributing something unique to his creative process. Brian Gordon Fowl’s Language Comics helped me sharpen my joke-telling and focus he explains. Michael Regina Adamsville, The Sleepover encouraged me to spend more time on the art itself and Jon Baker’s Alarmingly Bad taught me how to begin animating my comics.
When asked about the challenge of developing a unique style amid so many talented creators, Brian shared his perspective. When it comes to developing a style, I think you just have to start drawing. Your style will come together as you go. There are some of my favorite comics from five years ago that don’t even look like my style anymore because it’s evolved. I stumbled upon different techniques almost by accident and started doing things differently because I liked how they looked. Sometimes, you just have to begin and allow yourself to evolve naturally. For Brian, embracing that evolution is key to finding a style that feels true to him one that grows with his creativity rather than being forced from the start.
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