Skip to main content

Dilbert, Pearls before Swine, and the Digital / Pen and Ink Grudge Match (video)

We live sstephen pastis pen ink comicand work in an age where it is possible to create, edit, and distribute a new content without a physical copy ever existing, so it might surprise you to learn that not everyone uses the latest tools. Some, in fact, use tools that are positively Victorian.

Take Stephen Pastis, for example. As you’ll see in the following video, he draws his Pearls before Swine comic strip in ink on paper. Just to put this in a writing perspective, this would be like a writer choosing to forgo even a typewriter and instead use a pen and a pad of paper to write stories. I have trouble picturing it; how about you?

And in case you’re wondering, it doesn’t have to be that way.  This video, which was sponsored by Wacom (they make graphics tablets), also stars Scott Adams. He draws his Dilbert comic strip on a Cintiq Companion.

TBH, this video is a humorous advert for Wacom, but I thought it was worth watching just to show how dated some current tech really is. Sure, Pastis’s method works, but it takes so much time and uses so much in the way of resources.

The next time that you think publishing is inefficient, just think of how much a comic can cost.

Similar Articles


Comments


Steve Vernon December 19, 2013 um 5:57 am

Okay – so that WAS a funny advert.

I guess it just goes to show that no matter what sort of technology we apply to our creativity it is STILL going to boil down to nothing more than somebody sitting around thinking up stuff. Whether that somebody is thinking up words for a story or pictures (and more words) for a cartoon strip – the speed limit still applies. How fast can your inner muse think!

If nothing else this advert-video gave me a GREAT excuse to read me a couple of great cartoonists. PEARLS BEFORE SWINE is a gut-splitting giggle-fest and DILBERT is a dry, wry martini with just the proper hint of WTF for flavor.

Great post, Nate.


Write a Comment