Today is National Lighthouse Day so I decided to revisit or reboot a maze from 2016. A lot has changed in the way I draw MazeToons since then. While the concept is still the same, lets take a look at how much has changed.
- Tools! I now draw on a Wacom tablet digitally. This allowed for a lot of the changes in my style and technique.
- Detail. As I got more comfortable drawing with a smaller line and different type of tool I was able to add more detail.
- Color. Early in MazeToons I really worried about the way color would print and that it would make a maze unsolvable by reproducing too dark. So I tended to wash out and go lighter on a lot of colors.
- Shading. This is one of the biggest changes. For the first two years I did not add shading to any of the drawings, again I was worried it wouldn’t reproduce. Now I add shadows to all my work and it makes a big difference.
- Linework. My work is a lot more fluid now. My lines in early work was more rigid as I was very worried about the maze paths being solvable.
- Difficulty. As I was able to put in more details, the paths also became a little more complex. It’s very hard to create a challenging maze in such a small space that still maintains a compelling image. I’ve gotten much better at that.
- I also dropped the number above my signature. This was originally the time it would take to solve. I was always worried people think the mazes are too easy and that the time would challenge them. I’ve now come to accept that people enjoy a quick challenge and don’t need the time on the maze.
- Skill. I’ve just plain, gotten better. In three more years, hopefully I’ll be even better than now. When you do something a lot you just get better at it.
Thank you all for continuing to solve MazeToons everyday! I wouldn’t be here without each and every one of you.
