Glen the Caterpillar Comics

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Category: Literary Inspiration

Glen and the Red Heron…

I was going to draw this last week and actually post it on time but I ended up running into massive self-inflicted technical difficulties! Suffice to say I fried my laptop’s brains and my PC went on strike when I accidentally overloaded its memory… which resulted in me not being able to save anything…

But we’re back! And happy to be so! And isn’t Glen frigging adorbs investigating bad puns? I thought so.

The Making of Glen

I could of spent a lot longer doing this comic in a more anal-retentive manner but I’m sort of in between doing 300 other things so I did this whole comic quick and dirty. I had no idea herons were such an easy shape to draw! Who knew!

Glen Introduces the Bug World to Shakespeare

So I may have been wandering around BritBox like a lost lamb when I found something called Upstart Crow – which is apparently a very British comedy about Shakespeare’s life and it had me in stitches with it’s creative reinterpretations of the classics. This got me to wondering what Shakespeare would mean to a cheerfully stoned caterpillar. And this is what I came up with. I might be biased but I think putting Glen in a fur coat is always a great thing to do. I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM! But I’ll resist.

The Making of Glen

I made Glen SUPER late this week. It’s past 5PM on Monday and I just finished it. SIIIIGH. That being said I took the background from Glen Visit’s Popple’s Dungeon and updated it with some blurring effects to make it look less distractingly cartoonish. From there I played with brush strokes to find which one resembled fluffy fuzzy wuzzy bee hair. And then I drew a skull on the bee as Hamlet demands I do. It’s style is reminiscent of the death’s heads I find on the slate gravestones that I admire so much. It’s crude, at best, I know, but it works!

Glen Stages a Mutiny…

The past week has been total chaos so I had to get inspiration for Glen from a dream – a dream I had after about 48 hours worth of dreams trying to sleep off a migraine. It makes little sense and doesn’t have any context but damn if it isn’t adorable! To pirate Glen!!

The Making of Glen

Today I played with some new textures trying to get the teddy bear right… I don’t think I am done fiddling with this but I am getting closer so that’s all that counts.

Glen Fixes the Monkey’s Paw

Ah! Another week and another horror related comic! This one was inspired by a spirited discussion on The Monkey’s Paw. It all got me wondering, what would Glen do with a monkey’s paw? What would he wish for? And his very innocent (but potentially horrifically backfiring) answer had to be this! With any luck the monkey will be pleased and won’t curse his remaining wishes… but that’s up to you to decide what happens next.

The Making of Glen

So, since I was doing so well with posting a Glen every week and I am getting into other illustrations and tattoo design I thought it would be a great idea to invest in a gaming PC (which is coincidentally the same kind of PC illustrators use.) And I must say this combined with the better drawing tablet and a kneeling chair is SWEET!! LOVING the new set up! So sleek! So fast! So easy! I must be moving up in the world.

The new PC with its much larger screen has also allowed me to see the details in the things I draw so much better! I don’t know how this is going to play into my Glen comics in the future but for now it’s mesmerizing.

Glen Plays the Devil’s Advocate for Satan’s Lonely Heart…

So last week I grew restless and tried to escape my boredom by visiting the location of a botched horse cremation. I didn’t really comprehend it was at the top of a mountain and REALLY messed myself up and spent the rest of the week recovering… which brings me to today, Monday, where I am sitting here staring at a blank screen wondering what the heck I am going to draw for this week’s Glen comic.

Finding no real inspiration I procrastinated by scrolling aimlessly through my Twitter (@TheophanesAvery) feed. For some reason it was inundated with references to Satan this morning?! I didn’t figure I had the emotional bandwidth to look into why Satanic Panic was trending so instead I just let my mind wander and BAMB! Inspiration for a Glen comic!

The Making of Glen

Today’s comic was SUPER simple although I did learn that I have completely forgotten how to draw flames… ah well, can’t keep everything in my head. The one thing I did differently was giving Glen a considerable dialogue that was in and of itself the joke. I don’t know if this will fly but at this point I’m calling it good. Maybe next week will be less stressful and allow me proper inspiration. One can always hope.

Glen Lets us Meet his Ancestors

Why not start out your week with no less than THREE butterfly puns. There’s something for everyone in this comic – bugs, opera references, a prison escape, and a beloved science theory!! We really outdid ourselves and I hope delivered a chuckle or two.

The Making of Glen

This week I had NO IDEA what I was supposed to be drawing. Between a three day migraine and being super busy on top of that I didn’t have the luxury of free mental space for Glen. That being said I don’t think this last minute drawing was all that bad! It brought together a bunch of random things kicking around in my brain.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a butterfly that looks like a geisha?! HARD. But at least the wallpaper was a super easy cut n’ paste. All and all I am not unhappy. I think it’s pretty cute. Although I do think these comics with too many words or obscure references perform poorly. Oh well, I like it, and I guess at the end of the day that’s all that really matters. That and if I can get one person to clap so these comics don’t die…

CLAP DAMN YOU, CLAP!!

Glen Meets the Monster in the Aquarium

With my happier spirits Glen appears to be getting cuter again. This time he’s using a tiny diving bell to explore the household aquarium…

The Making of Glen

I don’t think I did anything particularly new with this comic besides mess with the opacity of the final blue layer – giving it the illusion of being under water. Even so I am very happy with how it has come out and I think Glen has come a long way in just a short amount of time.

Glen writes his New Year’s resolutions…

I’m not going to lie. For however burned out you feel at the end of 2020 I probably feel eight times as bad. Life with chronic pain/illness is so much fun but with that being said I am super thrilled to announce this is the first full year Glen has celebrated with you! And what a ride! And so today’s new Year’s resolution also serves as a half apology. From Glen. He’s sorry. He really is. But mostly because I have rationed his cookies from here on out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! And good riddance to 2020!!!

Glen and the Mad Hatterpillars…

This week’s Glen started out as a morbid joke and somehow ended up in a really well suited pun. It refers to an actual real-life species of caterpillars called the gum leaf skeletoniser. I had no idea when I was drawing said comic that they’re also affectionately nicknamed mad hatterpillars!

The Making of Glen

This week’s panel is super simple. It was an easy image born from the fact a week’s worth of cleaning house has left my brain soup. Next week I will try to invite more complexity.

Glen Shows Off the Family Photo Album

We’re back! After taking a forced week hiatus due to technical difficulties! And I know, this week’s comic is just a stupid simple pun. It’s getting back to the basics… Glen started out as a late 1960’s/1970’s inspired stoner comic. I drew it when I was a super sober and totally innocent high schooler and now look at me… STILL loving this little guy a lifetime later! Nothing in my life makes sense but I’m not complaining!

The Making of Glen

I am really loving drawing the bubble letters by hand like old music concert posters. I think it adds quite a bit of character. And of course I decided to run with the late 1960’s feel with my color scheme and choice of furniture. There isn’t anything about this I don’t adore. And although it’s simple it is the first time I put Glen in a sitting position and drew a couch/seat. I don’t think I did too bad and I am amping up the courage to maybe do an animation one of these days…

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