Rick Griffin's "Creative Process"

RockstarRaccoon · Post by **RockstarRaccoon** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:00 am

After reading this comic about a year, I've come to a conclusion about the "Creative Process" which Rick Griffin uses. The following, I believe, is an accurate depiction of how he "carefully plans his elaborate story arcs" which we can "deeply analyze for clues about what the carefully drawn up Housepets universe is like within his mind".

This is not a criticism: only a statement of fact. This is how he does EVERY story arc, (no exceptions) but he's really good at somehow making it work.

This image is also Exploitable, enjoy!

Jimmy Jazz · Post by **Jimmy Jazz** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:48 am

Well, I'm not sure if that's true for Rick. but that baiscally seems like the kinda thing I do when I write a story. >_>

CogiantflyingdinosaurcrashingintojupiteralongwithorangutanrebelshipOugh

Kyderra · Post by **Kyderra** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:59 am

actually, I think he went to the "current comic" topic and thought
"yep, sounds good enough to do for me."

that , or those guys can really guess what Rick is going to make next.

Post by **rickgriffin** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:22 am

I'll have you know I have a beard

Post by **Dissension** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:40 am

This is true, and also I think his head is slightly less perfectly round. Otherwise? Pretty much accurate from my dealings with him.

RockstarRaccoon · Post by **RockstarRaccoon** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:15 pm

rickgriffin wrote:I'll have you know I have a beard

Dissension wrote:I think his head is slightly less perfectly round.

Fine. How's this?

Doodle-Rick has a beard and a non circular head in all of these. This accurate enough now?

Post by **Dissension** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:20 pm

I withdraw my objection.

Post by **rickgriffin** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:33 pm

Yes that is the best series of beards I ever had

The Game · Post by **The Game** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:45 pm

You must teach me your looping-holing ways

Flamboyant-Pencil · Post by **Flamboyant-Pencil** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:00 pm

This whole thread made me lol. Thank you so much.

I want that beard in the last panel. That is a MAN'S beard.

Ebly · Post by **Ebly** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:43 pm

Flamboyant-Pencil wrote:This whole thread made me lol. Thank you so much.

I want that beard in the last panel. That is a MAN'S beard.

To have that beard has a horrible price because sometimes small children get lost in it and you get picked up for kidnapping

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:57 pm

phff. forget the beard, what about that mustache?

though it'll never be as cool as mine!

44R0NM10 · Post by **44R0NM10** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:35 am

the creative progress seems distincly simliar to how Dr. Seuss may come up with ideas.

Starts with 'I do not like green eggs and ham'
Ends with
'I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE!'

seems to speak for itself.

RockstarRaccoon · Post by **RockstarRaccoon** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 7:42 pm

Flamboyant-Pencil wrote:I want that beard in the last panel. That is a MAN'S beard.

Which one? The massive one of the curly one?

Post by **Dissension** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:32 am

They seem to be talking about the massive one, or at least that's the one Ebly's statement makes sense for.

Flamboyant-Pencil · Post by **Flamboyant-Pencil** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 4:45 pm

the more I look at it the more it seems like Gordon Freeman.

Gordon Freeman writes Housepets!.

I need to stop playing Half Life so much.

RockstarRaccoon · Post by **RockstarRaccoon** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:19 am

Flamboyant-Pencil wrote:I need to stop playing Half Life so much.

mmm... That's a good game: I didn't put it down forever after an hour...

Duster · Post by **Duster** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:47 pm

Well looky what i found here!

Hmmm... i've always wondered how Rick gets in the zone for writing/drawing the comic?
I know some people have certain times of day that they are more creative (usually evening or after midnight), or that some people have small rituals they do when they start to draw, or are in the process of drawing their quality stuff.
Two web comic authors that i've had experience with are excellent examples of what i'm talking about.
The_Chu author of Slightly Damned likes to livestream her comics as she draws/edits them, and Minna Sundberg author of A Redtail's Dream likes to write a small log/diary of what she was up to when she was drawing her comic.

Maybe Rick combs his beard or drinks a can of orange soda before starting on a project (or maybe he power naps, i've heard that helps).

Anyway, I was just curious? What do y'all think he's up to when he gets into Imaginate mode?

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:28 pm

OK, after reading the second version of the strip, I totally looked like this:

(except with a pointier muzzle, because weasel, ok)

Post by **Sleet** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:39 pm

I'm actually deeply disappointed Rick had shaved his beard before I met him. I would have liked to see him having exactly the beard in the third (fifth?) panel.

Duster · Post by **Duster** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:45 pm

I can never grow facial hair past 1/4 inch, because at that point my face starts to itch. When my face starts to itch, then I MUST shave! More power towards people with full, shaped and healthy facial hair, but beards are sadly (right now anyway) too itchy for my liking.

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:12 pm

I've heard rumors about Rick's creative prosess: The orange soda Co. made a golden statue on his honor due to his support and purchases.
And after seeing those beards, I'm not sure if Rick was going through a dwarf phase or, more likely, the dwarves everywhere are passing through a Rick phase.

copper · Post by **copper** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:01 pm

Geez, this thread is always fun to read. Raccoon at his best. I just wish Valerie had some input on it.

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:43 pm

Looking at that final panel, i'm slightly convinced Rick maybe related to Guan Yu.

Mickey the Luxray · Post by **Mickey the Luxray** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:36 am

Moar zany is best comic. Keep up this creative process, Rick, and this will be the most famous, best webcomic this side of the ratings sea. Forever.

Not that it already isn't the best, but still

copper · Post by **copper** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:57 pm

GameCobra wrote:Looking at that final panel, i'm slightly convinced Rick maybe related to Guan Yu.

We need to hang out some time, lol.Guan Yu indeed...

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:00 am

This topic rocks!

Duster · Post by **Duster** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:23 pm

It's too bad that Rick doesn't do Livestreams, I personally think that it would be neat to just tune in and watch Rick whilst he draws or edits his work. Though again, I don't really know how Rick goes about doing the strip. I mean does this happen sporadically through out the day/week or does he simply sit down and get straight to it?

Of course I'm sure as far as writing goes that Rick has a "general" direction in mind. He probably organizes scenes much like any good play writer would and has an idea for a script before he starts planning out how to draw everything.

What do y'all think?

Mickey the Luxray · Post by **Mickey the Luxray** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:26 pm

I would say that the rage comic is his brainstorming process, and then he goes and plans out the arc like it's a book, and after that he draws all of the comics during the weekend and/or on the no-comic days like a newspaper comic artist (i.e. Bill Watterson).

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:55 am

Duster wrote:It's too bad that Rick doesn't do Livestreams, I personally think that it would be neat to just tune in and watch Rick whilst he draws or edits his work.

What do y'all think?

As much as I like the idea, I get a feeling the mods might say that requires a new topic

Post by **rickgriffin** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:18 am

My arting largely consists of me sitting at my art desk and drawing for long periods of time, then inking for long periods of time. I'm usually listening to MST3K, an internet reviewer, or an audio book while I do so. I'm only connected to the internet wirelessly and getting a wired connection in this room would require a lot of house modification which I'm not keen to do, and also I'd need a decent webcam I can hang off the shelf above my art table.

I'm not ultra talkative so I dunno what else would be happening there.

Duster · Post by **Duster** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:37 am

rickgriffin wrote:My arting largely consists of me sitting at my art desk and drawing for long periods of time, then inking for long periods of time. I'm usually listening to MST3K, an internet reviewer, or an audio book while I do so. I'm only connected to the internet wirelessly and getting a wired connection in this room would require a lot of house modification which I'm not keen to do, and also I'd need a decent webcam I can hang off the shelf above my art table.

I'm not ultra talkative so I dunno what else would be happening there.

That's fine and I can respect that. It's just an idea anyway. Besides most of the artists that i've seen doing live streams are drawing with sai tool or photoshop. Plus most of the time they stop every little bit to text something on the chat thread next to the livestream. Other than that it's pretty much business as usual for them, i guess?
I still think it'd be cool, but I also know that you're more traditional when it comes to sketching and inking the strip. Anywho, thanks for indulging!

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:27 pm

rickgriffin wrote:My arting largely consists of me sitting at my art desk and drawing for long periods of time, then inking for long periods of time. I'm usually listening to MST3K, an internet reviewer, or an audio book while I do so. I'm only connected to the internet wirelessly and getting a wired connection in this room would require a lot of house modification which I'm not keen to do, and also I'd need a decent webcam I can hang off the shelf above my art table.

I'm not ultra talkative so I dunno what else would be happening there.

Lies! Rick simply travels to the Housepets! universe in his magical hovercraft and takes pictures of the things that happen there!

Post by **Render** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:36 pm

Silly Zealot wrote:
rickgriffin wrote:My arting largely consists of me sitting at my art desk and drawing for long periods of time, then inking for long periods of time. I'm usually listening to MST3K, an internet reviewer, or an audio book while I do so. I'm only connected to the internet wirelessly and getting a wired connection in this room would require a lot of house modification which I'm not keen to do, and also I'd need a decent webcam I can hang off the shelf above my art table.

I'm not ultra talkative so I dunno what else would be happening there.
Lies! Rick simply travels to the Housepets! universe in his magical hovercraft and takes pictures of the things that happen there!

Can we book flights?

Mickey the Luxray · Post by **Mickey the Luxray** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:42 pm

Isn't the portal the second star on the right?

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:57 pm

Mickey the Luxray wrote:Isn't the portal the second star on the right?

Before getting there, you need to pass through the ninth cloud, ask the bandana selling monkey to give you protective footwear, and then press triangle, triangle, X, circle in your console.
Or you could just ask Rick to hitch you a ride.

Mickey the Luxray · Post by **Mickey the Luxray** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:58 pm

And a little bit of pixie dust. Even Rick needs it...

Argent · Post by **Argent** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:15 pm

In the trip to the portal you'll find
Some things that you must keep in mind
A rock like a hand
A waterfall grand
And a hermit whose limericks rhyme

(mine don't. how's that for poetastic doggerel?)

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:47 pm

I have a speculation...

Mickey the Luxray · Post by **Mickey the Luxray** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:01 pm

And so was born Calvin and Gra- wait a second...