Once upon a time someone I respect as an artist commented that they liked the construction paper and other people sometimes asked how I made my “cute little construction paper dollies.” This explanation page was the answer. 

where the magic happens

a. chicken pooh, is very special!
b. HP Deskjet 895 CSE (great printer!)
c. Darlene, my pony
d. EZonics USB cam, crappy
e. Daphne, a pony
f. Computer no. 3. Geoffery.
g. 96 ct. crayon box!
h. legal pad (storyboards)
i. dirtiest keyboard, ever!
j. CPA mousepad!
k. over-priced optical mouse
l. obsolete speaker and microphone
m. coaster maker
n. alarm/phone/radio
o. HP Scanjet 4100C, my hero
p. comfy chair!
q. pencil box with crayons and sharpies
r. lap desk with battle damage
s. some sharpies, gluestick, and an X-acto knife
t. pointy scissors!
u. file box of construction paper (organized by color)
v. more construction paper
w. trash can! (always over-flowing)

how i make construction paper angst, a documentary

INTRO. The art of Construction Paper Angst has evolved over time.

The skin started out very pink. Only recently have I fixed this, and it haunts me still. I’ve considered redoing the entire damn strip many times.

One problem is I never to plan ahead. The strips usually get started at 9:30pm on a school night and take until 11 or 12 to finish. This is due to my permanent writer’s block.

I eventually write the strips out on a legal pad in storyboard form, but I can never come up with quite the right idea. This is why the comic never makes sense. Maybe I’m jumping ahead of myself, lets go to

BEGINNING.  Before I could make any comics, I had to make the cast.

Each person is basically just a paper doll done in construction paper. Each “doll” is about 9 inches tall and takes an hour and a half to construct, depending on who is in the room. The dolls usually never look quite right, just ask any cast member.

One of the things about the comic I regret is the large cast, a simple group of four or five characters would be best, but because the characters are real and I’m a teenager, it has become a social struggle.

For every character made, there are two more people complaining. This is why I made the bunny saga and have been planning a comic with fictional characters.

MECHANICS. The dolls are made using normal construction paper, sharpie markers for outlines and details, and crayola crayons for details and forest creatures. If the clothes are real I usually take the images from the net which is another thing I’d like to change.

I scan the completed characters in pieces so that I can pose them. I usually scan one shoe, one arm, and no arms or hands. Many parts are just stock pieces. Pupils and other small details are added on the computer.

Most of the dolls get screwed up in the making, but I fix them on the computer.

COMIC. As I said, the strips are storyboarded, but usually I rewrite them just to make sure they suck are perfect. I use Jasc Paint Shop Pro for the comic. The strip is basically all cut and paste, because it would be pointless to remake the characters for every panel. How I do the background changes. I sometimes draw crayon, or use photographs. Also, I use solid colors (I like to call the darker green “Sonya Land”), and if I’m really motivated I make construction paper backgrounds.

I’ve dreamt of an accurate representation of the high school, but the random hallways with lockers will have to suffice.

I’m probably forgetting the most interesting and exciting parts, so e-mail me if you have any questions. Thanks for reading.