Of course, anyone who follows cartooning and comic strips understands that a creator’s drawing style usually changes throughout the years (just look at old Peanuts or Bloom County cartoons). Even PD, which is still relatively new, has undergone character transformations. Some of this has been unconscious, some completely predetermined.

The unconscious part was due to my being out of drawing practice when the strip launched. As I regained my skills, my drawings simply improved. Also, in the beginning, I had attempted to caricaturize the people in PD (i.e. making arms and legs rubbery, bodies shortened). This went against my inherent nature of naturalizing figures…that is, making their bodies/gestures a bit more realistic-looking like they are now.

Earlier I used thicker Micron pens, so the line quality was heavier. The colors I selected were also brighter. I seem to prefer a more  subdued palette these days…still love the gradation, though.

The predetermined part stems from the characters aging…especially the kids. The girls are taller, more mature-looking. All the characters’ eyes/noses are a little larger and bulbous, the adults’ faces slightly elongated. As for editing, I scrapped Amy’s baby talk early on (yep, you’re welcome).

Samples from early 2006:

Samples from 2008:

This May, readers who look closely may notice one very subtle change…hair. Amy and Jess’s hair will start growing a little longer. My older daughter always had short, kinky curls that tended to grow “up” rather than down. Gravity is just now starting to overtake it, which inspired the characters’ hair revolution. Anyway, I like the idea of toying with the characters’ hair a bit – short of sticking a thousand clips and bows in it like my kids do.

As for future parallels and whether Jill’s hips will someday expand and Rob’s hair will completely fall out (my husband shaves his head, so who knows what’s left), that’s yet to be determined. For now, I’m still in denial.

(PS New strips on the samples page coming soon. Stay tuned…)

I’ve never had a typical “girly” sense of humor. I hate “chick lit” and – other than Lynda Barry – was never particularly influenced by female cartoonists. Not that I don’t admire or read comic strips by other women. I absolutely do and I have…but I don’t necessarily seek them out over other ones.

An interesting fact: before Pajama Diaries, most of the cartoon protagonists I developed were men. They were always alter egos of myself and weren’t overtly feminine (other than displaying a few of my klutzy/neurotic tendencies). For some reason, on paper I used to feel more comfortable in the “male” mind. Obviously, this has changed. I’m glad it has; I think the world needs more women delivering the punchlines.

Still…I was happy to take a vacation from the female mindset and introduce a two-week series from Rob’s (the husband) standpoint. This series lasts until March 15th. I did it as an homage to my own long-suffering husband whose alter ego frequently plays the “straight man” in PD. In reality, he’s actually used to being more of the source of entertainment.

This was a fun series to write…as well as a much-needed break from my feminine side. Thanks for the inspiration, Honey!

(New Year’s Resolution Update: I’ve been workin’ my tailbone off and am now FIVE days ahead…on top of the regular five-week lead time for turning in strips. This is monumental, especially since my kids have had a couple of snow days recently. Yay, me!! Let’s hope this trend lasts…)