GoComics.com - Search Form
  • Find Comics
    Trending Comics Political Cartoons Web Comics All Categories Popular Comics A-Z Comics by Title
  • Best Of
    Recommended Comics Comic Lists Blog
  • Shop
    Home Books Calendars Comic Prints Your Cart Checkout
  • GoComics.com - Search Form
  • Sign In
  • Free Trial
Comics Blog
  • Recommended Comics
  • Comic Lists
  • Blog
Advertisement

Doug Savage (Savage Chickens)

by GoComics
May 17, 2014 2014
Share
Share this - Copy link

I became a cartoonist by accident, in a way. As a kid, I always wanted to be a cartoonist. I drew comics all the time. I read the local library's entire collection of Peanuts, and then moved on to Garfield, Far Side and Bloom County. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, "Cartoonist!"

But somewhere along the way, I lost track of my childhood dream and ended up working in a boring office job instead. Many years passed. I stopped drawing. I started getting migraines. The story could have ended there, but in the fall of 2004 - after a bad migraine and a bad day at the office - I grabbed a stack of yellow sticky notes and drew two chickens. That's how Savage Chickens began, and it changed my life completely.

Savage Chickens by Doug Savage
Savage Chickens by Doug Savage

Ten years later, I have a successful webcomic, a book, more than 2,400 comics and my work now appears on GoComics.com alongside some of the comics that I read when I was a little kid dreaming about being a cartoonist. If I think about it too much, I start giggling and dancing around.

Over the years, I've learned a lot about drawing, but my process has stayed pretty much the same. I still draw every comic on sticky notes. It just feels right, and it feels true to the original spirit of rebelling against office culture. I can't pencil my drawings first because it can ruin the sticky note, so I draw each comic in ink right from the start. When I make a mistake, I have to draw the whole thing over again, sometimes many times. I use a light box so I can loosely trace elements from earlier drafts. 

Dougatdesk1
(Photo by J L Martin)

I don't work far in advance. I leave the drawing until just before I post my daily cartoon. Some days, I don't know what I'm going to draw until that point. This keeps things fresh and mildly terrifying.

What have the chickens taught me? If you're a creative person, you need a creative outlet only slightly less than you need food and water. Spend time doing something you love, every day, even if you can only spare a few minutes. You never know where it will lead!

 

Savage Chickens by Doug Savage
Savage Chickens by Doug Savage

A few other tidbits for the road:

  • Where am I? I live and work in Vancouver, British Columbia , the umbrella capital of Canada.

  • Where was I? I was raised in Ontario by a pack of wild piano teachers.

  • Upcoming events: VanCAF: May 24-25. Hal-Con: Nov. 7-9.

  • My favorite comics: Basic Instructions, Four Eyes, Incidental Comics, Poorly Drawn Lines and Too Much Coffee Man have been making me laugh a lot lately! Go read them!

Read Savage Chickens here or keep up with Doug on Twitter.


Today's Trending Comics

Herb and Jamaal

October 01, 2023

Doonesbury

October 01, 2023

Advertisement

GC Blog

The 77th Annual Reubens Awards Are This Week: Here Are the GoComics Finalists

The 77th Annual Reubens Awards Are This Week: Here Are the GoComics Finalists

GoComics Team

September 05, 2023

It’s Here! The Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium Hits Shelves Today

It’s Here! The Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium Hits Shelves Today

GoComics Team

August 29, 2023

Advertisement

Top 5

Here's to Pending Friend Requests.

Here's to Pending Friend Requests.

The GoComics Team

April 22, 2019

It's April 15. Hope Your Tax Return Passes the Smell Test.

It's April 15. Hope Your Tax Return Passes the Smell Test.

The GoComics Team

April 15, 2019

Looks Can Be Deceiving in Today's Top 5

Looks Can Be Deceiving in Today's Top 5

The GoComics Team

April 07, 2019

Comic Collections

Turning Over a New Leaf: These 11 Comics Welcome Fall

Turning Over a New Leaf: These 11 Comics Welcome Fall

The GoComics Team

September 20, 2023

Hispanic Heritage Month Is Underway! Follow These 5 Comics To Celebrate

Hispanic Heritage Month Is Underway! Follow These 5 Comics To Celebrate

The GoComics Team

September 19, 2023

18 Comics for Bookworms

18 Comics for Bookworms

The GoComics Team

September 12, 2023

Comic Features in this Story

Savage Chickens
Advertisement
Advertisement
Find Comics
  • Trending
  • Political Cartoons
  • Web Comics
  • All Categories
  • Popular Comics
  • A-Z Comics by Title
More GoComics
  • GoComics Blog
  • Visit TheFarSide.com
  • GC on Facebook
  • GC on Twitter
  • GC on Instagram
  • Shop
Account
  • Free Trial
  • Sign in
  • Gift Premium
  • Redeem a Gift
About
  • About GoComics
  • Help & FAQ
  • Comment Policy
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us

© Copyright Andrews McMeel Universal 2023. All Rights Reserved. 

Terms & Conditions  -  Privacy Policy  - 
Do Not Sell My Info
You must have an account to access this feature
Sign in Sign up for free Free Trial
Back To Top