One of the biggest challenges in depicting cartoon versions of our pets is that of making sure each of them is truly unique and recognizable both visually and in terms of their personalities. Especially with two dogs in the cast (who are also both Beagle mixes in real life), it’s important that the reader be able to immediately distinguish between the characters, and get a clear sense of their personalities very quickly. I try to use visual cues in how each member of “Floof n’ Feathers” is drawn to accomplish this; Finnegan is typically more laid back, Olivia is often upset about something and constantly in motion, and Pippin is drawn with exaggerated features to give him a sense of being young, energetic, and a goofball.

The great part about drawing from the everyday antics of your pets for a comic series means that you’re never short on inspiration. They’re always up to something, and my wife and I will often make up imagined conversations between the three of them during our daily lives that often become the basis for the majority of the comics I draw. When I first start work on a new comic, I’ll begin with a very rough sketch that’s mostly just a series of crude doodles outlining the basic idea for the cartoon, before going back over and making a more polished draft sketch. After that, I’ll make a final, polished outline before finally coloring, shading, and added text. It’s amazing how much work goes into just four panels!

Even though the comic series is based around the specific everyday lives of our unique pets, I do try to keep the stories and messages relatable to others as much as possible. I would like to think a lot of the sSaveilly adventures we imagine for our pets are somewhat universal experiences for anyone with animals. I know we can’t be the only ones who enjoy making up ridiculous stories to ourselves about what our pets are thinking and doing, and so making a long-running comic series around the idea just felt like the natural next step. That’s also why I love using our own pets as the basis for my inspiration – since they’re always up to something ridiculous, you get a balance of story and punchline all in one!

Without a doubt, I would say my biggest personal inspirations were Dav Pilkey (author/artist of the “Captain Underpants” book series) and Bill Watterson (author/artist of “Calvin & Hobbes”). I grew up on the works of both Pilkey and Watterson, and they were a huge inspiration for my own style and sense of humor. These artists/writers were also one of the primary reasons why I started writing and drawing my own comics since early childhood, and why I still continue to do so to this day.