The making of SCHOOLBOT 9000…

From pencil to pixel
Early sketches from SCHOOLBOT 9000

“Even though I made Schoolbot on my tablet, a big part of my creative process involves good old pencil and paper sketches. There's something about the feel of a real pencil drawing that I just love — the messiness, texture, imperfections. Sometimes I even pull out an old ink nib or two and really get my hands dirty (literally!)

Sketching helps me capture the funniest, most dramatic, or emotional poses and expressions in their raw form, without feeling the need to perfect or finalise things. Each little smudge and stroke adds character! Sometimes I even take a step back from my digital artwork if I feel it’s getting too polished, redraw it in pencil, and then try again.

Some of the artwork that ended up in Schoolbot 9000 comes from doodles I made in the corners of scrap paper and sticky notes when I wasn’t thinking too hard about it — and sometimes that’s the key, not thinking too hard!” —Sam