ToonHole’s Cartoonist Reveals the Secret Behind His Hilarious Comics

When it comes to Chris Allison’s successful comic series, we can appreciate his distinct art style and dark, humorous gags. He started “ToonHole ” with 3 other cartoonists, a web page where he posted his comic strips in 2010. His Instagram followers adore the way he delivers his jokes and punchlines. He also has a story on DreamWorks Feature Animation in the works and does other animations in his spare time.

Are you tired of the same old boring comics with predictable punchlines? Well, brace yourself for a wild ride because ToonHole’s artist is here to shake up your comic-reading experience. Get ready for some unexpected twists and turns because these comics will have you laughing until your sides hurt. No spoilers here, but let’s just say you’ll never look at some things the same way again.

Influences

First, we inquired as to whether he had any key influences in his life that may have aided in the development and refinement of his style. He told us, “Tom and Jerry were my initial source of inspiration.

Looney Tunes, Goofy shorts, and Fleischer cartoons were among my favorites. I will most likely spend the rest of my life attempting to sketch and paint in the manner of many of those artists from the 1940s.”

Teacher Support

Chris had a lot of support from his teachers in high school, who introduced him to the arts. He had an animation class run by Paul Messerle, who went on to receive a prize for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year in 2016.

Chris also credits his life drawing teacher, Jacqueline Nicolini, as a great inspiration. After graduating, he attended California State University, where he continued to study and perfect his drawing skills.

It Takes Time To Produce A Comic Strip

Because art takes a long time to practice as well as produce, we asked Chris how long it takes him to complete one of his comics.

He says, “in general, I think about 6 hours for most of my comics but it’s hard to gauge. I’ll pencil 3 or 4 comics on watercolor paper in a couple nights, then ink them all in one night, then try to color a couple comics at a time.”

The Process

Chris continues to explain that it is easier with watercolor because you can move onto the next panel while the last panel dries, and you can use the colors you just mixed to keep the panel colors uniform.

He also uses Photoshop and other computer programs to produce comics. In that case, he tries to get it done in one sitting. The complexities are different in each format, and also the time invested may vary.