GET INSPIRED
STEFAN G. BUCHER created an illustrated monster a day for 100 days …
Why did you decide to do Daily Monster?
For me, it wasn’t a clear decision. I just started filming the Monsters for my blog with no clear plan as to how many I’d do. But the reaction was so strong and immediate—people sending in stories about each creature, as well as drawings of their own—that I knew what I had to do.
On average, how much time did you spend on each piece?
The early Monsters took about ten minutes to draw and another two hours to process and post. But the drawings soon got more involved and now take about thirty minutes or longer. And as soon as you add animation into the mix, the daily versions take up to twelve hours. Some of the special-edition Monsters can take weeks to animate.
What did you expect to get from this experience?
I expected to have a little fun and land a book contract for Upstairs Neighbors. Instead, I made friends with brilliant, creative people all over the world, got to make drawings for The Electric Company on PBS, paint a monster mural in Nebraska, make Monsters for all kinds of magazines, and publish a book about the first one hundred days. In other words, it was all a bit of a letdown.
What have you learned about yourself in the process of doing this?
A little bit of work done faithfully every day beats a short-term heroic effort by a mile, particularly if you set up a process that doesn’t leave time for doubting yourself. I had no idea I could do this much work.
How has this process affected your creative skills?
The other day, I did some straight-up drawing from life, and I was happy to see that drawing Monsters every day actually revived my proper drawing skills too. Beyond that, the whole Daily Monster experience cured me of being such a Luddite crank. Before, I frowned at every new bit of technology as something unnecessary and only got on board months or even years after everybody else. Now I can’t wait to see what’s new.
How do you stay inspired?
I look, I listen, I pay attention. When it comes time to draw, I zen out and just let the ink guide my hands. The less my head is involved, the better the drawings are.
Any advice for people considering starting their own yearlong project?
Whatever you do, for the love of God, don’t think of it as a yearlong project! Who in their right mind would start a project like that? Just start, and see where it takes you.
Still frames from the original filmed Daily Monsters. “I write the text and draw the Monsters upside down and in reverse, simply to show off.”
Daily Monster 157—“Many of the Monsters seem to have an affinity for Christian Louboutin shoes. Stylish creatures they are.”
Part of the Daily Monster Papers series on dailymonster.com. Courtesy of the artist
Stefan G. Bucher is the man behind 344 Design, and the online drawing and storytelling experiment Daily Monster. His Monsters have invaded computer screens all over the world, and their savage adolescence is chronicled in the book 100 Days of Monsters. He has created designs for Sting, David Hockney, Tarsem, and the New York Times, and he works with a whole roster of brilliant, driven clients. His time-lapse drawings appear on the rebooted TV classic The Electric Company on PBS. He is the author of All Access: The Making of Thirty Extraordinary Graphic Designers, The Graphic Eye: Photographs by Graphic Designers from around the Globe, and You Deserve a Medal.
Add wings, fur, and/or a tail to something that wouldn’t normally have them.
Design a uniform for a job that doesn’t normally have one. Extra credit: Make it and wear it!
Goldfinger. Work only with gold materials today. Try working on a gold surface for a real challenge.
Work with only candy or chocolate today, wrapped or unwrapped.
Half and half. Take two things that don’t go together and find a way to make half of one and half of the other fit together into one new thing.
Create a new book cover for your favorite book. It can actually cover the existing book, but it doesn’t have to be a practical item.
Make something natural look digital (jagged edges, pixilation, made from ones and zeros, and so on).
Freeze time. Create the illusion that time has stopped and something or someone is frozen mid-action.
Make a city out of objects you have on hand.
Use an internal organ as your inspiration today.
Work with bleach to make something by taking away color.
Make a rainbow from everyday objects. They can all be the same item (like book spines) or a collection of random things.
Extend an existing photograph or painting beyond its current edges.
Create a new birthday song or tradition. Bonus: Get people to sing or do it at the next birthday party you attend.
Make something loud today. And let everyone know it’s the last day of your year!