Evolution of a Smash-Up

I was trying to simplify the characters as much as I could and eventually did the doodle of Michael as little more than a tapered rectangle. I liked that so much that I put a check mark under it! Later that day at work I did a really rough sketch of the idea. I was self conscious enough about the “girly-ness” of the design that I tried adding a punch-line panel where it’s revealed that Pam has drawn the picture and Michael is criticizing it.

I sketched each of the characters in the new style (including an unused, freaky drawing of Hank the security guard). Jim gets to use my original jello gag and look, Pam gets a check mark too! Since I knew I wasn’t going to use any line work I didn’t bother cleaning them up. I just scanned them into Photoshop as is.

So then I had the sketches as a guide and all I had to do was finish it in color. This should have been easy but I was afraid it might take me hours and hours and since I wasn’t sure how much free time I’d have to work on it I had built in bail out spots-
1) just Kevin, Michael, Jim and Dwight.
2) add Ryan, Kelly and Toby
3) add Pam (I kept the idea of Pam as the artist but dropped the punch-line)
4) and since I had the time I added Iron Man’s helmet as a finishing touch.
In fact I put the helmet in so late in the process that it isn’t part of the picture on Pam’s drawing board.

So there is my long and sketchy process in a rather large nutshell.

Thanks
Andy