I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD for short. Not to the extent where it incapacitate my normal day-to-day life, but perhaps enough for others to find me a nuisance at times (or most times..).
That said, if I were to examine myself from the eyes of my closed ones, I figure it would be a really interesting affair. And probably fruitful one too. As a cartooning enthusiast, I spend a considerable amount of time observing people and trying to isolate behavioural traits that sets one person apart from another. In some cases, I may be looking out for hallmarks of a certain characteristic traits which stands out. To be even more specific, it has to be a trait where the readers could identify with in an instant and go: “Aha, I know someone like that!”.
In many ways, I find myself more often than not depicting a character with a really serious case of OCD. Much like the piece above where it shows the ‘hallmark’ of someone with OCD coming to the rescue of a lady in drowning in the sea. In this particular instance, I wanted to display the ‘visual’ trait of this disorder in a lighthearted manner.
Of course OCD is just one of the many interesting character and behavioural patterns that could be an amazing ingredient for a wonderful cartoon. The idea is to observe intently whenever you have the chance.
JunMing
Sam Lay 