Inside Dav Pilkey’s Studio

For his Cat Kid Comic Club graphic novels, Dav created mini-comics (stories within a story) using different mediums including photography, clay, calligraphy, poetry, and paper models. This photo shows the models of the baby frogs in their mini-cars.

Dav uses an assortment of art techniques to illustrate his books. One of his favorite things to do is build models. He created this robot frog using old cardboard, green paint, wire, and light bulbs. In this photo, Dav is painting the robot frog in his studio.

Here is a look at the finished model of the robot frog with its eyes lit up, with the Baby Frog Squad sliding down its tongue. Dav also made the baby frogs’ mini cars out of the lids of salt shakers.

In this photo taken in his studio, Dav Pilkey is working on “Squid Kid and Katydid,” one of the mini-comics he created for Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives.

 

For the “Squid Kid and Katydid” mini comic, Dav cut up little pieces of construction paper in a variety of colors and used tweezers to glue the pieces together to create the characters. He used a black marker for the lettering and to finish the design details.

 

For Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives, Dav made the actual model for Chubbs and Jake’s disco van. The finished model of the van includes functioning stereo speakers, a mini subwoofer, 1970s faux-wood paneling, multicolored rotating disco lights and a mirrored floor.

This is one of the many models and scenes that Dav created and photographed for Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives. Dav took hundreds of photographs before deciding which specific scenes to include in the book.

Dav created by hand all the elements you see on the cover of Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. He used clay and aluminum foil to make a model of Li’l Petey, one of the main characters in the Cat Kid Comic Club and Dog Man books.

Book cover in progress: Dav in the process of painting his Li’l Petey character for the cover of Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose.

Here Dav is creating models of the “Baby Frog Transfroggers,” robot characters in Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. He used salt containers, tape dispensers, rice dough, and paint to create the robots by hand. 

 

From Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. An outtake from Baby Frog Squad: Transfroggers mini-comic, this is one of the scenes that Dav photographed but did not make it into the final book.

For his Cat Kid Comic Club graphic novels, Dav created mini-comics (stories within a story) using different mediums including photography, clay, calligraphy, poetry, and paper models. This photo shows the models of the baby frogs in their mini-cars.

Dav uses an assortment of art techniques to illustrate his books. One of his favorite things to do is build models. He created this robot frog using old cardboard, green paint, wire, and light bulbs. In this photo, Dav is painting the robot frog in his studio.

Here is a look at the finished model of the robot frog with its eyes lit up, with the Baby Frog Squad sliding down its tongue. Dav also made the baby frogs’ mini cars out of the lids of salt shakers.

In this photo taken in his studio, Dav Pilkey is working on “Squid Kid and Katydid,” one of the mini-comics he created for Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives.

 

For the “Squid Kid and Katydid” mini comic, Dav cut up little pieces of construction paper in a variety of colors and used tweezers to glue the pieces together to create the characters. He used a black marker for the lettering and to finish the design details.

 

For Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives, Dav made the actual model for Chubbs and Jake’s disco van. The finished model of the van includes functioning stereo speakers, a mini subwoofer, 1970s faux-wood paneling, multicolored rotating disco lights and a mirrored floor.

This is one of the many models and scenes that Dav created and photographed for Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives. Dav took hundreds of photographs before deciding which specific scenes to include in the book.

Dav created by hand all the elements you see on the cover of Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. He used clay and aluminum foil to make a model of Li’l Petey, one of the main characters in the Cat Kid Comic Club and Dog Man books.

Book cover in progress: Dav in the process of painting his Li’l Petey character for the cover of Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose.

Here Dav is creating models of the “Baby Frog Transfroggers,” robot characters in Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. He used salt containers, tape dispensers, rice dough, and paint to create the robots by hand. 

 

From Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose. An outtake from Baby Frog Squad: Transfroggers mini-comic, this is one of the scenes that Dav photographed but did not make it into the final book.