Before Garfield: This Jim Davis Quote Will Inspire Anyone

Famous character Garfield was drawn by Jim Davis after years of practice. For Garfield's 40th anniversary in 2018, Davis told the Independent about his rise from a small-town Indiana illustrator to a global phenomenon who made his characters and himself famous.

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Davis attributed Garfield's massive success to his work ethic, patience, intuition, and creativity. Jim Davis' Independent interview advises artists. Inspiration drove Davis' work. His brief account of his early visual art attempts encouraged practice.  

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"I did a lot of drawing while I was holed up in my room," adds. "I used to do drawings to try to make my mother laugh." Davis' artistic goal never changed despite his audience growing beyond his wildest dreams.

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Davis said his desire to draw funny things preceded his drawing ability. Using his words: I made terrible art then! I labeled everything because no one could identify it. My assignment was to draw a cow and write ‘cow’ with an arrow.

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Despite not being "gifted," Davis loved art. The Ball State University graduate was a commercial artist before "getting a job with Tom Ryan, the creator of the Tumbleweeds syndicated comic strip, and learning his craft there." Jim Davis found his calling here after years of searching.

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Jim Davis' Jon became Garfield in 1978 after appearing in 1976 local papers. Garfield's humor, art, and characters changed with popularity. After years, the orange cat, his owner, Davis stand-in Jon Arbuckle, and the strip's supporting characters improved.

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Garfield is a popular comic strip character. Jim Davis' efforts shaped his art. Artists who persevere succeed most. Garfield is another practice day for artists who hate Mondays like most people.

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