A Review of Sarah’s Scribbles

You might already be familiar with the very successful webcomic series we are going to discuss. Sarah’s Scribbles continues to win hearts all over the Internet with its simplistic relatability and cute black and white cartoons. We want to tell you more about it in this article and perhaps show you why you should follow Sarah and her art.

Beginnings

Sarah’s Scribbles is the brain-child of author and artist Sarah Andersen who is now based in Portland, Oregon. Sarah was studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) when she began creating the webcomic series Sarah’s Scribbles (then called Doodle Time) in 2011 as a hobby.

She first started posting her webcomic on Tumblr, which was a haven for millennial artists back in the day. Initially, she used MS Paint and just decided to have a little fun and share it with the people there.

Once the comics were picked up by bigger blogs on the platform, Sarah noticed that many people found them relatable and she realized that her hobby might actually turn into something serious.

In 2014, she graduated from MICA and decided to pursue her new venture full time. She shares that her experience taught her many valuable skills such as work ethic and how to navigate the business side of the art world.

Inspiration, Content, Style

Sarah’s Scribbles is described by its creator as semi-biographical and the main character that we all grew to love is a stand-in for Sarah, but Andersen didn’t want to name her, so she could retain her relatability; all of her readers are Sarah.

This is a really important thing to note about the webcomic. It’s so successful because it’s so relatable. Some people have pointed out that the webcomics read like shower thoughts or random things we all think about when we are alone. Not surprisingly, Sarah actually said that she likes to think of new comics when she is having a shower or riding the subway.

Another important characteristic of the comic is that it mainly depicts the millennial viewpoint. As someone born in the early 1990’s, Sarah wanted to create something that could speak to her generation in a genuine matter. She describes her own experiences and that of her friends to people who, considering her readership, experience the same.

The main character is a wire-haired girl that struggles to “adult” and prefers lying in bed and playing with her cats instead. Sarah notes that millennials often use self-deprecating humor to describe their lives, so she replicates this in Sarah’s Scribbles.

Let’s now talk about the art style. The comics are in black and white and the characters are usually not very detailed, but simplistic, and always cute. What they all share are their wide eyes which are sometimes the pun in the comic. Their bodies also move in ways that science would not approve of, which is another trait of the art style. Oh, and forget about noses.

In terms of the paneling, Sarah initially used a five-panel structure to accommodate to the first platform she shared them on, Tumblr, due to its scrolling feature. Nowadays, however, you can most often see her utilize the four-panel structure, and sometimes the two-panel one.

The lettering is always done on hand, including in the authorized translation of Sarah’s works by other artists.

Favorite Scribbles

We think it’s finally time to appreciate some of Sarah’s most famous comics and some of our personal favorites.

1. If Dogs come from Heaven, then cats…

This is a classic example of Sarah’s “complicated” relationship with cats. Cats are all cute and snuggly until they lash out and you end up with scratches all over yourself. What we also like about this particular comic is that its message is very simple and doesn’t even require words to deliver the punchline.

2. I’m baby, we’re babies

This one is even more minimalistic in terms of spoken speech, featuring only a title and a sound effect. Our titular character, a woman in her 20’s, who’s supposed to be a full-fledged adult is revealed to be a robot controlled by a crying baby. We can all relate to that experience, and unfortunately, being an adult doesn’t come with instructions.

3. Maybe being an adult is not so bad?

Yet another one of Sarah’s “adulting” comics. This one, however, views it in a more positive light than her usual pessimistic tone. Again, this is highly relatable and we don’t have to tell you why, you can just feel it.

4. Whoopsie!

This is for all the perfectionists out there. We love how Sarah innocently describes the problem of attaching your self-worth to the works you create and how this is an unhealthy way to live, yet she and many others still do it.

5. Yep, we’re getting old

We knew this day would come, the day when the titular is not the youngster that struggles with adulting, but the adult that struggles to stay relevant. We can’t imagine her not being relevant, but her humor and antics are “old” by Gen-Z standards. Finally, the Tumblr artist faces the TikTok dancer. We know who we’re rooting for.

Conclusion

We hope you liked this article about Sarah’s Scribbles and you that you had fin reading the comics we picked. To see more from her, you can follow her on Facebook or Twitter.