24 OctArt over the years

If you’ve been a long-time Garfield fan, you would have noticed Garfield’s art evolve over so many years. No? Well, it can be hard to notice change, like how you never notice your family members growing older because you’re always with them. But one quick look at the different incarnations of Garfield shows how much has changed.

Note the first panel of the above comic: The first image is of Garfield in his debut in 1978. The fifth image is of the Garfield we know and love today. Looks like his eyes got way bigger, and his ears got rounder. He also lost his drooping cheeks. Talk about a makeover!

In an interview with The Village Voice, Jim Davis has said that the key tip to drawing Garfield is to focus on the eyes. The way a character uses their eyes can say a lot about who they are, after all. Garfield is known for his lazy & smug gaze but once he bats his eyelids wide open, a whole range of emotion becomes all the more apparent.

But if there’s one thing about Garfield we’re sure hasn’t changed, it’s his insatiable appetite for food!