Getting Ridley
I thought I’d post some sketches of Ridley I did while I was still getting acquainted with the cast. Since my training at the Kubert School, I’d always felt more comfortable inking with a brush. It yields a lush and juicy line (usually) and is the preferred tool for classic comic book rendering. So the early attempts at continuity with these characters were drawn with a brush, in fact the first few days of “Whither Thou Ridley” were drawn with a brush, particularly as I was mimicking the size and format of old timey syndicated comics, and I needed something that would give me a steady line while outlining Ray’s clean, oval head. I soon realized I needed to reduce the scale of the originals to increase my comfort zone while inking. I also abandoned the brush – dramatic pause.
I switched to pen and ink when I realized it provided a more textured and interesting line- at least for my silly purposes. Anyhow, the sketches above are an example of me trying to answer questions about Ridley …. “Does his glasses rest on his ears like normal folk?” and “Does he have breasts?” or for that matter “nipples?”. I just realized he looks a little naked without a pipe. I ‘m glad Ridley doesn’t have nipples.
Do you always get so… involved… when creating your characters? I can’t imagine Mort Walker got all this intellectual about Lt Flap – “Does Lt Flap have nipples?” It is to laugh!
Be more like Bil Keane! Let your creativity flow, and flow! Don’t bother with things like your audience imagining cartoon Bil Keane in the throes of ecstasy induced by cartoon Thelma administering a prostate massage! BM&JF!
Be more like Hal Foster! Prince Valiant only needed a bare whiff of continuity, and he was still great!
All true, but now I’m busy imagining prostate massages administered to cartoon Bil Keane as drawn by Jeffy or Billy, I’m not sure which.
Oh, Scott! You should have written “as drawn by Jeffy or Billy, Ida Know”! With Angel Grandpa and Angel Grandma watching from On High!