ICECUBES the comic strip #360
Practice before committing.
When I’m planning out a drawing, sometimes I need to make some real quick sketches to work out simple things like a hand position. In this case I wanted to try out some different hand positions so that the pen he is holding didn’t cut across his face and disrupt the drawing. So I moved it around. You can see the published comic strip here.
Here I was trying to figure out how to get Peckinpaw to cross his legs and look natural… not as easy as you would think! Tip: the shin and knee are foreshortened!
Casper and Harvey’s Friendly Comics.
Everyone knows Casper the Friendly Ghost and everyone remembers reading Harvey Comics when they were kids. Casper, Richie Rich, Little Dot, Little Audrey, Spooky and Hot Stuff are all characters that are truly part of America’s collective memory. We love those characters because they are all so friendly and funny. Harvey Comics is part of everyone’s childhood and lucky for me part of that childhood came back to life when I visited the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York City. The Art of Harvey Comics was a really neat exhibit that featured original art from Harvey comic books by stalwarts such as Ernie Colon, Sid Couchey, Warren Kremer and Howard Post. It was just great to see the original art and even greater to meet founder Alfred Harvey’s son Russel Harvey. Russel is a multitalented artist in his own right and wears many hats including TV producer, photographer, writer and comic artist.
Russel Harvey (right) and MoCCA director Karl Erickson (left), NYC, April 2009
Russel regaled us with stories of what is was like to grow up in a world of comic art giants. Apparently Charles Schulz really used to say ‘good grief’ and Joe Simon (Captain America) could draw in virtually any style. I had a great time and just want to thank MoCCA’s director Karl Erickson for being so welcoming and Russel Harvey for being -true to the Harvey name- so very friendly! 🙂
Leroy Brown
Apollo’s Page.
Positions.
When I’m planning out my strips I try to draw the characters in different poses to see which ones work best. It’s a good idea to try things out before drawing the strip and to experiment. Often times I come up with unusual results and that goes into the strip. The funnier the better! 🙂
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Pencils.
I like how these pencils look. Sometimes the pencils look better than the finished ink job. I hate when that happens! Oh well, you decide.
Notice how I always extend the drawing beyond the panel in order to get a balanced feeling. You can click on the image to get a better look.
The finished comic strip is here.