Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway.
Here's page four of That Spot, written by Antonella and drawn by me, based on a short story by Jack London...
This is the first page I'm really happy with (it always takes me a couple of pages to 'settle down' when I'm drawing a strip). The men are starting to look right and I'm getting the hang of the dog. I gradually made the two men scruffier and dirtier as the strip progressed, giving the impression I hope of them having spent years in the outback in locations with no proper bathing facilities.
The main problem I had with this strip was finding the best way to portray the dog's character. He's a chancer, a criminal type who exploits all around him and has nothing but contempt for everyone but himself. A sociopath who feels no connection with society, and has found that he can do whatever he likes because nobody can beat him. In the end I got the 'mood' of the character by channelling a bully who made mine and others' lives miserable at my school. He didn't have a facial scar (although he did smoke), but the contemptuous expression I've given the dog belongs to him. Congratulations mate, you've been immortalised as a dog.
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