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.

Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:02:03 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0]