It has been a few weeks since my last post but, that is a good thing since production has been keeping everyone busy around here. Since I have been going on about the importance of advertising, I figured I would preview the new mailer going out in the coming weeks. I must admit that designing my own characters for company use can take a bit of time. This character (I am calling him Dr. Snark) was no exception.

In the initial stages I wanted to have something to kick off the start of the company that was a play on the classic Dr. Frankenstein line “It’s ALIVE!” As I do with all of my character designs, I begin the process with a little research and a fair amount of staring at the ceiling while trying to arrive at a concept. The proto Dr. Snark started his life as a series of random sketches with varying influences from Peter Seller’s Dr. Strangelove to the mad scientist in Jean Jeunet’s classic film The City of Lost Children. After several pages of sketches, and consultations with friends and colleagues, I settled on this design. I think Dr. Snark was just the right mix of evil and cartoony without being maniacal. However, once I finished the piece, I came to the realization that Dr. Snark bore a striking resemblance to my neighbor. So much for all of that research!Image