Evolution of a Character

In an earlier post, I talked of how my story for Never Catch a Netherpott started as a short story written in hopes to be published in a magazine, and how it later became the story for my book.

For any book to happen, I needed to try my hand at drawing these characters.  I used to love to draw.  In elementary school, my friends and I would draw for fun at sleepovers, usually drawing our favorite superheroes or mapping out video game designs.  I really enjoyed art class in high school and I could sail through class easily enough with my so-called skill, but utilizing it in a book meant for the "masses" was quite another thing altogether.

So, one day, I went off to a coffee shop nearby and put colored pencil to paper.  Here was my first attempt at the character of Ethan:

Ha ha!  Are you kidding me?  I almost gave up right there.  (Maybe should've too, but I still had coffee to drink.)





So, I thought it best to change things quite up a bit.  I kept trying.  Here was try # 2:

Was this an improvement?  I thought so, yes.  I kind of felt I was on to something here. 

A little momentum and a slight coffee buzz can do a lot for some creative self esteem.  So I drew another.

I was really feeling the red puffy down vest at this point.  I thought for sure I had found my Ethan.  He had his fishing hat and everything.  Why wouldn't the world feel the same as I felt about this character?  Mission accomplished, right?  I grabbed up my art supplies and headed home, proud and ready to show my wife this great thing that I was going to make.  I just knew she would be as excited about this as I was.


She said he looked like an old man.

She said kids wouldn't like him.  (She was so right, of course, but at that moment...I didn't quite agree.)

So a few days later I went back to the coffee shop and tried again.  Finally...I found my character.

As always, find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Never-Catch-Netherpott-Adventure-Ethan/dp/1463721048/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313179901&sr=8-1