The 53rd Butler

A little side project has been running through my head a while ago. A funny little thought about a young butler, taken into service to an eccentric (and extremely wealthy) old man, set in the mid-swing of 1950's America.

The story is simple enough, but no matter where/what/when things happen (some of which completely throwing out "Why" or "How") it all goes back to the butler, Ralph, and his point of view of the people he encounters under the old man's employment.

Designing the characters has been interesting though, as I wanted to mess with small details, hoping to use those details to define the character. Now I started this project with the traditional mass of shapes and forms, of course (might upload those later), but here I am with details.

Although he fits the "Hero" standard, I used particular shapes to create a slightly different take than I normally would; Ralph the butler is constructed using primarily rounded shapes (A wide oval for his chest, and a more rounded one for his hips, following though with ovals for the rest of the anatomy), and I try to avoid any unnecessary sharp angles.

The particular challenge I've set for myself (and have had trouble sticking to) was his sloped shoulders. Every male character I've created up to this point had straight shoulder lines (adjusting as angle/reach would require). So Ralph's unique stature made things interesting for me to re-imagine posing (not to mention adjusting arm lengths). But his sloped shoulders seemed to make him feel... stronger (to me at least), allowing for his rounded chest to take more action, or for him to "Lead" with his chest when he runs/walks and so forth, without him feeling too proud.

Now the old man (still un-named at this point), is another challenge for me as this age group has been left relatively untouched. Face shape was an important bit point in his construction, as I wanted something uncommon, but still "handsome" (at least in his younger years). Body shape also played a big role as various different types resulted in different outlooks from Ralph's point of view.

But I ended up with a short, little man, with a rounded dome and squared jaw. The difference in stature and build created a contrast of character visually that pleased me, and developed an unsuspecting aspect to the old man's character. You never know just what the little guy will do.

Other characters will arise as I develop story around these two, and I shall post more as development happens. Meantime, I shall chastise myself for not updating as often as I should, and apologize to my watchers out there!

Til' later everyone!

~Mark Thorne