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Larry Merrill's Toyzville is a real gem of
a comic. Combining
characters of toys
we
grew up with and
the world they live
in,
with a very sharp
artistic style, the
comic
has a gentleness
and humor that is
easygoing
and fun to read!
Recently Larry was
kind
enough to answer
my 8 Questions.
1) Describe your comic creating technique.
I loosely sketch
out the strips on
some pre-made
templates I printed.
I scan in the sketches
and draw over them
in Adobe Illustrator
CS.
I use layers for
the line art, the
coloring,
backgrounds and the
word balloons. When
I
have it all tweaked
out, I save the file
as a GIF and upload
it. During the research
phase, when I checking
out visuals for the
toys I have in the
strip, I collect
interesting
links related to
the toys. I put a
few of
those links up with
each strip. I actually
started drawing and
inking the strip
traditionally
and scanning (#1
is done that way),
but went
back to the computer
rendering for the
rest.
I have since tried
going back to the
drawing
board, and I am pretty
happy with the results,
which should be posted
in a month or so.
I still scan in the
inked art, but I
"vectorize"
it so I can use it
in Illustrator, where
it's colored and
lettered. I'm doing
the
strips faster that
way, so I hope to
continue
to get better at
that and increase
my updates!
2) What comic, other
than your own, would
be your dream job
to write/draw?
Wow, tough question.
When I was very young,
I wanted to take
over PEANUTS for
Schulz
when he retired.
Of course, as I grew
older,
I realized that PEANUTS
should ONLY be done
by Schulz, and I
started to understand
the
personal connections
creators have with
their
strips. It might
be fun to play with
someone
else's world. Not
permanently, maybe
just
as a fill-in. In
that case - I think
it would
be a blast to do
Calvin & Hobbes!
Not
that my stuff would
hold a candle to
Watterson's,
but artistically
and creatively, that
would
be a hoot!
3) Favorite non-comic
website?
Because I am a Mac
geek, I check Macminute
dozens of times each
day... so sad, really!
4) What person, real
or fictional, do
you
most identify with?
Charlie Brown! Always
a nice guy, always
tries to do the right
thing and hardly
ever
getting ahead! Okay
- maybe I'm growing
out
of some of that,
but man, I WAS Charlie
Brown
for SO many years!
Now, I think you
can look
at my main character
in Toyzville, Automaton
Tom, and see a lot
of me in there...
5) Since your comic
is about toys, what
are
your top 5 favorite
toys, and do you
still
have them?
#1 - A vinyl Charlie
Brown toy I got for
my birthday when
I turned 6. I have
NO idea
where he is or how
he got away from
me! I
did by a deluxe Charlie
Brown christmas figure
that much larger
than my original,
but really
is an awesome replacement!
I got the pathetic
tree, too! #2 - Vertibird
- the helicopter
toy. It was so cool!
I have a new version,
the original is long
gone. I drew a Vertibird
in one of the early
Toyzville's. #3 -
G.I.
Joes - I had the
cool 12" ones
that
came in the wooden
footlocker. When
I got
into comics, I made
Superhero costumes
to
fit! Spider-Man,
Iron-Man, Iron-Fist
(for
a friend). I wish
I had pictures of
them.
And not even a stray
plastic boot is left.
#4. - The deluxe
Iron Giant action
figure
- About 18"
tall, he's just awesome!
And I am looking
at him right now.
#5 - My
3-eyed alien collection
- from Toy Story.
I love that green
guy. I have a bunch,
too.
I WILL one day make
a Claw Machine -
a scaled
down WORKING version
of the one in the
movie.
I want to get my
hands on a bunch
of the
aliens that Burger
King gave out years
ago
- squeeze it and
his eyes bug out
- and build
the machine to that
scale. Probably when
I retire in 25 years
or so....
6) If someone offered
you two million dollars
to never draw again,
and you could not
cheat
the bet, would you
accept?
Nope, because I know
I couldn't do it.
I'd
cheat in about ten
minutes. I cannot
even
imagine a life without
a sketchpad and a
pencil... What I
wish for is someone
to offer
me two million dollars
because I CAN draw!
7) What are your other hobbies?
I have a marine fish
tank that I try very
hard to keep healthy.
I do some backpacking
in the cooler, colder
months, I like to
sculpt
and I do some miniature
war gaming with my
son. Well, I have
a miniature war game
army
that's about 85%
unpainted and/or
unbuilt,
but I'm getting there.
Slowly!
8) What is the most
valuable lesson you
have
learned so far while
doing comics?
Hmmm... there have
been many. Create
personable
characters that "think"
and act
as individuals. Don't
just have a cast
that
just says lines.
What I mean is, don't
have
lines that are interchangeable
amongst the
characters in your
comic. Write each
line
FOR the character.
Stick with continuity
throughout the story,
it's easy to throw
readers off track.
READERS CAN'T READ
YOUR
MIND! Get your point
across very clearly!
Check out Toyzville today!
More Eight Question
interviews here.
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