Tuesday, August 11, 2009

It's Henri, The World's Least Convincing Mime!

Looks like Henri's doing "trapped in a box." Or is it "Walking against the wind?" "Flower growing toward sunlight?" "Ducking discovers its mother felled by a hunter?" Honestly it's kind of hard to tell.

Don't quit your day job, Henri.

By the way, unlike most of the world, I don't hate mimes. I appreciate it as an art form, and I recognize that it takes talent, skill and stamina to perform. That said, mimes should always be confined to the television. They have no business out in public squares, accosting innocent passers-by. Remember that, mimes of the world. Don't approach me in public and act like I stink, or mimic my walk. Stay on the TV where you belong.

Drawn in Photoshop on the graphic tablet.

Here's the original sketch for Henri. The final drawing changed quite a bit, most notably in the position of his hands, and the lengthening of his legs. If you're a regular reader of this blog (as I know you are) you'll notice that that leg lengthening thing is a common occurrence around here.

For some reason whenever I start making a final drawing from a sketch, I feel the need to make the character's legs about 40% longer. If I'm drawing a tall & skinny character, they always seem to look better to me if their legs are extra long.

4 comments:

  1. i like this guy and the whole crappy mime theme! nice design!

    ReplyDelete
  2. mimes would possibly become more likable if they didn't come right out and say they were mimes, and wear the standard mime costume and makeup. i think if they dressed as hillbillies and called themselves "Zorts" or something else without any preconceived connotations, people would go "hey look at that cool hillbilly! he's trapped in an invisible box!"

    back in the 70s i liked Sheilds and Yarnell and thought they were cool. No one ever told me they were mimes. later i realized it, and they didn't seem as special anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Brad!

    KW: I think the problem with mimes is when they try to interact with the public, like I mentioned above, instead of just standing there performing. People probably don't mind watching them do some routine, but they don't like it when they try to involve them or mimic them.

    As brilliant a master of the art as Marcel Marceau was, if he'd have come up to me on the street and started flailing around in my face I'd have had to knock him on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  4. you are right, when they (or any stranger) invades someone's personal space, or mocks them, usually it's unwelcome.

    also I get the impression a mere mention of the word "MIME" and most people will bubble over with rage and disgust. I think the name alone kills their chances before they even get to perform.

    ReplyDelete

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