THE BIRTH OF BLAKE

This is where it all began...with this original inked sketch...the creation. After some frustration with a previous long term character, Clyde, I took an entire summer brainstorming and doodling to create a new character. Clyde was my character throughout middle school and early high school, but I outgrew "the baby with an attitude" and needed something new. My styles were changing while my ideas were expanding, and a comic about a baby just couldn't cut it anymore. This is honestly the first drawing of Blake. It was sometime in late July of 1995, in the middle of the summer. Originally, he was supposed to be the normal child in a dysfunctional family, with a wacked out sister named Becca, and single dad named Dirk, and a braindead dog named Glitch. That was up until I created Dustin for Lunch Break, when I decided a new personality and purpose to the comic. As you can see, I had a list of names to choose from, and almost went with Ozzie. I'm not kidding, I drew Blake's face and profile, wrote down a list of possible names, and finally came to the conclusion that Blake best fit him. I think it's funny looking back on his hairstyle, because over the years it had become more and more geometrically based. Originally it was loose and parted down the middle, but for a more crisp look I decided some where along the way to simplfy it all together. His nose and eyes have progressively changed...his nose now smaller and his eyes are now two vertical pen strokes. Overall, Blake is still Blake, and this drawing marked history in the making....

THE FIRST DOODLES