I’ve got some pencils today of the first pages to Sunnyville Stories episode 7. It’s titled “By Any Other Name” and is going to be a very wacky story. So let’s see what I’ve got so far.
This story takes place within the mansion of Sunnyville’s richest family, the Von Straussens.
As we start off the story, Frederick Von Straussen is showing off the exquisite pieces of furniture he had in his household. He starts off by showing a piece that belonged to Louis XVI of France.
So what does this have to do with the story? Not much – but it does establish the setting. If someone owns a piece of furniture that once belonged to a French king, that definitely suggests that they have lots of money. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again because it is worth repeating. Setting is important so treat it like it’s real. Don’t think of your backgrounds, domiciles, landscapes, and so on as just some theatrical backdrop. Think of them as a real place. Put in props to help define who the characters are and what they stand for. That’s what I’ve done with the Von Straussens. Their mansion is loaded up with all kinds of trinkets, some of which are rare or expensive. In fact, you can see that in the second episode of Sunnyville Stories (also available in my trade paperback).
Of course, our hero Rusty can resist cracking a joke.
I’m sorry you loyal readers can’t see the chest too well. That chest (belonging to Leopold II) is done in pencil – I’ve explained countless times that pencil doesn’t reproduce well.
I’ll have more pages up next time.
