Poison Ivy Gulch

Comics strips need a very important element to work – CHARACTERS! Without people to inhabit this Old West setting of mine, what’s the point of even reading it?!

Anyway, I started doing drawings to get ideas for characters. Who would be inhabiting the town of Poison Ivy Gulch? This takes place sometime in the 1870s somewhere in the Western territories of the United States so I had to think about that.

Another point to consider: the Western has many established stock characters – sheriffs, gunslingers, criminals, etc. I have many archetypes to choose from. So this is what I designed. This person could be a meek town dweller. Or maybe he could be a farmer?

Today’s sketch? It is just some ideas I was drawing when planning out Poison Ivy Gulch.

My drawing style is a very simple one. I rely more on conveying ideas rather than capturing reality.

Poison Ivy Gulch is a comic strip that would not look out of place in a newspaper alongside Peanuts, Wizard of Id, the Far Side, etc. Therefore, I want a simple art style; trying any form of realism would distract the reader too much and disrupt the flow of the story.