| usedbooks | Jiro was one of the original four characters. I never planned a big part for him. Having a cat in the story is my tradition, because I always had a cat (or several) around, and life is vacant without them. Aside from adding atmosphere, Jiro's primary purpose is being a mood amplifier. When characters are sad, he is mopey. When they are angry, he is angry. When a situation is tense, he shows it. This tendency became modified over time to have him react more to the story plot than that of the people around him. If a character has ill-intentions, Jiro will be growling and hissing -- even if all the characters present seem to be in a friendly and nonthreatening mood. In at least one case, Jiro was contently sleeping during a hostage situation. Jiro is something of a foreshadowing tool. I didn't mean this to be at all unrealistic. Jiro has basic animal motives for all his reactions. He picks up on moods very acutely.
I sweated and pondered over Jiro's design for quite a while. I had no idea what kind of cat I wanted to include, just that there had to be a cat. Male, female, old, young, tabby, calico, siamese, playful, lazy, longhair or short, etc. Anyway, I finally decided to ask my sister. She said a bobtail cat. I pictured a Japanese Bobtail with long legs, athletic build, calico spots. She then said big and round. Um... Okay. I asked about colors, and she said brown on the nose like a siamese. So I drew a cat with the full siamese markings: ears, feet, tail. She said "just the nose" (which is genetically improbable, but I humored her). It was a bizarre looking cat. I didn't like it at all. But since I had no other ideas, that was what I stuck with. He has grown on me and is WAY easier to draw and color than a tabby.
With all the bios done, I'm going to work on a "homepage" to organize these as a reference. ~_^ -Posted on Jun 20, 2009 |
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| User: usedbooks | | | | A house really isn't a home to me without a cat. A house without a cat is a cold, soulless building. I can't write a story without a furry animal of some kind. I've tried before, but I lose interest and drive much quicker. -Posted on Jun 25, 2009 | | User: roycemarie | | 5 | | A home without a cat or two is empty to me. A small dog is also nice. It gives the cats someone to annoy. -Posted on Jun 25, 2009 | | User: usedbooks | | | Yes, he's 11. I originally intended him to be "elderly" but ended up making him more middle-aged. He seems younger at times... My real cat is 15 and retains a lot of kitten behavior, so it's not a stretch, and Jiro needs a past like everyone else. ~_^
I started making thumbnails for everyone, but it got tiresome, especially for the characters only in B&W. I think instead, I'll just make a cover page comic to put up after Jiro. -Posted on Jun 25, 2009 | | User: JustNoPoint | | | | Is Jiro 11 in human years? -Posted on Jun 25, 2009 | | User: JustNoPoint | | 5 | I just now noticed there is a dropdown list above and below the page.
I'm totally going to have to steal the homepage idea too. I never thought to make a homepage for this *slaps face
Occupation: Lap warmer ^^ The way you draw Jiro is really neat and interesting
I can't wait to see how his character grows as he learns how to rule the world ;-) -Posted on Jun 25, 2009 |
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Jerry
Ms. Taney
Ricky & Brigit
Caroline
Carter
Tim
Tucker
Sean & Kylie
Violet
Eric
Celes
Misaki
Richard
Toyo
Ronnie
Emily, Jacob, & Jon
Luke
Hyacinth
Mina
Conrad
Mike Sr.
Pepper
Dozer
Jiro
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