Friday, June 14, 2019

FATHER'S DAY

Here's to all the fathers out there who support, encourage, joke,
play ball with us and love us.


a rough draft of a drawing by Ralph C. Heimdahl while working in his studio


My dad is long gone, but he is remembered for his sense of humor, sense of honor, and humility. He was a highly skilled traditional artist, though he made his living drawing comic strip characters.





 He left behind many of his drawings. He had most fun drawing animals, 
but he could even imbue a robot with a personality.


Sketches by Ralph C. Heimdahl made in the late 1940s for a robot used
 in the Bugs Bunny comic strip

With a few quick brush strokes with his Winsor Newton #7 round, he made each character come alive.  He would work 8-to-10 days creating daily comic strips and the Sunday for Bugs Bunny. He spent his spare time drawing his own characters from the countryside and woodlands that he loved. He always hoped he could publish his own comic strip while he worked on the Warner Brothers characters  each day. He also shared his knowledge with his family. When he built his studio in our backyard, he included a long low shelf and stools for us where we could draw and paint and learn to type.




Character development by Ralph C. Heimdahl



Ollie the Otter, the main character of a comic strip that he hoped to publish.

He made sure he drew as many expressions for each character as he could.

My dad had several anatomy books, which my sisters and I scoured to understand what was underneath our skin. He knew body structure so well that he could capture a horse mid-air. He showed us the magic that paper, pen or pencil can create.


Sketch from real life by Ralph C. Heimdahl


For all you dads out there, I hope your day is full of laughter, hugs, and the understanding that you have many gifts to pass on to your children.



Happy Father's Day!


4 comments:

  1. Oh, what treasures, Martha! I’m glad you have them. Thank you for sharing. Hugs...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome, Chandra. Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts.

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  2. Such a precious mouse! Such heartfelt comments! A really enjoyable posting. -- Gail

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Gail. My dad was a special person -- missed by all of us who knew him.

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