1. What initially drew you to comics?
As a kid in the 50’s and 60’s, my life was Hanna-Barbera Cartoons (Top Cat, Flintstones, etc...) and Disney Features in the theatre. Also, I loved comic books and MAD magazine. I was always drawing on any paper I could find. It was something that just came naturally.
2. What draws you to create for young people?
Well, Dennis the Menace is really for old and young alike. Hank Ketcham went back and forth with his audience. Sometimes the joke was for the parents and sometimes it was for the kids. Hank created such beautifully designed characters that visually they appeal to all ages.
3. What do comics and comic strips allow you to do as a storyteller?
With the newspaper medium you’ve gotta be fast. You’ve only got a minute to tell a story or relate a gag. The fun is to make it visually interesting but the medium doesn’t give you much time to get the joke across because the reader is on to the next comic strip very quickly.
4. Please tell us about your creative process.
I start with the script, then do a small thumbnail sketch to get the layout down. I then enlarge it and do a tight pencil (I’m still working old school with pen and ink.) I use a light table so I tape the illustration board onto the finished pencil and ink it. Hank Ketcham started at Disney so he was used to working on a light table. The benefit there is you don’t have to erase pencil lines after you finish inking.
5. Where can we find out more about your work?
Dennis the Menace is available at www.comicskingdom.com.
Here’s a couple of websites that have interviews : https://www.lambiek.net/artists/f/ferdinand_ron.htm,http://john-adcock.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-short-conversation-with-cartoonist.html,
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