Ferreting Out a Name

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new character sketch here.  I’ve been doing a lot of school visits and gearing up for the release of my next book, Bats in the Band, on August 5th.  

I’ve also been doing work on an adult memoir written by my late father-in-law, Sam Keith, which will be published in September (First Wilderness, Graphic Arts Books / Ingram).  More on that book later, but if you’re a fan of his first Alaska book, One Man’s Wilderness, you’ll definitely be interested in this new one.

So, time for a new character. Here he is:

Many a creature, in business . . . and elsewhere. . . was taken in
by his dapper attire and quiet demeanor.

Sometimes I know a character’s name right away, and sometimes it eludes me.  Does this guy look like a Curtis?  Timothy? Randall?  Maybe this is one of those characters who ought to remain a mysterious and unnamed “he.”  As to his profession, he may be a banker, a dealer in motor vehicles, or a cardsharp.  He certainly doesn’t stay in one place for too long.  

He seemed to want an oval background, to help place him into a particular timeframe, and I think in a finished painting, he needs to be tonal, with just a splash of color—a red carnation in his lapel.  A symbol?  Maybe.

As in the past on this blog, you’re welcome to comment on the sketch.  Then I’m going to take this guy to finish, and the final painting will go up on eBay.

Thanks for visiting!  And stop by next Wednesday (April 23), when my guest blogger will be the witty David Lubar.