Comics: Meet the Artist
With Ray Billingsley
Artist/Creator "Curtis"
Hosted by Suzanne Tobin
Washington Post Comics Editor
Friday, May 25, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT
Welcome to the Washington Post Style section comics discussion, hosted by Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin.
This week, Ray Billingsley creator of the cartoon strip "Curtis" was online to discuss his cartoon, where he draws his inspiration from and the pace of created a daily comic syndicated in over 250 papers nationwide.
"Curtis" depicts the urban existence of a black family that lives in a weathered brownstowne. 11-year-old Curtis and his younger brother, Barry, are emblematic of preteens in the big city.
Billingsley was born in Wake Forest, N.C., and raised there and in New York City's Harlem. When he was 12 years old he began working as an artist for Kids magazine.
Previous Comics Discussions:
"Speedbump" Cartoonist Dave Coverly (April 27, 2001)
"Non Sequitur" Cartoonist Wiley Miller (May 11, 2001)
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Suzanne Tobin: Hi, everyone! Welcome to the third edition of "Comics: Meet the Artist." Today our guest is Ray Billingsley, creator of the cartoon "Curtis." Welcome, Ray, thanks for joining us. I understand you recently came back from San Francisco where you attended the American Lung Association's annual meeting.
Suzanne Tobin: Hi, everyone! Welcome to the third edition of "Comics: Meet the Artist." Today our guest is Ray Billingsley, creator of the cartoon "Curtis." Welcome, Ray, thanks for joining us. I understand you recently came back from San Francisco where you attended the American Lung Association's annual meeting.
Ray Billingsley: Hello to you, Suzanne, and to all The Washington Post readers. I was out in San Francisco to actually join with the American Lung Association in the fight against smoking-related deaths. What I was trying to do to teach them about how to add a little diversity to their programs. I was the voice of the people.
Baltimore, Md.: How much fun is it to draw Curtis?
Ray Billingsley: It's extremely fun. I wouldn't think of doing anything else. I left a position at Disney in Orlando to do Curtis. Curtis is not my first strip, though. I had a feature called Lookin' Fine, from 1979-1982 with United Features. It was also about a struggling black family and I don't think the editors were ready for it yet. After that, I just returned to the world of freelancing, because I've done nothing else but art. I even did a line of novelty underwear, anything to pay the bills. And then, one night, in June of '86, I had a dream about this little boy who wore his hat backwards. Being an artist, I guess I sometimes dream in animation. And I saw this character moving about, and I woke up and in the dark I reached over and grabbed the drawing pad I keep on my nightstand, and I quickly sketched out the character I had seen in my dream. Ideas have a way of sticking with me until I put them on paper. So after the sketch, I was able to go back to sleep and when I got up the next day, I looked at the sketch pad, and there was Curtis!
Brooklyn, N.Y.: As with Curtis, it truly upsets me to see his dad smoking. Any chance of his deciding on his own to give up the habit? Perhaps discovering something else satisfying/relaxing he can do to unwind?
Ray Billingsley: Yes, there is that possibility. I've been thinking about that. I'm actually mulling over a story idea -- I can't tell you about it yet -- which would force his father to stop. But right now I feel the ongoing saga is very important to spreading information about the dangers of smoking. As a young boy, I can remember at night after the three of us were in bed, my mother would have her last cigarette sitting by a window. As I went to sleep, I'd see her silhouette as she smoked. I can still see the warm glow of it today. It's always turned me off. Unlike most people, she just up and decided to quit one day. She's very strong willed and I've modeled Curtis' mother after her.
Falls Church, Va.: Mr. Billingsley, I enjoy "Curtis" a lot and think it's one of the three or four best strips in The Post (which is especially meaningful given how many strips The Post runs). Where did you get the idea for Gunk and Flyspeck Island? Does he have a real-life precursor?
Ray Billingsley: First of all, thanks for the compliments. All cartoonists, especially me, really appreciate them because we work so hard on developing these personalities. As for Gunk, he was just an idea. I wanted a character where I could take on on some insane plots. Since Curtis was too realistic, Gunk was the perfect vehicle to launch these off-kilter story lines from Flyspeck Island.
Mt. Rainier: I know Curtis is identified as a 'black' comic strip, like Baldo is identified as hispanic. But as a white woman, I think both of them speak beautifully to the human condition which happens to come in a lot of colors. I really enjoy your addition to our comics.
Ray Billingsley: Thank you so very much for your kind words. With Curtis, I do try to be more than a strip about JUST a black kid, but a strip that we all can identify with.
Annandale, VA: Mr. Billingsley,
Curtis is one of my favorite comic strips.
So why was it raining fish last week?
Ray Billingsley: That idea was actually inspired by a television program. I like nature programs, and those shows you see on the Discovery Channel. I saw a program about the phenomenon of fish falling from the sky, and how they explained it that it was a waterspout that carried the fish to the neighborhood. With things like the Loch Ness Monster, the Sasquatch, it sometimes makes me sad that they do have an explanation for it. It's sad that they don't just leave it a fantasy. The explanation of it just being a waterspout really made the characters resentful. Since the black community relies so much on faith, they didn't want a scientific explanation, they would have preferred to believe that it was a gift from God.
A fan from Wilmington, Del.: I think your cartoon is very well-drawn and that Curtis is a very sweet character who is easy for people of all backgrounds to relate to. I am teaching myself how to cartoon, and was hoping you might share some details about your drawing process. Also, what kind of paper, pens, and other equipment do you use?
Ray Billingsley: First of all the real secret is to be open to everything, because there's a gag in all situations, even some of the sad ones. A strong commitment to writing is especially important today -- more so than the drawings. A well-written gag is much funnier than a well-drawn cartoon that's dull. We do have some well-drawn ones that are still funny. I still like Blondie because of its drawing style.
As for my drawing process, I work all week, 7 days a week. I'm always carrying a pad wherever I go -- even when I'm taking a bath I have a drawing pad nearby.
I usually start early in the morning, around 8, and when I'm really cooking, I could work all night long. When I get a particularly good story line, the time doesn't seem to matter, I can work straight through a night to get it done correctly. I've been known in the business to pull back two weeks of work, just to redo it and make it better.
As for materials, I use Bristol Plate paper. I like the smooth consistency of it. And I usually rough in all the dialogue first, then the characters in fine blue line. If you ever saw one of my originals, you could see how it's been reworked over and over again, until I get to a point where I'm satisfied with it.
As for pens, I use a Rapidograph for the borders, and alternate between Crow-quill and various Speedball sizes. I enjoy using Higgins Black Magic Ink.
Washington D.C.: What do you draw on to demonstrate the dynamics between Barry and Curtis? Did you perchance have a little brother or were you a little brother?
Thanks! I enjoy Curtis a lot!
Ray Billingsley: Very interesting question. I guess in my own life, I took the role of Barry, because I'm the baby of three. I have an older brother, Richard, and an older sister, Maxine. And the three of us spent our spare time torturing one another. Rainy days and blizzards were especially gruesome. Actually, Richard was my first inspiration to draw. He was a fine artist and could do portraits and still lives and landscapes, and I'd see all the Sunday school teachers and neighbors giving him praise. Since we shared a room, the materials were right there. And so I started drawing to compete with him. But my brother was eight years older than me, but I didn't take that into consideration then.
I decided to go against him. Most of the people when they saw my stuff, they laughed, so then I switched over to cartooning when I was 8 years old.
Washington, D.C.: Mr. Billingsley, I am a huge fan of your work. It transcends generational and racial differences, in my opinion, to reach the spirit of humanity. Thank you!
My question is this: how did you begin your career as a comic strip artist? Did you begin in a small paper and just grow, and did you set out to become as well-known and widely read as you are?
Ray Billingsley: Thanks once again for the kind compliments. I was 12 years old and my junior high school art class was doing a project on recycling. Our project was to construct an 18-foot-tall aluminum can Christmas tree to be placed in front of the Presbyterian Hospital in New York. I thought the project was rather lame, so I slipped off to the back while all the other kids did all the work. I whipped out a pad and started to draw. There was some media there to cover the event, and a woman walked up to me and asked what I was drawing. So I showed her, and she was impressed. So she asked for my drawings and my phone number and back then you weren't afraid to give your phone number to an adult. That next week, I got a phone call from her and it turns out she was an editor of Kids magazine and she invited me to draw a couple of pictures to accompany a story about dragons -- One of my favorite things to draw when I was a kid. And she published them! Then she invited me to be a staff artist. So at 12, I'd come out of school and be driven down to this magazine's offices. (It wasn't like a limo or anything, it was more like a Pinto.) While the other kids got to play after school, I had to become an artist and go to work. That's how I started, I was sort of discovered.
I never actually knew what I was doing at first, this was just a way to make money. I had no visions of what was to come, or how popular my art would become over the years. I didn't realize I was building a career. I just kept at it and it just developed and took me along with it.
My brother is no longer an artist -- HAH!
Washington, D.C.: How much will we see Curtis age as you continue to draw him? Comics fans have seen a range of aging of characters like Peanuts who never aged a day and For Better or For Worse where the family has aged from little kids to college graduates and professionals.
Ray Billingsley: I don't think I'll let the characters age, since Curtis is sort of at that vulnerable age, where he thinks he's all grown up but he still whines for his mother.
Cottage City: I really like how you have moved the story line on Michelle the starlet-in-her-own-mind. She seems like quite a complex little girl. (And please bring Gunk back -- I love him!)
Ray Billingsley: Michelle is indeed a very complex character. I'm glad you noticed. On the outside she does appear to be somewhat shy and unsure, yet sassy and razor tongued. She was one of the first characters whose parents were divorced in the comics. And in a way the divorce has affected her personality. She is hard driven in her career, but she was designed not to be so caring about others. But to find out that she still had a real deep love of her mother and father showed another side of Michelle. And she's grown to be one of the more complex characters on the comics pages.
Cottage City: I really like how you have moved the story line on Michelle the starlet-in-her-own-mind. She seems like quite a complex little girl. (And please bring Gunk back- I love him!)
Ray Billingsley: I intend fully to have Gunk come back in, but I always make sure it has to be a special story. It has to be a story that couldn't possibly work with one of the other more realistic characters. Without Gunk, sequences with the Flyspeck Island chameleon and the strange happenings with the mutated vegetables wouldn't be possible.
Baltimore, Md.: A novelist can write each book with a new cast of characters, a new setting, a new time in history. Do you ever feel limited by Curtis: his personality, friends, family and world?
Ray Billingsley: No, never. Actually, each character is designed with a certain personality, which allows me the freedom to do what I want, so there is no real limitation.
Arlington Va: No question, just a comment ... I'm really glad you had that storyline about smoking. As a child I used to get upset when my mother smoked. I tried everything to stop her, including wrapping each cigarette with 'surgeon general warnings' I had cut out from cigarette ads. I'm sure the storyline is very educational for adult smokers and for kids whose parents smoke.
Ray Billingsley: I'm glad you bring that point up. I get lots of mail, especially from children, describing how they sabotage their parents' smoking. On the other hand, I've also received some mail from disgruntled adults, who tell me to mind my own business and not to try to preach to the world. Those letter s I never answer.
Washington D.C.: Interesting that you dreamed Curtis as an animated character. Any thoughts of doing an animated version?
Ray Billingsley: Oh, yes, definitely. I've had several ideas myself. One of them I'm thinking of peddling to Nickelodeon to see if I can get a children's show. If you're an animation producer, don't hesitate to call.
Arlington, Va.: Mr. Billingsley
Hello! I've enjoyed reading" Curtis." My question is about African American women comic creators. I've admired Barbara Brandon-Croft's weekly "Where I'm Coming From" strip about black women since it appeared in the Detroit Free Press. Just wish it would also appear in The Post.
Are there other up-and-coming black women comic writers? Or creators of comic books?
Thanks!
Ray Billingsley: I feel there's a genuine place for black artist like Barbara to express herself. It's a shame in this day and age that there's only one black female cartoonist. I know it must be a big weight on her. And I'm sure she would enjoy reading strips from other non-white artists as well as everyone else.
Suzanne Tobin: The last questioner might want to check out http://www.clstoons.com/paoc/paocopen.htm, which offers a tribute to Cartoonists of Color. It also lists where to submit your portfolio, if you're an aspiring cartoonist.
Washington, D.C.: How difficult was it to become a comic strip success? I love curtis and read it faithfully but find the comic pages to be lacking in diversity. Only a few comic strips are written by ethnic people and/or feature ethnic characters. Thanks
Ray Billingsley: Actually, becoming a comic strip success is based alot on luck and a lot on hard work. It is a continuing learning experience and if there is success in my work, it's because I've studied and worked at it so very hard. I can totally concentrate on my work now that my son is grown and out on his own -- Thank God!
Arlington, Va.: Can you suggest any books that would be useful for aspiring cartoonists?
Ray Billingsley: Pick up books by Will Eisner, Hank Ketcham, all the major greats of the past and add in a dabbling of today's work. Concentrate on how the artist uses their technique. Al Capp, as is Jules Feiffer. And of course Charles Schulz.
Washington DC: Hello Mr. Billingsley,
I don't have a question, just a compliment.
I still vividly remember a "Curtis" you drew a few Easters ago. The boys were coloring eggs when Barry asked Curtis which religion was the "right" one. Curtis replied that all and none of them were right, that one just had to pick what was right for himself or herself and hope for the best. He went on to say that that is why it's called "faith."
I found it touching and so full of truth.
I enjoy reading Curtis very much, it often reminds me of my old neighborhood in NY's Lower E. Side.
Thank you for a great comic strip!
P.S. Your tribute to Charles Schulz was particularly sweet.
Ray Billingsley: First of all, I'd like to address your comment about the Charles Schulz tribute. We were very good friends, and when I heard of his death, I was just devastated. What happened to Curtis in that strip was what I felt happened to me -- he said his last goodbye to me and then he was just gone. It left a real void in my life.
As for the Easter strip, I always try to do something a little more meaningful around the holidays.
Funny thing about your comment on your neighborhood, I was actually brought up on New York's West Side.
Suzanne Tobin: Thank you, Ray, for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today and answer your many fans' questions. We'll look forward to the continuing adventures of Curtis and company -- and particularly Gunk and Flyspeck Island. Thanks to all the readers who submitted questions. Join us again in two weeks when our guest will be Brian Basset, creator of "Red and Rover," who is this year's honorary chairman of the "Bark Ball" in Washington. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
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