Roy Schneider, Creator of The Humble Stumble

Some cartoonists fashion humour from abstract ideas, from improbable or impossible flights of fancy that they spin into chuckles from invisible strings. Other cartoonists weave success from the threads of the daily routine, the family quirks, from the rough skein of real life. Roy Schneider has found his place in his comic strip creation, The Humble Stumble. In it, he knits together the filaments of his newly-single-parent status into the foundation of laughter that almost everyone can identify with.

After separation from his wife of 12 years, Roy took the confusion, oddities and frustrations of raising a young teenager alone and set them all down in a comic strip. It wasn't his first attempt at creating a strip but it became the one most likely to succeed. *(1) The main characters of The Humble Stumble, the father, Joe, and his nine-year-old daughter, Molly, are heart-warming and captivating, with big facial expressions to provide immediate understanding. The drawings flow smoothly and the gags made me nod in agreement and smile in appreciation. I know people just like them.

The Humble Stumble was previously signed by Washington Post Writers Group under a development contract, but after a year with no newspaper publication in sight, Roy asked to be released.

The arts are no stranger to Roy Schneider, born in Toledo, Ohio in 1969. As a child, he was a steady doodler and transferred those early skills to his adult life. He has worked as an illustrator for a number of years, with his first cartoons being published in 1992 while living in Chicago. Roy's background includes work in toy design as an animator and 3D modeler. Mattel, Blockbuster, Disney and Fisher-Price are among his prominent clients.

Now living in southwest Florida with his daughter, Maya, Roy works from his home studio as a freelance illustrator. On top, he creates The Humble Stumble seven days a week, including the full-colour large Sunday edition.

Roy Schneider's artistic methods are that of a seasoned professional: With Bristol Board as the base paper, He uses a 5H pencil (hard) to sketch his ideas, then finalizes the art with a Speedball C-6 nib and various brushes. He scans the cartoons into his computer with Adobe Photoshop and applies the colouring digitally. Ray noted on comics.com that his best work his done early in the day, "Super-early morning seems to be when I come up with some of the best stuff, although I'm not sure why. I'm a bear in the morning." A certain amount of coffee helps too.

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