Brad Anderson, Creator of Marmaduke

Brad Anderson and his cartoon creation, Marmaduke, have something in common. They both like digging in the garden. No doubt Anderson uses a shovel instead of his paws and he's probably not burying stuff to chew on later.

Through drawing popular cartoons as a youngster, Anderson learned the art of cartooning. He sold his first cartoons when he was a 15 year old high school student to aviation magazines - Flying and Flying Aces, and to outdoor magazines such as Hunting and Fishing.

World War II came knocking on Anderson's door. He spent four years serving in the U.S. Navy and freelanced his cartoons while serving. After the war, he studied advertising and illustration at the Syracuse University School of Fine Arts. He continued his freelance cartooning, with his work appearing in Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post. Anderson graduated from Syracuse University in 1951.

Marmaduke, the Great Dane with long legs and a big toothy smile, bounded onto Anderson's drawing paper in 1954. The spunky and loveable cartoon dog was inspired by Brad's parents' boxer, Bruno. Marmaduke's sometimes-frustrated owners are the Winslow family of parents Phil and Dottie and kids, Barbara and Billy.

"The Marmaduke strip has never been just a gag. I refuse to just go for the joke every time," Brad Anderson said about the theme of his comic strip. "When you express so-called human emotions in an animal, you're getting into the real character of the dog. When you get into the character itself, you go a step beyond the cartoon and into life." *(1) He noted that the comic is more about the relationship of the pooch and his family than just Marmaduke's antics.

In 1976, Anderson achieved cartooning recognition, winning the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award for Best Panel. Marmaduke appeared for one season on Saturday morning television, on "Heathcliff and Marmaduke." The famous pooch used his charisma, appearing as "chairdog" for the "Paws for a Cause" dog walkathon for the American Cancer Society. Marmaduke also took on the role of "spokesdog" for the American Association of Blood Banks in 1993.

Brad Anderson draws, inks and colours the Marmaduke comic himself. He does not use a computer, instead sticking with tried and true methods. Preliminary Marmaduke sketches are completed on newsprint with a ball point pen and a fine point Maxmark pen. He uses a lightboard to transfer the art to Strathmore board (1-ply for the daily strip and 2-ply for Sundays). The final inking is accomplished with India ink and a series 7, #1 Windsor-Newton brush. Brad then uses markers to colour the cartoon. He prefers the Pantone Tria and Prisma colours. *(1)

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