SPQR Blues 3 part LXVI (top)

[spqrblues]

Return to the casting lectus: Loyal legionary soldier hieran suggests Orlando Bloom might be maturing into a bit of a Felix as he traverses his 30s. But by the time he's old enough to look right for the role, will Shia LaBeouf be too old to co-star? (How tall is Shia LaBeouf, anyway? I don't have a clue! But look at that face! Such a dilemma! In the fantasy movie world in my head!)

Comments

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

"I'll find a bigger pair." Hee-hee. Our Felix is not lean and hungry...

And such sturdy legs, too.

No murder, right. Maybe... maybe not. (grin)

Dr. Phil

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I hate drawing legs--there were far too many of them in this comic! From now on, the people of Herculaneum will be played by mermaids. :P

Leggy

[(Anonymous)]

A teacher once told me: "Legs are not pegs" and then she made me copy plate 259 in Gray's. And then I noticed that with a deft stroke you indicated the popliteal space behind Felix's knees in panel 1 and I wondered if you had to copy plate 259 too!

The slave boy's sibilant remark not only set the scene, but put sound in my head, nicely done.

The vestibular statuary is standing around like Chekov's gun :)

Re: Leggy

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I'm terrible with anatomy and have only done a handful of formal figure-drawing sessions. I prepared for leg-drawing by studying men in shorts on the subway. The trick to not looking like you're staring at and studying someone is not to flinch when they look your way so they think you're simply involved in your own thoughts. I like to imagine Leonardo used the same technique as he sketched random people in the street. And I've always had a thing for the knees of actors in sword-&-sandals epics.

I do occasionally sit around with a couple of basic anatomy-for-artists books by Giovanni Civardi, and I used to spend random hours in the dorm reading Muybridge like a novel.... I've never had a book of good reproductions of Leonardo's sketches, or a copy of Gray's, or a proper art class after elementary school, or I'm sure I'd be a more consistent illustrator.

Popliteal, you say? Sounds Greek to me.

I'm sure the vestibular statuary is merely an innocent decoration, and possibly bolted to the pedestal. Can't have these things falling off the dais during a wild party, or falling into the wrong hands during a disagreeable visit.

Re: Leggy

[(Anonymous)]

Self-taught with subway "studies" and Hercules knees, wow.
And that first statue somehow looked familiar, and I finally remembered: google any picture of the impluvium statuette at the House of the Faun in Pompeii; sometimes your comic is eerie.

Re: Leggy

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Extra points to anyone who can identify the statue on the right from a few squiggly lines :) Points are redeemable for... er... frequent-chariot-riding miles.

Hercules--a bit. But for really good knees to study, you can't go wrong with Richard Burton and Victor Mature.

Re: Leggy

[amedia.livejournal.com]

But for really good knees to study

What about Acastus of Thessaly? :-)

Re: Leggy

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

You know, I've always thought that particular pair of knees, in spite of the little bitty pink tunic, ::gasp:: aren't achieving the highest standards of knee-itude. But with that voice, those eyes, that profile, those thick black locks, that little bitty pink tunic... who needs knees? :D

Yeah, so Felix also has unusual eyes, a strong profile, thick black locks--and your point is? And if black-haired lads with eyes and profiles also happen to be reminiscent of my first two, er, boyfriends (when I was, like, 2 years old and 4 years old), your point is? HmmmMMmmm?

[amedia.livejournal.com]

I should undoubtedly NOT admit what *I* was thinking the slave-boy was talking about... looking up Felix's skirt and talking about "a bigger pair"...

I did like this strip... I think Felix is being sneaky with Menander somehow. A little break in the action, a little pause for a neat little authentic ritual (the slippers thing)... and wow, Shia DOES look like Mus. Looky dat.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Yah, I wasn't sure if that was all that clear--blocking the view/guarding the curtains where slaves or guards might lurk to spy on things. The enhanced DVD will have extra scenes in it to explain :P

Plus: shame shame on you, because my own mind did not at anytime ever slip into the gutter while working on the dialogue, nope, of course not.

[xanath.livejournal.com]

::dies laughing at Felix's response on his casting choice::

I like Orlando Bloom. True, he was overdone there for a bit, but he's got a sense of humor, and he seems like a nice guy. And hey, there's nothing wrong with a little pretty. :)

But Shia LaBeouf is dead on for Mus. It's almost scary.

--Kris

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Isn't that scary? I was wandering around the web a couple of months ago and happened to stumble across an article about casting for the next Indiana Jones movie, and I see Mus looking up at me in exactly the pose I'd wanted for that day's comic. Eeeeeriespoooooky.

[kyleen66.livejournal.com]

Way nice nice comic today. I like your legs.

I just saw Transformers yesteray. You need to go see it for research.

I also liked it too! Way fun!

Kissies.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Is it nice and noisy so that I wouldn't have to, say, hear someone talking loudly through the entire film?

Yeah, it would be good if I ever went to a movie again, ever :P I'll work on that.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

0.0

Wow, the casting is pretty darn close there!

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

Whoa! Wait up...since when does Felix need to remove his caligae? they're like, surgically attached...can't take the soldier out of his boots, man!

(oh wait, that's US Marines...Romans need to clean thier feet now and then, and don't like dirt tracked into bed)

*flee*

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

And, occasionally, you do have to wash your socks.

I'm sure Felix can kick posteriors even barefoot.