Apostle Andrew character design sheet

This is my character sheet, or design specification, for the apostle Andrew. The purpose of this sheet is to keep a record of the attributes or characteristics of my drawing, so that I can draw a similar-looking cartoon in all future scenes including Andrew.

I first drew my version of Andrew in March 2009, very early on in the history of Bible Cartoons. Those early pictures were for stories found in John’s gospel.

By formalising my ideas on a character design sheet in this way I would have a simple and accessible design reference point, which would remind me of what I had drawn in previous cartoons. By referring to this sheet every time I drew a scene including Andrew I hoped I would be able to draw and colour him to match previous cartoons, ensuring great similarity and therefore continuity between Bible Cartoons featuring Andrew, even if these cartoons were drawn months or even years apart.

Without this character sheet to refer to I might very well accidentally draw a scene where the apostle Andrew character is quite different from previous drawings, which would be a problem if someone views and/or buys several Bible Cartoons and the same person looks quite different in each scene! There is a very real danger of this happening since my abilities and style gradually change and evolve over time, especially as I learn new art techniques and want to incorporate new ideas into my Bible Cartons. By referring to the character sheet I can be confident that I will draw a similar-looking person, even if my artistic skills have undergone change and development over time.

Personal History
(Greek Andréas, i.e. “manly.” The name has also been interpreted as “the mighty one, or conqueror”). Andrew was the first called of the Twelve Apostles (see Matthew 10:2 for the complete list.)

Andrew lived with his brother Simon (also called Peter) in Bethsaida in Galilee (see John 1:44) His father was called John. All three were commercial fishermen.

Andrew was originally the disciple of John the Baptist, but when he pointing to Jesus, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:40), Andrew immediately became a follower of Jesus.

Andrew is not spoken of to a very great degree in the Gospels. He was present at the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:9) where he is quoted as saying, “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”