Apostle Matthew/Levi character design sheet

This is my character sheet, or design specification, for the apostle Matthew/Levi. 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 Matthew/Levi.

I first drew my version of Matthew/Levi 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 Matthew/Levi 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 Matthew/Levi, 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 Matthew/Levi 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
Matthew; Math´u; contraction of Mattathias, “gift of Jehovah”. The son of a certain Alphaeus, surnamed Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).
Matthew lived in Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galillee. He was a publican or “tax-gatherer.” Matthew was not exactly a Roman official, but was in the service of the tetrarch of Galilee, in the territory of Herod Antipas.

Unlike the first six among the apostles, Matthew did not enter the group from among the pupils of John the Baptist.

Shortly after Jesus called Matthew to “follow me”, Matthew “gave a big reception for Him in his house” (Luke 5:29; Matthew 9:10; Mark 2:15) and perhaps this was also a farewell to his old associates.