Seaton's Aunt, Page 6
I drew a lot of this page while at the Cartoon Art Museum with the Triple Dream comics team, and we all agreed that trains are too hard to draw. They tried their hands at drawing trains and did really well, though. Of the traditionally difficult things to draw, I can manage hands and horses. I hate almost all vehicles except helicopters.
My rendition of Seaton's estate is going to borrow significantly from Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. My parents lived in the area for a couple of years and I had the chance to make several visits to this amazing country house, which is kept in the condition it was in when the National Trust acquired it: run down and stuffed with the collections of aristocratic hoarders There is so much taxidermy.
Comments (3)
As a descendent (allegedly) of Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe, I'm delighted to see Calke Abbey drawn by yourself. My grandparents, who farmed near to Calke Abbey, lived in fear of Sir Vauncey's hair-trigger temper when they were children. He forbid motor vehicles from entering the Calke estate and the house retained its inadequate plumbing and lack of electricity even into his daughters' time. The family also never threw anything away, but just put it in a room they weren't using any more, in case they needed it later. Well worth a visit.
Honestly, is there any *other* way to maintain a country house?
I note the cat you put in panel 4. I'm assuming it's your addition, and that the original story (which I haven't read) does not mention such a detail in the village.