Robert Baldwin (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Robert G. Baldwin who used the signature Rupe, was best known for his comic strip
Freddy about a goofy kid.
Baldwin studied painting at Washington's Corcoran School of Art
. Instead of entering the field of fine art, however, he supported himself with government work and advertising art. His cartoon illustrations led him into minor comic book
artwork, contributing to Prize Comics and Spook Comics.
and Field Enterprises
.
In 1964, Baldwin described his working methods:
Helen Baldwin, his wife, was a contributing writer on the strip. During the 1960s, his assistant was Howard Rands, who later did his own strip, Twitch.
.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Freddy about a goofy kid.
Baldwin studied painting at Washington's Corcoran School of Art
Corcoran College of Art and Design
The Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
. Instead of entering the field of fine art, however, he supported himself with government work and advertising art. His cartoon illustrations led him into minor comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artwork, contributing to Prize Comics and Spook Comics.
Comic strips
In the mid-1950s, he launched his comic strip Freddy, using a loose brush ink style to draw his chubby child. It ran from 1955 to 1980, distributed by the George Matthew Adams Service and later the Washington Star SyndicateWashington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
and Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises was a private holding company founded on August 31, 1944, by Marshall Field III and others whose main asset was the Chicago Sun. That same year the company acquired the book publishers Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books....
.
In 1964, Baldwin described his working methods:
- Although I sign my work "Rupe", my real name is Robert G. Baldwin, and I was born in Washington, D.C. I’m 50 years old, and I have five children, ages 11 to 22. Four boys and one girl. Frequently the family gathers around my finished work for discussion and, I hope, for a good laugh. I received my formal art training at the Corcoran Art School in Washington, D.C. Then I spent several years as a hungry "fine" artist. To eat regularly, I was in and out of government several times. When out, I worked on comic books and did advertising. Mostly, I work at home in a small upstairs, enclosed back porch complete with bath. I also have a drawing board set up in the back of a small "bus" which I drive around town. Each panel of a Freddy daily stripDaily stripA daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
is ruled off to 5 1/2 inches square. I use a No. 4 sable brush. I always try to get several good ideas at a time, and I can comfortably do three or four strips each day.
Helen Baldwin, his wife, was a contributing writer on the strip. During the 1960s, his assistant was Howard Rands, who later did his own strip, Twitch.
Books
Ken Pierce Books did a 64-page book collection of the Freddy daily strips that ran from May to October in 1956. Dell's Freddy comic book, which ran for three issues in 1963-64, was not by Baldwin but was drawn by Bob GustafsonBob Gustafson
Robert D. Gustafson was an American cartoonist whose work includes eight years on Tillie the Toiler and a 27-year run on the Beetle Bailey comic books.-Background:...
.