Rob Harrell
Rob Harrell created his first comic strip, Freak Out, in fourth grade, chronicling the adventures of a cat named Henry and a blob named Blob. Reviews were mixed.
While most reasonable people were out developing social skills, Rob continued to spend his time drawing. Over the years he created several strips, including University Blues for his college newspaper.
Harrell graduated from DePauw University and spent a year designing T-shirts. After way too many disco party designs, he returned to school at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla.
Upon graduation, Harrell began working as a free-lance illustrator in Indianapolis, Ind., working for local ad agencies and national editorial clients. He also launched a successful (and ongoing) career as a fine artist, specializing in the human figure.
Eventually, Harrell rediscovered his childhood love of cartooning. With an art degree from the Ringling School of Art and Design, it was inevitable that he would create a comic strip about a circus … despite his somewhat mysterious and unhealthy fear of clowns. In Big Top, Harrell chronicles the life of a little boy named Pete growing up in a circus family of talking animals. As he grows up, discussions with his fellow performers keep Pete grounded in his innocent ways.
