About Pigs and Terries and Fermies

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

SIGVALD GROSFJELD, 01-09-2003:

> AFAIK Barks intended [the Terries and Fermies] to be colored with 
> one color only, and that would be with the color of the surrounding 
> rocks [...] why else would our Duckburgian friends mistake them for 
> being rocks?

Barks's answer seems to be surprisingly simple. In a 1980s idea sketch 
"Which Disney Themepark Is This?" (one out of three), the underground 
pillars and structures *also* are coloured. In a glowing green, 
lightbrown, and purple. 
http://www.seriesam.com/barks/art_dpr.html#artdpr029

According to the nephews in "Land Beneath the Ground", the scene has 
some kind of phosphorous light. So, that seems to be a reason for the 
colours - apart from giving more colour variation to the art. But I 
believe that in reality, underground caves can be very colourful, too.
Or am I misguided by false electronic lights, added to make a pretty 
picture?

The Ducktales story-adaption "Earth Quack" also shows coloured 
Terries and Fermies. I don't know about the rock structures.

The idea sketches resulted in the 1985 painting "In Uncle Walt's 
Collectery", *without* any Terries or Fermies.
http://www.seriesam.com/barks/art_dp1980.html#artdp85u01

"Far, Far Down Beneath The Ground", a Barks 1996/1997 colour pencil 
for the (IMO) underestimated "Barks Treasury" collection, contains 
a green Fermy, and blue, brown, red, purple coloured pillars, as 
you can see over here: http://www.seriesam.com/barks/bt0020.jpg

Has Barks really NEVER EVER used "Land Beneath the Ground" in a 
painting? Didn't anyone ask him to make one? The story seems to be 
almost everyone's favourite! 

And I'm beginning to get fond of it, too. Despite the cuts...

--- Daniël

- "And being PIGS must not be too bad, eh boys?"
- "Squee! Squee!"
(Which Barks story?) :-)