Into the Archives!

Now that I’m opening shop on the vast, open plains of the ether I figure it’s finally time to get the studio in order.

Into the lair!

Step back, clean it up and dive into the flat files where I’ve tossed my work haphazardly for the past five years or so.

It’s not been and easy task, sorting through all that stuff and trying to categorize it on some way that makes sense to my peanut-sized brain. Do I put all the cheeseburger drawings together? Banana peels? Women with big noses? These, my friends, are the choices a cartoonist must face!

Initially, just getting the pools of hard, dried ink off of my table was a nightmare. Them “Magic Eraser” things work pretty good! It  may be time to re-top the drafting table with another self healing mat but elbow grease comes cheaper.

A clean, well-lit place for silly drawings.

Just look at that baby shine! Hooooo- Doggie!

You know, slogging away here everyday made me under-appreciate some of the little treasures that surround me and make  it fun to lift my eyes from the paper  and look around…for example:

Totems

I’ve got my Alfred to assuage my “worries” and my Basil Wolverton’s “Sy”, a gift from my pal, Tim. He makes me feel well groomed. The floating eyeball guy was a cast-off of Bailey’s. He dances around and makes rude noises occasionally. His Battery seems to last eternally. Go figure.

My Pen box

This box was made by one of my best friends, Travis. It’s one of my prized posessions, not only because he sacrificed I don’t know how many old MAD Magazines to make it but because of the sheer VOLUME of images on it!

Box Bottom

It’s a thing of beauty to behold. I weep. I’m not WORTHY!!

So, anyway…back to the flat files…

It was fun, really. I had stuff in there that I plumb forgot all about. Some stuff I wish I’d forgot about too. Some fun memories though. I can’t believe how much stuff I’ve done on “spec” and then, not actually selling it, had quietly slipped it into oblivion.

half of one drawers worth

T-shirt designs, book ideas, strip ideas, greeting cards, concepts, you name it. I must be one of those “hoarders” their building tv shows about. Good thing I’m not a short order cook, the thing’d be full of old, grilled cheese sandwiches!

Old Shirt Designs

Anybody need a drawing of fish wearing sunglasses? How about two?

I only sold one. You are only alotted the sale of one Fish/Sunglasses drawing per career but…you can do as many screaming blues musicians as you like. I’ve got a bunch.

The STACK

So, I got the flat files organized. Only took about 10 hours or so. I filled up about three trash cans with stuff that I’ll never understand why I saved. “Hmmm…this sketch of an old couple driving a flying-saucer/Volvo hybrid may come in handy some day. Better file it!”

Here’s the pitiful part: Those are only the drawings that I took OUT of the sketchbooks. In my closet lurk a thousand more…years of drawings waiting to be filed under “big noses” or “buck toothed”. Gotta do it.

In the meantime, I’ll sit beneath the steely gaze of my flame-masked El Santo and hunker down.

The back-breaker

Have a great day, folks! Wander on over to the shop and peruse what might appear there for sale as I go.

I’ll be having a special on Fish wearing Sunglasses soon!