Hand Drawings
Biography
I was born in Los Angeles long long ago,but grew up in Billings,Montana.As a teen,I developed an interest in anything with an engine.This included airplanes, sports cars and motorcycles.My high school buddies had real hot rods and many, many evenings were spent cruising and occasionally actually picking up girls "American Graffiti” style!The closest thing to a real hot rod that I had was a bored out '48 Chevy coupe with a very loud muffler.Once, while writing a ticket, the cop said:"It was the loudest thing I've ever heard!”.Plans to install a '50 Olds V-8 with a Lincoln Zephyr tranny remained just plans.Drawing was a different thing, since, if I can draw,I reasoned, I can create anything! I became the school cartoonist and study hall was all about drawing cars and airplanes.
A short stint in the Air Force as an Aviation Cadet convinced me that I was not the military type and art school would be a better fit so I went back to Los Angeles to attend Art Center school & to meet my future wife, Mitzi, who was also an artist.Our first date was a hot rod show and a trip to a comic book stand; she passed the "test" and we were married. We both found that it was possible to make a living in art.
My first art job out of school was as an illustrator at McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft.It was 1969 and the new 3 engine DC-10 had just come out.I quickly found out that my REAL talent was as a CARTOONIST-not a La-De-Da Illustrator!After that I did posters & funny stuff.I had failed Art Center School! Boo Hoo hoo, ect.
My first freelance comic book job came from answering a want ad in the paper.It was a one shot entitled "Car Nuts”.It was published by Quentin Reynolds who had been a CARtoons regular.That job, plus an Underground comic story led to Petersen Publishing which had 3 comic books at the time:CAR Toons, Hot Rod Cartoons and Cycletoons. I soon had work in all 3, plus my full time job as an illustrator at McDonnell-Douglas.My favorite work in CARtoons was probably the posters, but I enjoyed it all and wrote nearly everything that I did. It was also wonderful working with the talented editors of the 3 books,Jack Bonestell, George (Pappy) Lemmons and especially Dennis Ellefson who later worked with me at Mattel.
To cap it all off, many years later,there was a show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 2016 that featured Petersen’s “CARtoons” art.I got to meet contributors Robert Williams and William Stout.Former CARtoons assistant editor,Albert Cuellar, did most of the work putting the show together.
There were a few other jobs for underground comics and “Road and Track” and “Hustler” magazines.A Master's degree followed with a thesis on the influence of underground "comix" on art and the publishing of my own Underground Comic Book.I was teaching art and we were building a house in the woods in Washington state at the same time!
After returning to L.A., I was invited to do work for Mattel by old Art Center pal, Mark Taylor, who was largely responsible for the creation of “Masters of the Universe”.No one had any idea that “Masters” would be so huge! There was other work, too, such as doing action figures like Big Jim.There was also Hot Wheels work, where the high point of my Mattel career may have been the design of the "Toilet Mobile" for the “Real Monsters” toy line.Concepts for toys came from everywhere and didn’t always succeed, of course.Some were laughably bad!
There was other free lance work for other toy companies too, including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
Influences on my work were the other designers and artists in the business.It’s wonderful working with all of these talented people!I hadn’t been around that much talent since Art Center School.Other influences go back to the comic books of the 1940’s and the notorious ’50’s.Who would have thought that there would be Comic Book conventions with thousands of devoted fans?
Freelance work is all done at home which is ideal-it is relaxing and there is no commuting!To pay the bills,Mitzi and I have done tech drawings for Clymer motorcycle tech books for over 30 years, and continue to this day and love it!
If I were asked to how to proceed in the business of cartooning, it would be simple:just DO it! If you have the talent and the drive you will get there.I always used the latest technology, like copy cameras, airbrushes and zip-a-tone. Now, the wonderful computer has replaced those things.You have to keep up with it.
A short stint in the Air Force as an Aviation Cadet convinced me that I was not the military type and art school would be a better fit so I went back to Los Angeles to attend Art Center school & to meet my future wife, Mitzi, who was also an artist.Our first date was a hot rod show and a trip to a comic book stand; she passed the "test" and we were married. We both found that it was possible to make a living in art.
My first art job out of school was as an illustrator at McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft.It was 1969 and the new 3 engine DC-10 had just come out.I quickly found out that my REAL talent was as a CARTOONIST-not a La-De-Da Illustrator!After that I did posters & funny stuff.I had failed Art Center School! Boo Hoo hoo, ect.
My first freelance comic book job came from answering a want ad in the paper.It was a one shot entitled "Car Nuts”.It was published by Quentin Reynolds who had been a CARtoons regular.That job, plus an Underground comic story led to Petersen Publishing which had 3 comic books at the time:CAR Toons, Hot Rod Cartoons and Cycletoons. I soon had work in all 3, plus my full time job as an illustrator at McDonnell-Douglas.My favorite work in CARtoons was probably the posters, but I enjoyed it all and wrote nearly everything that I did. It was also wonderful working with the talented editors of the 3 books,Jack Bonestell, George (Pappy) Lemmons and especially Dennis Ellefson who later worked with me at Mattel.
To cap it all off, many years later,there was a show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 2016 that featured Petersen’s “CARtoons” art.I got to meet contributors Robert Williams and William Stout.Former CARtoons assistant editor,Albert Cuellar, did most of the work putting the show together.
There were a few other jobs for underground comics and “Road and Track” and “Hustler” magazines.A Master's degree followed with a thesis on the influence of underground "comix" on art and the publishing of my own Underground Comic Book.I was teaching art and we were building a house in the woods in Washington state at the same time!
After returning to L.A., I was invited to do work for Mattel by old Art Center pal, Mark Taylor, who was largely responsible for the creation of “Masters of the Universe”.No one had any idea that “Masters” would be so huge! There was other work, too, such as doing action figures like Big Jim.There was also Hot Wheels work, where the high point of my Mattel career may have been the design of the "Toilet Mobile" for the “Real Monsters” toy line.Concepts for toys came from everywhere and didn’t always succeed, of course.Some were laughably bad!
There was other free lance work for other toy companies too, including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
Influences on my work were the other designers and artists in the business.It’s wonderful working with all of these talented people!I hadn’t been around that much talent since Art Center School.Other influences go back to the comic books of the 1940’s and the notorious ’50’s.Who would have thought that there would be Comic Book conventions with thousands of devoted fans?
Freelance work is all done at home which is ideal-it is relaxing and there is no commuting!To pay the bills,Mitzi and I have done tech drawings for Clymer motorcycle tech books for over 30 years, and continue to this day and love it!
If I were asked to how to proceed in the business of cartooning, it would be simple:just DO it! If you have the talent and the drive you will get there.I always used the latest technology, like copy cameras, airbrushes and zip-a-tone. Now, the wonderful computer has replaced those things.You have to keep up with it.