April 23, 2007 Bonus Blog
A couple weeks ago I gave our art director, Daniel Harshberger, the assignment of coming up with an alternative to the same ol' word balloons that comic strips have utilized for the last 125 years. This irritates the Top Secret Writer. He argues that perhaps there is a reason for this tradition, or utility, and that the world agrees en masse that block lettering done by hand (or computerized to look like it) is the way to go. "When in Rome. . ." Or, "Why fight Rome, when everybody is there doing it the same way."

Well, I don't buy that. Comic word balloons look ancient to me—antiquated, out of style. There has to be a better way to communicate graphically. Fortunately, Dan The Man agrees and he has spent the last couple days noodling with one of my TSP illustrations. Here are the two versions for your perusal:





I'm not sure this is where we'll end up, but I'm excited about the possibilities. The Harsh is thinking out of the box, or, in this case, the balloon, and I like that. Do you?

We've got a new poll up: Would you switch to an online subscription of True West?

I sold a Johnny Ringo painting today. A guy from Santa Barbara bought it for his wife. They own Ed Boreins and Remingtons, so I took that as a good sign.

Had a long phone conversation with Hugh O'Brian (Wyatt Earp) this morning. He's a feisty guy for 82. Dogs barking in the background. He took several other calls while we chatted, then asked if the painting I'm doing will be on the cover of True West. I told him I hadn't thought of that, but he sure knows how to ask for the order. So did Royal Wade Kimes, and you saw what that got him.

The cover of the April issue.

Someone asked Dolly Parton early in her career why she had never been on the Tonight Show and she replied, "No one asked me." That is the problem with most of us. We have been taught to wait until someone asks us, for a raise, for a new job, for a cover story. The people who land those, usually asked for it.

End of sermon.

Onion Headline de Jour
Offended Customer's Huffy Walkout Goes Unnoticed

"I was particularly proud of my performance as the Joker. I considered it a piece of pop art."
— Jack Nicholson