The Thieving Thirteenth Final

February 10, 2011

Sometimes I way over produce. Case in point: the final illustration for The Thieving Thirteenth. I did due diligence over the weekend and yesterday, doing a dozen pen and ink (actually Sharpies) renderings poaching from wonderful old style master inkers out of an original Punch anthology from 1883.

Good enough. I had Abby Goodrich lay out the piece utilizing two of the sketches posted yesterday. Somehow it didn't seem good enough. As accurate as they looked none of them really illustrated the premise—while delegates from south of the Salt River detoured to LA and back on the train, northern delegates carved up the "turkey" and devoured it before the hapless Old Puebloites even arrived.

Went home for lunch and took a brisk walk with Peaches. Going up Old Stage Road I got the inspiration to show some of these gents gathered around a turkey, or bird, that has been picked clean. At the far left, are the late arrivals from south of the Salt River and they still have their bags and coats on and they are just realizing what has happened. Rather ambitious. Spent about an hour sketching in the pencil, brought the piece into the office and over meetings, did the finish. Here tis:

Would have liked to have had a real turkey carcass but had to do this from memory. Not perfect, but it'll have to do. In the scheme of things this is way too much effort for a spot cartoon that will run in the Sunday Arizona Republic, but as one of my heroes puts it. . .

"Be undeniably good."
—Steve Martin, on how to "make it"