One of my old neighbors (he lived up on Morning Star), sent me a letter way back in 1994, encouraging me to join the NCS (National Cartoonist Society) who were about to go to their annual convention in Washington, DC. I had just been fired from KSLX radio and suddenly had time on my hands, thus the invite. I have this letter tacked to my wall over my computer in the studio and I just noticed last week, that Jerry was doing a pretty mean George Herriman imitation at the bottom:
Cartoonist extraordinaire Jerry Scott of Baby Blues and Zits fame knocking off Herriman's Krazy Kat's style.
Last week I myself did a couple studies, to bone up on Herriman's eccentric style. His moons are more like a fruit wedge and his buttes are more like a solid, Egyptian devan:
Ignatz Mouse lets fly with another brick at Krazy Kat's noggin' out Monument Valley way
Then I got interrupted by my babysitting duty last weekend, so I put everything on hold and flew to Burbank for the gig. Today, I went home for lunch and whipped out a black and white version:
Ignatz bonks Krazy with another brick bat in front of the Mittens, Bozer style.
Came back into the office and worked on the portrait of Herriman, which I had previously done in red in my "66 Kid" sketchbook. Added some black to make him more mysterious, since he passed for white his entire life:
George Herriman, from a photograph. Yes, the sombrero he's actually wearing is this ridiculous.
Rebecca Edwards combined the two illustrations and I pruned the copy down to fit and she created an upcoming True West Moment which will run in the Arizona Republic in a week, or so.
And NOW you know the entire story of how reading a book, "Shadows On The Mesa" by Gary Filmore, can inspire a sketch, or two, which can result in a True West Moment.
"Krazy burns a late candle tonight—I trust it attracts neither moth nor mouse."
—Offica Pupp