I was searching for a lousy ballpoint pen illustration of "Superboy" from 1963 that I was telling my friends at work about since we were on the subject of early crap we'd all produced, when I came across this "gem".
This is the first editorial illustration I ever had published. I was in my 20's, and I wanted to be a musician. So to make ends meet I took a job doing layouts for a local newspaper publisher. The job was undemanding and it paid enough to fund my slack-ass lifestyle until my band was signed to a record label and the grammy awards started rolling in.
That was the plan.
One night while I was laying out a page my publisher asked me to do an illustration for an article. A front page article! Their freelance editorial Illustrator was unavailable. I'm guessing the last check they gave her "bounced". They were notorious for handing out rubber checks. I tried to act like it was no big deal and sat at a reporter's desk, sweating my then-skinny ass off- and knocked this "beauty" out in twenty minutes. I can still remember doing it- thirty years later! I did the under drawings with a non-photo blue marker pen, and by some miracle I found an unclogged, full rapidograph, and I was on my way!
A day or two later I got to see the printed article and I was "hooked".
It's true: You never forget your first time.
6 comments:
Nice to see a little of your history, Vin. My drawings definitely didn't look as good back then.
I can't believe you cranked that out so fast! Your boss must've been thrilled!
I had to crank it out, it was press night and the paper had to be composed and off to the printer in a few hours. My boss WAS thrilled, he didn't have to pay $35 to a freelance illustrator.
Boy, are you brave! To show us the early stuff!! hahaha, I was born in '63! Thanks for sharing! Funny, stuff goes on in your head; we artists are lucky to be able to draw them out.
I like to show the old stuff, Kim.
I just think of it as a scrapbook. I'm not brave so much as unembarassed by these old drawings, because I think I tried my best on most of them. That's all I had at the time.
Great story, Vince. You truly do have a way w/ words. Especially when it comes to personal "compliments." No arrogance here, thanks! Always nice to see.
Thanks, Hutch.
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