Before I became a cartoonist....

   I tried all sorts of things. I'd grown up drawing, though, so I figured that might be a part of whatever I ended up doing. First shown here are a couple of attempts at actual 'art' type art. Landscapes inspired by my youthful surroundings... I have no idea how old I was when I drew these. 12 or 13, maybe? Possibly younger?

   My first love has always been the screen, and a lot of drawings were geared toward it. Here's a design for a futuristic submarine my younger self dreamnt up for a possible teleseries....

   Eventually, I figured that if I couldn't work on the screen, I could use my many ideas for print. I drew up scores of crude drawings to see what would inspire a story I could write....

   My career as a short story author never quite panned out, despite much effort in that arena. It seemed comic books might be a better fit, so I began auditioning for comic book publishers (without knowing the first thing about doing so). One thing I tried out for was a horror comic in tribute to the old EC magazines. Although I was enthusiastic, it's obvious I hadn't yet learned how to draw human faces. Ironically, it was the female face I drew most poorly....

   Finally, I learned a few things, although not as much as I thought I did... Before I became a professional, I designed this cartoonist's post. I was obviously under the impression that I would be doing everything myself! Happily, I discovered there were professional inkers out there, so I could focus on the part I like doing best, pencils! 

   So many years later (although not that many in the big scheme of things) and I thankfully don't even recognise these hideous scribbles!