Steamboat Mickey – 90!!!

Well, the mouse turns a ripe old 90 today. All those years of doing his own stunts, pratfalls, and ghost hunting have taken their toll on the germaphobe (he ALWAYS wears gloves, but refuses to wear shirts – weird). All of that actually made him retire about 25 years ago. Most people don’t realize that ever since, there have been a series of stand-ins for Mickey, while he just stays in his trailer signing 8x10s for anyone who will take one while wondering where his yellow dog has gone to. (Dog years were NOT kind to Pluto. The original Pluto died back in 1951.)

By the way, today also happens to be the big 9-0 for his gal pal Minnie, and his nemesis, Pete. Both co-starred with Mickey in that first cartoon to hit theaters.

 

Hey! The ol’ hat still fits!

 

So, happy birthday you ol’ long-in-the-ear one! Hope you enjoy gumming your cake today as you celebrate your birth in Steamboat Willie. It was an honor to be a small part of your legacy when I worked on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a few years.

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Animals Art: Animation Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Character Designs Disney Illustrations

Old Mice

A little birdie told me that tomorrow will be the 90th birthday of a certain little mouse. Aw, who am I kidding – the Walt Disney Company has been screaming loud and far that Mickey Mouse is old. What they aren’t saying is that Minnie Mouse is just as old, since she also appeared in Steamboat Willie, but maybe that’s because it is impolite to point out a lady’s age.

I just so happened to have drawn this picture of the two almost-ninety-year-olds just this week. For their age, clearly they’ve had some work done. The drawing, however, is for a little girl who is sick in the hospital who said her favorite cartoon characters are Mickey and Minnie. Since I only mailed it out two days ago, she hasn’t received it yet, but just in case she reads my blog, I’ve redacted her name so she can still be surprised.

To look this good at 90, one has to have a pretty skilled plastic surgeon on retainer.

 

Come back tomorrow. I may just show what a real 90 year old mouse might look like.

Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Disney

2018 Monster Month: Deer Infestation

Happy Halloween!

Here is the final offering in this year’s limited Monster Month posts…

Sometimes life can be tough for an ogre who has decided to buck (pun intended) the traditions of his kind to be a vegetarian. Living creatures no longer fear him, and thusly he is inundated with an infestation of deer. All that venison can be a sweat-inducing temptation, but he’s determined to stick with his principles, even if he constantly is stepping on deer droppings.

 

Just his luck, he’ll get Lyme disease from a deer tick.

 

Thanks for following along with this October’s collection of silly monster sketches, drawings, and illustrations. We now return you to our regularly scheduled art.

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Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Character Designs Illustrations Monsters

2018 Monster Month: Scare School

I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.

 

Finally! A class where you can’t wait to do homework!
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Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Cartoons Character Designs Illustrations Monsters

2018 Monster Month: Dragon Doodles

Every now and then when doodling in my sketchbook, a dragon is birthed. Then, of course, another, then another. Dragons always look better with some friends, don’t you agree?

 

It’s not the fire I mind so much, but that smelly brimstone just stinks up the rest of my sketchbook.
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Character Designs Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

2018 Monster Month: Swine Soldier

While one might not consider a pig to be a traditional monster, this one qualifies due to his indiscriminate use of that axe, and the fact that he smells pretty foul.

 

You’d be blue like that in the winter, too, if you weren’t wearing any pants.

 

Inked traditionally in my sketchbook, and painted digitally in Photoshop.

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Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Character Designs Illustrations Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

Big Bird

This week, one of the bastions of my childhood chose to retire. Caroll Spinney, the Muppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for much of the past 50 years on the show Sesame Street, filmed his final scene yesterday.

 

 

I have been fortunate to have chatted with Caroll a number of times right here in my town of Burbank, California. He told me that when he was a young man, his aspirations were to be an animator, and even applied to Walt Disney’s studio. He said Walt offered him a job, but not very much pay, so Carroll turned ol’ Walt down. Not long after, he got into puppetry which led to meeting Jim Henson, and the rest is history.

 

 

Caroll still enjoys drawing, and I am proud to have five pieces of his in my collection, this one being my favorite. My very best to Mr. Spinney and his wife, Debra. Thank you so much for filling my childhood mind with wonder, and broadening my imagination.

 

 

Be sure to seek out the wonderful documentary I Am Big Bird to learn about Caroll Spinney’s fascinating life.

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Art: Drawings Art: Painting Chad About Town Illustrations

2018 Monster Month: Bump In the Night

The distant foreboding peel of the distant clock tower was morosely muffled by the early morning fog seeping between the dark alley ways and lonely streets of ye olde London masking the nocturnal movements of those that go bump in the night. Do you know where YOUR children are?

 

As he scraped by with his limp waddle, I froze in fear not wanting to know the answer of where the teddy bear came from, nor how did he come to acquire it.
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Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Character Designs Illustrations Monsters