He had a big soiree on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it because I had the awesome opportunity of going to see Nine Inch Nails in Cleveland at the Wolstein Center on the same, exact night as the party. Hey, tickets were already bought back in June. Friends were already coming in.
There was nothing I could do.
But, there was something I could do to help celebrate his birthday (and not feel guilty for making it to the party). I would draw my father-in-law a cartoon.
My father in law is an organized hoarder, especially in his garage. From tennis balls, hooks and racks to cases of Diet Coke and Lipton Iced Tea, his garage is a veritable Home Depot with tons and tons of unopened packages of cool shit.So, I had this idea of my father-in-law sitting on a throne in the garage surrounded by his riches 'a la the ending of the first Conan the Barbarian movie.
But, it just didn't feel right...it felt more like Silence of the Lambs, than Conan the Barbarian:
Then, I pictured him as the 'main character' and his 'the things he does around his home' as the secondary/supporting character. Using the Heat Miser as inspiration for his body and face, I drew up a quick sketch to see if it would work:
Then, I went to my trusty light table, sketched it further and added some ink:
Then fine-tuned the line drawing,, added some color and VOILA!...
Happy 70th Birthday Jay!
