Here is a recent private commission for a Facebookfriend in Austin, Texas, who asked me to draw his favorite character Spiderman on an envelope.
David Chelsea is reading:
Weeds: In Defense of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants
by Richard Mabey
The genesis of this particular image goes back to my freelance illustrator days in New York, when I was hired by a graphic designer friend to do conceptual sketches of what Spiderman banners would look like in a parade. Marvel Comics was the client, and when the brass there saw my off-model renderings of their star character they were horrified and insisted I be replaced by a whiz kid in their bullpen whom the designer told me could “draw Spiderman on the toilet”. (She also showed me drawings by the current top Spiderman artist, Todd McFarlane, whose giant white eye holes sure looked off-model to me). The incident left me with a chip on my shoulder, but don’t ever let anyone tell you that opportunity knocks just once. A quarter century later, here is my chance to show the world- I can draw Spiderman on the toilet too!