I just got back the other day from a full week in LA. From last Thursday until Monday, Kassandra I hung out at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa talking with some of the most famous, successful, and talented cartoonists in the world. To say the least, it was incredible. Tom Richmond did a great job listing a general overview of the weekend which can be read on his blog if you're interested.
I'm kind of at a loss for words on how the weekend went. It was so surreal (and cool) to be at any of the parties over the weekend and bump into artists like Mike Peters, Sergio Aragonés, Bill Amend, Bill and Jeff Keane, Eric Goldberg, Sam Viviano, Stephen Silver, Stan Goldberg, Tom Richmond, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on and on! What a treat to be able to meet so many of these guys and girls, many of which I've been following their work for years.
I wanted to pass my most sincerest thanks to the NCS and the NCSF not only for the scholarship but for the opportunity to go out to the Reubens. Plus, it's not like we were treated like flies on the wall or anything (although that would've sufficed!) but both Kassandra and I were treated like old friends. Everyone we met was so welcoming and hospitible. It was like being at a strange family reunion where everyone drew cartoons. It was great!
Just to top it off the awards night was on my 21st birthday. What a Birthday to remember!
Pre-party outside of the Grand Ballroom where the Reubens were held
Jim Borgman, myself (trying my hardest not to look too 'in over my head'), Dave Coverly, Patrick McDonnell, and Jerry Scott
I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and draw next to legendary cartoonist, Bil Keane
And he was even nice enough to do a little drawing for me:
So did Mike Peters:
Another great experience of the weekend was going over to Cathy Guisewite's house on Sunday for a big party she hosted. It was great to see her house, all the original comic strips hanging on the walls, and her studio.
Step one of Cathy's step by step diorama of how she works on "Cathy."
Sadly the weekend had to end but for the rest of the week, Kassandra and I stayed with my brother, Shane and his girlfriend, Katie. Kass and I took advantage of our time in la la land and were able to meet up with our buddy (and very talented dude) Matt Whitlock who took us around Nickelodeon Animation Studios. How fun! While we were in the Fairly Odd Parents section, we also got to meet fellow CCS alumni, Gordon Hammond and got to gawk at his great work.
THEN, on Wednesday, we met up with cartoonist, Johnny Ryan for lunch. We ate good diner food, talked cartoons, and Johnny drew me Blecky Yuckerella:
After lunch, we made a quick trip out to Santa Monica to (funny enough) meet up with another CCS alumni, Bill Morrison of BONGO comics. What a fun studio. Bill showed us around, let us flip through a bunch of original Simpsons work and sent us out the door with our arms FULL of BONGO books, comics, and trade paper backs. Thanks again Bill!
Here's Kassandra and I all dressed up apparently posing for a 15' tall photographer. I couldn't think of a better person to spend the week with.
What a week! Needless to say, I had to have a day or two back in Detroit in order to process everything that happened this past week. But now I'm back at it and in full swing!
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