Somehow I don't think he's kidding.

Anyone remember this kid from preschool?

And how do I really KNOW this is a "VIP"?

This is on the back of the drawing.

VIP

Growing up, Virgil Partch was one of my heroes. He had a sense of humor and a style of drawing that was absolutely unique - and hilarious. I'd always wanted to own one of his originals, so when I finally found one, it turned out to be extra special. For me, anyway.

It's a rough for a one panel gag, done with pen on a piece of typing paper, one of probably thousands he did over the course of his career. They would usually be sent in batches to cartoon editors at magazines, who would choose the ones they liked (if any) and then notify the cartoonist which gags to take to finished art.

What I love about this piece is that you can see the work, from the staging of the gag to the seemingly last-minute rewrite of the caption. With a minimum of detail, you immediately know this guy is wealthy: large room with huge picture windows, enormous bed and a butler. The only other prop in the picture is that tiny bedside table, which only serves to make the bed look even bigger. That's all there is, and yet it's all you need. The command of his line is impressive, too: there's no underdrawing or white-out on the page at all.

The original caption, scribbled out at the bottom, reads "Well, tickle them, Volus, and we'll soon find out if they're mine." I think either caption would have worked, as it's the drawing that's the actual gag. It's funny to look at. And "Volus" is a great name for a butler. He must have liked it...he used it in both versions.

I have many collections of VIP's work, and this gag doesn't appear in any of them. That's not to say it was never published, but if it wasn't, then I have a gag of his that he couldn't sell. And boy, can I identify with that.

Either way though, it's special all right. Hey man, it's VIP.

Stalking the wild doodle.

This is what happens when I open junk mail while I'm on the phone.

Early Lil

This is one of the earliest sketches of Lil. She was originally conceived as a "cat lady", and as you can see by the expression on her face, she was pretty much all there from the beginning.

She's down to only one cat now.

She's not too sure about this...

More warm-ups

These are some quick studies of a guy who'll be meeting Lil in the strip (you can tell because he's not smiling). For now I'll call him Harold Stent.

The bulldog just wandered onto the page and sat down.

Lil's euphemisms for donuts:

Nosh Gobblers

Thigh Wideners

Buzz Bombs

Plus-Sizers

Pang Pacifiers

Guilty Pleasures

Abdomen Implants

Moob Synthesizers

Girth Enhancers

Gut Steroids

Bottom Feeders

Cream-Filled Sugar Comas

Lil-Free Friday

Today, a commission:

This is a portrait of my wife, Mona, for her Facebook page.

The viewer will note the attention to nuance and fine detail.

Cintiq warm-up scribbles

The difference in holding a pen/pencil and a Cintiq stylus can feel like the difference between holding a toothpick and a log. For me, jumping from one to the other can be quite jarring, so I'll warm up with doodles like these, done in a program called Sketchbook Pro - great for sketching and roughs.

This is Benchley, Lil's cat. He hasn't appeared in the strip yet, but he'll show up down the line. And no, he won't speak in thought balloons.

I think that's a tweety bird skull in the middle, there.

The Cast: Part 3

More of the cast

....appearing daily in Diamond Lil at Creators.com. Accept no substitutes.

The Cast:

Introducing 'Diamond' Lil and Weederman - and it should be said that all things Lil are copyright 2010 creators.com. So don't you dare.

And, yeah, I know - her bust has grown. These things happen.

More to come.

and here...we....go.

Welcome, one and all to something I have absolutely no time for. This means I'll probably be on here a lot.

Diamond Lil is my new comic strip, to be syndicated by Creators.com. Samples are now up and running daily on their website at Diamond Lil, and she's set to launch in papers on March 1st. There's also a bio of yours truly on the site, and a photo of me doing my best Mr. Potato Head impression.

For even more information on me than you could ever possibly want to know, check out my buddy Scott "Von Stroheim" Nickel's blog, A Nickel's Worth. He'll be running a '20 questions' interview with me which will probably be up by the time anyone reads this. It's also a great cartooning blog.