Happy Birthday to my big brother Scott!

My brother Scott used to draw a lot when we were kids. My sister MaryKate did too when she was little. My Dad would draw and paint a lot, so he'd give us art lessons. He would also have us pose for paintings sometimes. Over time, my brother and sister just outgrew it I guess.

I'm not sure why I kept with it. My Dad said I kept drawing because my lazy eye made me too uncoordinated for sports. Maybe so. Nonetheless, when my brother was young, he would draw a cartoon character named "Odd Todd", who was a cross-eyed dude wearing a Jeff cap. He also LOVED Bill Watterson's "Calvin & Hobbes" (one of my all-time favorite comic strips to this day). So for his birthday this year, I drew him a picture of Calvin & Hobbes, trying best I could to emulate Watterson's loose, brushy ink style. I made some minor adjustments - putting my brother's hat and freckles on Calvin and my glasses, hat and beard on Hobbes.

Even when Scott stopped drawing, I remember he bought me the book "How to Draw Comics - The Marvel Way" one year for Christmas, which was a catalyst for my obsession with drawing cartoons and comics. So thanks, big brother. You're a great father, husband, son and brother. Happy 36th birthday, old tymer! Many more to come!