Blast from the Past #206: Dinosaur birthday card art

Back when I was trying to make it as a self-employed illustrator, in the pre-TMNT years, one of the ideas I had for making money was to create, print and try to sell a variety of cards for different occasions. For several years, I employed my used book store as the primary venue for this attempt... which didn't really work -- I think I sold a few dozen cards. Not a terribly successful venture, but it was fun.





I am pretty sure these two designs were done for this purpose, though it is also possible that I drew them for friends' or family members' birthdays. Or I could have used the art for both things. In any event, they were enjoyable to draw. -- PL

Happy Birthday, Em!

A few years ago, I used Photoshop to put together the elements of this image as a card for my daughter's sixteenth birthday. I used the "official" photo taken of her in the hospital a day or so after she was born, and added two of her (then, at sixteen) favorite things -- Red Bull and a cell phone.



I don't think she drinks as much Red Bull any more, but the cell phone is definitely still a big deal (although she's gone through several since that one!).

We didn't get to see Em on her birthday this week (sob!), but she had fun taking her two roommates with her to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, to celebrate -- at least in part -- her fond farewell to her teenage years. Hard to believe my little girl is entering her third decade.

Love ya, Emmer! -- Dad