Cartooning Cactus Pete

Cactus Pete was an old prospector who spent years pannin' fer gold in the desert without much luck, but the other prospectors sure did get a hankerin' fer his grub cookin'.  And so ol' Pete's fortune began to change when he started rustling up them thar juicy steaks for the local cowpokes and prospectors.



Next thang ya know, Pete was wrangling chickens fer fryin' an' a-stewin' and servin' up the bestest ding dang whiskey and the coldest beer in da whole gobdern state o' Texas, DJAAAGNABBIT!!!

Well, that was the back story I dreamt up and presented to the owner of the restaurant after he hired me to create a cartoon character and menus for "Cactus Pete's Steakhouse & Saloon".

I drew the ol' coot on the cover of the menu holding up a sizzling T-bone over an open campfire.  A friendly Saguaro cactus puts a needly arm on his shoulder and a nearby steer's skull gives an approving smile.

Can't ya just hear that coyote howlin' in the distance?

I lettered the entire menu by hand and peppered the inside with various tiny vignettes of Cactus Pete doing things like panning for gold and riding a bull.  Then printed it on old parchment paper.

Yes, I love to do 'toons.  Character creation is REALLY fun and I've come up with lots of 'em like ol' Cactus Pete.  Just need to dig 'em up from whatever drawer they're hiding in.  So stop by again real soon and I'll git aroun' to postin' em.

Y'all come back now... ya hear?