Q: Can you do a custom cartoon of me on my bike?
A: Yes, see the tab “Custom Commissions”. We love to do personalized, custom cartoons! It can be you on your bike or your mini rider. We also do art for events, races, shops, clubs, websites, t-shirt designs, and logos. And it doesn’t have to be motorcycles, it can be whatever you can imagine.
Q: Can you ship merch outside of the USA?
A: Yes, we can ship to the European Union, the UK, and Canada.
Q: Didn’t you used to draw Motocross Cat?
A: No, that was by Texas cartoonist Tony Bell. The Cat’s adventures in Cycle News were a big influence in my artwork. Bell was also the artist who did the underground comic Wonder Warthog.
Q: Do your t-shirts shrink?
A: Of course, they all do. Typical shrinkage for most polyester and cotton blends is 5-10%. To minimize shrinkage, we recommend laundering in cold water and drying on low heat, but we know you’re just going to throw your shirts in the washer with all your crusty motocross gear. Fun Fact: The images on all t-shirts will last longer if you wash them inside out. It’s the dryer that hurts the print more than the washing.
Q: Don’t I remember seeing your character “N.Doe” in Motocross Action Magazine?
A: No, and… yes. I was a cartoonist for Motocross Action, but “N.Doe” actually appeared in the Southern California Motocross Newspaper. I worked at SCM with Scott Heidbrink, Tom Corley, Mark Kiel, Chris Hatounian, Jack Wright and others. That was before I got my dream job as cartoonist and associate editor at MXA with Paul “The Bazzer” Boudreau, Dick Miller, and Jody Weisel (when he first started). See the “Blogs” tab for an interview with Zapata Espinoza for my Motocross Action backstory.
Q: Who was your favorite motocrosser of all time?
A: Easy, Joel Robert. But Marty Tripes is second.
Q: Wasn’t down/up a mountain bike company in the late 80’s/early 90’s?
A: Yes, thought no one remembered. down/up started by promoting mountain bike races. Established in 1986 on Oahu, Hawaii. The first event was an observed trials at Kahuku motorcycle park. Then a halftime exhibition race during the Supercross at Aloha Stadium. Our first cross country race was the Zero cc Enduro. I designed all the event shirts for these, and I started selling the extras. Then I started doing a monthly cartoon for Mountain Biking Magazine, “The Dirt Clods” (and N.Doe was reincarnated). I traded the cartoon work for an ad in the mag, and started a mail order t-shirt business. This was back in the days before the Internet, when you’d send in a dollar and get a catalog and stickers. We even sponsored the BTU Team and lead guitarist for Metallica, Kirk Hammett.
Q: How old were you when you started drawing motocross cartoons and what got you started in dirt biking?
A: My Mom took me and my three siblings to the 1969 Elsinore Grand Prix. I was about 11 years old. Hearing the expansion chambers without silencers and seeing guys bounce off hay bales while riding through town got me hooked for life. As far as drawing, like I tell my cartooning students, we all draw as kids, some of us don’t stop. My theory is as kids get older they get embarrassed of their art work so I try to teach them to not care what others think. That being said, I always liked drawing, but another theory I have is that boredom is actually good for kids. Why else would you pick up a book, or build a tree fort, or play with your G.I. Joe’s? Or…draw. So, one day when I was about 14, and already racing dirt bikes, I had to go with my Dad to his office. I had to sit there for about 3 hours while he worked and I just started doodling motocross bikes. I did a few, and then a year later actually focused on it and was lucky to get my first paying job doing the “N.Doe” cartoon for Southern California Motocross Newspaper. Once I got paid, and got a taste of fame, I was hooked. 2024 will be my 50 year Anniversary of being a “professional” cartoonist.
Q: What other cartoonists do you follow?
A: Ironically enough, I don’t follow other cartoons that much. I don’t really like anime or read graphic novels. Of course, like anyone else I have my favorites – Calvin & Hobbes (mostly for the artwork) and the Far Side. Influences in my work were Tony Bell who drew Motocross Cat, underground artist R.Crumb (got to meet him in real life!), Jack Davis from MAD Magazine, and most of all – Robert B. Davis, my high school art teacher.