Small Banker [Odalisque] Print

I like small drawings. They demand a precise style, economy of line, and an eye for minor details. I've done a few sets of serial spots for the New Yorker, but this series appeared in The Believer. I titled this character "Small Banker” but he could just as well be a lawyer or an accountant or a bureaucrat. He’s one of the “grey men.” The Urban Dictionary defines the grey man as “a man who can blend in to any scene or situation without standing out.” I drew him disappearing into a variety of bold disguises. The cowboy, the diver, the odalisque, the monarch, etc., always with the same blank expression on his face, the inscrutable, respectable look you see on the pillared exterior of an old bank. There's a bit of Cosmo Topper about him, which I like. Underneath the crusty exterior he has a soft cream filling. I suspect he would never loan me money.