Nothing says "Will You Marry Me?" like a cartoon that says "Will You Marry Me?"

2 years ago I received a VERY New York-themed cartoon commission with a twist...

February 17, 2024
New York, NY

Back in 2022, I received a note from a reader of my work with an interesting request.

She’d been thinking about getting engaged to her partner for a while, but said the whole—‘getting down on one knee in real life’—thing felt a bit awkward.

Both of them are in love with New York, and their neighborhood in particular, and never plan on leaving. So, she landed on a creative way to pop the question: to have a New Yorker cartoonist draw it. (As a New Yorker cartoon!)

They have a fantastic little pupper who she wanted to include in the drawing. I suggested perhaps the ring be in the dog’s mouth as she held him up from one knee. (Fun Fact: I proposed to my wife on one knee using a miniature dachshund instead of a ring, so I’d already stress-tested this method before suggesting it!)

After years of pondering and sketching, rendering the art in various levels of detail, and finding the balance between caricature and cartoon, she finally popped the question this year, taping the cartoon into the Valentines week’s edition of the New Yorker:

…She said yes!

Congratulations, Mich & Val!
Wishing you all the happiness and adventure this crazy city has to offer.