At age 17, McCay went to Chicago for more art lessons and started designing posters and advertisements for the Kohl & Middleton Dime Museum and Philip Morton's printing and lithography company. He was also an avid reader, particularly enjoying the Bible, William Shakespeare, W.B. From an early age, he enjoyed drawing, and impressed spectators with his eye for detail and talent for creating images from memory. Winsor McCay never completed grade school, but received early art instruction from one of his teachers. His father was a retail grocer, notary public and real estate owner. Zenas Winsor McCay was born in 1869 in Spring Lake, Michigan. 'His Best Customer' (editorial cartoon, 21 February 1917). Together with Wilhelm Busch, Lyonel Feininger and George Herriman, he is one of the most influential comic pioneers. McCay showed the creative possibilities of both comics and animation, and has been influential in the work of countless visual artists. He pioneered the 'inbetweening' technique, and his work was noted for the realistic movement of his characters. 'Gertie the Dinosaur' (1914) and 'The Sinking of the Lusitania' (1917) are two examples of McCay's innovative animation. As an animator, he adapted his own comics into short films, with equally sophisticated brilliance. His inventive use of framing and lay-out was decades ahead of its time. Out of all his comics, 'Dream of the Rarebit Fiend' (1904-1911, 1913) and 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' (1905-1914) are his best known works. He devoted large colorful drawings to these fantasy sequences, which appeared on full pages in Sunday newspaper supplements. As a comic artist, McCay made several series featuring dreams or nightmares. An extraordinary artist, his vivid and technically complex drawings are still impressive today. Winsor McCay is one of the founding fathers of newspaper comics and animated cartoons. 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' (28 April 1907).

Little nemo comic