RANDOM NON-DOODLE: Captain DandyHat!

Although he had the desire and (most definitely) the wardrobe needed to be a successful superhero, Captain DandyHat (aka Chester Wiggums) was hampered by the glaring fact that his only discernible superpowers were his uncanny knack for remembering old 1950s advertising jingles, and his ability to drink an entire 48 ounce Slushee™ in seven seconds without experiencing brain freeze. Thus, his crimefighting career was rather short and uneventful.

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SORT OF A DOODLE: Far from home

Another doodle that graduated to “sort of”. No real story behind it; just knocking around with the pen and watercolors. I’ll let your brain decide what it’s all about.

FRAGMENT: Gyyyyyrrooooshcope!

Early on in this blog (almost five years ago, actually), I mentioned my love for the tantalizing fragments of comic books I sometimes encountered as a child. Since that post, and due to the blessing of having a full-time job that keeps me too busy to do more than fragments, I have often found it entertaining to create individual panels or pages that are intentionally teasing but nebulous in their nature and direction, just for the fun little rabbit trails they lead me down.

The above panel being a case in point.

Who is this mysterious “he” who donated the piece of technology?  And what is the problem plaguing our heroes? And why will a gyroscopic device help? And do we really want to put our trust in a pig-like being who has no idea what a gyroscope even is???

Your guess is as good as mine.

Wait. His name WASN’T Trippy?

Remember when you saw your first “Draw Me” ad? Maybe it was in the back of a comic book. Or on a matchbook cover. Or in TV Guide.

You old-timers know what I’m talking about..the ones that promised you an exciting career in cartooning if your rendition of the supplied art was deemed worthy of a scholarship to the prestigious Art Instruction Schools. There was Cubby the bear, a pirate, a cowboy…and, of course, Tippy the Turtle. My main memory of those ads was that, even as a kid, I knew there was no real creativity involved in just copying someone else’s art.

Don’t get me wrong. As a child, I did my fair share of copying other people’s work, and even (gasp!) tracing it on occasion. But I was working on my technique, not my creativity, in those instances, and I knew it. I think that differentiation is lost on a LOT of people.

Anyway, before I get too soap-boxy, I present for your viewing pleasure my take on Tippy. Hope you enjoy it. And if you can draw it exactly as it looks…well….you have too much time on your hands.

And you need therapy.

GASP!

Here’s a sneak peek of a comic strip my son Ethan and I are doing together. He came up with a funny monster, and I knew it had to be drawn for the world to see. As soon as it is done, I’ll post the strip here in all it’s full-color, scary monster glory. Stay tuned….

An Elusive Tease, or Who’s Sam?

As a child, back in the pre-internet days (remember those?) and growing up in a small town, one of the most frustrating things I would encounter was what I’ll refer to as “comic book snippet syndrome” (CBSS). I’d catch a glimpse of some comic book, or even read the whole issue if there was time, as I wandered through a bookstore on one of our occasional visits to the “big city”. Then, being from the booming metropolis that I was, and having NO BOOKSTORES in said hometown, I’d never get to read the rest of the story or find out what happened after the cliffhanger ending that only made me want more.

Oh, the agonies such teasing, elusive comic book encounters can inflict on the tortured mind of a ten-year-old boy!

But I also feel like not knowing helped me. It forced me to create my own stories in my head, and to draw them out on paper. Those teases were the seeds of creativity, the impetus for all my future artistic endeavors.

So now I’m giving a little back to the great Swirl of the Unfinished. This doodle started out as the big pointy frog thingy. Then I realized he had to be talking to someone….hence the little man. The dialogue…well…heck, I don’t know where that came from. Or where it’s leading. Or who this Sam character is they’re talking about.

That’s up to you. And the curious, hungry-for-more ten-year-old I hope we all still have inside.

 

 

If you weren’t what you are, what would you be?

If you could choose any occupation for yourself, regardless of whether or not it would pay the bills….or if you even have a talent for it….what would it be? Maybe you’re a nurse who has secretly always wanted to be a stand-up comic. Or a garbage man who has persistent fantasies of owning a car dealership. Or vice versa.

I am currently an art director/illustrator, so my “fantasy job” isn’t that far removed from my real job. I would be a comic book illustrator.

My only fear is that I would probably offend the devotees of whatever comic book character I got to work on. You see, I have a hard time taking seriously anybody-male or female, real or fictional-who wears tights or ludicrously skimpy clothing. You know the old bit of advice they give people with stage fright? The one about imagining your audience naked so you won’t feel intimidated? Well, not me pal. For me, it’s tights. Tights and capes. And maybe a few ill-advised thongs thrown into the mix, just to really amp up the ridiculous factor.

But anyway, I digress…back to my original question: What would you be? I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what you currently do for a living, and what you wish you could do for a living.

And the next time someone intimidates you, don’t forget to break out the imaginary capes and thongs.