The Dancing Moose

2009-01-31T21:39:00.009-07:00

It has been an extremely busy period over the last few weeks, with a full slate of client projects on the board, as well as a couple trips just before and after the new year.

Attached is a small sampling of things that were completed recently...

A cartoon from a online dating book I illustrated last month:

A cover for a magazine distributed at a City Government Conference in New York, NY. (The illustration was commissioned by a professor at the University of Colorado, hence the Denver reference. ):

An illustration for advertisements publicizing an insurance bill recently passed in the Florida legislature:

A character created for a software company that offers "applications" for cell phones. They wanted the character for their presentation at the recent Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas and offered beanie hats featuring the character printed on them to attendees:

A piece for a gentleman in California who trains contractors to be more successful with their businesses. This was essentially like drawing an old-style comic book cover...(Fun stuff.)

2008-11-14T00:15:00.003-07:00

Something that kept me very busy this past July was illustrating a book called "Body Language". (I can post this here now because the book was recently released.)

The author, James Borg is a very intelligent fellow who resides in England. My work required talking with him about the concepts and look of the illustrations...and since the book's editor was also in London, there were lots of late night and early morning phone calls/emails crossing the sea because of the time difference.

It is probably the largest number if illustrations I have ever done for a book...all totaled there were 60 -- some of them quite detailed, so it was a healthy bit of work. Fortunately, I was able to set aside a solid two week block of time to work on it, completing it just in time for the publishing deadline.

From what I could see in reading the text they sent, the book itself seemed fascinating. A copy of the book just arrived from the publisher, so I am looking forward to reading it in its entirety. (Maybe I'll be able to go out in public and know exactly what someone is thinking just from the way they are holding their posture. Like, "Mmmm, this Starbuck latte is good and frothy.")

2008-11-11T14:19:00.003-07:00

Click to enlarge

'Tis the season for corporate Holiday cards... I have several custom cards in process for various long-term clients who will send them to their clients. (I'll post some of them here when they are finished.)

I thought I'd share this one, as it was a little out of the ordinary, but also a lot of fun. It was created for a client whose family really gets into the celebration of Christmas. Anyway, I was told that they really like chocolate chip cookies and to somehow tie them into an over-the top Christmas photo scene. Their son is a singer in a band that is fairly popular nationally and has been featured on MTV & VH1, (hence the microphone in his hand.)

Weird and wild stuff...but the client loved it.

2008-11-04T08:46:00.003-07:00

My wife and I voted last week, downtown at the courthouse. It felt terrific, almost like the "runner's high" feeling you get after a good mind-clearing jog. (It was also nice to have it out of the way...and knowing that long lines would not once again be part of our election day activities.)

I'm just hoping that regardless of who wins the big race, the vitriol begins to subside, putting an end to one of the most partisan eras in our country's history. (I'm probably dreaming.) Just from a cartooning perspective, it would be nice to do a political cartoon and then not expect to be screamed at by one side and given extreme praise by the other. Things are never really that black and white....except when viewed through partisan eyes.

If you haven't already done so, get out and speak your mind.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:58:00.004-06:00

First of all, a recent illustration done for Northwestern Mutual Life. (A piece commissioned for their ads and marketing...not really a humorous cartoon, but an illustration intended to introduce their services targeted to retirement.)

(Click to enlarge)

The second image is a 'Halloweened' version of that illustration that my daughter Julia and I played with the other night.

Often she will come and visit me in my studio and ask to sit on my lap while I'm working on something. Occasionally we will digitally draw over what I have in process, and then we take turns adding silly details...(the sorts of things that will make an eight year-old laugh.) No one ever sees these Bizarro-versions of the cartoons, (and certainly I never send them to a client.) But it is a fun way to spend some time with my little girl.

Here's hoping you (and your goblins, vampires, pirates, etc.), have a fantastic Hallow's Eve.

2008-10-29T21:23:00.003-06:00

Under the gun with several deadlines right now... But here are a couple items from a book illustration job I just wrapped up today. The author is a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer; very nice woman who has written an intersting book about how to take better notice of the special moments of everyday life, as well as how to make your life less repetitive within its routines. Something worth reading it in its entirety, when I get a chance.

2008-10-23T16:05:00.006-06:00

Some illustrations I created for a healthcare organization in Atlanta. I was hired by an agency who was in charge of creating new literature and posters, (to offer to hospitals), explaining the organization's services and products.

As you can see, they came up with a 'Wizard of' Oz theme, (and the large doctor's office posters included a yellow brick road pathway, etc.) They needed cartoon Oz characters that did not look like the characters from the movie, and yet somehow looked more modern that the ones in the original book.

2008-10-21T15:43:00.004-06:00

A postcard for a business client, who is moving his family from hot-and-sweaty Austin, Texas to nearly-as-hot-and-just-as-humid Nashville, Tennessee.

The skyline in the background is intended to resemble Nashville's...and the strange building on the left is known locally as the "Batman building", due to its pointy bat ear--like towers. (I don't get to draw many armadillos, so this was a fun diversion for that alone.)

2008-10-20T09:47:00.003-06:00

Some characters I'm currently creating for a technology business directory website. (The main company is based in Pittsburgh, but has services and websites serving other cities throughout the U.S.).

The client wants to have the characters updated periodically with various activities pertaining to seasons, holidays, etc., much like Yahoo and Google do, (though of course it would not be as detailed.) There will also be opportunity for .gif animations of the figures.

A different type of job than usual, but it has been fun.

2008-10-18T11:09:00.004-06:00

A book cover, completed this week... The author has written several books falling into a unique genre which is a combination of religion and humor. I'm happy to report that he is very funny, and his writing within this niche has garnered him a devoted following. (This is the second cover I've done for him, after one earlier this year.) This particular image involved the use of a drawing made to look like a sepia-tone antiquated photo, with certain prominent characters highlighted. (Photoshop airbrush tool came in handy.)

2008-10-17T13:39:00.008-06:00

I was hired by a game manufacturer this week to do some cartoon art for a children's game. (Above is the cartoon name/label...also some images for the game itself, below.) Fun stuff...hopefully the game will be fun for kids.

Trying something new

2008-10-16T10:02:00.005-06:00

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It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been very busy...and that's not likely to change.

But there is also the issue of habit, and I have not had any luck establishing one. (Coming here and writing something every day seems daunting.) In lieu of that, I'm going to try to post a piece of new work each day. Baby steps, right?

This first post: A couple of illustrations for a book written by an author in New York whose dog is known around Central Park and Times Square for her dramatic clothing and personality... (Title of the book will be: "Naked Cow Dog".)

2008-09-10T14:31:00.003-06:00

The business of Business Cartoons

2007-12-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

When I started as a cartoonist, everything was about creating whatever happened to sprout from my muse...and then later worrying about how to sell it. I suspect that most creative people start out this way, whether in art, music or writing, etc.

Eventually you realize that while you can sell almost anything if you wait long enough for a buyer, to receive regular income from your creations you need to focus on specific markets. You need to find niches that work well in pairing your abilities with customers.

Today, newspapers are languishing, affecting two of the traditionally primary markets for cartoonists: political cartoons and comic strips. I started in one, spent time in the other and jumped out of both before I lost my mind (and my heinie). Most of the cartoonists I know have been forced to rethink things and diversify into new areas.

While I still do cartoons for newspapers on occasion, most of my clients now come from advertising, book and magazine publishing, greeting card compnaies and several other 'industries'...but one of the fastest growing areas is business cartoons for corporate clients.

Many companies are looking for new ways to attract customers -- and they are finding that humor is highly effective....Especially, cartoon-based humor. One cartoon can quickly catch a customer's attention. A campaign using several funny cartoons over a matter of months builds a following (creating something that is rare in advertising: actual desire and anticipation for more).

Additionally, companies are finding that they can get a lot of value from cartoons. A single cartoon can be used simultaneously in print ads, direct mail, email blasts, blogs and on their corporate websites. (For the latter, animation can even be added to them.)

Most of my clients for business cartoons are repeat customers...and they often share the emails and feedback on cartoon-based advertising they receive from their customers. Its helpful for me to see what works. But more importantly for them, the cartoons are becoming a source of interaction with their customer base that is invaluable.

My inspiration for talking about business cartoons today came from Brad Shorr, (of Word Sell, Inc. near Chicago), one of my favorite long-term clients. (The above cartoon was an early, just-for-fun collaboration). In addition to being a expert in sales and marketing, Brad is a talented writer. One of his blog posts this week covered the subject matter of business cartoons & marketing. --You can check out that post here. His discussion of the process of writing targeted humor is fascinating (and also familiar.)

It's been a while since I had any time to write more than just few sentences here and...well, it felt good. Happy Holidays to everyone.

The Twelve Days...(er, make that HOURS) of Christmas

2007-12-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is a busy time right now, with several projects on the drawing board...(and though it's always nice to have work, it's just plain crazy when added to the usual events and responsibilities of the season.) I've been deluding myself into thinking I'd design and send business Holiday cards out, create family Holiday cards, build a new website during the slow month of December... Oh Well. At least the Holiday cards might happen.

Here's a link to a corporate website animation I discussed working on last week...

Staub Inc. Holiday Greeting animation

Hope you're getting everything done at this busy time, too.

A friend & fellow cartoonist visits...

2007-12-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is apparently the year of reunions with old chums and buddies. Last week, I received a phone call from a friend I hadn't seen in years, (since the Pre-Cambrian Era, when I lived in Illinois). His name is Brian Kelly, and he's a talented cartoonist I got to know at the school newspaper of the University of Illinois.

(Warning: steps into memory lane) ... Brian and I hit it off immediately when we met at the school paper. In addition to being a top-notch cartoonist, he's a very likable guy. But we also have nearly identical passions for cartoons, and similar abilities in talking about them to the point where other folks of lesser wind would drop to the floor. (We even took a trip together to the Chicago Tribune Tower once, to meet with Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist, Dick Locher...arranged through a cartoonist friend of Brian's.)

Brian and his lovely wife Wendy were in Denver over the weekend, looking at homes while considering a move to Colorado. They were gracious enough to call and suggest a meeting for dinner. I immediately agreed and well...it was great, to say the least. Brian and I had a terrific time discussing the state of cartooning in almost every genre. (I feel sorry for his wife, who politely listened and offered thoughts when she was given a small opening in our wall of words. I did learn about their family, her job and highly-respected abilities in marketing...but I still feel like she must have felt left out at times.) (Next time, I'll be sure to bring my wife along.)

Brian told me they haven't yet decided on whether to relocate, but if they do, I suspect we'll find a way to fill some free time, (and some mugs at the local microbrewery.)

Recent client work...

2007-12-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Rough sketch...

This was a job for an agent/PR firm in Hollywood that I received through a reference from a client, (a magazine publisher).

The PR firm needed a piece of art for postcards and PR industry print ads, announcing their move to new offices. (To the swank corner of Hollywood & Vine.) The corner is supposedly famous in Hollywood, (don't ask me...I have little concept of such things. I don't even know why Paris Hilton is famous.)

Anyway, the main theme we settled upon was to show some of their office furniture tied to the top of a limo. And the street and surrounding buildings became a central part of making it 'recognizable', so I needed to draw them into the moving scene. The only way to do it was to turn the card 90 degrees from the typical 'landscape' layout.

It was a lot of fun to do some multi-point perspective drawing. (Not much call for that in most of the cartoons I do.) The client was happy with it -- and hopefully they are also enjoying their new digs, too.

Here's the finished art. (Click to enlarge).

New Wacom tablet

2007-12-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Wacom just introduced two new Cintiq tablets, and the most interesting model is a portable. All I can say is, wow, it looks terrific! (In addition to my wife, it appears to be something to drool over.) I'll have to add it to my new technology list for next year's tax write-offs.

I currently use an Intuous 3 every day with my desktop Mac. I also use it with my MacBook at night on occasion, just sitting on the couch next to my daughter. (If I have tight deadlines, being at home with the family is better than working long hours alone.) I also then bring the Intuos and MB along with me when traveling to take care of clients while away. It works very well, but it takes some initial adjustment to draw with your hand on a tablet in front of you, while looking up at a screen several inches away.

This sort of a tablet would allow for more direct hand-eye coordination, and given its relatively tidy size, I imagine it work well in and out of the studio. $1000 seems a bit steep for such a small unit…but then again, it’s about half the cost of the full-size model. It's sure to sell — and like the Intuos, it has no real competitors in the market.

Corporate Holiday projects...

2007-12-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)

A Holiday card for a technology company in Seattle that designs and manufactures various traffic based technology, such as congestion-sensing stop lights and highway lane departure warning systems. I wrote concept for this and upon approval, created the artwork.

Card for a career services company based in Florida:

A card for a client in New York, (hence the NYC & Broadway theme.)

Below is a Holiday card for a company in North Carolina that involved caricaturing its executives, and tying it into the company's existing logo. (A swoosh of sorts.) It was fairly detailed for a card, (some of the folks had facial hair or or other characteristics that needed to be drawn with some accuracy.)

After completing the card, the firm decided they wanted to use the concept for a Flash animation on their website. (With the sled proceeding down the slope, the snowman jumping up, out of the way and landing again.) I do some work for animations, but usually in concert with a Flash programmer.

In this case, I planned the progressions along the way, and then created artwork for each major change in position and expression. It's a fun diversion from my usual daily routine of writing humor and drawing cartoons for print.

An old friend

2007-10-23T09:43:00.000-06:00

Recently, a friend from college contacted me out of the blue. When I saw the email, I knew the name immediately, but realized it had been many years since I last saw it.

He's a fellow creative person; a cartoonist and someone who can draw and write equally well...and I first found that out when we were both students at the University of Illinois. We both worked at campus newspapers and had similar views on things, both in cartoons and politics.

We had mutual friends and acquaintances, (my college girlfriend's sister was even dating his brother. --In a different city and area code. Odd coincidence.) Okay, enough digression.

The gentleman's name is Kevin Gleeson, and since he contacted me, we have exchanged lengthy emails and gotten caught up on each other's lives, families, etc. I feel like I know him better now than I did then. Here's a link to his website, "Big Fat Hat"...which contains some very funny stuff, (like the "Camera Comic" above):

http://www.bigfathat.com/

On the Drawing Board

2007-08-31T08:53:00.000-06:00

To quote the title of an old John Cusack movie, it's been 'one crazy summer'. Usually summer means vacations for clients and companies...with business slowing down a notch...it's a time to relax a bit. Not this year. Whew! It's been non-stop busy for three months straight. (Which is great -- much better than nothing to do.)

As summer draws to a close, I realize that I haven't had time lately to post discussions about cartoons or a particular project in detail. I thought I would post a few things that were on the drawing board this past week.

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A cartoon for a business magazine, to accompany an article written about the large and powerful diamond cartel, Debeers, (and their stranglehold on the diamond industry.) Sort of like an editorial cartoon, only with color.

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Click to enlarge

I worked with a magician based in Florida over the past couple weeks, illustrating a book he's creating for kids. He's a guy who travels a lot, putting on shows and performances...so it was interesting at times, sending sketches and artwork back and forth. But it was a lot of fun to work on the interior illustrations, most of which dealt with the actual magic and tricks. (Something completely new to me.) (I learned some tricks I can try and perform for my daughter!) This is the cover illustration.

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Corporate mascots for a company that advises people with their careers, looking for employment, etc. This was the image created for their main website and promotional materials.

I was also asked to create individial "heroes", with each of their nine board members faces caricatured in the costumes. (Fun stuff.)

Well, I hope you have a terrific Labor Day. (No working!)

Please remain seated

2007-08-02T11:36:00.000-06:00

Well if there is anyone out there still checking this barren outpost for blurbs...(I'd have to assume not, after going so long between posts,) there has been no time for me to do anything here, due to work.

I have to admit that I took on too much work. It's a fine line measuring when you have more than you can handle, (like the airlines, one tends to overestimate one's capacity at times...But unlike the airlines, I can't "bump" people who have been promised something.)

Things are just now getting more sane, so I thought I'd take a brief moment to breathe.

I am in the midst of creating some cartoon illustrations for a Fortune 100 firm in California, for a video presentation that they plan to beam to their offices around the country next week. The needs for this have grown as their CEO and others have gotten involved in its production. It should wrap up this week or early next. But it has been fun to work on something that needs to translate to video screen.

I'm also currently illustrating a psychology book for a publishing deadline and finishing up some things for a political campaign for newspapers in Lousiana...as well as some corporate work for a financial firm in Florida and ad cartoons for an ad agency in L.A. (There are even more jobs on the docket...but I've stopped answering my phone...it's just plain nuts.)

My apologies for the diminished posts, and for any lack of clarity to my writing right now; I'm a little fuzzy due to an abbreviated sleeping schedule. Things will clear soon.

Hope all is well with you.

2007-07-12T17:17:00.001-06:00

Over the past two weeks I've been doing some work for the University of Toronto, (a large international university with over 70,000 students in three campuses). The first two projects were print ads and a credit card design, (utilizing a character I created for them.)

But this last project entailed doing an ad for the student bookstore. Apparently the engineering school uses Lady Godiva as its mascot, so the request was to feature her somehow. (The Lady's legend is to have told her husband, the King of England that she would ride though London nude, if he lowered taxes for the people of England....he had refused everything else up to that point -- but upon hearing her proposal, agreed. And so she made her now famous ride, with only her long hair obscuring her bits and pieces. The citizens paid less tax and also got to enjoy a royal streaker on horseback.)

I thought I'd post the rough sketch and the finished art...showing the changes that were made along the way. The nurse's hat (which was initially suggested to show her being helpful), was taken out, as it was decided I had drawn the good lady with enough of a look of caring and concern. Next, we decided the student's eyes, which were X's in the sketch, risked making the student look like he was dead. To make him look simply stunned, I drew him cross-eyed. Last, I thought I'd spruce up the horse's adornments a little.

To be honest, I had the most fun sketching her nude form and then strategically drawing her hair so that it covered just enough of her body. ;)

2007-07-10T16:55:00.000-06:00

A great editorial cartoonist was lost today. Doug Marlette was killed in a car accident this morning. He was an influential cartoonist who won a Pulitzer Prize in the 80's. Unlike most editorial cartoonists, he hit both political parties hard and wasn't afraid to be controversial, (as evidenced by the above cartoon.)

Though I didn't know him, I met him briefly at an AAEC convention a few years ago, and he was very kind to me, (a young, unknown cartoonist.) His work had a unique look to it, with brush strokes you could identify instantly. His writing was top-notch.

He also created a comic strip called "Kudzu" which was syndicated nationally. (I liked it enough as a kid to buy in book collection form.)

A big loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

2007-07-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

There's been a great deal of work on my drawing board over the past couple weeks...(hence the gap in posts.) ...A cartoon ad campaign for a trade show company in LA, commissions to illustrate two books, some cartoon ad work for the University of Toronto, a corporate mascot for a fun-sounding new company in Virginia, an ad for a long-term client, (software company) and some illustration work for a financial advisor in Tampa. It has been blistering in terms of deadlines, but all of it enjoyable, fun work. (I'll try to post some of it this week.)

Meanwhile, a comment about the recent AAEC convention in Washington DC... After talking with some colleagues, it sounds like those wild-men & women had a terrific time. This year's meeting was also the celebration of the assocation's 50th anniversary. They met at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington and had a number of workshops and speakers. I can't wait to see the annual group cartoon -- typically a large board with many of the members leaving a doodle or cartoon for all to see.

I was a little melancholy about it, having been a member for several years, right after college...but after switching to advertising and corporate work, I let my membership lapse. (I still draw an occasional cartoon for the Denver papers.)

Anyway, the last time they were in DC, I tagged along and it was truly a bash of unforgettable proportions. (It included a lunch in the White House Rose garden, meeting the President, Vice President and several colorful members of the media.) I hear this year's festivities were just as much fun.

I only hope that the country-wide layoff of newspaper staff editorial cartoonists ceases soon. (Dozens of staff cartoonists have lost their jobs in the past few years.) As the newspaper industry languishes, for some reason, it seems that some of the first folks to go are the editorial cartoonists. (Unfortunately, I think publishers have a long memory of cartoons that take a stance against their views.) I have a great respect for all who call that their vocation.