Psych Central Profile - part two

The second part of an interview with Richard Zwolinski at Psych Central...
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/therapy-soup/2010/09/funny-on-demand-cartoonist-mark-hill/#more-1114

New Boneheaded Dog Cartoon

New cartoon from the pooch, here:
http://blog.hilltoons.com/

Interview

 (I intended to post this a few days ago, since it originally started running on Tuesday,  but it has been a blitz with clients this week.)

I was the subject of a short interview with Psych Central, a top online psychiatric resource website. I've done a fair number of client projects that involved psychiatric-related cartoons, (including illustrating a recent book for two psychologists)...and a couple of those cartoons are featured.

It was flattering to be asked to do -- and fun to answer some rather creative questions. It's running in two parts, on successive Tuesdays.


http://blogs.psychcentral.com/therapy-soup/2010/09/the-cartoonist-is-in-therapy-soup-interviews-mark-hill/#comments

New Creative Outlet

Not that I need more to do, (as things are as busy as ever with clients and publishing deadlines), but I'm starting a new cartoon feature. For a while I've had the itch to play with something new and different.
 
I'm calling it "A Boneheaded Dog's Blog". It's intended to be the observations of an exuberant and small minded family dog. On most days the posts will be from the dog's perspective; on some others, it will be from the owner's perspective.

Please take a peek..let me know what you think. It's an experiment right now and comments/suggestions are welcome.

A Boneheaded Dog's Blog

Round-up of recent client projects

]]Well, it's been a while, but here's a little taste of what's been on the drawing board lately...


From a book on sleep apnea that I was hired to illustrate this summer...(Click to enlarge images)



A cartoon created for the two founders of Hubspot Inc.



A packaging illustration for a new iPhone protector..




An advertising piece created for a technology company in California...




Artwork for a dog treats company, to go on the product packaging. (Sold in mostly in Costco) This is merely the B&W preliminary art, each variety will have a different tasty item on the platter, (turkey, beef, salmon, chicken, etc.)

One of 30 cartoons created for a book on healthcare management.




A cartoon created for a financial company in Maryland:


A cartoon created for a magazine:




A cartoon for a large construction company in Seattle, (the client requested something that looked like an updated Lichtenstein cartoon.)

A marketing piece for a law firm in Minneapolis:



One of several cartoons created for a book on International Business negotiation:



An ad piece created for a dental products company in New York:




A comic strip that is currently running in some papers in Ontario & Toronto:


Some projects currently on the board over the next two weeks:
A poster and book cover for a long-term client.
A series of cartoon animal illustrations for a greeting card company.
12 illustrations for a Powerpoint presentation, commissioned by a company in New York.
A marketing cartoon for biotech corporation.
A ad cartoon for medical device manufacturer.
A humorous pen & ink illustration for an independent film maker.
A regular monthly cartoon for a Michigan school principals association newsletter.

Fire news: Much better finally

Friends and clients have been asking about the nearby fire and whether it has affected our family. A couple of folks said they checked here, so I thought I'd add a blurb to say that things are fine.

The fire started Labor Day morning, apparently after someone who lives in a mountain home let a barbecue fire pit get out of control. We noticed the cloud of smoke and saw it grow as the day went on, with shifting winds. The lack of rain, (less than a tenth of an inch in the past month), made it worse. The area in question is about 15 miles away from town.

In the morning on Tuesday and Wednesday, the smoke was fairly noticeable outdoors. (We were running the central A/C, and thus filtered the air, so we couldn't smell the smoke when indoors.) No morning walks with the pooch, though after the breeze got going, the smoke cleared out after noon. Julia was in school nearby with everything as usual; just no outdoor recess on Tues & Wed.

I feel very sorry for the people who are displaced and/or lost their homes. 169 homes were destroyed. I can't imagine what those people are going through. Miraculously, there has been no loss of life or even serious injury.

With the help of some much-needed rain on Wednesday night, the fire fighters made good progress over the last two days. It looks as if the fire is mostly contained. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16050812?source=rss

Caption Contest #2: And the Winner is...

Zack Collier.

Zack was clever and also persistent. (He entered in week 1, in a competitive group of entries), and this time had two good entries, in a group of 4 total entries.)

Congrats to Zack and thanks to everyone who entered!

Cartoon Caption Contest - Part deux

Click cartoon to enlarge


Well, it's time for another cartoon caption contest. (Anyone can enter, including everyone who entered the last one.)

Think of a caption for the featured cartoon above and submit it. You can simply post it as a comment below or email it to me. (Hill@comic.com).

The winner's name will be posted here, along with the finished cartoon featuring their caption. He or she will also receive a copy of the cartoon, (with their name added to the signature line).

Have fun! Be wildly creative! Deadline is Friday Sept. 3 (sorry, forgot that earlier.)

Book Signing Update

                                            
Well, as I had hoped, (being a happy introvert most of the time) the Barnes and Noble book signing was rather sedate. Other than a few dozen people strolling in to buy books and chat, it was never overwhelming in terms of a crowd. The store manager had a table for me, with chairs set up for an audience at the opening, (and a presentation.) But there was no need for the chairs, because I chose not to do an illustration presentation.

Over the three hours, I think I signed 30 books...more than I thought would sell, given that the book signing was only publicized in the Boulder newspaper, (and also considering that I was not the book's author, but simply the illustrator hired by the publisher.)

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Update: (9/7) Pelican Publishing contacted me today, saying that the Colorado Springs Barnes & Noble would like me to do a book signing in December.  Barnes & Noble colorado-springs-co/signing The Denver Post and Rocky Moungtain News are running articles on the signingm and the book store is guessing it would have a more sizable audience  I initially turned it down, but the publisher convinced me to schedule a day in early December. It should be fun, and besides, Colorado Springs is beautiful in Dec...(I can take the family to the Broadmoor, ride the Pikes Peak Christmas train, etc.)

Barnes and Noble Book Signing

This past year I illustrated a book that is currently being published by Pelican Press and will be released this week. (The title is currently being changed by the author) This Saturday, (8/21), I’ll be doing a book signing at the Barnes and Noble store in Boulder. http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/event/3053496

I feel a little out of place doing the book signing, since it's not really my book. I feel that the author deserves full credit for the themes covered in it. But after some reassuring from the folks at Pelican Publishing and Barnes and Noble - that signings often feature book illustrators - I begrudgingly accepted their invitation.

My guess is that I'll be sitting there for three hours reading a book.

Thus far the book has stirred up some interest from a couple of newspapers. A local columnist called to interview me about the book and its illustrations while I was out of town this week, giving me a 24-hour window to talk with him...and I missed it.

So, enough babbling about promotional events...and back to the drawing board, where I am happiest.

We have a winner!

Thanks to the creative folks who submitted ideas for the first installment of the Cartoon Caption Contest. (For this first one we had four entries; three people emailed ideas and one submitted here.) All were surprisingly good, (and perhaps they should all consider trying their hand at this professionally.)

Drum roll... the winner is Kevin Gleeson, of Lyons, Illinois.

For his very funny caption, Kevin will receive a print of the finished cartoon, (as shown above).

The next contest will start soon...

Cartoon Caption Contest

Well, the long-promised and much-delayed Cartoon Caption Contest is under way.

Think of a caption for the featured cartoon above and submit it. You can simply post it as a comment below or email it to me. (Hill@comic.com).

The winner's name will be posted here, along with the finished cartoon featuring their caption. He or she will also receive a copy of the cartoon, (with their name added to the signature line).

Have fun! Be creative!

Deadline for entries: Friday July 16.

A much needed breather

Pant, pant, pant. --The sound of the caged animal, catching its breath.

After over two years of what seemed to be a constant back-logs of clients, working many weekends, taking artwork and computers with me on vacation, etc., things have finally calmed down a little. Over the past few weeks, work has entailed 7 or 8-hour days instead of 10-12. I don't know if it's summer break for some of my clients or just a lull, but I'll take it.

So, with that extra time, I have been able to devote a little more time to other things, (working in the yard, biking and swimming with my daughter, buying a new car & restoring an old one...and also creating a new website.)

Lastly, it was nice to take a vacation last week without having to work during some of it in the hotel room. My folks came out to Colorado for a visit, and then we went with them on a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks--an truly beautiful area where we boated, water skied, tubed, etc. In addition to being a chance to relax and spend time with a few generations of family, it was lots of fun. (Julia spent probably six hours of every day in the several pools, water slides, etc. at the resort...literally wrinkled like a raisin when I dragged her out to go to dinner, etc.)

I always come back from vacations feeling glad that I took them. I feel refreshed and ready to go, I'm more efficient, all of the things for which vacations are intended. But as silly as it sounds, I dread getting prepared to take them, as I do not want to interrupt my regular routine. It always seems like I have something to do here, and I feel like I'm behind schedule when I return. It's also hard to get into the 'vacation mindset' at first and let go of the magnetic grip that my work and studio have upon me. Same for you?

Fortunately this time I felt no guilt about going and came home with a broad smile on my face.

Which leads to one final note before signing off...

I have a powerful desire for a balanced life. (Most people I know share that pursuit.) Yet, everyone I know is busier now than they were five years ago or even two years ago...and much of that comes from technology and connectivity. I do not want my life reduced to a blizzard of snippets and snapshots on a blog, Twitter account or Facebook page. The maintenance of such things can be like walking against a gale force wind. You never get ahead of it and it is always there waiting for more.

And with that, my apologies for not making typical or regular blog or twitter posts, or Facebook entries for friends and family. Instead, I plan to start spending some more time here with two or three creative outlets purely designed for fun. (More on that soon.)

Jay Kennedy Scholarship

Attention all aspiring cartoonists: The National Cartoonist Society Foundation is once again calling for applicants to the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship.

From the NCSF Website:

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Jay Kennedy Scholarship

The annual Jay Kennedy Scholarship, in memory of the late King Features editor, was funded by an initial $100,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation/King Features Syndicate and additional generous donations from Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Patrick McDonnell and many other prominent cartoonists. Submissions are adjudicated by a panel of top cartoonists and an award is given to the best college cartoonist. The recipient is feted at the annual NCS Reuben Awards Convention attended by many of the world’s leading cartoonists.

Applicants must be college students in the United States, Canada or Mexico that will be in their Junior or Senior year of college during the 2010-2011 academic year. Applicants do not have to be art majors to be eligible for this scholarship.

Along with a completed entry form, applicants are required to send 8 samples of their own cartooning artwork (copies only); noting if and where the work has been published, either in print or on the web. (See application for details.) DO NOT send original artwork.

DEADLINE: ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY FEBRUARY 12, 2010

The applications will be judged by the National Cartoonists Society Foundation (NCSF) and the number of scholarships given out and their amounts will be at the discretion of the NCSF.

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As usual, I've been away from the blog, too busy with clients and family life to post much, but I thought this subject deserved mention. I'm posting this partly for anyone who might be interested...and partly for a friend who asked about cartooning scholarships for his son. Hopefully he, (and anyone else with interest), can gather up his or her work and get it out in time for the deadline. It's a terrific scholarship, named after a man who had a big effect on the work of many cartoonists.

I had the honor and pleasure of working with Jay Kennedy for a little over three years. He offered me my first syndication contract, and after that, worked with me in developing a comic strip for King Features Syndicate. I got to know him over that span and afterward -- and really grew to appreciate him and his enthusiasm for cartoons.

His knowledge was fully rounded, including the history of cartoons, the inner workings of humor, dialogue, art, and even the legal ramifications of when one over-satirizes say, Britney Spears. I can say without a doubt that he helped to establish my career as a cartoonist, giving me training that was unavailable in books or any university.

I was saddened to hear about his accidental death. (He drowned after having been caught in a rip-tide, while vacationing in Costa Rica. A little-known fact is that he died a hero, diving in and successfully saving his girlfriend.) He will be greatly missed. 

This annual memorial scholarship is the sort of thing that can launch a young cartoonist's career...and at the very least, inspire some deserving cartoonist(s) to create worthwhile things. If you think that might be you, enter now! The deadline is almost here. (Feb. 12)