tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.comments2024-03-04T16:09:36.125-07:00The Dancing MooseMark Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-50794982281788944702024-03-04T16:08:33.277-07:002024-03-04T16:08:33.277-07:00The caricatures that you did for the restaurant ar...The caricatures that you did for the restaurant are quite stylish, with the expressive lines and splashes of watercolor wash. The “innovative idea” business cartoon and the dog Christmas card cartoon are hilarious! Keep up the good work.Gracenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-69161697133091982332023-11-30T11:50:06.474-07:002023-11-30T11:50:06.474-07:00Hey Robert,
Thanks for your note. (Apologies for...Hey Robert, <br /><br />Thanks for your note. (Apologies for the delay in response...I haven't been here in a while, and somehow missed a notification.) <br /><br />To answer your question, for cartoons and illustrations that involve concepts and/or humor, writing is the first step. One can start drawing, but if an idea isn't funny enough or edited well, the artwork can't save it, no matter how well-drawn it is. Once the idea is set and refined, the rest falls into place. <br /><br />The Northwoods are very special, indeed.Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-56198631449326103392023-10-21T00:05:17.971-06:002023-10-21T00:05:17.971-06:00You have some funny stuff in here. The one with th...You have some funny stuff in here. The one with the cats and the LASIK, and the one with the ‘working vacation’ cracked me up. Do you write the ideas before you draw the cartoons?<br /><br />Also, I love Northern Wisconsin and the lakes up there. Sounds like a great trip.Robertnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-91663683570611065202023-01-12T15:32:07.999-07:002023-01-12T15:32:07.999-07:00Hey Steve,
Thanks for stopping in. Happy New Year...Hey Steve,<br /><br />Thanks for stopping in. Happy New Year!Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-27916539583115032042022-12-18T22:37:26.996-07:002022-12-18T22:37:26.996-07:00I just stumbled in here, and I love your stuff! Th...I just stumbled in here, and I love your stuff! The Home Depot illustrations are incredibly detailed. And the humorous cartoons are funny. I’ll be back again.Steve Devliegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-25164949949990642622022-01-02T17:46:39.752-07:002022-01-02T17:46:39.752-07:00I'm glad that you're ok, and that the fire...I'm glad that you're ok, and that the fire didn't affect you. Good point about the major media. They were posting videos with giant headlines "Boulder in flames", when it wasn't close. <br /><br />Nice job on the executive gift illustrations. Are you given suggestions for those scenes, or do you come up with ideas for them?<br /><br />CChris Herndonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-39744703940424351702021-09-28T17:34:21.120-06:002021-09-28T17:34:21.120-06:00Hey Dorian,
Thanks. Yes, the humor is a little l...Hey Dorian, <br /><br />Thanks. Yes, the humor is a little less 'straight-laced' than most of my work for larger companies, who tend to be very careful. I have to admit it's fun when a client has a laid-back approach to humor. It's rare in this era of extreme fear of offending people.<br /><br />Thanks for your note.Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-41715031744234811232021-09-22T00:00:11.089-06:002021-09-22T00:00:11.089-06:00Dude, that Waze cartoon is sick! Pun intended. Pre...Dude, that Waze cartoon is sick! Pun intended. Pretty hysterical stuff!Doriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-4540542252425286322021-07-25T12:43:34.100-06:002021-07-25T12:43:34.100-06:00Hey Chris,
Sorry, I just saw this. Thanks for yo...Hey Chris, <br /><br />Sorry, I just saw this. Thanks for your comments.<br /><br />Yes, according to folks at Merck Inc., (who is partnering with Johnson & Johnson to produce Covid vaccines) the Pharmaceutical industry has been inundated with customer inquires over the last year, and particularly the past several months. Nearly all of the vaccines are administered without seeing a doctor, who would typically explain what to expect from any vaccine, drug, or therapy. Right now, most people are left on their own to find information about them. <br /><br />Additionally, doctor visits have way down the during the last 18 months of Covid, prompting more independent patient inquires for prescription drug information. So, Merck's interactive website opens a new avenue of communication with patients.<br /><br />Great to hear from you.<br /><br />MMark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-37227350115258063942021-06-29T23:06:54.551-06:002021-06-29T23:06:54.551-06:00Love the Laz-Boy chair ad cartoon! Also enjoyed ch...Love the Laz-Boy chair ad cartoon! Also enjoyed checking out the details on the casino commission illustration. The Merck Pharmaceuticals thing is interesting. Apparently they have needed to address a lot of prescription customer inquiries. Was that Covid-related? They had several therapies being used to treat it.Chris Herndonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-63503576662656185362021-06-03T20:15:04.673-06:002021-06-03T20:15:04.673-06:00Mark,
Thank you so much!! That was so nice of yo...Mark, <br /><br />Thank you so much!! That was so nice of you! This helped her with her work and it was beyond cool that we were able to contact you. It was so kind of you to respond, you're an amazing artist! Her teacher thought it was really cool! <br />Have a great week, say safe, God Bless!<br /><br />Your new friends,<br />Kristine and EchoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-80430402004237521702021-06-03T11:02:05.489-06:002021-06-03T11:02:05.489-06:00Hi Kristine,
A school history assignment that cen...Hi Kristine,<br /><br />A school history assignment that centers around a political cartoon...I think that's pretty cool. (I'm also flattered that your daughter chose my cartoon to write about Joan of Arc.) <br /><br />To answer your daughter's questions:<br /><br />The symbolism is that leaders, like Joan of Arc, (or Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln) are quite often attacked for their controversial statements and actions.<br /><br />I suppose the message is that being a leader of a movement (or even an organization), can be a thankless job...with the leader often suffering.<br /><br />My point of view in creating this cartoon was slightly different than usual.. I'm often trying to find a funny way to make a point. This cartoon it was more of a historical depiction with a bit of satire, rather than a full-on humorous piece. But hopefully the messages come across.<br /> <br />Hope that helps. Good luck with the history project!<br /><br />MarkMark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-31472135418336187852021-06-03T10:49:29.422-06:002021-06-03T10:49:29.422-06:00Hello Mark,
Wow, thanks for responding! My daught...Hello Mark,<br /><br />Wow, thanks for responding! My daughter Echo picked that political cartoon for a history assignment.<br /><br />Thank you so much!<br /><br />KristineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-25308594685073141012021-06-03T10:45:50.423-06:002021-06-03T10:45:50.423-06:00Hi Kristine,
Thanks for your note. I'd be hap...Hi Kristine,<br /><br />Thanks for your note. I'd be happy to help. I'm in the midst of some deadlines for a book publisher today, but I can try to answer your questions a little later. <br /><br />MarkMark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-74401721432554034162021-06-03T10:32:26.838-06:002021-06-03T10:32:26.838-06:00Hello Mark, I love your work. My name is Kristine,...Hello Mark, I love your work. My name is Kristine, My daughter is finishing up a final school project and I was wondering if I can ask you a few questions about your political cartoon called, "Leadership isn't what it is cracked up to be." With Joan of Arc.<br />Can you please tell me<br />1) what is the symbolism of this cartoon.<br />2)what is the message you were trying to convey.<br />3) what is your point of view as the artist.<br /><br />Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing from you.<br /><br />KristineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-84839757570305969392020-12-14T16:17:16.096-07:002020-12-14T16:17:16.096-07:00Hey Chris,
I'm glad that you're well, a...Hey Chris, <br /><br />I'm glad that you're well, and thanks for stopping by!<br /><br /> To answer your question about the watercolor, it is hand painted but digital...and that is something that I have been playing with recently. I have several years of traditional watercolor media time under my belt, and it is tricky to use, because as you probably know once you put it down there is no erasing it or covering it like you can with oil paint or acrylic. I switched to using a Wacom Cintiq digital drawing screen a few years ago, (the same thing used by Disney and Pixar artists - which allows one to "erase" mistakes, and also save a great deal of time with paint/cleanup, etc.) <br /><br />It provided a plethora of benefits, but I found that many of the digital brushes that came with Photoshop and other drawing programs were lacking. So, I created a few digital brushes that can be tweaked to behave like traditional watercolor, with puddling, paper bleed effects. It's a great deal of fun.<br /><br />Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-66982502610738480072020-12-04T00:40:48.679-07:002020-12-04T00:40:48.679-07:00I'm glad to see that you're keeping busy. ...I'm glad to see that you're keeping busy. I really like the B&W cartoons, especially the one with Sisyphus on a treadmill during Covid. Very funny idea.<br /><br />The watercolor work in the Telluride painting is great. I love the brush work on the guy's jacket, and the trees and mountain backgrounds. Is that actual watercolor paint with a brush on paper?Chris Herndonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-48638602122738824112020-10-06T16:14:40.021-06:002020-10-06T16:14:40.021-06:00Thanks so much. Yes, my daughter is fortunate to b...Thanks so much. Yes, my daughter is fortunate to be in classes...and now in October, her university is still doing well with low Covid cases. Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-24446055945346203582020-09-14T14:35:34.065-06:002020-09-14T14:35:34.065-06:00Your daughter is fortunate to be on campus with re...Your daughter is fortunate to be on campus with regular classes.<br /><br />Love your book illustrations. The ink work on the drawing of the cliff with the shark and crocodiles is very nice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-71360998100537246442020-09-02T23:14:14.001-06:002020-09-02T23:14:14.001-06:00It’s a classic great for me to go to this blog sit...It’s a classic great for me to go to this blog site, it offers helpful suggestions<br /><a href="https://www.nebulasdesign.com/design/what-material-design-really-is/" rel="nofollow">UX design agency</a><br />Robert Oldhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06329995226689596319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-73980541184268563322020-06-14T14:49:20.747-06:002020-06-14T14:49:20.747-06:00Thanks Ryan. To expand on your question about humo...Thanks Ryan. To expand on your question about humor in your other post below, that's a detail I added after the first draft, and the author liked it. But oddly, drawing it correctly became a bit of a challenge. When I first drew it, the mask was completely covering the dog's mouth and nose, as a human would wear it. But with a large white area and those facial details removed, the dog looked odd...the author and editor agreed. So I added just a bit of the nose and that helped. In this scene I'm thinking that the dog is fed up with a mask and he has pushed it partially loose, just as a dog might do.Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-14046201347468908102020-06-13T21:05:14.274-06:002020-06-13T21:05:14.274-06:00Hey Ryan,
It's good to hear from you. I'...Hey Ryan,<br /><br /> It's good to hear from you. I'm glad that you are securing regular clients - congratulations!<br /><br />To answer your question, I've always enjoyed both drawing and writing, Each is a different type of creativity, and for me, each finds peak form at a different time of day. As you probably know, writing tight humor in particular requires good amount of editing and rewriting. ("Brevity is the soul of wit" - Hamlet) So, yes I enjoy that. But it's also fun to take a step away from the processes of humor writing and drawing for corporate clients and step into the book illustration realm where I simply get to play with pencils, ink and paint. (I'm very fortunate in that my work is nearly a 50-50 balance of the two).<br /><br />Good luck with your current projects...and feel free to send me some of your recent work. I enjoyed seeing and discussing your work last year, I'd love to see your new stuff!<br />Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-23950784341755605402020-06-12T13:48:21.744-06:002020-06-12T13:48:21.744-06:00It's been a few months since I've been her...It's been a few months since I've been here, and it looks like you've been busy with several different types of projects. <br /><br />It seems like you sometimes illustrate and often you get a chance to write humor, too. With regard to writing or drawing, do you enjoy one more than the other? <br /><br />Thanks again for your help and advice last year. I am now getting regular clients for cartoons, but most of them have the ideas or concepts in mind already. I do like to write humor when I get a chance.Ryan Herndonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-53129928323858511902020-06-12T13:40:28.346-06:002020-06-12T13:40:28.346-06:00Love the mask on the dog!Love the mask on the dog!Ryan Herndonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29620414.post-23249562474801756072020-04-17T17:09:48.091-06:002020-04-17T17:09:48.091-06:00Thanks Brad. Hope you and your family continue to ...Thanks Brad. Hope you and your family continue to stay healthy.Mark Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11539011030129280227noreply@blogger.com