Speartoons: comics, cartoons and illustrations from Kevin Spear

Interview on DAVID-WASTING-PAPER

2010-05-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

I've been interviewed for a great cartooning site. You can see answers to some questions on cartooning at David-Wasting-Paper: Kevin Spear - Cartoonist Survey #118.

My blog has moved

2010-03-25T08:37:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder my blog has moved to my main domain at http://kevinspear.com. See you there!

I am moving my blog to kevinspear.com

2010-03-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

I have decided to move my blog to my main web site and use WordPress. Now you can see what I've been up to at http://kevinspear.com.

Blessings,

Kevin Spear

Cartoon: Better Cooks

2010-02-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

Cartoon of a couple talking to a pastor. The man says, "We decided to come here when we heard your church has better cooks."

I drew this for the "CHOGnews" February, 2010 issue. You can find the newsletter at this link.

Illustration Friday: Adrift

2010-02-12T10:32:00.002-05:00

Illustration Friday: Adrift, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of cat and dog on and iceberg. Dog says, “On the bright side, at least the snow has melted.”

When this week's word, "adrift," came up for Illustration Friday, I thought of all the snow in my backyard and my poor pets. They have had a hard time with the snow. And Indiana hasn't gotten the kind of snow that has assaulted the east coast. We've had only a small taste of Snowmageddon.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Comic: Snowman Disaster

2010-02-09T09:13:00.000-05:00

Cartoon of girl and snowman. Girl says, “So maybe the hot tub was a bad idea.”

There's lots of snow here this week. Snow people have been sprouting everywhere. There are certain things these new citizens should not enjoy. Hot tubs are one of many potential hazards for the common snow individual. Be sure to warn them.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Comic: Cat Backpack

2010-02-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

Cartoon of a boy with a cat on his back. Boy says, "I grabbed him in the dark. I thought he was my backpack."

Cases of mistaken identity can happen all the time when it's dark and the middle of winter. I just checked and I am happy to say I wore the same color socks today.

If you ever catch me with a weird combination of socks or a cat on my back, I'll just say it is a fashion statement. I would advise you to do the same.

I drew this in Adobe Photoshop.

Illustration: Colts vs. Saints

2010-02-05T07:58:00.000-05:00

I drew this illustration for an upcoming work party. We are all in the spirit for this Sunday's Super Bowl.

I won't tell you who we're rooting for, but everything in the office is dyed blue, I'm wearing a number 29, Joseph Addai jersey and we live in Indiana.

When they asked me to put together a flyer, I wondered what it would look like if the mascots went at it. True, they aren't the real mascots, but the Saints dog just didn't look threatening to me.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Six more weeks... stupid groundhog!

2010-02-02T08:13:00.002-05:00

CNN is reporting Punxsutawney Phi has seen his shadow once again . The oversized rodent says there are six more weeks of winter in these United States. The weatherman keeps threatening more snow in Indiana, so Phil must be right.

My heart was broken. Yet, I had enough strength to spread the news the low tech drawing way, via a chalk interface device. Thanks to cameras, I can spread it high-tech too.

Whenever something catches my attention, or just bugs me, I have to let it out somehow. Drawing or doodling is the best way for me. I might as well get some creative mileage out of it.

I'm thankful for some new chalkboard paint at work. It's a great new outlet that doesn't involve pixels or bezier curves. It's okay to be low tech once in a while.

illustration Friday-Focused

2010-01-29T15:39:00.002-05:00

Here is my digital illustration for this week's topic on Illustration Friday. This week's word is "focused."

When they announced the word, I immediately thought of a camera. After all, I've been having all sorts of fun with a point and shoot camera. But the thought soon left me, so obviously, that didn't have much of an impact on me. If I didn't care all that much, I didn't expect anyone else to care either.

When I went back to the sketch, the word, "cheese" stood out. Why do we say cheese when we pose for a camera anyway? Wait, a minute... cheese? What animal is the most focused? I thought of my cat. That critter can get focused on anything that moves. Cats... cheese... mice.... I wondered what connection could be there.

Here were the sketches I made as I was thinking and doodling. As I was thinking of a mouse, I thought how focused one feels if they get the feeling they are being watched.

I took my illustration into Adobe Illustrator. I started drawing the mouse.

I begin drawing by using the pen tool. It takes a little while to get used to, but you can't beat the accuracy and the flexibility once you master it. The pen tool allows you to draw with a mouse or a digital tablet equally well. When I finished the drawing, I took it into Live Paint, eliminated the unneeded strokes and started filling in areas with color.

Next, I began drawing the cat. I put each character on a different layer so I could move them around and apply different effects to each.

I put the eyes and whiskers of the cat on different layers to I could apply a glow to the eyes, and a faded effect for the whiskers. Next, I added a layer of dark color just above the cat layer. This helped everything pop a little more and give a little mystery to the cat.

I drew this all in Adobe Illustrator.

Web comic: complaint Department

2010-01-26T09:12:00.000-05:00

Cartoon of man at complaint Booth. He says, “You’re supposed to be resolving complaints, not giving them.”

It's so easy to give complaints, isn't it? It seems easier in the cold, dark days of January. I drew this cartoon to bring my attitude up a bit. One always needs to remember to give themselves a good attitude adjustment. We wouldn't want a bad one to start multiplying like a flu virus.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Illustration Friday-Wilderness

2010-01-15T10:57:00.003-05:00

Illustration Friday-Wilderness, originally uploaded by speartoons.

This is my sketch for Illustration Friday. This week's word is ";wilderness" Whenever I think of wilderness, I envision the old Hanna Barbera, Yogi Bear cartoons. As a kid, I thought everyone was mean because they wouldn't feed the bears. This is how I would have liked those cartoons to turn out.

My idealism changed when we went on a vacation to the Smoky Mountains and I saw a bear charge a tourist. That settles it. It's not a good idea to feed the bears.

I drew this in Adobe Photoshop

Illustration Friday: Confined

2010-01-08T10:59:00.002-05:00

Illustration Friday: Confined, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Illustration of a mom and two children looking at the snow from a window. There is nothing like a snow day to bring the joy to children and depression to parents.

Yes, my kids have a snow day today. And mom is home with the gang. I hope she is having a better day than the poor women in this illustration.

I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "confined."

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator

Sketch: A Family Reunion

2009-12-29T08:18:00.002-05:00

Chamberlain Family Reunion, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Sketch of a photo from the Anderson (Indiana) Herald-Bulletin. The article was about the Chamberlain Family Reunion on Christmas Day. The article is at http://www.heraldbulletin.com/archivesearch/local_story_359201717.html

The photo had the patriarch of the family holding twins that were his great-great niece and great-great nephew. It was a great choice for Illustration Friday's theme. This week's word was "pioneer." The gentleman had traveled to Anderson, Indiana from the south when he was young to look for work. He found it in the factories and soon his family followed.

The Anderson Herald-Bulletins owns the copyright to the photo I based this sketch on.

Cartoon: Literature in the tech world

2009-12-08T08:07:00.002-05:00

Cartoon: Literature in the tech world, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of a man staring at a compact disc. The caption reads, Bruce tries to combine the old with the new by curling up and reading a classic on CD-ROM.

This is an illustration I did back in 1996 for the sixth edition of the "New Rider's Internet Yellow Pages."

New Rider's Publishing and me own the copyright to this image. Please do not use without permission.

Webcomic: The Law and PC Clones

2009-12-02T20:40:00.001-05:00

Cartoon of a courtroom. Defense attorney says, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you must ask yourself if this PC could have committed thte crime, or could it have been a clone?”

This is an illustration I did back in 1996 for the sixth edition of the "New Rider's Internet Yellow Pages."

New Rider's Publishing and me own the copyright to this image. Please do not use without permission.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: Musical Tech

2009-11-20T10:38:00.002-05:00

Spear-Cartoon_3560, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of boy and dad at computer. Boy says, "You're listening to classical music on the Internet? Doesn't that violate some techie code of conduct?"

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2. It also is for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "music."

Sketchbook: Curiosity in a Box

2009-11-19T16:57:00.003-05:00

Spear_sbook0906_pg99, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Sketch of kids in a classroom. It's fun how kids are attracted to boxes. It always piques their curiosity. Even if it's empty, kids will wonder what's going on, especially when it wasn't there before.

Devotoons: Tested by Praise

2009-11-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I posted a new Devotoon at my sister site. If you're looking for a new cartoon, that's the place to go. Here's the link:

Devotoons: Tested by Praise

Bike Riding Monster

2009-11-17T12:07:00.002-05:00

Bike Riding Monster, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Sketch I did during a department meeting. Sometimes, it's better to avoid drawing anyone in a meeting. Unfortunately, trouble brews if someone still believes I was drawing them in the form of a monster.

Making a Change

2009-11-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have decided to change my blog posting focus. For the last two months, I have posted a daily cartoon on this site. While I have enjoyed that, I have decided to become more focused.

Now, I am concentrating my new comics at my other blog site. I will be posting three days a week to http://www.devotoons.com. This site will have a cartoon with a devotional thought.

In the meantime, I'll use this blog site. to post some of my work in progress and interesting tidbits about children's publishing, book publishing and the comics industry.

Blessings,

Kevin Spear

Webcomic: The Plague of Chores

2009-11-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

Cartoon of Moses and a boy. Boy says, “It’s not fair being Moses’ son! If I don’t do my chores, you send a plague."

Have you ever noticed life isn't fair if you make someone work? What they're really saying is "It's only fair if I don't have to lift a finger!" Oops! Looks like I better change my attitude and do a little more work!

I drew this web comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Panting for School

2009-11-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Cartoon of two boys. One says, "If a dog goes around with his tongue hanging out, it's okay. But if I do it, I get sent to the school counselor."

There are so many things our pets do we think is cute. But if a person did the same thing, trouble would be brewing. Be sure you do your panting at home. It's safe that way.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Illustration Friday: Blur

2009-11-06T09:03:00.002-05:00

Cartoon of boy and mom. Son says, "I don't know what the principal told you. For me, the food fight was a blur."

I have to admit, I wasn't usually the boy starting a food fight in the cafeteria. I was the kid observing the whole melee, hiding and admiring the troublemaker for his chutzpah. It's much safer that way, and the teachers like you better.

I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "blur."

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Dignity Insurance

2009-11-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Cartoon of boy and girl. Boy is wearing an eagle costume. Boy says, "I agreed to be the school mascot if they would pay for my dignity insurance."

You have to be a special breed to be a mascot. You have to be able to fire up the crowd while ignoring those who fear you or want to humiliate you. It's a good lesson for life in general. I think it would have been good for Charlie Brown to play a mascot. It builds character.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2