The Dancing Moose

May snowman

2026-05-07T00:54:00.002-06:00

After a winter with very little snow here in Colorado, we all woke up today to find 11 inches of snow.

On the digital drawing board: Humor, Character design & Book illustration

2025-12-17T21:45:00.024-07:00

My apologies for the lack of activity here. It’s been over a year since my last ‘journal’ post. I'd hoped to stick my nose in, sniff around, and type a few words during Thanksgiving weekend - like last year.

Not to be. A large illustration for a long-time corporate client emerged a few days before the turkey went in the oven. …and I'm not one to take away from what became reduced family time.

I am fortunate, as 2025 has been my busiest year so far, with almost nonstop client and publishing deadlines. Thus, I’m here for a quick stop-in to share a handful of samples of recent work - and hopefully not bore anyone. Let’s start:

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I’m working on preliminary designs for a corporate mascot, for a soon-to-launch dog food and supplements company.

After some sketches, we settled on an Australian Shepherd.

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A couple of cartoons created pieces for a book about online dating that I am illustrating…

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One of twelve monthly magazine cartoons created for AIU Insurance in New York.

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A series of IT & cyber security cartoons created for Fidelity Investments, and their corporate customer website portal.

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One of several illustrations in the works for an upoming book - No more details yet.

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McKesson Pharmaceutical: A series of monthly cartoons for their 80,000 employees, covering cyber security, and encouraging increased care with company computers and personal logins. These spanned from Fall 2024, through this year.

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Icon & mascot created for Point clothing, NYC. The heron character was created for their social media, clothing tags, advertising and the watercolor illustration below was created for T-shirts.

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Illustrations for postcards and framed prints - for a fantastic cookie bakery in Maui...

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The aforementioned Thanksgiving week illustration project for longtime client, Capgemini Corporation in Paris…a 20 X 30 illustration for a retiring executive, (later framed and presented at his send-off celebration.

(Clicken to embiggen)

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Illustrations and cartoons for a soon-to-be published business book, for an author in Los Angeles who specializes in selling businesses and companies.

This has been a large project, involving writing and drawing humor for over 90 cartoons so far.

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A political cartoon created for Vision 360 in Washington DC,

including a chance for me to draw a young Matt Damon.

(Clicken to embiggin)

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A pro bono piece created for Wowbrary. It is a non-profit, national service that sends weekly emails about the most recent items added to your local library's collection. You customize which genres, and subjects you would like included in your newsletter, and also reserve bestsellers instantly.

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Lastly, an illustration of the University of Colorado football team’s most famous fan, Peggy Coppom, known as "Miss Peggy.” This was presented to Peggy at her 100th Birthday celebration, at the stadium.

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Merry Christmas! And may the coming New Year be one of your best.

On the Digital Drawing Board: Giving Thanks on Turkey Day

2024-11-24T22:43:01.082-07:00

Technically, it's possible for me to go a full week without glancing at social media. (Technically, it's also possible for my divorced buddy 'Steve' to marry Taylor Swift.)

I'm trying to avoid social media these days, both input and output. As for output, my Twitter, IG, and journal haven't been updated in ages because my work keeps me very busy. But Thanksgiving provided a break in the action, and time to reflect.

"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

My wife has mentioned to me that when she tells her book club friends about my job (writing & drawing humor), they usually respond with something like, “that sounds like one of the best jobs in the world.” She assures them that it has frustrating moments, like any career...but that it is usually pretty terrific.

Compared to my job's worst day, some jobs stink

She reminded me of this yesterday - and it snapped me out of my rump-dragging stupor - after a month of late nights, and tight deadlines (and little to no skiing, or napping).

I’m almost always positive, upbeat, and have fun every day at work and play. This has been an unusually crazy period, after I overbooked my calendar. (Yes, my fault). But this notion should've been more obvious to me.

As with many creative people, it took time to establish my career. Early on, there were steps forward, (a great art director job out of college)...pauses (rejections from large media syndicates, where one comic strip is chosen from over 6,000 submissions received each year)...forward (two comic strip syndication contracts)...steps back (over 3,200 newspapers closed after I signed those contracts.)

I stayed with it - drawing and writing - while working side jobs, before it became a full time thing. I have friends and colleagues, (including younger folks I’m mentoring) who are on that same nonlinear artist’s path, and it can be challenging.

Like most people, I am so caught up in the rhythm of things now, that I often forget the path behind. I once only dreamed of making a good living writing and drawing humor. Today I took a breath and thought: I am thankful for the career I have now - but even more so for other things...like family, and friends.

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I haven’t had time to share advertising or publishing work here in many moons, so, I'll grab a few recent things:

Pharmaceutical giant McKesson decided this year that they wanted to create a regular comic strip for their 80,000 employees. I was shocked when they told me they are #9 on the Fortune 500 list, (making them larger than Microsoft, Ford and General Motors). That size, and complexity made for a detailed and lengthy hiring process.

After a national search using an outside agency, McKesson contacted 65 cartoonists in June. They conducted a two-month period of portfolio reviews - and finally, interviews for the final five of us. Somehow, I was fortunate enough to be awarded the project.

The work encompasses writing and drawing humor, with a focus on cyber security, and corporate IT. We started in October, which was "Cyber Security Awareness month". Below are two initial pieces, with corporate messaging added to the cartoons.

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The cartoons appear on each of their employee's computers/devices at sign-in, highlighting security to begin the day. A new cartoon about a different subject runs each month. (To be honest, I'd get tired of seeing the same thing on my monitor say, 30 times. So, I can sympathize with any McKesson employee who's 'had enough' of a cartoon by the end of each month.)

The response thus far has been very positive, and even their CEO recently got in touch with me with an idea for next month's subject matter. It's been a great deal of fun, thus far.

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A few years ago, Fidelity Investments hired me to create a series of financial cartoons for their online investing division and website.

A separate division within Fidelity decided that they wanted new cartoons, and they sent RFPs a group of cartoonists. After a few MS Teams meetings, I ended up with an offer.

The cartoons will cater to their commercial customers, both the newsletter and website. The subject: Artificial Intelligence, IT, and online security. (There's a pattern here.)

The project is just getting under way, and above is an initial cartoon (first draft.)

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One of several cartoons created this month for Causeway Software, in the UK:

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A commissioned illustration to celebrate the retiring Director of the Pleasantville Music Festival in New York. Bruce Figler presided over this grand festival for 8 years, and this piece will be printed, famed and given to him at his retirement party in early January.

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Over the past year I’ve been doing pen, ink and watercolor portraits for an upscale dining club in Norwalk, Connecticut. (Background on that ongoing commission is in this journal post.)

The past month, Martha Stewart and her manager were in the restaurant, became members, and shortly afterward the owner contacted to me to let me that she wanted a pen & ink drawing (for herself, and also a copy to join the pen & ink drawings framed on the restaurant walls.)

They sent me some photos and interestingly, the request for Martha's piece was to draw her with her cat. (Sharp-eyed readers will notice that this has a bit less exaggeration than my usual caricatured pen and ink portraits.)

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I just signed a contract to create 12 monthly cartoons for Amalgamated Insurance in New York. (That sounds like a company name from a Bugs Bunny cartoon, doesn't it?) Here are the first two pieces:

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Two books recently left the drawing board and went to press, in time for 'all important Christmas sales'. At least that's what the publishers called it as deadlines were moved up last month. One book involved writing and drawing, the other was straight Illustration.

Five Minutes from a Meltdown began as an idea from the head of Yorkshire Publishing. He contacted me last year, wondering if I'd be willing to team up with Hollywood screenwriter, David Meyer. He thought it might be fun to see us take turns riffing on various subjects of our choice, (social unrest, dogs, country music - and completely devolving from there.)

David wrote some very funny poems.

I wrote and drew my own (non-poetic) stuff...some samples:

(Book cover design & cartoon)

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I just received my box of 25 sample books from the publisher.

4.3 on Goodreads - so far.

Update: A review and interview from Literary Titan:

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This book wrapped up last month, and it was pure fun, allowing me to illustrate one of my favorite subjects - dogs - in a whimsical style. "Gertrude the Groomer" is a 32-page children's book by children's author, Victoria Wintersperger. It's about a retiree who runs a dog grooming shop, and proceeds to have some serious trouble with her eyesight.

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Lastly, a recently released business book by Harry Max, former executive of DreamWorks Animation, and advisor to Apple, Adobe, Google, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft.

While reading the manuscript for creating illustrative concepts, it became clear that this was a unique take on a subject that can help nearly anyone. I also realized - between the first and second page - that the author is a terrific writer.

After chatting with Harry on the phone, reading the manuscript, I started by writing ideas and humor, after concepts were approved, then vignettes and illustrations. Some of the cartoons were was shared in an earlier blog post, so I'll post two pieces, (including a "straight" illustration that accompanies an interview with recording artist, Roseanne Cash.)

The book has received some positive early reviews:

"Harry Max clearly lays out the steps that anyone can use to be more productive and effective. It's required reading for anyone wanting to be a better business leader."

Marc Randolph, co-founder/CEO of Netflix

"A forceful, clear, and detailed method for strengthening prioritization." Kirkus Reviews

"Approachable, psychologically astute, and deeply practical book has the potential to change all that. Reading it is well worth your time." Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

"Managing Priorities" is available from the publisher, and Amazon.

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Finally, (assuming you haven't dropped off by now) some pics from our Fall trip to the Summit Area. We unwound with some biking, mountain summit hiking, and horseback riding.

This is Lake Dillon, at 11:15 PM in October. The moon was so bright, that it somehow did not look like a night sky. This is looking toward the Continental Divide in the East. It was actually pitch black in the West - where the sun had set 3 hours before. (i.e., no sunlight in the sky.)

Biking along the river coming down from the Continental Divide, a few miles west of A-Basin.

My wife recently injured one of her hip flexors,

so she was limited to hiking...Julia joined me for biking.

Stopping for refreshments at Keystone Lake

Looking west, from the end of the bike trail.

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The next three weeks are going to be a blitz of deadlines...then a family Holiday vacation near Chicago, visiting my Mom as well as my brother and his family.

I love my work, and I can get lost in it sometimes. I've even been stupid enough to bring work with me, on vacation. (I finally realized my error).

Happy Holidays!

2024-11-05T16:18:00.004-07:00

On the Cartoonist's Drawing Board

2024-05-08T16:34:00.044-06:00

Happy Spring! (But watch out for opportunistic scallawags in the shadows.)

(Clicken to embiggen)

Lots of things on the drawing board right now, including illustrations for a couple of children's books, a humor book, and several corporate humor writing and illustrating jobs. Just stopping by to share a few things, starting with the above piece for Silicon Valley IT security firm, CGNet.

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After a month of interviews, and competing with several other cartoonists, and a final multiple-party Zoom meeting, I began writing and drawing a series of cartoons for Fidelity Investments. It features a comic strip, and stand alone illustrations for twice-monthly newsletters and emails to their corporate customers. The themes will center around technology and IT security for investors.

It looks fun, particularly since I'll have some freedom to choose subject matter and write humor. (Of course, as always with a client of that nature, the language and concepts will need to steer clear of controversial subjects and be business-friendly.) I'm looking forward to trying to make their customers laugh, every two weeks.

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Due to my usual corporate and book illustration work, I don't create as many political cartoons these days as I once did. So, I was humbled, and honored to receive First Place in the Society of Professional Journalists' TOR awards for Political Cartoons in 2024 (also last year, 2023). This covers over 85 newspapers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This was a surprise, since I didn't enter - an editor submitted on my behalf, both years. (link)

An excerpt of an article From the Denver Post:

2024 Society of Professional Journalists TOR Awards Winners

MAY 4, 2024 / COLORADOSPJ

The Society of Professional Journalists has announced the winners of the annual TOR Excellence in Journalism competition.

This year, more than 85 news media outlets from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico entered the contest, which was judged by the Los Angeles Press Club. In all, the contest saw more than 1,900 entries.

“The competition grows each year, and with that, we honor outstanding journalism throughout the four-state region,” said contest coordinator Deb Hurley Brobst. “It’s an honor to recognize the hard work of these journalists."

On the Digital drawing Board: New schtuff

2023-11-27T18:59:00.081-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving.

It's been a while since I posted, and after an eventful Autumn, here's a very quick highlighting of recent art and humor on the drawing board...

A couple of years back, I created a series of caricatures and humor for the Ralph Lauren Polo Bar restaurant in New York City. It was a project that continued for a while, tying in with RL's advertising and social media. (My process for writing the humor for them can be found here.)

The owner of a new, upscale dinner club in Norwalk, Connecticut had seen these cartoons and caricatures, and contacted me in October. He wanted something similar (in terms of caricatures) for his establishment, and we discussed the scope and terms of the project.

After discussing this and the intended purpose of the drawings, we decided to use a little less distortion and to make an effort capture more likeness in the style. I began with a larger format 18" x 24" piece depicting the owner's grandparents, (who inspired "Josie & Tony’s", the restaurant). This large piece is being framed and hung in the entry area, near the maître d'. Now, I am drawing 8"x10" illustrations of the dining club's members, which will be also framed, and hung throughout the restaurant. (Each couple will also receive a framed print of their own.)

(The owner's grandparents - who inspired the restaurant)

Food influencers “Shut Up & Eat” review of Josie & Tony’s - (My caricatures are covered at 15:30.)

- Josh, the owner notes that I'm from California, and worked with Pixar. (Not accurate, though I think he misconstrued that I was recently in CA, working with a Pixar executive, illustrating a book for him... detailed in an earlier blog post.)

(The owner, with some of the framed caricature illustrations)

I'm drawing these by hand, but digitally, using my Wacom Cintiq. With the latest digital brushes, I can create India ink drawings and watercolor washes, which allows me to create artwork identical in appearance to things I created with traditional brushes, ink and bristol for years. This saves time and effort, (particularly versus packing and shipping physical art). I email the high resolution artwork to the client, and he has them printed at a top notch local printer, and then matted and framed.

There will be 70 framed caricature pieces with roughly 125 people, in total. I'm about halfway through at this point.

(Update 2/14: The owner just requested 30 more illustrations. I'll get to have some more fun).

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This is a large 18" X 24" humorous illustration created for a longtime client, global technology leader, Capgemini, headquartered in Paris, France. I have worked with their Vice President in charge of Marketing several times on previous pieces, and this was written and drawn for a retiring executive. After discussing the life and accomplishments of the gentleman to be depicted, the various vignettes were written, sketched, and then approved.

I created the color artwork, and finally, I sent a high res CMYK (publishing standard 4-color process) file, which the client had printed locally and then matted and framed for a party in Denmark, for the guest of honor.

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The publisher of FREESKIER (a ski magazine I've read since I was in college) launched a new publication called "The Grom Guide", for kids and and families. The magazine editor contacted me in September to discuss a cartoon feature, starting with a two-page in the first issue.

Surprisingly, I was given the freedom to write and draw anything that I wanted, as long as it covered skiing and snowboarding, and depicted kids with their families. As someone who has skied and snowboarded since I was a kid, it was right up my alley, and I had a great time playing with it.

The first issue is in news stands, drug stores, ski shops, and other tawdry establishments.

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Over the past several years, I’ve been working with a large group of medical doctors in California who have been in the midst of a battle with the state government regarding health insurance coverage for patient treatment. Many prominent insurance companies, including Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United healthcare have been lobbying for lower patient visits and placing a severe cap on reimbursement for appointment charges. The companies have pushed and lobbied for legislation that requires extensive paperwork for each patient visit, making it a money losing proposition for many of these physicians, and their medical practices.

Here’s the latest in the series of political cartoons created for the fight against this...

Update: Three weeks after the cartoon was created, the physician's group called me with terrific news...The legislation was killed shortly after the editorials appeared. Victory!

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A piece created for regular client, Thrive in San Francisco.

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I’m currently working on illustrations for a book of humor, and the arrangement this time around is a little different than usual. Rather than being hired by a publisher or author, I am partnering with a publisher and a poet. The publisher contacted me, and their idea was to do something along the lines of the popular humor book by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss. After reading some of the poems by the humorous poet, and I was taken in by his wit and range. I am having fun with it, and need to fit more of it onto my drawing board to make the agreed upon schedule.

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Another advertising cartoon for California biotech firm, List Labs. This one is aimed at their clientele...people who spend time behind a microscope. It takes me back to my time as a biology major at the University of Illinois...but we didn't have attachments of smartphones, allowing for easy photos of those microbes, etc.

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A couple more 'New Yorker' cartoons, (also shared with the folks who market them for me at Cartoonstock.) ...

https://www.cartoonstock.com/cartoon?searchID=CS448172

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Some photos from a Fall trip to the Summit Area for some mountain biking.

The Aspens were ablaze with color, and we spent a few days unwinding.

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Lastly, I sent our family Christmas card off to my printer in California. (One of the few printers that still uses CMYK process for accurate color - not just the RGB colors on one's monitor.)

On the Digital Drawing Board: A brief drive-by

2023-07-02T15:50:00.051-06:00

Happy Summer Solstice.

I'm stopping in, and taking a few minutes away from the studio, after catching up from family vacations (more on that later) to post a few recent things on the drawing board.

I'll start with a few 'New Yorker' cartoons...

(with some color added for their inclusion in Cartoon Stock's collection).

Link to CartoonStock download

Link to cartoon download

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Link to cartoon download

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Here are a few pieces in process for a large book illustration project. I'm working directly with the author, in concert with his publisher. I won't identify him, but he's a charming fellow with scintillating insights. As a former exec with Dream Works, and consultant to Apple, Adobe, Google, and other Silicon Valley notables, he has years of wisdom regarding prioritization, and its practical application to companies and organizations.

I began by reading the book manuscript, and then began writing material to highlight key concepts. The book is going to press soon, and will publish in Spring of 2024.

An illustration to accompany the author's interview with recording artist Rosanne Cash

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Another ongoing book illustration project - this is from a book about online dating...

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One of a series of cartoons for National Grid, in London.

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Lastly, I was surprised and thrilled to take home 1st place for the Editorial Cartoons in the Society of Professional Journalists 2023 awards, for the Rocky Mountain States. The annual contest covers newspapers and media in four states; Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming. https://coloradospj.wordpress.com/

The reason I was surprised is that I didn't submit my work for the contest...and I didn't know about this until it was awarded. (A newspaper editor submitted some of my political cartoons on my behalf.)

One sample, published this past November:

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Update: Some additional blathering and pics from a summer trip... We went to see my Mom and my brother (and his family), rendezvousing in Chicago, and then heading way North, to Manitowish Waters Wisconsin, a place where my family had a vacation home for many years. We haven't been back there in over 18 years, and I campaigned to go back again, so that our kids could see what all the fuss was about.

We rented a house on Clear Lake, right near our old stomping grounds, and arrived ready to become water creatures. We kayaked, canoed, and hiked. I also rented a ski boat for tubing and water skiing, as well as a large pontoon boat. The latter helped with allowing our entire group to travel and sightsee comfortably, as there are nine lakes which are connected to each other.

After a few vacations over the years that involved tubing behind a boat, our daughter Julia decided she'd like to learn to water ski. So, I began the process of teaching her...which involves an array of things to consider, rope grip, how to curl up in the water, arching your back and bending your legs when being pulled up, (and to not fight the boat or try to pull yourself up.) And then, if/when you get up, you need to suddenly shift to a fully upright position and lean back to water ski. (the opposite of snow skiing's need for leaning forward over your skis).

The rule of thumb (as we were reminded by the natives and the purveyors of ski equipment in that area) it usually takes a first-timer an average of 30 to 40 tries to pull themselves out of the water successfully, and then balance long-term with stability on water skis. It seemed like Julia was going to approach that number, but then at around #15 she got up briefly...and by #20 managed to stay up. It seems like perhaps her bountiful time on snow skis helped.

Next up was my niece, who had been water skiing many times over the past two years with friends with a lake house near her home. She had been trying to slalom ski (one ski) over the past few months, but thus far hadn't been able to do it. My brother and I worked with her, and after demonstrating it, she did it! We were all thrilled with their aquatic milestones. Very exciting stuff.

I had a few runs, too. This was my first time on water skis in nearly 20 years, and the first lap around the lake was a little rusty. Over the next few days, it all came back, and I was able to kick off a ski and do some slalom laps. (Old dogs, old tricks.)

We saw bald eagles float and soar above us, and also watched loons dive into the lake, and call for their mates in their distinctive manner. It was an incredible week in a stunningly beautiful place - and I've found myself thinking about it over the past few days since getting back. It was like seeing an old friend again after many years. I get the feeling that my Dad was smiling from above while we were there.

On the Digital Drawing board wrap-up: Google, Pixar, Spanx, Elections and Books

2022-11-26T23:54:00.046-07:00

Over the past few months I’ve had trouble finding time to post here. It remains that way. Seven corporate projects and three book illustration jobs currently reside on the drawing board, and I recently turned down a few new projects, due to being overbooked. Good to be busy, yes, but perhaps a bit too much. Thanksgiving weekend is providing a nice break and time with my family. I have a few minutes while everyone is asleep, to stop in and write a little.

I will waste no time in briefly sharing a few recent things…

We'll start things off with a sample from of a large number of political cartoons created the recent election. These cover the Liz Cheney - Harriet Hageman race, Hageman won, (and the final election was all but decided long before November.)

A side note: after drawing the two women, I feel they're both very interesting looking people.

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An illustration of Roseanne Cash performing at Carnegie hall. One of over a dozen illustrations currently in process for a book about prioritization. The author, a longtime executive with DreamWorks, just sent it to the publisher for final editing.

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I'm in the early stages of illustrating a children's book called "The Moon and the Mantis".

Below are some initial design sketches and color studies for one of the main characters. I'm also working on a thumbnail sketch layout of page illustrations for the publisher, (more to come)...

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Next up is a personal commission for the editor of a publication with whom I have worked in recent months. She and her husband live in Philadelphia, and her son is a college student at Bowdoin College in Maine. They wanted to give him a framed illustration of his personal milestones (thus far) as a gift for Christmas. I had fun with this, adding some thematic elements that reflected her son's interests. I created two versions, one vertical and the second horizontal, allowing she and her husband to choose which worked best aesthetically and for framing.

clicken to embiggen

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One of several cartoons created for The Pathway Academy in London.

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A cartoon illustration commissioned by a Citi Group Financial

executive for a presentation to investment bakers.

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One of several scenes of background artwork I created for an animated short film.

(I am not involved with the animated sequences.) The film will be finished in Spring 2023.

(Clicken to enlargen)

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I was recently hired by Google to create a series of cartoons for their advertising. They first contacted me a couple of years ago to create some humor for meetings with executives of large client companies. The goal this time is to compare the benefits of their cloud storage to that of AWS (Amazon) and Microsoft. To be candid, data storage is fairly boring subject matter...and they want humor to season it, like herbs added to a an otherwise good-looking but bland quiche or soufflé . (Now I have a hankering for a hunk of Gruyère cheese.)

So, I'm starting by having some fun with the writing. (And Google's plentiful budget allows for lots of playing.) I'm in the midst of initial concepts and rough sketches, and will share some finished things soon.

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Another fun project currently on the board is a new book illustration project for an author who is a former Apple and DreamWorks executive. He has an agent and publisher in hand and he has been working with an editor. He’ll remain nameless right now…but I’ll just say that he contacted me a few months back to help him by writing humor and then illustrating his concepts in a way that hopefully helps to keep the reader engaged. I can't divulge what it's about or share images, as it is under non-disclosure wraps for now, via his agent and publisher. Suffice it to say that after reading it, this seems like a book that will appeal to a good number of readers, particularly in the corporate world.

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Next up: a personal commission depicting Sara Blakely (Spanx clothing founder) and her husband, Jesse Itzler, (owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team) I was asked to create it by a long-time client who is a friend of theirs, and this will presented to them as gift at their home. The scene is an inside joke about online dating, and the language and misspellings used in meeting each other. I don’t fully get that joke, but I have been assured that they will….which is what matters. Meanwhile, it has been fun to draw them in a relatively simple style, (less detailed than I do for most personal commissions and caricature illustrations.)

Sara Blakely

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I'm in the midst of creating some pen and ink illustrations for Burpee Seeds/Ball Horticultural in Chicago. The illustrations depict various plants sold in Home Depot.

I created for a comic book style illustration for one of their print ads in 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazine two years ago:

This time I'm using a pen and ink with watercolor style, which is quite a bit more detailed. My music is on, and I'm jamming while drawing pots, leaves, tomatoes and soil.

The art will be part of instructional material sent to all Home Depot stores in March. First draft below:

(Clicken to embiggen)

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Here’s something currently on the drawing board for a law firm in NYC with whom I’ve worked for several years. This is a Holiday greeting card that will be mailed to their friends and clients and also posted online as part of a charitable donation drive for the homeless. In this case, the concept and dialogue was written by some of the partners in the firm...I served as the illustrator. (Gray scale first draft was just approved, and I added color..will send it off later today.)

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Here's a Holiday piece I'm creating created for a new client, a large biotech company in California. We're discussing quarterly illustrations for their marketing and advertising going forward.

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I just sent the family Christmas card off to the printer.

It features a recent addition, our Wheaten Terrier puppy, "Bandit". While he hasn't watered our tree, he has been periodically chewing on the many tempting things hanging from it.

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Lastly, we’re enjoying a visit from our daughter during college fall break.

(Here's a pic from a family ski day while she was home.)

Happy Thanksgiving - hope your celebration and family time was as nice as ours.

Relaxation and reflection

2022-10-02T11:44:00.135-06:00

My family and I wrapped up busy few months of work - with a few trips. The first was a visit to see my Mom and my brother and his family in Chicago. The Windy City was spectacular as always., and we enjoyed some time together.

A month later, a jaunt to the Rocky Mountains Summit area. We brought the puppy and spent a few days mountain biking, riding horses and also getting to the top of a few peaks. (The pup was very interested in the view)

The next trip was a 1,200 mile drive to Nashville. My daughter has been in an illustration and animation program at Lipscomb University over the past three years. She is studying with several Disney artists and animators… and is starting her senior year. This time she wanted to have her car on campus and I guess I can understand that. I had a car on campus my last two years in college - a small British two-seater that I worked two summers to buy (used for the grand sum of $2,500.) The freedom that comes with a spur of the moment drive after a long day of classes - or a weekend cruise to a nearby town or park - is hard to beat.

So, during the month before the trip I did some maintenance on her car just to make sure it was up to not only making the long trip but being away for eight months, and then returning. I like to work on cars and I needed to take a break.

The two-day trip was lots of fun, with Julia and I driving through Kansas and Missouri, seeing St. Louis and a good part of the heartland. We stayed overnight in Overland Park, Kansas which was just about halfway. The next day we enjoyed the rolling hills of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Overland Park, Kansas St. Louis

Setting up Julia's dorm room

When we made it to Nashville, it was a matter of moving boxes, a refrigerator, and shelving into my daughter's new residence with her roommate from last year. Lots of fun and exercise. We spent the last night in downtown Nashville, grabbing dinner and then enjoying some live music.

On Monday AM, I flew back to Denver, and now and I'm catching up, but I have to admit, I really miss my daughter.

I arrived home just in time for my wife and I to celebrate our anniversary, which was a perfect reflective finale to a flurry of activities. It often seems life is like that...one task or event after another, in rapid-fire fashion. It would be nice to enjoy each for more than what feels like just a moment.

Sophie Brooks: Sleeping with sunglassses

2022-07-04T14:11:00.011-06:00

On the Digital Drawing Board

2022-05-30T12:04:00.023-06:00

Happy Memorial Day!

The annual Bolder Boulder 10K race just wrapped up, (after a two-year pandemic hiatus) attracting over 40,000 runners from around the globe. It was great to see the race resume and so many people enjoying the spectacle. We just watched the jets fly over the finish line at the University of Colorado's Folsom Stadium.

This is just a quick drop-in to share a few things that have been on the drawing board...

First, a caricature illustration of the current POTUS, for a book being published by Wiley and Sons later this summer.

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As always, I cover both sides of the aisle

Next, a cartoon of the previous POTUS, that I created a couple of years ago, which was

recently licensed by McGraw Hill Publishing, for a college political science textbook.

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I was recently commissioned by a San Francisco design firm to do 12 large format comic art pieces for their client, prominent Internet security firm, Zscaler. The pieces feature caricature-based illustrations of executives and elected officials of their top clients - for whom they wish to show appreciation.

MOst of the companies are Silicon Valley tech firms, and one of the illustrations depicts officials in the The City of Los Angeles Mayor's office. These were created at 5" X 15", printed on high quality archival stock, and then matted, framed, and presented to each executive as a gift.

Here are the first two:

(Click to enlarge)

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A commissioned gift illustration created for a retiring English teacher at a high school in North Carolina. A group of his fellow teachers and friends hired me to draw this - and to show he's a poker-playing Elvis fan - who also loves reading Faulkner!

This was created at 11" X 18", sent digitally to the client, who then had it printed at local printer on special paper stock, (I always include instructions for that), then matted, and framed. It was presented to the gentleman at his retirement party.)

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This is a commissioned illustration created for a racing team in Minneapolis. The owner of the team contacted me with an idea for an illustration like the old "CAR-toons and Rat Fink art from the 1970's. He wanted something wild and fun to use on posters, signs and shirts. I did some research to see how to integrate the styles with mine, but I have to say this was a great deal of fun. (Added note: I just received a box of t-shirts from the racing team as a thank you!)

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A large caricature illustration for doctor and his a group of friends, commemorating a vacation they are taking together in June. (It will appear on framed prints, as well as t-shirts. The doctor who commissioned this requested that I draw large heads, ala carnival caricatures, but with greater detail.

(And in case you were wondering, I was asked to draw the mostly nude woman just like she was in a photo provided - with exaggeration of course. You've got to love folks with no inhibitions.)

Click to embig

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I'm currently illustrating several books. Two are children's books; one for an author on London, and another for an author in Phoenix.

There are two fascinating "non-children's books" on the board. The first is for a former executive of Dreamworks Inc., who has a unique philosophy for transforming organizations. He also has quite a following with his Ted Talks and at SXSW in Austin. I'm enjoying chatting with him and brainstorming on humor to introduce his concepts.

Another interesting project of note...a series of political cartoons commissioned to expose the actions of the Southern Baptist Convention. This has been a national news story over the past year, and was covered in the Washington Post last week. The 8 cartoons I am creating will accompany the writing of a prominent news columnist. Here's the first cartoon, just finished today:

Happy Memorial Day! May your summer months begin with zeal!

Happy New Year

2021-12-31T14:30:00.306-07:00

It's nearing the end of the Holiday Season, and I don't know about you, but it seems like I've had little extra time - for a while. So, I have been absent here. But now that we have an entirely New Year to play with, our slates are clean! (Kidding.) New commitments and adventures await, for all of us.

For the first time in years we did not send out a custom family Christmas card. I was swamped with client projects, my wife and daughter equally busy with work and school...and just as we were catching our breath, unfortunately, our family dog passed away. I drew a card, but didn't have the heart, or the time to print it and mail it.

Without further pontificating, I'll share a few recent things.

First, some photos from a family Christmas trip to visit my Mom in Illinois..

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First, from the drawing board last month are two New Yorker cartoons.

This idea germinated after speaking with a client who is a Federal judge regarding the evolution of the legal system during the pandemic. (Find this cartoon here: https://bit.ly/3nnrtdP )

Available at CartoonStock, London

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The next project goes back to November. Most of my clients are out of state, and this was a rare local gig - a fun one at that. I was commissioned to write and draw five political cartoons to fight a well-funded initiative pushed by a group of real estate investment firms located outside Colorado.

Here are two of the five pieces...all were published in the Boulder Camera newspaper, and a in series of website pages, posters, mail pieces, etc.

From the Denver Post: "The proposed ordinance is so poorly written that it would unintentionally rezone all residential neighborhoods in Boulder. It destroys occupancy limits. It doesn't include a provision to ensure affordability, and it failed to include a clause to prevent rental housing investors from subdividing rooms or scraping houses and replacing them with de facto dorms. It happened in Austin and could happen here."

After starting off well behind in the polling, the opposition group who hired me pulled off an upset in the election, and defeated the well-funded real estate consortium, (They filed an appeal with the Colorado Supreme Court, and failed there as well.) Afterwards, I got a chance to talk with some city council members about their relief, and received some nice feedback from the Boulder mayor. It reminded me that the most rewarding and enjoyable work can sometimes be in your own back yard.

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This was created for a retiring CEO at Heidrick and Struggles, the world's leading executive search and placement firm. I worked with some folks in their their Houston office in writing ad drawing scenes for the gentleman depicted .he final art was printed on 18" X 24" 55 lb stock, then matted and framed. It was presented to him at his retirement party.

(Clicken to embiggen)

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I just wrapped up a similar project for an executive at Golin Public Relations. Golin is a Fortune 500 company with 50 offices around the globe, (and I was admittedly unfamiliar with them.) Their HQ is in Chicago, where they occupy the 26th floor of the John Hancock Tower, one of my favorite buildings in the world.

The illustrations are a gift, commissioned to honor a career milestone for Fred Cook, the Chair Emeritus of Golin. I discussed the five scenes with two of Golin's management, via Microsoft Teams. Then I created sketches, and after approval, finished pen and ink drawings with watercolor washes. Everything was matted and framed in a horizontal layout of five scenes.

The Hancock building was one of my favorite places to go as a kid while living

near the windy city, (so I was pleased to get a chance to draw it for this project...

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Lastly, an illustrated logo for a humorous podcast hosted by a gentleman in Connecticut. His sensibilities and humor were a cross between Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. Working with him was a great deal of fun. I can't wait to listen to his podcast.

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Next, an 18 x 24 illustration for a Boston judge, featuring him driving his (rather pedestrian Subaru Cross trek) on a race track in North Carolina. (This was personal commission given to him by an attorney with whom I work each month on the Boston Police Department magazine.)

Bedeep, bedeep, that's all, folks. Happy 2022!

Update 1/8 - Adding a couple of pics. - We received a foot of snow in the nearby mountains, so my daughter Julia and I went skiing Friday. The sunshine and plentiful soft powder made for a beautiful day. We took her to the airport Sunday, so she could she return to college. it's very quiet around here.

Books, bikes and back to college

2021-09-06T14:34:00.041-06:00

Happy Labor Day! A day off for me, (hopefully for you as well) and a chance to catch up a bit here. It's hard to believe summer is nearly over.

This past month brought some fun writing and illustrating projects, and I'll share one that was a unique biography. The subject is a prominent businessman, investor (and as I found out while illustrating the book, also a friend of Warren Buffet). The project was commissioned by the authors, via my agent.

To begin, the editor and authors provided me with a manuscript, photos of the gentleman, and written material regarding his investment strategies.

The biography's subject, depicted with his friend Warren Buffet.

I wrote concepts for the interior illustrations based upon investment strategies in the book and submitted them to the author prior to drawing anything. After approval, I created illustration and cartoons.

The book cover (below) was purely illustration. I constructed the scene at the subject's lake house from photos of the interior but they did not have a photo of him seated in the scene, (or his requisite three devices and stacks of "read" and "unread" Wall Street Journals, and Vernor's Ginger Ale) so I had to work from imagination.

The book is being published in October.

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A advertising illustration piece created last month.

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This is a political cartoon for a media outlet and magazine in Atlanta. I was asked to create two versions of this cartoon, one featuring Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden another featuring Nancy with Andrew Cuomo. The latter was published due to the timing of Cuomo resigning from office after his scandal. I was given the concept to draw by the publication editor, and I wasn't sure how many people would remember Jim And Tammy Faye Baker simply from their likenesses...but it is an interesting analogy.

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A blast from the past. I was recently contacted by the folks at Ted Talks, requesting permission to use an image for their marketing. (This is a scene from a Ted Talk being presented by bestselling author Daniel Pink, featuring an illustration I created for one of his books, below).

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We took a family trip two weeks ago, a last hurrah to summer, involving mountain bikes & horses. We biked along the Vail pass, 15 miles past Copper Mountain into Frisco, then on to Breckenridge. Incredible views and wildlife, including a bald eagle and bear.

A vibrantly colored lake near Copper Mountain

Bald Eagle's Nest

Morning walk in Keystone Bike ride from Vail to Copper Mtn.

Finishing a mountain bike ride in Breckenridge at dusk

Then, three days later, I flew to Nashville with my daughter, taking her back to college and helping her move in. (My wife stayed home with our elderly dog who needs extra care right now.) I flew to Nashville a few months ago and moved most of her dorm items into a storage facility downtown. So, the reverse this time.

After moving my daughter into her dorm.

Lots of exercise, we got her dorm suite set up. Afterward, we cleaned up, and I took Julia and her roommates to dinner....and weenjoyed some terrific Nashville music. Sunday, big hugs and goodbyes before flying back to Denver.

We all miss her greatly, the dog included.

It's back to the studio for me, where some book illustrations jobs, a project for Google, and a few political commissions await. Until next time, stay well and enjoy the autumn.

On the digital drawing board: What is the proper mix of work and play?

2021-06-27T18:41:00.030-06:00

I was recently talking with a college friend, and amidst the usual discussion of family and life's pursuits, we pondered the proper ratio of work and time off. We came up with some algebraic formulas with a little calculus thrown in.

Truthfully, math was my worst subject in school, so there was nothing of the sort. And we both admitted to being at the mercy of outside forces.

Our numbers were fuzzy and inexact, but I felt that the Pareto principle ("The 80/20 rule" often used in business) was close. 1/5 of our time spent in absolute joy allows work to flow the other 4/5.

Well, actually, 100% play, 0% work is a really favorable ratio, but few people can pull that off, except for perhaps trust-funders and ex-Hollywood actresses who marry into the British royal family.

Even 80/20 is tough for me, with a daughter at a private college. Weekends off usually have to suffice, but a vacation is always nice.

I have not posted here since February, and that's mainly because I've been swamped. (I know I'm fortunate; many friends, colleagues in my field, and family members, including my wife have had major downturns in business/work since Covid descended.) So, a long gap of no posts. But in keeping with the work/play theme, I'll mention a couple of highlights since last popping in here.

My family and I took a few trips, including one late season ski jaunt, taking advantage of a big snow storm. It was a multi-resort, week-long respite after 4 weeks of intense work. (See, there's that ratio.)

I also took a solo trip to Nashville to move my daughter out of her dorm. Carrying belongings, furniture and what they now loosely call "dorm refrigerators" (85 pounds and three times the size of what I had in my dorm) down two flights of stairs, packing and shipping boxes, is not really a vacation. But it's still a break, and terrific exercise. She and I also couldn't pass up the chance to see some live music downtown. We saw some new singers, a good Pearl Jam cover band, and of course, some country, which I tolerate.

That was in April and early May. It has been nearly all "play time" writing and drawing. (I call it that so that it remains fun and that I never feel overworked.) Before I go, here are a few glimpses of recent work (or playtime?) from the drawing board:

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A A few weeks ago, large oil producer Colonial paid a hefty ransom to the hackers who infiltrated its system and forced the shutdown of a major oil pipeline supplying fuel to the East Coast.

A long-time Silicon Valley California-based client is a cloud computing pioneer who offers solutions for the increasingly common ransom hacks of corporate websites. I worked in concert with the CEO and the Marketing Director on this one, starting with some sketches and gradually refining the scene to this.

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This was created for a Disney Channel writer who is transitioning into advertising copy writing. She's with an agency in Los Angeles, and wanted several humorous illustrations to use to pitch to clients. She wrote the concepts and came to me for the art...in this case, the client is Omaha Steaks, with a scene from the movie "Psycho". Fancy a steak grilled by Norman Bates?

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A cartoon for a woman in New York, commissioned as a gift for her husband's birthday. (The concept was an idea he had for a New Yorker cartoon.) It was matted at 8 X 10 and framed at 11X 14.)

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A character and series of humorous illustrations created for Merck Pharmaceutical & Johnson & Johnson. This was for their corporate website and an interactive area for customers with questions about Covid vaccines and prescriptions.

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After a long week of deadlines, I can relate to the guy on the right in the above cartoon.

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A New Yorker cartoon - about that never-ending fad of "ink".

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One of a series of cartoons for a physical therapy business in New Jersey.

(Referred to me by another long-term client.)

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A book cover illustration from a recently published biography of a American physician who became a mayor and then an elected regional leader in the Congo. The stories cover 60 years, and they are fascinating. (In addition to the cover, I was commissioned to create 18 Pen and ink illustrations.)

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Peter Linquiti is a distinguished professor at George Washington University, and he recently authored a college textbook on philosophy and practical self improvement. As he mentioned to me over the phone, it applies throughout one's life; in school as well as into the work force. He hired me to create a series of humorous B&W illustrations for the book, and later the publisher approved several of them to be prepared in color. One is pictured above.

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(Clicken to embiggen)

This was a personal commission for a gentleman in New York City who initially called me to discuss creating a large 18 X 24 high detail cartoon illustration print to give to each of several friends. He wanted a group scene set in a famous casino room, depicting he and his friends seated at a high stakes poker table.

I worked from individual photos of everyone, and since they were typical phone snapshots taken with varied lighting, and expression, the trick was giving everyone the same same light source (highlights and shadows), with a similar range of emotion/smiles. etc. I also made the decision to draw everyone in tuxedos to fit the tone and to make it cohesive. After approval of the B&W draft, I added watercolor. After he approved the color art, I gave the client a high resolution digital file which he easily uploaded to an online specialty printer, to have the canvases printed and framed.

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Lastly, a Happy Father's Day to the dads...and with that, a cartoon to remind us of the importance and joy of spending time with our kids, (both planned and unplanned.)

On the drawing board: Planned and Unplanned Travel

2021-02-03T11:47:00.242-07:00

After traveling nowhere but to nearby ski areas over the past few months, I suddenly became more mobile...first flying to Florida for business early in January.

It's amazing how open it is there. Most people are being careful and wearing masks, but stores, restaurants, and public facilities are operating normally. Florida has vaccinated 80% of their high risk population, including age 70 and over. Their high risk population is larger than most states...so they are doing things fairly well. The best part is that I was also able to visit a close friend from Boulder who moved to Sarasota last year. (Part of the reason I decided to bite the bullet, and travel to do some hands-on work, on location).

After heading back home, I holed up in my studio for a couple of weeks to take care of several client illustration and humor writing projects. I was preparing for more of the same, but that quickly changed.

My brother recently learned that he needed heart surgery due to a severe tear in a ventricle valve. Many people have slightly leaky heart valves, producing murmurs. Those are usually graded as 1 or 2 on a scale of 4 in terms of severity. My brother's tear was classified as a 4, leading to some debilitating symptoms.

He consulted with a cardiac surgeon in Chicago, and was informed that would require open heart surgery, and the valve replacement would only last 10 years. Dan also consulted with a surgeon at the esteemed Cleveland clinic, who believed he could repair the valve permanently, using a much less intrusive procedure. That sounded ideal, however, Dan and his wife couldn't logistically bring their kids to Cleveland for 12 days (for tests, surgery and recovery). So, I offered to hang out with them, and flew to Chicago last Saturday.

I have enjoyed being with my niece and nephew, who are wonderful kids. I brought my work with me, along with my neophyte cooking skills. Two snowstorms left over a foot of snow, and momentarily I was wishing the snow was under my skis instead of on top of my shovel. It was great fun making snowmen and throwing snowballs with my niece and nephew, one of many memories from the trip that I'll cherish.

Thankfully, Dan's heart surgery went very well. He and his wife return home in a few days, and I will be exiting westward after that.

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On the work front, I just signed contracts this week to illustrate two new books. The first is for an author with whom I have worked several times. This one will be a business book with full color humorous illustrations. The second is a book that will be a memoir of sorts for a gentleman who has had a very adventurous life. I will be doing pen and ink illustrations to go along with stories of events in the Congo, Madagascar, Belgium, and Ethiopia, covering periods of time over the last 60 years, in various parts of the world. It should be fun.

Here are a few of the cartoons and illustrations that have been on the board recently.

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A commissioned caricature of the CEO of MGA Entertainment, and creator of Bratz dolls, and LOL Surprise toys. I worked from several photos, refined sketches, and then after approval, sent the finished painting digitally to the client. They sent it to a large fine art printing firm, who then printed it on 18 X 24 canvas with archival ink.

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An illustration from a middle grade fiction book currently in the studio.

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An ad piece for a California-based cloud computing company. The theme: The Chinese New Year.

Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship for college cartoonists

2020-12-04T15:04:00.009-07:00

Every year the National Cartoonists Society awards the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship to one talented college student pursuing a career in cartooning.

This includes comic strips, political cartoons, comic books, animation, graphic novels, editorial illustration…any cartooning discipline.

The scholarship award is $5,000 and a trip to the NCS Reuben Awards.

Submissions are judged by a panel and an award is given to the best college cartoonist. This memorial scholarship is the sort of thing that can launch a young cartoonist's career.

If you think that might be you, enter now! Below is the info on submitting.

The winner will receive:

$5,000
Expense paid trip to the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards Convention.

To enter:

8 samples of your own cartooning artwork (copies only); noting if and where the work has been published — either in print or on the Web.
Print out the samples AND copy them to digital media.
Files should be no larger than 8.5×11″ and no more than 300 dpi.
DO NOT send original artwork.
Completed entry form.
Download the PDF of the entry form for more details .

Jay Kennedy was my editor at King Features in New York for several years. He encouraged me with notes and phone calls when I began submitting comic strips for syndication. (King Features receives over 6,000 submissions per year and chooses just one or two. In the face of such daunting odds, encouragement was in short supply.) When Jay later offered me my first comic strip syndication contract, I began working with him daily in editing both my written humor and artwork for King Features.

A few years later l was offered another contract by Tribune Media. None of it would have been possible without that initial time spent working with Jay Kennedy. It was essentially hands-on training, particularly in succinct humor writing and editing, something that was unavailable in any college or university. For a cartoonist, or any visual story teller, those skills are as important as drawing ability, (one could argue they are more important, as drawing skill is fairly common.)

Sadly, Jay Kennedy passed away in 2007 while vacationing in Costa Rica. (A little-known fact is that he died a hero, successfully saving his fiance who was caught in a riptide.)

The annual Jay Kennedy Scholarship was established in his memory, and is funded by an initial $100,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation/King Features Syndicate and additional donations from professional cartoonists.

https://cartoonistfoundation.org/

On the drawing Board: Book illustrations, turkey and all the trimmings

2020-11-28T21:45:00.021-07:00

I'm stopping by after a nice Thanksgiving, though it was a little less crowded than usual. I hope yours was enjoyable also. It has been a long day drawing and writing, my stomach is growling, and we have many turkey day leftovers tempting me to raid the refrigerator, so forgive me if I make this brief.

I'm in the midst of some fun projects in the studio and thought I would share a few pieces...

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One of 32 cartoons and illustrations currently being created for a business book by an author in Boston who has had four books published previously. This project has been in the studio since September, and I'm working with the author as he completes each chapter. (Perfect for filling in between other projects). It is allowing me to have some fun with humor writing, along with the creation of a narrator character that will featured throughout the book.

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This is one of 15 illustrations created for a book it will be published in December. The layout here is loosely based upon a jail cell scene from the Disney World/Land ride, "Pirates of the Caribbean". The characters are all part of the book.

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A few years ago I was invited to join Cartoon Stock (a London-based firm which is the largest source for cartoons for purchase.) I periodically send them some of my published cartoons, and this one was among the latest group.

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I was hired to do a series of illustrations for Ball Horticultural in October. The above piece was created for ads in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The subject matter is a group of new potted plants that allow folks in apartments and condos to grow fresh tomatoes and peppers...also great for those of us with a garden that is in hibernation in the winter months.

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A personal commission for the Vice President & Head of Marketing of Public Storage Inc. He is also an avid skier, and a fan of one of my favorite Colorado ski towns. This was commissioned to be presented to him as a gift. I created it at 18" X 24" and after the art was approved, it was printed in Giclee on canvas in high resolution, and finally, matted and framed.

Of course we had an election, which brought many requests for political cartoons, for media outlets and also some special interest groups.

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A cover for a book going to press in February, created for an author who is a humorist and former University of Kansas professor. The cover reveals some details of the

satirical political story within, and its connection to current events.

This is the fourth book cover I have done for him.

Another humorous illustration created for an executive with Skechers shoes. I was asked to draw her seated somewhere at her alma mater, California State University at Fullerton. After doing some research on the campus, (and realizing that most of the aesthetically interesting areas of campus are largely concrete, uncomfortable for seated casual poses), I came up with the idea of having her sit in front of the "Fallen David" sculpture, (which looks like Michelangelo's David, only broken and scattered.

The illustration was done using these photos for reference:

The recently updated contents of the fridge are beckoning...so I will sign off for now. Stay well.

A moment of silence for one of my loudest indulgences

2020-10-06T15:54:00.016-06:00

He was an inventive force in a noisy, typically crude genre of music not known for creativity. His unique guitar sound first caught my ear while I was a 16-year-old in a blue smock/uniform sweeping a floor at Osco Drug. That sound was nuanced, and it was unlike anything else then...and it still is today.

Eddie Van Halen's guitar play featured melodic, finger-bending string work, pulsing with raw fury, adding direct and sometimes sarcastic lyrics about love and life's pursuits.

Later, his band became a pop sensation with "Dance the Night Away", "Jump", "Why Cant this be Love?" and "Right Now". He was even recruited by Michael Jackson to play on "Thriller" and the hit song, "Beat it".

My daughter called me from college tonight to see if I was okay, guessing that I was sad. She said her animation professor was beside himself today, too.

This stings...and feels much like the untimely loss of Tom Petty, almost exactly three years ago.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit being a fan of such "noise" at my current age, but the inventive playfulness of this man from Amsterdam and his rowdy band mates has stirred my muse, and made me smile countless times.

Rest in peace, Eddie Van Halen. (Seems like a contradiction in terms).

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/eddie-van-halen-grinning-guitar-god-for-a-rock-generation-dies-at-65/ar-BB19LtAI

Early September illustrations, travel...and snowflakes

2020-09-08T22:50:00.027-06:00

The past few months have been a divergent path from what we had imagined for Spring and Summer of 2020. Regardless of your habits, things changed, some of them major, some minor.

I realized recently that I'm very good at inadvertently making my Covid mask bands pull my ears forward so that I look like Jim Carrey in "Dumb & Dumber".

With regard to seeing friends, out of state family members, and continuing work or school, things have not been as much fun for most people.

Despite all of that, my daughter is physically back at college, in an illustration and animation program run by a group of former Disney and Warner Brothers artists. She is very fortunate, (in my view) to be enrolled at a university with in-class instruction going on now. For the sort of thing she's learning, (character design, life drawing, illustration and animation techniques) in-person, hands-on instruction is important. After three weeks of classes, her university's Covid cases are extremely low and it seems to be working well. Fingers crossed that it continues.

We saw the contrast to other universities, like the University of Colorado in our home town of Boulder. While taking our daughter back to college, we made a visit to my alma mater, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. The campus was much quieter than usual for mid August with Covid concerns.

Prior to that, we carefully planned and celebrated a birthday for my Mom, including my brother and his family. My Mom had not seen anyone in months, except for a few delivery people and neighbors. There was some risk involved but we did our to best mitigate that and as my Mother said, nearly complete isolation is miserable, and this visit revived her spirits.

What matters most in life? We spent several magnificent days reminding ourselves of just that, and we agreed that it was much needed for all of us. Several weeks later, we can say we pulled it off...safely.

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With the important stuff covered, I thought I'd share a few of the things from the studio. I am fortunate to have plenty of book illustration projects and advertising work...here are a few recent highlights:

I had a great deal of fun illustrating and writing humor for the new book Humanocracy, and blogged about it a few months back. It was just published and released by Harvard Business Review Press.
It is currently a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Business bestseller, and I know that
the two authors are excited to see how it resonates with reader.

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One of over a dozen illustrations for a book written by a Xerox Corp. executive.
...illustrating something that has been slowly returning to offices, after being notably missing
over the past few months of Covid-19: The rush for the door at 5:00.

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A cartoon for a newspaper in Encinitas California. I've always wanted to draw Nancy Pelosi as a

parrot. (I wonder if she's telling Gavin Newsome about a special salon where he can get his big hair shampooed, cut and blown out - despite all California hair salons being closed.)

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I had a chance to work with one of my favorite authors again in August. This was a second book project for a prominent guitarist and guitar instructor, this time encompassing 20 book illustrations. The manuscript is very creative, with several methods for overcoming creative obstacles that apply to many artistic endeavors. The author is a pleasure to work with, and when it is published I'll share a link here.

Several more projects danced through here past month, but I don't want to bore anyone. So, b-deep, b-deep, that's all, folks.

There are some exciting projects residing in the studio right now...one involves humorous illustrating for book by a business and personal development author in Massachusetts. He has had several books published, but this will be my first time working with him. There are a few corporate and advertising illustration jobs on the board, including a fun illustration for Ball Horticultural.

A highlight of this past summer was that Julia was able to do a part-time internship with me. We had discussed it loosely this past year, given her desire to pursue a career as an illustrator and animator. It made additional sense this year with Covid, rather than having her work at an unrelated outside summer job, (last year she was at an ice cream shop) I periodically get busy to the require the help of an assistant, so when that happened in June and July, I hired Julia to help me. She did background sketches for a large book illustration project - and she did quite well! We did not have to travel far for our creative meetings.

I just went outside a few moments ago and breathed deeply as snowflakes were coming down. It was 94 degrees here yesterday (Labor Day)...and now it's 34 degrees. There's nothing like Colorado.

A few new things

2020-06-19T12:27:00.004-06:00

The past couple of weeks have been a blur, with some book illustration jobs on the board,

as well as corporate work...and some family outings. I thought I'd pop in and share a few things:

A B&W sketch for another Ralph Lauren Polo cartoon. This one was created for them earlier and saved, but since it features Michael Jordan, it is being used to tie into the recent airing of "The Last Dance" on ESPN. It will be used in ads and SM for their New York City Polo restaurant. Michael joins the surprisingly lively Carol Channing and Clark Gable.

The next step is to add some more contrast and color.

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A political cartoon for a Canadian news magazine,

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A piece for long time client, California-based Cloud computing firm CGNET

(The characters are still telecommuting, and the male character, "Bob" is still not very smart.)

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A sample illustration from a new book about an author's journey through cancer treatment.

This project recently started and it will be going on over the next few weeks.

Book illustrations and dreams of getting back to normal

2020-06-10T12:44:00.004-06:00

Just checking in. I hope you are staying healthy, busy and sane.

An old school friend called last night to catch up, and he brought up the subject of personal passions...so I thought I would lead with one.

Those who know me are aware that I've loved skiing since childhood, usually getting in 20+ days a year, which is less than I once did when I was single. But this season was cut short nation-wide by Covid. (It also caused our week-long family ski trip to Vail Resorts to be cancelled 48 hours before leaving in late March.)

Happily, Arapahoe Basin reopened 14 days ago, (by lottery-based reservation only.) It was one of only three ski resorts in the U.S. to do so, and my daughter and I were greatly tempted to try to go. But then we considered the Covid rules in effect. I have thought of skiing as the perfect social distancing sport...until one gets to the lift line.

Skiing, coming to a stop in a socially distanced lift line and quickly donning a mask - while juggling gloves, goggles, helmets, poles, etc. - would be a strange experience. Additionally, A-Basin's mid mountain lifts are not like the modern widely spaced areas at the big resorts, and I couldn't imagine how they could physically make it work. Many of those upper lifts are accessed via steep runs, with shortened waiting areas. Asking people to suddenly slow/stop and distance themselves six feet from anyone could be dicey if the "line" is lengthy.

The final straw was looking at webcam shots of the snow near the base area...not great. It looked like a negative photo of a golf green with sand traps, open areas everywhere. A-Basin is the highest altitude ski resort in North America, and I have skied there into May & June, as recently as last year, with surprisingly good conditions. But with warm temps last week, what looked great was now less than serviceable.

It turns out that the snow and the awkwardness of all those Covid rules caused A-Basin to quickly close operations a few days later - nearly a month earlier than usual. Oh well. We will just live on the memories of some grand skiing from Dec-Feb this year.

Onward, to some things in the studio.

In addition to the usual corporate client projects, I'm currently illustrating a few books. I thought I'd share an illustration from one of them; a book with a light-hearted theme about families and schools recovering from the Covid-19 situation.

For this book, I'm pairing with an author with whom I have worked previously. (That was a humor book, published a few years ago by Pelican Books.)

This will be featuring a pen & brown ink children's book drawing style, with some splashes of watercolor... A great deal of fun so far.

Stopping by for a breather, (through the requisite face covering, of course)

2020-04-17T13:21:00.009-06:00

I hope you and your loved ones are staying well in this science fiction movie-like existence.

Like nearly everyone, I am mostly sticking to one GPS location, (and not chasing the siren songs of the deep snow at A-Basin, as usual this time of year). Being busy drawing and writing prevents most rumination about the no-skiing rules in effect.

I'm taking breaks by doing things like teaching the dog to point. We're also, shaking hands/paws, as I am out of practice. By the way, the dog is the happiest of anyone in our family...he is thrilled that no one leaves the house for long. So, our relationship is definitely on an upward swing.

Another benefit: All of us can say that our cooking skills have improved, (well, except for the dog.)

The impact of the global pandemic is considerable in its reach. Kids are no longer in school and sadly, many people have lost jobs or have been furloughed. (Let's hope that is short-lived). Many more are working differently, staying put and utilizing video meetings and apps.

So far, I am fortunate to have enough work with books and corporate clients, and for now, I'm taking on more projects than usual because I don't know what lies ahead. Most of the people I know in my profession are staying busy. I hope the same is true for you.

Over the past few years, I've become well accustomed to working from home. I leased offices for over a decade, but changed that several years ago. I realized that I rarely physically met with clients (over 95% are out of my home state of Colorado), and didn't need splashy commercial digs, much less a conference room, or receptionist.

I decided to stop signing leases, and instead, we put an addition on the house, creating space for a new studio. I've been walking twenty feet to the studio, instead of seven blocks, ever since. I miss the social aspects sometimes - and certainly more so now, as friends are not dropping by, and I can't visit them, either. But other things are not missed, like the monthly rent. The office on the iconic Pearl Street Mall (right upstairs from where Robin Williams and company filmed the intro sequence to "Mork and Mindy") - has since increased to being more than our mortgage payment. It was fun, but not a good value.

From the website of my former office building on Pearl St.

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One of a series of advertising cartoons created this month for a Microsoft affiliate and long
time client CGNet. Very timely with most of the country working from home.

My wife and I are both used to working this way...just not living this way.

I need to get back to some deadlines, and I don't want to make you snooze, (you can nap anytime these days, right?) so I'll wrap up soon. So before signing off, I thought I'd share some of a current project in the studio.

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I was recently hired to illustrate and write humor for a new book by author, Gary Hamel. Gary is the originator (with C.K. Prahalad) of the concept of core competencies. He is also a visiting professor at both Harvard and the London Business School.

Gary Hamel interviewing Google CEO Eric Schmidt for material in the book.

His new book is Humanocracy, written with co-author Michele Zanini, and will be released in August by the Harvard Business Review Press. It has been fun collaborating with him and I'll share an early sample illustration:

I have written and drawn roughly 20 pieces so far, and I'm doing them all in high resolution, as some of them will also be used by the author in presentations on a book promotion tour.

When time allows, I'll share a story about Gary's unique interview and "tryout" hiring process, as well as some other client work, including two other book illustration projects that will be starting soon.

Meanwhile, stay home, and try to keep your sense of humor...though it's not easy to do both long term.

Edit: A break in deadlines allowed this to be added on 5/12

A story about author Gary Hamel's hiring process: After an email inquiry, Gary asked me to do a phone interview, and he revealed that he had set up interviews with twenty cartoonists nationally. (That must have taken him some time, as my call alone lasted over an hour.) The chat was enjoyable and fortunately, I made the next cut.

Five of us were invited to participate in a paid humor writing and drawing "try-out". I don't usually agree to that sort of thing, but for certain projects it is worth the effort, and I liked the author, so I agreed.

Gary told me that the other four finalists were "New Yorker" magazine cartoonists. (Yikes). Tough competition, as those guys can draw and write top notch humor...so I have to admit I was a little uncertain about my chances when I heard it.

We each wrote and drew two sample cartoons to fit a chosen theme in the book. After the try-out ended, I was hired, along with one other cartoonist, and the two of us were tasked with creating roughly 50 cartoons. (Yay).

The initial group of cartoons and illustrations is nearing completion, and it has been a great deal of fun.

Next up: I just signed contracts to illustrate a few books; one is about families handling the Covid situation, going back to school, work, etc. It will feature whimsical children's fiction style illustrations. The author is someone with whom I worked previously, on a book published by Pelican Books. That starts in June, and I'm looking forward to it.

The CoronaMarket virus

2020-03-18T20:13:00.002-06:00

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And a few more editorial cartoons, leaning left and right.

Given the focus on the global pandemic, it's easy to forget that this is an election year. But it is indeed, and I'm reminded of that every four years because I get an increase in commissions for political cartoons and editorial illustrations. The political 'climate' is as polarized as ever - and that means diametrically opposed viewpoints on the same issues.

Here are few pieces requested by some magazines and media outlets to accompany articles and stories. I try to cover both of the very disparate sides of the aisle...(See if you can tell which side each media outlet resided).

Created for a group of newspapers in California

Commissioned by a political blog

On the Drawing Board: Book release…& some R&R

2020-01-20T17:32:00.009-07:00

Happy MLK day! Are you off or are you working?

I have been away and I'm catching up in the studio, but thought I would pop in to post a couple of things...

First, I wanted to mention a book that I enjoyed working on this past year: Good Habits, Bad Habits - which was recently released. The author, Wendy Wood is Provost Professor of Psychology at The University of Southern California.

From the publisher: "She has written for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Time magazine, and USA Today, and on NPR."

I was interviewed and hired directly by Wendy (rather than the publisher) prior to the book going to final editing at MacMillan This was a little different than straight book illustration, in that each piece needed to have a written element to it: a concept to communicate the author's point and to make the grab the reader's attention with something funny. Slow down, stop skimming, this is a key point, etc. (This is what I do for corporate clients regularly, but not that often in book illustration.)

Wendy initially hired me for a test-run, to write a concept to explain and depict a sample theme. After doing one piece for her and making her laugh, I signed a contract to do the rest.

I chatted with Wendy over the phone about some of the themes in her book, and then I wrote some more concepts, which were later turned into cartoons and chapter-leading illustrations for the book. An example below...

I enjoyed reading the author's manuscript even more than usual, as the subject matter is interesting to me. I am fascinated by the process of establishing habits, and had previously read other books in this genre, (including Charles Duhigg's now classic "The Power of Habit" as well as "Grit" by Angela Duckworth, who wrote the review blurb on this book's front cover).

I was recently notified that Good Habits, Bad Habits is off to a healthy start, with positive reviews and strong sales.

Several other jobs have been on the board, but I don't really want to type much more here, or risk boring you.

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Lastly, as I alluded to above, my family and I were out of town for two weeks, and we're now back home from a 3-generation family jaunt. After a long period of work, it was time to unwind.

We began by skiing right before Christmas...lots of early season snow has made the resorts and folks like me in Colorado quite happy. I snuck up for some runs with Julia before the crowds - and celebrations - descended.

Shortly afterward, we embarked into a different climate, on an enjoyable trip to the Caribbean. I’ll readily admit I'm not a big beach vacation guy. I visiting the British Virgin Islands and also Cayman Islands several years ago, and though I appreciate the ocean, a low-activity, relaxing-sort-of-trip is not my first choice. I enjoy skiing, biking, hiking, rock climbing or driving into new areas - rather than sitting on a beach.

Also, my wife and I have never wanted to take a cruise, as it sounded too "prearranged" with little freedom to explore. But after my Mom and brother implored us, we decided to try it. Well, what a pleasant surprise.

My wife, daughter and I joined my brother and his family along with my mother in San Juan Puerto Rico, and then boarded a ship that visited several island areas. And that’s where we added a few elements that made it more active.

We started in Barbados where we ended up doing some diving near a shipwreck off the coast of Bridgetown. My daughter Julia was amazed at the clear blue waters, allowing one to see well into the depths.

Exploring the reefs in Barbados

Next was Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis...snorkeling and swimming in shallow waters, with some friendly stingrays and sea turtles.

St. Kitts

After that, Tortola and Virgin Gorda. Climbing through the stunning "Baths" rock formations was challenging and fun...The formations are closely related to those at Red Rocks amphitheater here in Colorado. It was my second time here, however the first visit allowed much less time for exploring...as it was just a quick boat drop for snorkeling.

The Baths rock formations at Virgin Gorda/Tortola

The last stop was St. Thomas and nearby National park known as St. John. (Also our second visit here) We took in breathtaking beaches and snorkeled, swimming with brightly colored fish dancing beneath the waters along the reefs. After 9 days, Beth, Julia and I were less 'winter pale', a bit blonder, and despite all the activity, I hate to say it, a little less lean...it is hard to avoid when eating out continually.

This was great family trip for three generations… and in particular, wonderful to have my Mom join us.

My daughter is back on campus, the dog is thrilled to see us, and I'm back in the studio, ready to go.

I hope your year is off to a fantastic start!

Children's book sample Illustration

2019-12-12T17:22:00.002-07:00

Currently I'm engaged in several book illustration projects, as well as some corporate client projects, (including one ongoing gig detailed here earlier).

I thought I would stop by to share a page from a children's book that I'm working on in my spare time...("Page 3" to be exact - which means little to you at this point.)

(Clicken to embiggen..)