The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Minds of Cartoonists

If I didn't hold it on, it'd have fallen off by now. Snaps by Mike Manley.

As I start trying to get this little part of my mind-empire back up to snuff, I try to figure out what I'd like to put on here, what I want to share with the world. One of the things I think is under-represented on the internets with cartoonists, is how they tick and what goes through the head of someone whos' mind is constantly buzzing, fluttering and spinning. My mind is definately like that, and my cartoonist friends are usually the front line of my whirling dervish act.

As my life takes another interesting change, I'm here working on getting back into creating every day. Lately I've been so backed up, it's hard to unblock the dam and get it flowing, so doodling, sketching and warm-ups is really important. I used to be a 'one and done' type of cartoonist, but stopping to get the art juice flowing wasn't something I really had time to do, and I think my art suffered for it.

I've done my best work when I'm 'in the zone' and it's shown when I go to visit my good pal Mike Manley, world-famous cartoonist, and we destroy forests of trees sketching the night away. Being in that enviornment gets the most out of me - I think I'd thrive in a studio enviornment. Maybe one day!

Cartoonist candy: Little blank sketch journals

Last weekend, I procured a little group of mini sketch journals, blank on the inside with a nice tooth ('tooth' is the grain and feel of paper. If you ever hang out with artists and see them feel up a sketchpad in the store, that's what we're checking for. Kinda like when people fondle honeydews in the market - same thing), and I can't wait to stain them up. I'm thinking about maybe doing a color sketch a day in them and posting them here. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll start today. . .

There's a million things trapped in our heads, and you try to get them out before they drive you insane. These little doods will help. Come back and see what happens.