Cartoonist Candy - First Sketch

10/12/05. Tiny little doods. My brushpen scarred up the marker hits. What can you do.

She Watches Channel Zero

Paying for cable is an expense that I lived without for several years, and didn't miss, until I moved a few years ago, and during a point of duress, decided why not treat ourselves, and hunkered down and got Us Some Cable TeeVee.

It was awesome for the first month or so, then I stopped caring. I care more about the cable internet connection that I get a barely noticible discount on, but for all intents and purposes, I don't watch TV anymore. Let me rephrase that - I'm not a TV guy. I used to be, when I was younger. I'm sure most people in their 30's-40's grew up in front of the TV when there were only 3 channels and a smattering of UHF. That's when the world was a little closer, in an odd way - because if say, The Motown 20th Anniversary Special came on CBS, EVERYBODY was watching Michael Jackson moonwalk across the stage and make the world lose their freaking minds. Now, there's 500 channels of nothing on, and a social disconnect that TV didn't have before now. TV WAS what brought America together.

Before I go onto a rant about what I think about the world and how everybody thinks they deserve to be famous, let me get to the point of the post - I pay too much for cable, and I don't even watch the damned thing.

That's pretty much it. I have a TV in my studio, but I'm not hard-wired for watching/creating - it destroys my mindflow. I'm a music, background noise person. If I put a movie on in the studio, I'm just gonna watch the movie. I can't do those two things together, but music is where it's at for me. So here's my conundrum. I feel since I pay so much for this crap, I force myself to watch cable television. I come in to the workspace, turn on AMC and watch Karate Kid and Young Guns for the 900th time, just so I feel like I'm getting something from this necessary purchase to keep my household happy. I think if I get a DVR box and tape stuff I'd actually watch but not hunt for, I'd be happier. Like maybe Battlestar Galactica 2.0, Adult Swim, RAW, etc. Right now, I think the guys who set up Philadelphias schedule tree were on crack. Let's see - 14 HBO stations? Let's put them ALL OVER THE FREAKING MAP, not right behind each other so that you can find them. Cheese and Crackers, dood... but then again... when would I sit down and watch all the taped stuff? Man.

Anyway, I just wanted to share. Continue on.

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.