Daily Cartoon
Entries Categorized as 'Cartoons by Topic'
Valentines Day Cartoons
Only 2 weeks now until Cupid's big day! So, to get you in the mood, I thought I'd share some recent Valentine's Day cartoons!
I thought of this cartoon early one morning and had to keep repeating it to myself under my breath to remember it.
This is actually pretty much how I, and I suspect most men, shop for cards. Not being comfortable with the flowery romantic stuff, we tend toward ones including the words hubby with cartoon bears that fold out like an accordion.
I'm betting the Mrs. would prefer something mushier, but, especially when you marry a cartoonist, goofy usually wins out.
(BTW, you can watch a video of me sketching this cartoon here.)
I thought of this because it's impossible to think "box of chocolates" without thinking "life is like a."
It's annoying and irritating, sure, but instead of pushing past it, I decided to embrace it and finally define exactly what you're going to get.
You've got your basic chocolate, your thin disappointment, your renamed knockoff (I'm looking at you, "tortoise" candies), and, my personal favorite, white.
Now you know.
This Valentine's Day cartoon was a bit of a trick. Te idea is that more than one arrow makes the person a stalker instead of just in love. So, you have to make the guy look like something is wrong with him, but not so disturbing that the cartoon goes from funny to creepy.
After scanning in the original sketch, I spent a good amount of time in Photoshop tweaking things to get what I hope is juuuust the right expression. I hope I got it, I think I did.
Also the Cupid's name changed a few different times. He was Larry (too funny name-ish), Lloyd (too Gary Larson-ish), Bill (not funny enough) and Phil (used too often in other cartoons). But for some reason when I was typing in the caption, Stan just worked.
This is another take on getting away from Cupid. I've done some more standard heart themed cartoons before (heart as organ, heart as playing card suit), but this is a decidedly different tack, heart as flowchart shape!
I actually had to look up some flowcharts to see how they looked and worked (it's been a while), and I think this one looks complicated enough to make sense for the gag, but not so complicated that it doesn't read quickly.
One thing I noticed almost too late was that the name I'd used in the caption started with a different letter than either of the first name initials in the heart, so I had to make a last minute change to "Debbie."
Recently I've been playing with the new iBooks Author, and there's been a bit of a kerfuffle over Apple's EULA. Some people assume Apple is trying to make some sort of giant content grab, others assume it's less onerous. Either way, it got me thinking about EULAs in general, and this cartoon popped out.
I think it totally makes sense that before someone shoots you in the heart with an arrow that there would be some sort of legal paperwork, and kudos to Cupid for using an iPad!
Well, I hope these get you in the mood for the big day! Feel free to check out all of my Valentine cartoons, and don't forget to use the decoder!
Christmas Cartoons – Snowman Comics
Every year I create a nice big batch of holiday themed cartoons. I know there are other holidays other than Christmas of course, but Christmas is the one I know best, so I stick mostly to that.
I do, however, try to make sure that I include a number of winter-themed cartoons that, hopefully, will appeal to almost anyone, regardless of what they do or do not celebrate. So I do snowman cartoons, and here are a few of my favorites:
Snowmen's coals and carrots offer a lot of cartoon possibilities. You can add additional items, substitute others, reposition them, or, in the case of this cartoon, remove them.
You'd have thought the snowman husband might have noticed the missing mouth, but then again I don't think I've been able to discern my wife's haircuts the entire time we've been married.
Shortly before I turned 40, I was prescribed and bought my first pair of bifocals. Nothing says "hey, guess what, you, you're getting old! Haha! Didn't see that coming? Did you? Know why? Because you need bifocals!!" like getting bifocals.
I'm not sure I've ever gotten the tilting/looking technique down. If I have I don't know it, but I always thought it would be easier if you could just pop in an additional set of eyes, so we get this snowman cartoon.
Lucky snowman.
Remember what I was saying for the first cartoon about changing around the coals and carrot? This is another take on that idea.
Listen, carrots are great. I appreciate the help with the eyesight, and they're nice in a salad, but let's face it, it's been done to death.
I applaud this snowman for taking a chance. Celery indeed! Perhaps a radish! Dare I suggest a bunch of cilantro? Regardless, you go, snowman!!
Again with the bad coal eyesight. Now that I look at these, maybe it's time to branch out into, well branches.
Surely there are some snowman arm jokes to be mined. Big thick branches for a snowman bodybuilder? It's something to think about.
OK, well that's going to do it for now. Feel free to browse all of my snowman cartoons, and be sure to stock up on coal and carrots!!
Happy holidays!
Christmas Cartoons – Santa Claus
Santa Claus. Fat guy, brings you toys, right? For the most part, especially when you're a kid, thats about all you ned to know.
But when you really start digging into Santa, and Santa related stuff, you quickly realize that there's an awful lot of great material for a cartoonist to play with. So, with the holidays approaching, I thought I take a moment and share a stocking full of my favorite Santa Claus cartoons:
Ok, Christmas is a stressful time for everyone, but imagine the pressure that Santa is under. Toy productions, elf management, all the travel... I wouldn't be surprised a bit if he's less than jolly come December.
This is a take on the old "go to your happy place" thing, and now that I look at it maybe "jolly" would have worked better.
Oh well. I'm glad he's getting help.
You know, in this age of social media, Santa should have a really easy time keeping his nice and naughty lists in order.
If he's smart he's taking advantage of any number of APIs, setting up some sort of algorithm, and kicking back and relaxing while we all fess up online. Easy peasy.
This is probably pretty odd to work well in any of my standard markets. In fact, when you think about it a little Ionger, it gets creepy fast.
Honestly I didn't intend anything other than a little holiday entrepreneurship, but, um... ewwwww.
Ok, moving on.
I'd love to think that Santa Claus would be immune to thoughts of marketing or branding, but it's fairly obvious that Christmas is nothing if not commercial, so I guess it make sense that he would worry about his image.
But, come on, 'Ho-ho-ho' is a true classic. You don't want to mess with that. Remember New Coke?
Ok, that does it for now. Feel free to check out all of my Santa Claus cartoons, and happy holidays everyone!
Christmas Cartoons & Comics
It's hard to believe that the holidays are almost here. Pretty soon I'm going to be hip deep in yet to be written cards, dirty cookie sheets, and 12 year old tattered bows that my wife is convinced still have a few years left in them.
Christmas can be a stressful time, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to offer up some of my favorite Christmas cartoons to clear out some of the humbug. Enjoy!
I'm what you would call directionally challenged. I never know which way is north, I often don't know what town I'm in, and if it weren't for the combination of Google Maps, my TomTom and my iPhone, I'd never be able to get anywhere at all.
I love my GPS, but I can understand why Rudolph might feel differently.
Another Christmas bar cartoon. I wonder what a therapist would have to say about this.
Anyway, this cartoon was an absolute joy to do art-wise. Concocting a recognizable Scrooge, aping Seuss, and drawing them both slightly drunk and complaining? Hee hee! This is why I became a cartoonist!
As if it weren't bad enough that this kid was going to get coal, he doesn't even get that, and then Santa rubs it in his face!
I know it's winter and all, but that's cold.
This cartoon was one of my most popular at art fairs this summer, although I sold only one. I thought it would be more of a general holiday appeal, but people inevitably would say "This would be great if it said Bill instead!" Or Tom, or Jessica or (insert name here.)
I've considered offering it as an item you could personalize, but that would require more planning and effort than I think I'm ready for at the moment. Maybe someday, though...
I'll put up the tree, hang a wreath, and put out a few knick-knacks, but that's it for Christmas decorating. I put up lights one time years ago before we had kids and a second story on the house, but never since.
I'm sure the neighbors think I'm a Scrooge, but the ratio of work to joy doesn't work out for me.
But one giant bulb? That I might actually put up.
More than one company I worked for before becoming a cartoonist would have had absolutely no problem at all moving to the naughty list, if, in fact, they had ever been elsewhere. And when you think about it, if you were in the coal business you'd actually have no incentive to be good at all. I think I smell a cartoon!
OK, I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel a little better. Feel free to check out all of my other Christmas cartoons, and have a happy holiday!
Thanksgiving Cartoons
I love Thanksgiving! It's the purest of the big three holidays. I mean, unless you're in the turkey, pumpkin, or cranberry sauce business, there's not a lot to commercialize. Just food, family, and fun. Not bad, huh?
This being only a blog, I can't help with the food or the family, but I can definitely help with the fun with this smallish smorgasbord of Thanksgiving cartoons. Dig in!
Sure, we all like a big Thanksgiving feast, but for a certain subset of fine-feathered friends it's not so much fun. And I guess if I were a turkey right about now I'd be wondering what the cards held for me. Luckily for me I get then chance to explore that quite literally in the above cartoon.
Of course most turkeys aren't going to fare well, but thankfully (see what I did there?) this turkey is getting some help with his impending doom.
I had to look up the stages for coping with death to make sure I got them right, and then included my own little addendum. Apologies to Kubler-Ross.
Ok, I admit it, I don't know what an x-ray of a turkey looks like. I tried looking it up, but never could find anything. So I punted and just sort of drew a few ribs. Hopefully I haven't offended any turkeys and/or x- ray technicians.
Tryptophan is one of those things that once a year everyone knows about. (It's the stuff in turkey that apparently makes you sleepy.) But the rest of the year poor old tryptophan just lays there eating cheetos watching reality TV just waiting for Thanksgiving.
Sad really.
I love holidays that aren't on a specific day. New Year's Day is January 1. Boring! Valentines Day is February 14. Yawn!
Gimme those holidays that are like figuring out an equation any day! Fourth Thursday in November! That's what I'm talking about!
This is probably my personal favorite of my own Thanksgiving cartoons. It has all my favorite cartoon elements: animal in an office, a caption that won't work without the art and vice- versa, and impending though relatively unspecific death.
Well that does it. Hope you enjoyed 'em, and feel free to check out all of my Thanksgiving cartoons!
