"uBRRR" + "Date Nite at the Mush-In"

Double-dog day: this pair was actually hitched to a whole team of mushing-themed panels that all ran over the course of a month in the newspaper. It followed the seasonal inundation of dog-powered sports events from the annual Iditarod to the Open North American. 

The mush-in theater brought back some memories, nostalgia for when life was simpler. Extra attention wa paid to the plastic tray that hooked onto your window. I thought about incorporating one of the very first cult films I ever caught as a kid (and from a favorite author at the time) "A Boy and His Dog." Never used an Uber either, more than happy to hear tales from a taxi driving sourdough.

One little sweet spot in the composition which is for my sweetie.

"Fair to Midden"

My personal favorite and also one of the best made panels I’ve ever created. It’s probably not very funny, since my initial test marketing revealed about 90% of folks know neither what a midden is nor are familiar with the original turn of phrase, which as several of my classic started out as a mondegreen than morphs into the usual malapropism. Typically a more colloquial version is heard/pronounced as "middlin'" which eases the grammatical sleight of hand (or mouth in this instance) that is being spoofed, but regardless it’s perfectly done.

The drawing itself is an ideal composition, with exemplary linework, the palette too. Every element is no more, no less of what is needs to be. There’s just enough cutting in of cast-shadow shapes for contrasting value (example: the slightly darker inside of the tails, and on the tree trunk), and not too much airbrush gradations to add a hint of volume (see the footpads) so the overall aesthetic isn’t too “Photoshoppy.” It also helps that the colors are not high chroma, so not very vibrant, almost pastellish (just a dozen colors: three shades of brown, three greens, a blue, pink, yellow and gray + b&w). The only texture is a lot of stippling, a touch of spot-blacks using gestural stickwork on the drunken forest. *Technically those three back spruce, the same ubiquitous species that comprises much of the boreal forest and is also supposed to be what the squirrel on the right is leaning against, since those are the trees which typically have a midden – but hey, there are also talking rodents, so…?

Speaking of speaking the speech bubbles are positioned just so: the first one balanced in the upper right corner of sky and set a tad bit higher than the second, which overlaps the tree and thus overall reading left-to-right/top-to-bottom it leads the eye down the vertical pointer of the trunk to the midden itself, the darkest area w/highest contrast. The lettering is simple, legible, balanced and occupying a perfect amount of real estate within the bubbles leaving plenty of breathing room around the letters, words and unit of dialog. So this relatively simple panel is a perfect example of sequentially processing the parts, both text + image, and arriving at the idea. 

And that completes our over-assessment of the cartoon in question for this episode of flogging a dead horse, aka "pole-vaulting over a moose turd."

"The New Guy" + "The Roomate"

Not just another double-header post but this morning there's twice as much walrus on the table too. This first one was a real belly-flop of a demo. Every once in a while when doing the performing art thing in front of folks there's a subliminal pressure to if not make a somewhat decent drawing, then at least do it quick. I suppose for most folks watching someone pencil and ink a panel in is about as engrossing as a cooking show (which my classroom demos are structured like having pieces prepped at varying stages of development like making a quiche); similar to literally watching paint - or ink in this case - dry. After all, there's a big audience for fishing and golfing shows, and I know my own personal proclivity for falling under the spell of an entrancing artist in person or even watching documentaries (here's what I'm talking about).

Anyways, I messed this one up and it required a lot of digital editing ("I'll fix it in post"), like for example deleting the nostrils because they wound up looking like alien eyeballs. In retrospect the bath mat that's over the edge of the tub should be on the floor, and it ought to be a fluffy white towel as indicated on the sketchbook rough. But then again once you go down that road you lose sight of the fact that the roommate is a walrus and at what point does the illusion fall apart that this is a cartoon.

Next is an excellent example of the considerable evolution of an idea that can sometimes be fleshed out in imagination or at other times, as in this case, needed to be doodled out first then fermented a while in the sketchbook, and then tweaked on paper. The choice to swap out the scenario into a circus setting was a bit more complex, as evidenced by the advanced doodle done while at a faculty meeting, where I'm usually the only one without a laptop.

"Dipnetting Fish Sammiches"

Dip-nets adorn many an Alaskan domicile, and I caught sight of one on the side of a garage on my way home, with a bag of greasy fast-food by my side. "Where do you get your ideas?" Regular readers will recall a recent piece that explains my answer in detail here.

Not that I ever actually have eaten a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich in many many years, to their credit it's Alaskan pollock - reminding me of another closely related faux fish favorite from my time in Maine.

"A Very Long Road Trip"

Mmm... the clean, fresh scent of pine. Or maybe it just needs a toothpick after the drive-through lunch? And after the widening of pupils, I wonder if they also resort to the cat-like behavior of wiggling their beaver butts before launching at a log...

"Strength in Numbers"

Ostensibly done as another demo for the Pen & Ink course during the stippling unit, it actually isn't all that much of an example - there will be another upcoming post with a far better exemplification of the technique - but it does illustrate how I usually use one of more of the principle textures (including hatching/crosshatching, spot blacks and scumbling) as quick ways to render volume through value via textures. Also ain't exactly a very good specimen of how to draw krill either. Or a whale - not sure how baleen works with such a toothy grin, but hey, you get the point. I hope. In retrospect this isn't very funny at all, and is really cynical, but that's my perspective on futile resistance in the face of increasing consolidation across the media ecosphere. Especially when it comes to creeping AI slop on every damn platform whether you want it or not. Oh and the corruption and loss of voting rights too. Speaking of, please vote in the primaries this Tuesday.Anyways, as Josh Blue would say: ha ha ha.

"Wet Kuspuk"

The initial doodle is posted here only because it's a prime example of a judicious edit following some reflection, and bouncing it off a few friends as well to get an objective perceptive on a potentially problematic panel. Simply deleting what may for me be only a casual reference to an infamous pop culture phrase was done in order to redirect any connotations associated with a notorious abusive adult entertainment series. 

The core concept is funny enough on its own, so I voluntarily dropped the top caption to keep focus on the gag, and avoid any additionally implied racist overtones. Ostensibly as a member of the media, I'm cognizant of depictions of other folks, and consequently always try to be as inclusive a possible, not to mention that the kuspuk is a cultural icon up in our neck of the woods.

"Interior Cave Redecoration"

When obsessive/compulsive interior redecorating meets cabin fever: it's like a monthly Rubik's Cube rearrangement of everything you own. In theory there's only so many possible configurations in a one-room cabin, but after a long, dark and cold winter, I'm convinced the inner space transcends space + time, somewhat similar to a log TARDIS.

Nice turkey leg there cAtticus. Bonus: obscure Obelix homage?

"OG Door Dash"

I actually haven't ever used this service, nor any air b&b's, or uber either, or any of the recent hipster shit. Probably the only person you know that hasn't ever ordered anything off amazon (originally thanks to their early history of obliterating independent bookstores for that). Now get the hell off my snowbank.

Also one of the reasons I rarely read contemporary syndicated comics is also on account of such self-imposed purity: the fear of contamination from other ideas because I still adhere to equally outdated concepts of authorship and originality. So when I accidentally saw this in a recent comics section (saved and used as holiday wrapping paper) I was reminded of the theory of multiple discovery (or simultaneous invention and/or synchronicity). Great minds and all that.

And sometimes I feel a little twinge when I see some fabulous artwork and a feature story rubbing shoulders on the page with a particularly tasteful panel of mine. Touch of class, that's me. (Featured is work by a former student Phoebe Flanagan, and story by a great writer and reviewer, David James).

"Murmuration"

 

Technically referring to flocks of starlings (though the behavior is seen in other species), it would actually be a welcome sight (video here) if exhibited by mosquitoes, since all we really have is incessant swarms. 

Bonus trivia: this was one of the demo panels done in this year's pen & ink course, for the stippling assignment of course.

"Sour Doe"

This is an excellent example of the sudden shift in direction that can occur when editing on the fly (hence to existing sketch: the initial concept doodle evoked a very similar look/feel to a piece published a couple years ago, "Lack Toes." Since that day whilst drawing I evidently had my self-plagiarizing radar on I recalled the inadvertent mirroring - which is understandable given the success of of that particular panel - it's one of my current all-time favorites in terms of content (ie the gag) + coloring + composition. Plus it's now a bonus backhanded commentary on other big, dumb mammals of the north. Hat-tip to the brewery and a favorite brown ale I fell in love with while visiting the wife when she was earning an MFA in painting in Montana.

"Buffet"

Tangential to the topic is the current administration revoking bear baiting in federal lands, including national parks. I never miss an opportunity to point out using the term "hunter" is a misnomer (excepting with the prefix "slob") in this context, as it's ethically and morally equivalent as bringing a gun to a restaurant buffet or supermarket and shooting packaged meat.
Note how much compositional tweaking happened between the initial doodle, and the sketchbook version, and the published panel with a few more minor adjustments for a cleaner compositional arrangement of the visual elements.

Doodles: "The Shadow Squirrel," "Multivitamins," "Flying Poop," & "Defensible Space"

Inspired by a fur-tive returning visitor to the cabin who raids the birdfeeders over what remains of the night. Usually the only evidence there is of its presence is when I pop out on the front porch and see a mysteriously swinging suet cake. Bonus Trivia: Also an obvious homage to the classic comic book character.

A doodle born from our experiences last season with encroaching wildfires, one of which we were right on the border of evacuation from. Freudian connotations aside,it pairs with another potential panel based on my recent excursion to the Lower 48 and the joy of flying cross-country. Similar to last week's post about the "Sketchbook" series these are however unpublished  And/or exhibits #1, #2 , #3 and #4 in how to bail myself out of a sudden gap in material to upload?

Lastly, a somewhat depressing observation on one of the little details denoting the passage of time. I recently re-instituted daily supplement to my diet so as to ensure sufficient vitamin D at least so as to assist with combating symptoms of S.A.D.

"AK Surgeons: Hair of the Dog"

I gave up many years ago, the battle was lost, and kitty hair has now overrun everything. It's been a long-running tradition of mine to always do any serious framing somewhere else, as that is the one last area the line must be drawn.

"Togo"

Balto has made an appearance here before in an editorial capacity, so I had at least some of the background on the historical character (haven't seen the movie).  

Whilst photocopying the doodle from my sketchbook - sometimes I have a secondary set selected from a current sketchbook to show in the classroom for a demo - someone commented that they were "Team Togo." How have I made it this far without knowing about him (or his movie either)?

"The Otter Family"

 

This made for a perfect demo panel to illustrate the technique of scumbling for the pen and ink portion of a drawing class. Or maybe it was a cartooning class. Or perhaps the Pen & Ink class...

A canny eye can recall one of the doodles on my sick-sack from last summer was this idea, drawn on the return flight after the gag cartooning workshop in Vermont.

"Roarshack"

I think that this is the first-ever interactive cartoon I've ever drawn. At the very least dear readers will make mental connections, as is often the case while staring out over the windswept frozen tundra yard.