Politics is not my bag...but....

Politics is not my bag...but if someone is willing to pay me to illustrate
their viewpoint (and it's not too out of line or offensive), I will consider doing it... providing
my name doesn't appear on the piece and it's clear the concept is theirs. As in this "Strange Bedfellows" cartoon done last summer for, get this,...The Libertarian Party of Georgia. (The nice referral came from a fellow North Central Chapter member).

Free Photoshop Brushes

Over at my blog I've posted a link to some free Photoshop brushes that do a good job of simulating pencil and chalk. If you work digitally, give it a looksee.

Caricature Mini-Con Reminder

Just a reminder for everybody about this terrific event coming up in a little over a month. Right now the deadline for room booking is less than a week away, and the organizers still need a few rooms booked to fill their quota.

This will be a terrific event, and I'd love to see a lot of cartoonists there as well as caricaturists. We spend a lot of time at these things just drawing and the sheer creative energy is worth the trip. Court Jones, one of the other guest speakers, is a world class digital painter and his seminar and workshop will be amazing and educational if you have any interest in applying digital color to your work.

Tell anyone interested in cartooning and caricature. It's rare that something like this happens in the midwest.

On The Stands: MAD #486

Check out this link for a list of the contents, and for God's sake buy a copy so I can feed my kids.

Ken Alvine TV Interview

Check out Ken Alvine's "Someone You Should Know" appearance on local TV in Sioux Falls, SD.
The web site is: http://www.kdlt.com/sysk.htm

New Toon Job

I just started a new project with a buddy of mine who owns the online community called the Golf Nut Society. I'll be doing a weekly golf-related cartoon that runs along the lines of: "You Know You're A Golf Nut...". Stop by the site weekly to see the latest cartoon, and if you're a REAL golf nut, make sure you sign up to join your fellow addicts!

The Smurfs are 50!

Those little blue cartoon forest vermin turn 50 this year, and their birthday celebration officially kicked off today.

The Smurfs were created in October 1958 by late cartoonist Pierre Culliford (aka "Peyo"), who first introduced the creatures in the comic strip "Johan and Pirlouit". The characters became an animated cartoon in the US in 1981, and became hugely successful in both media and merchandising.

I could never figure out how there could be so many smurfs when they only had one female. She must be a busy little woman.

LUTEFISK SUSHI VOLUME C- CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The third Cartoonist Conspiracy organized Lutefisk
Sushi event, Lutefisk Sushi Volume C will be happening
at Altered Esthetics in May 2008 (the month of
Art-A-Whirl!). For those of you who aren't familiar
with the previous events/compilations, you can see
more about them here and here.

We need submissions!

The focus of the show will again be around a big ol'
fancy hand-serigraphed box of mini-comics with a cover
by featured artist Kevin Cannon. It will be limited to
150 copies... every participant will receive one.

Only Minnesota artists are eligible. For a complete list of the rules of eligibility and submission, as well as the submission form and other details, visit this link!

Lutefisk Sushi Volume B is being sponsored and organized by The International Cartoonist Conspiracy (www.cartoonistconspiracy.com), Altered Esthetics (alteredesthetics.org) and Big Time Attic (www.bigtimeattic.com).

NCC's Ed Fischer Cartoon Exhibit

Image courtesy of postbulletin.com

NCC member Ed Fischer will have a retrospective exhibit of more than 50 of his cartoons from his 25 years as a full-time editorial cartoonist for the Rochester Post-Bulletin at the History Center of Olmstead County, Rochester, MN. The exhibit will open later this month and run though July.

Ed recently retired after 40 years and over 30,000 cartoons in the Post-Bulletin as well as earlier at the Omaha World-Herald, Tulsa Tribune and Minneapolis Star Tribune as well as many magazines and books.

Read this link for more information. Congratulations, Ed!