Cartoon: HDTV

Cartoon: HDTV

Caption reads: "This crazy, messed up world looks so much clearer and brighter in HDTV."

I thought of this ideal while thinking about the times I turn off the world by turning on the TV. It feels good, but sometimes, I wonder if it really is the right thing to do. Am I just burying my head in the sand?

Illustration Friday: Homage


Illustration Friday: Homage
Originally uploaded by speartoons

When I heard the word, homage, I thought of paying respects to the ever industrious animal of the insect world.

Ants fascinate me whenever I have a chance to see what they are carting off. How can such a little creature lift such big things?

Dog-Sundae


Dog-Sundae
Originally uploaded by speartoons

I wonder what my dog and cat do while I am at work. I can imagine my puppy helping herself to the ice cream. The problem is, the cat would demand a cut in the dog's findings.

This is illustration is rendered in Adobe Illustrator.

Mr. Globe


Mr-Globe
Originally uploaded by speartoons

If the world could talk, what would it say?

Would he/she really be in a business suit, or would it be wearing some natural fiber mu-mu skirt?

Maybe it would be so mad at us, we wouldn't notice what it wore. Then again, navy blue should go with the deep, dark vacuum of space.

I made this sketch four years ago when there was another business accounting scandal. It reminds me how world issues will affect us whether we want to admit it or not.

I created the finished art in Adobe Illustrator.

Not on Your Own


Not on Your Own
Originally uploaded by speartoons

This is an illustration I am using to introduce a game Sunday morning.

The game is called, "Not on Your Own." It is part of the Sunday school curriculum for "Living Inside Out." It is part of their Rescue 911 session. In this game, kids are encouraged to try to fit within a shape that is masked out on the floor.

The first time they attempt it, the kids are encouraged NOT to help each other. The second time, the kids are told they can help each other.

The lesson is there are some things we can't do on our own.

I'll be giving the lesson tomorrow at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. I lead the large group worship time for the elementary age kids.

Illustration Friday-Garden Ponds CH 13


Illustration Friday-Garden Ponds CH 13
Originally uploaded by speartoons

I did this illustration for a book nine years ago. It was "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Garden Ponds."

I loved illustrating these books because the chapter title lent themselves to humorous illustrations. These books helped me polish my drawing skills in Adobe Illustrator.

This illustration was originally black with gray scale. But that's the beauty of Adobe Illustrator. It allows you to change color on the fly. That and I can enlarge it without any loss of quality.

The blue sky background was done with Illustrator brushes and a transparency setting. That still looked too sharp, so I applied a Gaussian blur to the sky. I just love the fact you don't have to go into Photoshop to blur something anymore.

This chapter was on the care and maintenance of waterfalls and other water features. The thought of a tiny waterfall got me thinking what kind of animals would be daredevils and try to go over such a feature in a barrel. Naturally, a mouse would just love it.