Spear Cartoon 3365

Cartoon of boy asking Dad, "On what day did God create the Internet?"

I read an article from "Christian Computing Magazine." It was talking about cloud computing and how it's coming faster than anyone would have anticipated.

Jim VanDuzer, the author, talked about how netbooks and iPhones are totally changing the way we use computers. it reminded me of a problem we had at my church the other week. I normally use the Internet for portions of my lesson and accessing files from my MobileMe account. IT changed the setup so there was no longer a password needed to get onto the wireless.

The only problem was, I couldn't get on at all. It seemed all the smartphones were hogging the connection. Whether people were using the wi-fi or not, the phones aggressively accessed the wi-fi nonetheless.

It amazes me how pervasive technology has become in our church in such a small amount of time. How has technology affected how your church works?

Spear-Cartoon_3483

Spear-Cartoon_3483
Originally uploaded by speartoons

Cartoon of Dad to son, "Don’t think of them as chores, but as opportunities."

I thought of this ideal because my kids are on spring break this week. My wife asked one of our kids to do a chore the other night. You would have thought we just told him to hold his arm in a barrel of leaches for a "reasonable" amount of time.

Suddenly, I thought of an image of a motivational speaker trying to get his kid to do his chores. Perhaps this speaker can challenge a corporation to reach for excellence and a government bail out. But I'm guessing even this captain of blarney couldn't get his son to clean the commode.

I've been experimenting with how to create my cartoons in Adobe Illustrator. In this instance, I used the shape tools such as the ellipses and rounded boxes to get the basic shapes. Then I warped them and distorted them how I saw fit.

I used my raw drawing right out of my sketchbook as the template.

When I had all the shapes just so, I converted them to a live paint object. This is my new, favorite tool in Illustrator. Not only can I use the paint bucket to colorize the fills, but I can also use it to apply different line widths to the strokes. It's a major time saver.

I am also testing wether I can handle just a black and white drawing for the weekdays and if anybody notices. I'd rather get several black and white cartoons out in a week than just one color. Alas, time keeps flowing and I'm caught in the undertow.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrtor CS2

Illustration Friday: Poise

Spear Cartoon 3481
Originally uploaded by speartoons

Cartoon of dog, cat and woman. Dog says to cat, “Run between her ankles again. Whenever you do that, she has such poise."

This is also my entry for Illustration Friday: Poise

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Illustration Friday: Subtract

Spear_3481
Originally uploaded by speartoons

Couple have their luggage weighed at the airport. Wife says to guard, “It’s a shame our luggage weighs too much. What if we subtract my husband’s clothes?”

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Illustration Friday: Legendary

Three Amicos
Originally uploaded by speartoons

I found this old photo in a magazine. I thought the characters told such an interesting story. I wonder what happened to them?

I thought this would also work for Illustration Friday. Surely these guys are legendary. They went on some grand adventure, I just know it.

I drew this in pencil. This is not for resell.

Illustration Friday-Intricate

This cartoon was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "Intricate."

Boy says to stained glass girl, "The problem with you girls is you're all so intricate."

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator.

Illustration Friday Breezy

Here's my take on Breezy for Illustration Friday. It's a great week for this work because the March kites would find plenty of wind.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator.

Freelance Work in a Crazy Economy

Spear_3479 Cartoon
Originally uploaded by speartoons

Still looking for that million dollar contract? Aren't we all. If only there was a design and illustration clause to the Federal stimulus package.

The other day a friend at the gym was looking at disgust at his mp3 player. He said, "There's nothing but bad news. I'm going to stop listening to anything related to business."

It can be tough out there to get work. But don't panic. A designer can still find work out there. Here are some things you can do to keep the freelance fires burning.

1. Keep a positive attitude. I know. Easier said than done, right? But I've seen it work time and again. I've seen designer who have had the same lousy amount of business. The one with a positive attitude recovers much more quickly than the one who is convince his world is coming to an end. We always find what we're looking for, whether we realize we're chasing it or not.
2. Call up old clients. It's okay to see what they're up to. If you had a good experience with them before, it just may take some reconnecting to remind them you are still out there. Email them, call them, take them out for lunch. You never know. You may be surprised and they'll reward you with a new project and pay for your lunch too. (But be sure you are prepared to pay for it. Don't be a weasel, after all!)
3. Keep working even if you have no work. Momentum is everything in this business. If you don't get your favorite kind of work for a month, you can't afford to go rusty. Keep doing what you love. Build up your portfolio. Work on that plumb design or illustration project you've never had time for. Eventually the pay will come again.

We're all in this together. Keep looking up!