Webcomic: All Saints Day

Cartoon of an angel and vampire. Angel says, “Halloween is over, Bub. It’s All Saints Day. Beat it!”

All the spooks and sweets are over. It's time to count the loot and bring out the saints again. Only fifty-five days until Christmas. It will take that long to get the saints in order.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Hairy Halloween

Cartoon of a vampire and werewolf. Werewolf says, "Halloween is the one night of the year I don't have to shave."

Happy Halloween. I think I'll celebrate by not shaving today!

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Trick or Treating

Cartoon of a trick or treating boy. Boy says, "Trick or treat! I'm dressed as your former stockbroker who fled to Cozumel."

Let's face it. Finances got scary last year. I still don't want to look at my 401k. Hopefully, most of the spooks have left Wall Street, but I'm not holding my breath.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Scapegoat Spooks

Comic of a boy and a ghost. The boy says, "You're welcomed to stay here. I could always use a scapeghost."

I've been on the Halloween kick. I think I just discovered a very useful occupation for spooks. Everyone could use a scapegoat, why not use a translucent specter for one?

I drew this cartoon in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Monster Mashed

Cartoon of a mom and boy. Child reacts to monstrous plate. He says, "Mom! My favorite! You made Monster Mashed Potatoes!"

This is what happens when I have "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett running through my mind. I better stock up on some more candy.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Mom of Fear

Webcomic of two boys. One has a mask. The other says, "That's nothing. When I want to get scared, I look at Mom's to-do list."

Since Halloween is coming up, I've been looking at things that bring me fear. And yes, to do lists are at the top of my fear list.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: Birthday cheer

Cartoon of two girls. One says, "Happy Birthday! You don't look a day over seven."

My sister has a birthday today. She looks a little older than seven, but still much younger than me. That's the way it should be. All is right in the world.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Trick or Treat Digital

Trick or Treat Digital, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Happy Halloween. I took yesterday's sketch and turned it into a digital image.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator.

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!, originally uploaded by speartoons.

The trick-or-treaters will be coming tomorrow. Are you ready? I thought of a clown as the main character because I've known a few friends who are not afraid of any characters... except clowns.

I drew this in my sketchbook with a mechanical pencil.

Illustration Friday: Superstition

Rumor has it that turkeys have a superstition about pumpkin pie. If they eat in on the dawn of All Saints Day, they will have good luck and avoid the fate of other Tom's on Thanksgiving. How do I know this? A little birdie told me.

An Angel's Halloween

I took this sketch out of my book and added some color in Photoshop. I'm ready to see the costumes tonight. Let's see what the creative moms dreamed up this year.

Toddler Trick or Treat

I did this illustration in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Here is the sketch page I took it from. I was wondering about some unusual Halloween scenes. The boy in the pumpkin costume came to mind because of the infant costumes you see now. I remember my nephew having one. The poor kid looked like a pumpkin had swallowed him. It's fun when the parents are still enjoying the holiday while the child is too young to have a clue what's going on.
I scanned the page then focused on the toddler. I did the finished brush work in Photoshop.

Next, I placed the Photoshop file in Illustrator and finished the color. I could have all been done in Photoshop, but it is so much easier using the color palettes in Illustrator.

Trick or Treat or Trunk N Treat

A few weeks ago, I drew an illustration for a church event. If you live near Anderson, Indiana, and you are looking for a safe place to trick-or-treat, our church will have a Trunk n Treat this Wednesday night. It will be at Madison Park Church of God.

This was one of those few times where I didn't start with a sketch in my book. When I thought of a trunk filled with candy, I wondered what it would look like if one had a giant jack -o- lantern.

I drew the original rough in Photoshop. I use a 8"X 6"Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet. Here was the first rough.I made this layers transparent and polished up the sketch.

Next, I hid the gray, rough layer and opened the finished drawing in Adobe Illustrator. I used Live Trace to convert the Photoshop file into an Illustrator Vector file. Then I used Live Paint to color the illustration.

Memorial Day and pancakes

I caught my wife making breakfast. She likes to show love on these holiday weekends by making a nice breakfast.

Illustration Friday: Remember

My kids love the time at the beach. My son has a bag of shells he collected from our last trip. They always bring back good memories.

Easter in Indiana

Caption reads: Macey tries out her Easter dress in the middle of a Midwestern, United States spring.

Yesterday, it was 77°f here (25°c). A cold front moved through. We have a chance of snow flurries among the cold, gusty winds. Sunday promises to have a high of only 43°f (6°c). I'm going to feel sorry for all the ladies and girls in Easter dresses! Hang on, there! spring is coming, it's just hidden right now.

Lint for Lent

Lent was one of those words that confused me as a kid. How many words to we play around with that leave kids puzzled? Church is certainly a big place for that. Keep it simple. Is it right to say happy Lent? It may be hard to do that if the thing you gave up was chocolate.

Beware the Ides of March

Happy justifiably paranoid Roman leader day!

Cartoons for Lent

I heard a kid the other day saying he was giving up bad language for Lent. First of all, it surprised me a kid was giving up bad language. Second, I didn't think giving up a bad habit was exactly in the spirit of the season. Oh well, what do I know?