Illustration Friday: Adrift

Illustration Friday: Adrift, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of cat and dog on and iceberg. Dog says, “On the bright side, at least the snow has melted.”

When this week's word, "adrift," came up for Illustration Friday, I thought of all the snow in my backyard and my poor pets. They have had a hard time with the snow. And Indiana hasn't gotten the kind of snow that has assaulted the east coast. We've had only a small taste of Snowmageddon.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Comic: Cat Backpack

Cartoon of a boy with a cat on his back. Boy says, "I grabbed him in the dark. I thought he was my backpack."

Cases of mistaken identity can happen all the time when it's dark and the middle of winter. I just checked and I am happy to say I wore the same color socks today.

If you ever catch me with a weird combination of socks or a cat on my back, I'll just say it is a fashion statement. I would advise you to do the same.

I drew this in Adobe Photoshop.

illustration Friday-Focused

Here is my digital illustration for this week's topic on Illustration Friday. This week's word is "focused."

When they announced the word, I immediately thought of a camera. After all, I've been having all sorts of fun with a point and shoot camera. But the thought soon left me, so obviously, that didn't have much of an impact on me. If I didn't care all that much, I didn't expect anyone else to care either.

When I went back to the sketch, the word, "cheese" stood out. Why do we say cheese when we pose for a camera anyway? Wait, a minute... cheese? What animal is the most focused? I thought of my cat. That critter can get focused on anything that moves. Cats... cheese... mice.... I wondered what connection could be there.

Here were the sketches I made as I was thinking and doodling. As I was thinking of a mouse, I thought how focused one feels if they get the feeling they are being watched. 

I took my illustration into Adobe Illustrator. I started drawing the mouse.   

I begin drawing by using the pen tool. It takes a little while to get used to, but you can't beat the accuracy and the flexibility once you master it. The pen tool allows you to draw with a mouse or a digital tablet equally well. When I finished the drawing, I took it into Live Paint, eliminated the unneeded strokes and started filling in areas with color.

Next, I began drawing the cat. I put each character on a different layer so I could move them around and apply different effects to each.

I put the eyes and whiskers of the cat on different layers to I could apply a glow to the eyes, and a faded effect for the whiskers. Next, I added a layer of dark color just above the cat layer. This helped everything pop a little more and give a little mystery to the cat.

I drew this all in Adobe Illustrator.

Webcomic: Panting for School

Cartoon of two boys. One says, "If a dog goes around with his tongue hanging out, it's okay. But if I do it, I get sent to the school counselor."

There are so many things our pets do we think is cute. But if a person did the same thing, trouble would be brewing. Be sure you do your panting at home. It's safe that way.

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Comic: Reboot button

Cartoon of kids and a dog. Boy says, “He won’t do any tricks. Where’s the reboot button?

I found the reboot technique for our dog. It's called a treat. Our puppy changes her behavior immediately if she hears the crinkle of a treat bag. It works for husbands too.

I drew this webcomic in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Bonfire with Friends

Cartoon of two mice at a bonfire and a cat. A mouse says, "Nothing like a bonfire with friends, is there?"

The thing I like about bonfires in autumn is the mysterious, spooky feeling. I can see what's going on around the bonfire, but what's lurking out there beyond the warm glow? Only The Shadow knows. Wait! That's "What evil lurks within the hearts of men." Sounds like Halloween to me.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: Pointy Homework

Cartoon of a boy with a test and a dog. Boy says, "For a pointer, you're pretty lousy at pointing out homework answers."

I never used our dog to do my homework. She was a collie and whenever I'd ask a question, she'd just nip at my heels.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: A Strong Dog

Cartoon of boy with pets. Boy says to dog, "Look at it this way. It takes a strong dog to admit the cat rules the house."

No doubt about it. In our house, the cat rules the roost. The only exception is when our dog is able to ambush the cat. Corners are very good for that.

I also drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "strong."

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: Bring your papers

Cartoon of dog in airport. Guard says, “I’m sorry, sir! But even if you are a mongrel, I must see your papers.”

This is a classic cartoon I did back in 1996 for the sixth edition of the "New Rider's Internet Yellow Pages."

Security is much more advanced (hopefully) since I penned this cartoon. At least the equipment looks more like something out of Star Trek. I wish they worked like the transporter instead of just beeping angrily at me when I leave my cell phone on my person!

New Rider's Publishing and me own the copyright to this image. Please do not use without permission.

A Dog's Birthday Party

Cartoon of two dogs. One says, "If a dog year is equal to seven people years, we should be getting birthday parties every eight weeks."

This cartoon is copyrighted. I can provide a watermark free cartoon upon request.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator.

Cartoon: But he followed me home

Cartoon of Dad, son and raccoon. Dad is angry. Son says to Dad, "But he followed my home."

When I went to camp, there were a few critters I would have liked to take home. None of them were within the cabin. Those type of critters tried to come home with me on their own.

Instead of taking a raccoon home as a souvenir, I opted for the t-shirt instead. They were easier to wash.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2