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: Snowman Disaster

Cartoon of  girl and snowman. Girl says, “So maybe the hot tub was a bad idea.”

There's lots of snow here this week. Snow people have been sprouting everywhere. There are certain things these new citizens should not enjoy. Hot tubs are one of many potential hazards for the common snow individual. Be sure to warn them.

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.

Web comic: complaint Department

Cartoon of man at complaint Booth. He says, “You’re supposed to be resolving complaints, not giving them.”

It's so easy to give complaints, isn't it? It seems easier in the cold, dark days of January. I drew this cartoon to bring my attitude up a bit. One always needs to remember to give themselves a good attitude adjustment. We wouldn't want a bad one to start multiplying like a flu virus.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Webcomic: Flabby Warranty

Comic of two men walking. An older man says, “I once had a fit body like yours. Then my warranty expired.”

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

I took up jogging a few years ago when my father-in-law said, "Looks like you're getting a little poofy. Are you retaining water? I'm so glad he did that. Since then, I've retained my enthusiasm for fitness.

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

Webcomic: The Family Blog

Cartoon of a boy at a computer. Boy says to Mom, "I'm writing a blog. Does your family or Dad's have the most sordid details?"

There are no sordid details in my blog... at least none I'm aware of. It seems safe to talk about yourself as opposed to loved ones. If that doesn't work, make a cartoon out of them and distort the details enough so no one recognizes themselves.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon: Act your Age

Cartoon of a grandfather and grandson. The grandfather says, "Anyone who tells you to act your age is a boogerhead!"

Advice can be quite subjective. I have often wondered if I've given the correct advice to my kids. What is the correct advice anyway? Yelling "Boogerhead!" and running away rarely works. How would I know? Don't ask.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Comic: Carnivore Cruise

Cartoon of an alligator and Noah. The caption says, "Despite Al's friendly manner, Noah turned down his request to room with the sheep."

Whenever I heard about Noah's Ark, I often wondered how much work it would have taken to keep the carnivores and the livestock separated. It would be mighty hard to keep the fox from the hens if they're shared a table and lounge chairs on the lido deck.

Cartoon: Wipe the Slate Clean

Cartoon of a boy and teacher. The boy says, "It's hard to wipe the slate clean when you use a permanent marker."

I've often heard people say, "I'll forgive, but you better believe I won't forget." It is a difficult thing to do, isn't it. If I've slighted you, I hope you've forgotten about it. It wasn't on purpose... honest!

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3.

Cartoon: Infinite ways

Cartoon of two boys walking. One says, "Today at school, I discovered there are an infinite number of ways to annoy a girl."

Yes, there are an infinite number of ways to annoy people, I'm going to try and find the infinite number of ways to be a blessing today.

This also works for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "infinite."

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2

Cartoon in "Church Laughs" Newsletter

The Church Laughs newsletter at Christianity Today just featured my cartoon for this week.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/lyris/churchlaughs/archives/08-25-2009.html

Anybody need a chocolate on their pillow?

Illustration Friday: Craving

Cartoon: son to dad, "Well school is out for the summer! I don't know about you, but I'm craving some adventure!"

I'm guessing there are many kids craving adventure this month. Here's to hoping they have an exciting, and safe summer.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Spear Cartoon 3207

Cartoon of a man in his back yard. The neighbor's dog is raising a fit. The man says, "Love your neighbor and put-up with his pooch."

Love towards one's neighbors can be a challenge, especially when he isn't a model citizen. Sometimes, the neighbor can be all right, but his dog may act like an obedience school drop-out.

To all my neighbors, I hope my dog has not been acting like Cujo lately. I promise I will try to be a model citizen. If I fall short a few times, please forgive me. I'll show a little mercy too. Let's face it, we all need that from time to time.

This was a cartoon I drew seven years ago. I updated it and posted it the new version to my website at www.kevinspear.com.

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator CS2.

Spear-Cartoon_3487

Spear-Cartoon_3487, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of boy to Easter Rabbit, "Do you count all your chickens before they hatch?"

Someone at work commented how strange it is that the Easter Bunny hops around with Easter eggs. They said, "Why not an Easter chicken?" Why indeed.

This led me to think about what the Easter Bunny does with all those eggs. Does he count them? Does he keep track of all of his loot? and what if he counts inaccurately or too soon? If it can happen to Wall Street, it can happen to Peter Cottontail.

I've always thought it creepy to see a six foot tall rabbit in shopping malls. Bizarre sights deserve a bizarre question. The public demands to know, Easter Bunny!

I drew this in Adobe Photoshop CS2

Spear Cartoon_3486

Spear_3486, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon: Boy says to girl, "If God loves a cheerful giver, why are you supposed to give 'til it hurts?"

We always get conflicting messages in this world, don't we? To be fair, though, "Give 'til it hurts' is not found in the Bible.

However, the Apostle Paul did write, "God loves a cheerful giver." in 2 Corinthians 9:7.

I thought of this idea while thinking about today's financial climate. Giving is down in some areas because the economy is so shaky. But sometimes the cure for financial uncertainty is to just give and don't worry about tomorrow.

Today, I'm going to find some ways to give. How about you?

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

Diving Goldfish

My daughter is at camp this week, so I dashed off a little postcard for her. I never know if mail from home helps or just makes them homesick. I try to make them as silly as possible. For kids, you can't go wrong with animal humor.

I'm hoping when she's not in the pool, she is staying dry. We had some rain this morning. The goldfish didn't seem to mind it, though.

Illustration Friday: Green

Caption reads: “Maybe I should have dyed the Easter eggs a different color.”

As cold as things are in Indiana, I'm wondering if Easter eggs wouldn't show up if we just stuck to white? I wasn't this cold as Christmas time. I've heard of a three dog night. This is a cat-in-the-lap sort of day. Across the country, this will be the first season of Easter egg hunts that will involve mittens, snowmen and hot chocolate.

Enjoy!

Ties and floppy hats

Caption reads: “It’s only fair. If boys have to wear ties on Easter, girls have to wear the floppy hats.”

So much of Easter centers around clothes. There's "Sunday best" and then there's "Easter's best." Floppy hats at Easter are the equivalent to ties. Neither have much of a use except to dress up that already new and flashy outfit.

Word of advice to the guys: don't take a hat to church, especially if it's a baseball cap. The ladies get offended when you are upstaging them.

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.