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.

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

Illustration Friday-Wilderness

Illustration Friday-Wilderness, originally uploaded by speartoons.

This is my sketch for Illustration Friday. This week's word is ";wilderness" Whenever I think of wilderness, I envision the old Hanna Barbera, Yogi Bear cartoons. As a kid, I thought everyone was mean because they wouldn't feed the bears. This is how I would have liked those cartoons to turn out.

My idealism changed when we went on a vacation to the Smoky Mountains and I saw a bear charge a tourist. That settles it. It's not a good idea to feed the bears.

I drew this in Adobe Photoshop

Illustration Friday: Confined

Illustration Friday: Confined, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Illustration of a mom and two children looking at the snow from a window. There is nothing like a snow day to bring the joy to children and depression to parents.

Yes, my kids have a snow day today. And mom is home with the gang. I hope she is having a better day than the poor women in this illustration.

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

I drew this in Adobe Illustrator

Sketch: A Family Reunion

Chamberlain Family Reunion, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Sketch of a photo from the Anderson (Indiana) Herald-Bulletin. The article was about the Chamberlain Family Reunion on Christmas Day. The article is at http://www.heraldbulletin.com/archivesearch/local_story_359201717.html

The photo had the patriarch of the family holding twins that were his great-great niece and great-great nephew. It was a great choice for Illustration Friday's theme. This week's word was "pioneer." The gentleman had traveled to Anderson, Indiana from the south when he was young to look for work. He found it in the factories and soon his family followed.

The Anderson Herald-Bulletins owns the copyright to the photo I based this sketch on.

Cartoon: Literature in the tech world

Cartoon: Literature in the tech world, originally uploaded by speartoons.

Cartoon of a man staring at a compact disc. The caption reads, Bruce tries to combine the old with the new by curling up and reading a classic on CD-ROM.

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

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

Webcomic: The Law and PC Clones

Cartoon of a courtroom. Defense attorney says, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you must ask yourself if this PC could have committed thte crime, or could it have been a clone?”

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

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

I drew this comic in Adobe Illustrator CS2