Illustration Friday: Pattern

This is my second attempt at writing a comic strip. I have much to learn I know. It is a lot harder than it seems.

The Daily Doodle

Tengo una problema con dos gatos negros. I've got a problem with two black cats. If this problem isn't resolved magically overnight the two of them are going to spend some time in the slammer with the V-E-T. Luckily, only one of them knows how to spell, guess which one. These two trouble makers are in for it. I knew something was up when the big one starting getting a little too friendly. We'll see how long that lasts after our trip tomorrow. I've separated the two to see which one will talk first. The littlest one is alone in the restroom and he is singing like a canary which makes me think the fat one is the culprit. Either way I hope the Doc can offer me a solution on how to deal with these two tomorrow, because I'm at my wits end.

Illustration Friday: Infinite

An INFINITE supply of entertainment.

I don't know why these come out so gray.

The Daily Doodle

Today is the first day of Fall. It is typically my favorite season. Typically.

A Train, Dickens, and Crawdads

What do these three things have in common? Nothing really, but they do have to do with my evening in Cleveland. After work I met my mother, my sister Amanda and her two children Zack and Emily in the parking lot near the Cleveland Browns Stadium. There we boarded a train that hosted a traveling exhibit. Disney has been touring the United States promoting their new movie A Christmas Carol and the train made a stop in Cleveland for two days. Guests could walk through the train and view Charles Dickens' quill pen, personal papers, manuscripts, and collections of his works while high definition televisions played a loop of behind the scene images and interviews from the film. One car had a replica of the kind of suits actors wore during filming and cameras perched on aluminum bars at various angles to capture their movements. There were interactive touch screens where patrons could have their picture taken and their faces morphed with the faces of the characters from the film. One car smelled of pipe tobacco another, gingerbread. The artwork on display was beautiful. I was amazed at all the detail and talent that went into these pieces of concept art, not like they would have a kindergarten art class do the set design or anything but you'd have to see it to appreciate it.

At the end of the tour we were welcomed to a private viewing of unreleased scenes from the movie. I really enjoyed watching the previews in 3d. It has been nearly 20 years since I saw a film in 3d and I have to say I still think it is pretty darn cool. I couldn't tell if the kids were impressed though. I think the movie will be fun and entertaining as a very expensive cartoon. I really appreciate this type of promotion for a film. It was interactive and free!

After the previews we bid our farewells and I went to get something to eat. I stopped at Fat Fish Blue for some crayfish. I decided on their sampler, a cup of jambalaya, a cup of gumbo, a cup of red beans and rice and some crayfish (you suck da heads). I wasn't keen on the jambalaya. It was too oily and sweet from the tomatoes. The red beans and rice were a surprise, but not one I liked, although I hear from the barkeep the current members of Three Dog Night found the dish very pleasing. The initial bite was sweet and then a wallop of spice came in with a sucker punch. I did, however, enjoy their gumbo and I hear Paul Mooney loves the collard greens. I thought about ordering them as a side but after the sampler I was too full.

Not bad for a Thursday evening in September.

The Daily Doodle

Illustration Friday: Welcome

I hope you can enlarge this if you click on it (you can). I took some liberties with this week's topic and this comic strip. It is my first strip, I believe, ever. The edges were cut off by my printer, but it doesn't take away from this highly entertaining storyline. I call it, Inspired by True Events. Enjoy. Oh, and if there are any professional cartoonists or people who love comic strips I'd love to hear your opinion on my first try at this genre.

It Seams to Me

Saturday was the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Regional Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Cleveland. The night before the conference I slept three hours. In the morning I; woke up, took a shower, grabbed coffee, ironed the clothes I had picked out at one in the morning the night before and headed out the door. I had decided to wear my favorite black pants, a pair of Dockers made with a material that doesn't require ironing but breathes with an elastic waistband that has been with me through thick and thin. I've had these pants since I was a bartender/server at a restaurant in Little Italy, in Cleveland, Ohio five years ago. I typically get a sudden surge of creativity or a mad desire to oil paint whenever I wear these pants, so it only seemed fitting that they would be the pants I'd wear to a conference pertaining to writing and illustration.

When I arrived at the conference I immediately marked my territory on the illustrators' table to display my easel and illustrations. I felt more confident than I did the year before thanks to a stronger portfolio and by having postcards to present that my mother in-law, Dolli, had made for me. Then, I sat down at a table in front of the stage where the speakers would give their presentations. I drank coffee and ate a light breakfast while I chit-chatted with an elderly woman to my left and a male illustrator to my right. We made light conversation and I excused myself frequently to check on my work and to get a feel for the crowd's reaction to my work. I sat back down at my table and waited patiently for the conference to begin.

As the first presenter began his speech I looked down at my crotch and noticed, to my absolute horror, that my underwear was showing through the giant split in my pants. Panic flooded my brain and I immediately began to rummage through the back logs of Mentos commercials stored somewhere deep in the library of pop culture commercials lodged in my cerebral cortex. Somehow, ripping my pants into short shorts didn't seem to be an acceptable option for me. Then, I remembered I had an overnight bag in the trunk of my car in case my wife and I ever stayed over somewhere and needed hygiene products or pajamas.

I quietly grabbed my jacket and held it in front of my nether regions nonchalantly exiting the room. I walked to my car trying to come up with options. What would my wife, who is an ex-wedding coordinator do? I have no time to buy a needle and thread, I don't have access to a stapler and I have no duct tape. Maybe I could buy a pair of pants off of a guest at the hotel I thought. Excuse me sir, can I buy or borrow a pair of your pants? You see, I'm here for this conference and if you'll just take a look at my crotch you can see that I've managed to split my pants... I couldn't see this as being my first option, but one that I wasn't afraid to try. When I opened the bag in my trunk all I saw was a pair of pajama bottoms. This won't work even if they are artists. This is unacceptable. As I looked some more I found a pair of nylon cargo pants. This would have to do. I changed in the mensroom away from the conference.

When I walked back into the conference room nobody seemed to have noticed my wardrobe change and I wasn't willing or ready to announce my dilemma to the crowd. I'll let them think I sharted and had to change my clothes, what choice do I have? I scanned the room hoping to find someone giving me a satisfying nod of approval for my coolness. I had become a freshmaker.

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11-4-08