Old Sketches - 2002

Here's another batch of old sketchbook drawings, this time from November of 2002.

If you want to see more old sketches, check out these posts you might have missed:

September, 1988
May, 1992
July, 1996
December, 1999
September, 2006
June, 2007
June, 2008

November, 2009
September, 2010

Our Heroes begins

I've backburnered Zoo Laffs for the time being, to start a new weekly webcomic on Dumm Comics.  It's a PG-rated series about a superhero team.  Get ready for fun, adventure, and chortles, with ... Our Heroes!

I got a lot of help writing Our Heroes from my pal John Walker (who co-invented the Zoo Laffs universe with me).

I'm presenting the comics in pencil form for now, to enable me to put up more panels per week.  Maybe later, I'll ink and color it, or find some fellow artists who want to help pretty it up.

If you're a fan of Zoo Laffs, don't fret.  Although it's being set aside for now, I fully intend to do more Zoo Laffs stories in the future.  Especially continuing the adventures of Jakey & Sassafras, and Onion Puss & Holly.  But right now, here's a different thing for you!

To start reading the first Our Heroes story from the beginning, go to Gila Riseth - part 1.

More Caricatures

I've been doing more caricatures, at THE Club's 4th of July party; Altec's Family Fun Day; and Sidewalk's Saturday night After Party, at the Avondale Brewing Company.  Here are 12 of my favorites:

Onion Puss, #1

Onion Puss is now in print.  Add this to your collection!

Issue #1 collects all the Onion Puss strips so far, from my weekly webcomic Zoo Laffs.

Onion Puss is the most wretched little fella you ever saw, and he has terrible luck with girls.  Fun adventures!  In this issue: Onion Puss goes on a wild ghost chase with the elusive Priscilla, the vivacious Holly, and the long dead Elizabeth. (recommended for ages 13 & up ... give or take)

You might have read this online already, but if you buy the print comic, you get

• the wonderful TACTILE sensation of holding the comic in your HAND and turning the PAGES
• the satisfaction that comes with the feeling of OWNERSHIP, and the ability to actually HAVE these comics among the precious THINGS that you have gathered throughout your life
• the warm feeling that comes from ENCOURAGING an artist to keep MAKING stuff, not just for his own personal enjoyment, but for actual monetary RECOMPENSE

Only $2.99.  Order now!  (And while you're at it, you can still pick up Jakey the Jerk, #1, too.)

Mystery Animals

Here are some illustrations I did for a pal, for a secret project of his.  I can't tell you what it is!

Reacting to the Past - 2012

Here's an illustration I did recently for an educators' workshop at Central Michigan University. To offset the harsh realities of history, I decided to depict all the characters with pleasant looks on their faces.

The guy in the upper right is Professor Mark Carnes, in the role of Revolutionary War general and statesman John Morin Scott.  Also shown: Frederick Douglass, Berthe Morisot, Emperor Wanli, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, Emma Goldman, Socrates, Anne Hutchinson, and Jawaharlal Nehru.  As themselves.

Jakey the Jerk, #1

Jakey the Jerk is now in print.  Add this to your collection!

Issue #1 collects all the Jakey the Jerk strips so far from my weekly webcomic Zoo Laffs.

Jakey the Jerk is a little ram who has trouble with women.  Because he's a jerk.  In this issue: Jakey goes on a mountain hiking adventure with the beautiful and baffling folk singer, Sassafras Vallee.  Is she the girl for him?  (recommended for ages 13 & up ... give or take)

You might have read this online already, but if you buy the print comic, you get

• the wonderful TACTILE sensation of holding the comic in your HAND and turning the PAGES
• the satisfaction that comes with the feeling of OWNERSHIP, and the ability to actually HAVE these comics among the precious THINGS that you have gathered throughout your life
• the warm feeling that comes from ENCOURAGING an artist to keep MAKING stuff, not just for his own personal enjoyment, but for actual monetary RECOMPENSE

Only $2.99.  Order now!

APF caricatures

I did a bunch of caricatures over the weekend, at the Alabama Phoenix Festival. I drew them smaller than usual, and with more colors, and with some effort, as always, to continue to get cartoonier. What do you think of these?

This kid's name is Darby.

For some reason, on this one, I reverted to my drawn-big-and-monochromatic style.

 This is my cartoonist friend Chris Fason.

This is my cartoonist friend Tim Rocks. He gave me license to try and be as grotesque as possible. I'm sure I could have pushed it further, though. I'm still trying to improve. 

This is my cartoonist friend Tom Briscoe. I did a very bland version first, then later in the day tried again in an attempt to be cruel. Probably somewhere in between would have been good. 

Trying to be a little more creative with color here, but I've got a lot to learn in that department.

This is the beautiful baby of my cartoonist friend Kinch Raby, II. 

This fellow only had a dollar, so I said I'd do a little bitty version for that. I like it. Maybe I should make them all little bitty.

The Alabama Phoenix Festival

It's here!  Birmingham sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, & arts convention The Alabama Phoenix Festival is starting now and continues throughout the weekend.  Click that link for all the info.

A bunch of Salty 'Ham Cartooneestas will be there: Tom Briscoe, Chris Fason, Andy Gray, James Hislope, Kinch Raby, and me, Chris Garrison.  As well as a bunch of other artists who probably SHOULD be SHC's, but just haven't joined yet.

I'll be selling Jakey the Jerk #1, which collects all the Jakey stories so far from my webcomic Zoo Laffs, and I reckon I'll also do a few caricatures.  See you there!

More Party Caricatures

I've been doing more party caricatures!  It's a lot of fun.  What do you think of these?

Never put red around the eyes.  It's demonic.

She wasn't squinting when I drew her!

Loved these guys.

I'm still feeling like my caricature style is just okay.  I think if I would just study what some of my favorite caricaturists are doing, and employ some weird theories I've been hatching about the art form, and really practice to figure some things out, I might make a stylistic breakthrough.  I just need to take the time to do that stuff.