Cartoons By Sketch

Whos to blame here?

2008-10-20T21:20:00.001-05:00

This happens WAY too much in our house....just ask my wife. "Guest towels....don't use the guest towels!!"

2008-10-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

This one is of my son and I..or was it my father and I, I cant remember, it doesn't change that much :)

2008-10-20T21:16:00.002-05:00

This also actually happen on a local Friday Night Fish Fry at our local tavern. It got drawn out on a napkin and completed in like 10 minutes. We printed one out for the bar and they put it up right next to the fish tank!!

2008-10-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

This just goes without saying in this neck of the woods!

Who's actually the genius here?

2008-10-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

This is a Shannon thing, this has actually happened.

The drug store.

2008-10-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

This even looks like our local pharmacist Matt.! I also redid this one outside the pharmacy for "dam days" our local town celebration.

What happened?

2008-10-20T21:08:00.002-05:00

Sorry it took so long to get back to this but, well, we moved. Long story short its for the better and now I can focus on my work. Bad news though, it took me a month to catch up on these toons so I'll just post 'em one at a time here. Thanks for your patience!

...S

The First Day of School

2008-09-01T15:23:00.003-05:00

With the cartoons done now out about a month in advance I thought I had pretty smooth sailing. It was then I realized that school was starting this week and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go back to my school years. I remember those days, praying school would never come, looking back on "where did the summer go?", and thinking to myself how "things couldn't get any worse than this."
I used to think while day dreaming in class, "I wonder what my Dad is doing right now, is he busy, he's probably having fun", or sometimes, is he thinking about me?" Now, years later, working from my home, old thoughts come back to me as I think about my son in his high school classes; "I wonder what he is doing right now, is he busy, he's probably having fun", and "is he thinking about me?"
It's funny how some things seem to come back the same :)
Happy Labor Day everyone! -S

Then and now...

2008-08-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid I used to love making forts in our basement out of blankets and furniture. Things have changed from so long ago, so now when we get kids over to the house, that seems to be there first question..."Do you have wireless?" It seems a natural mix between old school and new. -S

Another one right after the other?!?!?

2008-08-12T09:06:00.006-05:00

Well since I have gotten my computer back(see note from above), I have been able to get some of my normal workload done.

This is a cartoon for a guy that I ran into down at the local hardware store, we started talking and he asked if I could do a cartoon about "anything," which he then followed up by saying, "How about this key cutting machine?", it goes without saying that it is not my best but it does prove a point that EVERYTHING can be funny if looked at the right way.

Does anyone notice anything different about this cartoon over all the others? Its a subtle change but one I think I am going to stick with. Also, I have opened up the "commenting section" of this blog so feel free to leave your feedback here...cringe!

After computer week, the computer fought back!

2008-08-12T09:01:00.004-05:00

After updating webpages and making new banners and spending more than a couple hours on getting everything done, my computer system went down...it died!! This is what I get for depending on technology. Well, it could be worse...lol, both cars are still running!

This cartoon was actually my editors idea, and it took me forever how to fit this gag into a STV theme.

Let "computer week" begin.

2008-07-29T11:31:00.004-05:00

This week is "computer week," after the posting of this I will be going and updating the product/store link address, redoing the web page home, so that it is more friendly, as well as clearing out other "loose ends." Also, I will be up my old designs as well, "Friday Nights," things like that. It will be a good place to market some of my other designs & I think Shannon wants to get in on it too ;)

Weekly deposit

2008-07-22T12:27:00.004-05:00

Who knew that running this your own cartooning stuff could be this exhausting! Preping toons, for products, updating blogs, meanwhile managing newspaper files...and that doesn't even include the drawing aspect of it.

Would I change any of it...not one ounce of it.

This toon is already up in the store, email me feed back on what you all think. ...S

2008-07-18T23:07:00.003-05:00

There was a mix up at the paper last week. They work really hard and way into the wee hours of the morning and unless they stay focused things can sometimes get over looked. Which is the case for last weeks cartoon. They do their best, nobody can ask for anymore than that. So I decided to wait until THIS week to put up the cartoon, it will be up in the store momentarily. As long as we are the subject of the store also, I would like to say THANK YOU to all of you purchasing items and gifts, it means the world to us to have your support for our efforts.

Thank you!!!!

A report on the public library lesson.

2008-07-18T22:53:00.001-05:00

First of all I would like to say "thanks" to all the kids that came out to see us. We expected 5-10 and wound up having somewhere around 45!!! And thats not counting adults either!! 30 minutes into our lesson, I turned it over to the kids to draw their own bugs and what I got was a mob a the counter! They rushed up there to show us each one of their drawings, tell us their names, and in some cases tell me how much they liked to draw. I could not have asked for a better time. I am told a small article will be published in the SV Sun Argus so look for that.

To all my little Bug Artists......Thank You for drawing with me!!

Happy Early 4th of July!

2008-06-30T10:50:00.004-05:00

I decided to post this early so that it would get to everyone in time also I can see by the ONE vote...which is probably Shannon's, that I should start posting the cartoons up here too, if you can see it here it probably means that I have or will be posting it up at the store soon, http://www.cafepress.com/smalltownvalues

Have a safe 4th everyone!

Where have you been?!?!

2008-06-26T09:14:00.003-05:00

I was just going through debating weather I should put some ads up around here and I remember someone telling me to do my Blog on a regular basis...WHOOPS!
So much has happened in the last month! The cards seem to be taking off well we have signed on a few new business, Vino in the Valley, South Fork Cafe, and Best Press, which gives us a total of 15 stores that we are selling items in! Plus we have opened a online store (www.cafepress.com/smalltownvalues) where we are selling merchandise. It seems to be progressing nicely. I am still learning how that stuff operates.
In other news, I have been asked by the public library to come in and teach a class for the summer reading program. I will be teaching the kids how to draw bugs and things that tie in with the program.
Sorry for not posting more, I will do better from now on.

A quiet weekend

2008-05-12T05:36:00.003-05:00

Spent most of the weekend updating the web page. Added some new logo work, inserted the "Small town values" cartoons into single panel gags and finally got around to putting some fantastic background music by Brad Dunse into it all.

Also, am working on a series of cartoons for "Vino in the Valley" a local Vineyard. We will be heading out this week to collect and rearrange the Mother's Day cards as well from all the locations.

Saturdays Craft Show

2008-05-06T10:38:00.002-05:00

Ya know, we spent like three weeks getting ready for this show, preperations, printings, ordering stuff, and Saturday came FAST. This is the very first time that I have EVER done anything like this, I have never had to be face to face with my customers before, it was kinda cool.

We were set up in 20 minutes setting up, when others spent portions of the night before and that morning getting their both ready. Shannon did an excellent job of organizing the table, she had prepaired us right down to drinks and junkfood beforehand. At 9 o'clock things TOOK OFF! Most of the day was a blur and we did some of the best business in the room! Many commented of the newspaper article that we had framed to the left of the table, and many stopped to watch while I was drawing in the other corner of the table. My son Chip was also with us, so he got a UPCLOSE view to see that cartoons CAN sell. It was a great day, many of Shannon's family showed up and even some of our friends from church came too.

While I am trying NOT to be a "numbers" guy the end result was this... we managed to sell almost EIGHTY CARDS!!! Not bad for the first show of barely known products.

THANK YOU to ALL who came out to support us at the show!!!!

The day after the first monthly inventory.

2008-04-29T11:18:00.002-05:00

Inventory is when I go out from client to client, make additions, subtractions, and specialty cards (such as mother's day cards ;) ), take a count to see what missing and get ready to send out bills. Yesterday was our first one, and while very exciting it is EXHAUSTING! We went to 10 sites and it took almost SIX hours! And that is just the beginning. once home the removed stock needs to be rechecked back in (which we didn't have, so something has to be made). Then the over stock needs to be filed (AGAIN which has to be made!). A final report sheet for tallies (again....oh you get the idea!). And it all funnels down to a tracking of WHAT sold and WHERE it sold. Even though it is tiring, the closer you get to those numbers the more exciting it becomes, and while I have not gotten ALL the numbers in yet from all the sites a clear pattern is starting to show. I'll write later about which one did best later.

Yesterday also marks the first "photo shoot". I met with Paul from the Sun Argus at Stockman's and he took photos of one of the managers, Dustin and myself, with one of the boxes. The photo will appear with an article that he is publishing THIS WEEK in the Sun Argus & Woodville Leader. Shannon and I have read the draft and its great. The article goes all the way back to when I was a kid, through Disney and to where I am today. Though I am not sure exactly how much of it will appear, because space might be limited, we are excited to see what comes out. I will try to put it out on the web page, but I encourage all of you to go purchase this weeks edition, also everyone there after just to see what that "talented" new cartoonist is going to come up with! ;)

A busy weekend.

2008-04-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

Exciting news! By the end of this week the strip of "Small Town Values" will be included in the publications of the Spring Valley Argus & The Woodville Leader. A great big "thank you" to Paul Seeling, the editor of this paper for offering such a chance to us. Paul has written a GREAT article about me and my background and I will be adding it to the "Press" section of S.T.V. as well for all to read. The oopurtunity that has been offered here is a great chance and a wonderful starting point on the road to possible syndication. Gateway Publishing also offers other aspects for the future too which are not limited to; merchandising calenders, books, whatever. Both Shannon and I are very excited for this partnership