A collection of doodles with a bit of commentary by RICK GREEN - your cartooning friend

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Potatoes On Parade

I really liked how this carica- ture turned out. This is a birthday present for Sharlyn's husband. He's an Idaho potato farmer. Is there any other kind. Oh yeah! There are sugar beet farmers too, but anyway... Sharlyn wanted me to illustrate hubby on a John Deere tractor harvesting potatoes. His real tractor is one of those big ones that has all the comfort of a Cadillac, but Sharlyn thought that putting him atop an older model would look better. I agreed.

I don't know where I got the idea, but the image of potatoes popping out of the ground and marching along with him seemed like a fun concept. Sharlyn liked it and so away I went.

The challenge for me on this particular drawing is that I couldn't find a photo on the internet taken of a tractor at just the right angle. I wanted the tractor to have a commanding, dominate position in the illustration. To do that I want the perspective on the lines of the machine to be at a dramatic angel. So, instead of taking the usual shortcut and tracing a picture, I had to draw this one out pretty much free hand. As I said, I really liked how this one turned out. The only thing I wish could be different is that I would have liked to have more room to draw a whole bunch of potatoes marching along behind him in formation.

I seem to be in a tractor mode of late, since this is the second one of late that I've been asked to illustrate. I've seem to have been drawing a lot of potatoes as well. I guess it was fate that the two themes should come together in one illustration eventually. (I'm so philosophical when it comes to my cartoon work.)

Check out Sharlyn's blog. There are some very nice quilts displayed there - another art form that impresses me.

10 comments:

Cynthia said...

That could have been for my husband also. Dave is a potato farmer from Idaho and is now a farmer wannabe in a big city. That is funny . . . two tractor pictures. I'll have to show this one to my husband too, he will like it. He loves all tractor things and all things Idaho.

roseys madhouse said...

you did a great job on the tractor, That is another great job

Laura ~Peach~ said...

LOVE IT as always! great concept but RICK!!! you have got to stop putting mr egg man in danger LOL!
I love tractors too so here goes another up in the ranks of my all time top 20 favorites LOL!
Happy sunday!
Hugs Laura

Coralyn said...

I agree with Laura, poor Eggy is in quite a spot again! As always, Rick, you did a great job. I am going to commission you very soon - I just need to decide the pics to show you! Be thinking (far down the line as I know you are a busy man and I'd be on a long waiting list!) of a 5th grade teacher theme - I do want my own personal children involved somehow though, too!

Anonymous said...

How fun!!! I love the bright colors! The potatoes are hilarious.

Karen Deborah said...

love this one!

Rachel said...

Love the potatoes. My son is crazy about the tractor. Great job drawing it from scratch! It looks perfect :o)

Thanks for your comment on my blog. Will see if my pediatrician wants to swap places for a few nights...!

By the way - small world. I knew your artwork from Dawn's blog, then you posted on mine, now it's full circle. Really enjoy seeing your artwork!

suzanne cabrera said...

Love the dancing potatoes!!!

Anonymous said...

I like the spuds popping out too!

Another goodie

AlaneM said...

That is hilarious! I love the worm with the question mark over his head, I noticed him in my quest for eggy.