Pumpkin Pickup Line

I wanted to get this out a day early, just in case you might like to use it where you hang out on the net. So... this is yet another "Copy & Share If You Dare" doodle. All I ask is that you give me a pumpkin-heads up if you are using it. I just like to know about these things. They're like children to me.

I colored this one in Photoshop. Do you like how I did the letters? I'm slowly learning!

I'll be at our church, helping out with the carnival, like I have for the past five years. The forecast is rain, and that means more people because parents will be looking for a dry place to take their kids.

So, have a safe and happy Hallowed Eve!

Also: Cathie posted this photo of the doodle I did of her husband, Jason, on her blog. It proudly hangs above his Lord of the Rings collection. I always enjoy seeing photos like these. I'm guessing that he really liked it because it hangs in what is apparently a very hallowed spot in their home. Seriously, I'm amazed that anyone would hang on of my doodles on one of their walls. I don't even hang any of them on MY walls. I guess that's strange isn't it?

Thanks for sharing Cathie. Is your husband dressing up like Gandalf the Gray, or Gandalf the White for Halloween this year? (I say go with Gray—much easier to clean up after.)

Pilot Program

Partner (not her real name) con- tacted me about doodling some art that she could use on her blog: Partner With a Pilot.

Partner's (remember, not her real name) anonymity was important and so she wasn't interested in a caricature. What she wanted was a cartoon which represented the life of someone in an relationship with a airline pilot. Apparently, there is a lot of down time in an accord like that.

As I have said in the past, drawings which involve machines of any kind are a challenge for me. Planes and such can be particularly difficult because it is easy to end up with something that looks like it is flying in two different directions. Plus, finding a photo to reference for the right angles and perspective on a jet like the one Partner (N.H.R.N.) described was not to be found. So, after doodling, and un-doodling, and then re-doodling, this is what I came up with.

Partner (remember...) liked it. That made me happy. She request a drawing which had a lot of orange in it to go along with the color scheme of her blog. That was easy to do. There were plenty of sunset pics on the web.

For this illustration I am very proud of the way the jet turned out, but I also find the work I did on the light reflecting off the water appealing. Don't ask me why. I just like it.

Thanks Partner (Remember, that's not your real name) for choosing me to express the dynamics of a relationship that one has while in partnership with a pilot. Does he bring home some of those little bags of airline pretzels for you to enjoy? You know, kind of as a way of saying, "I'm sorry that I was gone so long"?

Ya'll go ahead and check out her blog, and tell her what your real name really isn't.

In other news: Some of you were harassing me over the fact that I said I was only able to come up with one quirky thing about myself. Ginger is ready to write a "tell all" book about me. (I'm still praying for you Ginger.)

So, OK!!! already!! I thought of something else... I am in the habit of folding my ears when they get cold. Yes, I've done it most of my life. I do it because I like cold things - like cold hands. I love to squeeze a cold hand. So, long ago, I developed a way to fold over my ears because I like the way it feels when they get cold and I squeeze them tight.

THERE!!! Are you happy? Boy, am I ever going to regret clicking on "Publish Post" when this one is over.

"click"

Oh no! Did I really just publish that?

Halloween Humor

Here's a bit of Halloween humor that you might find useful. This one actually got published in our local town paper. I've got a few other doodles I could be posting, but just in case you wanted to "Copy & Share If You Dare" I wanted to be sure to get this to you before the big scare comes upon us.

In other news: Anna did one of those "Meme" challenges to me me on her her blog. I'm I'm never very good at these these things, but I I want to try to comply with the etiquette of the blogging world and respond. Besides that, Anna Anna became one of my my "Followers" not long ago, and I I find her her sense of humor interesting. She's she's the one sporting the mustache over to the right—an unusual profile pic, which prompted me me to scope out her her blog while doing a bit of surfing one day day.

(You you had enough of that that?)

The challenge is to either...

1. "List 7 weird or quirky things about me," or

2. "Post the 5th photo from my 5th album for the whole dang world to see."

The photo in question would be this one. It's not a particularly humorous pic. I think I might actually have posted it before. This is a view about 45 minutes up the coast from where I live—the base of Humbug Mt. It sits right on the Oregon coast. Very beautiful. Come and see it.

So, instead, maybe I can come up with seven things about me that you would find "humorous or quirky."

This is hard since I am such a vanilla kind of guy.

1. I still have in my possesion a stack of Spider-man comic books that I purchased way back when I was a nerdy teen. Nothing there that will make me rich, but someday I will transform it into part of a purchase for a new Harley.

2...
Two...
II...
Duo...
Dos...

Good grief! I can't think of anything. Oh well, I'm just too ordinary to play this game.

(Being a good blogger can be such a challenge sometimes.)

Maybe I'll have to get back to you on the other six. But, I recommend that you check out Anna's list on this post. Especially number four—very strange strange.

Baby Sitter

This is just another nonsense doodle. I don't know if you can find a place to use this one, but you're welcome to try - Copy & Share If You Dare. Erase the label and put another caption on it if you want. I don't care.

I've done a bit of baby sitting in my day. I had one family with four children that use to run me crazy. I made the mistake of introducing them to playing "monster." I was the monster and they'd run to the safety of the "base," or rather, the family room couch. Over and over again they wanted to play that game. To give myself a break, I always wanted to play a game you could call, "See if you can untie this knot." Alas, they usually could.

Poor children, who knows what nightmares they suffered after I left. But they kept on wanting me to come back, so I guess they weren't too traumatized.

Paying It Backwards

Have you seen this woman?

The authorities are interested in discovering the whereabouts of one, generous, Oklahoma suspect named Helen - a.k.a. "The Reddirt Woman!!!"

She is described as being a woman - a woman that is dirty, and the dirt she carries on her person has been described as being red.

She's been known to frequent vegetables gardens - more specifically: tomato vines and okra patches. Other know hang outs are any, and all O.U. Sooners souvenir shops.

Please watch out for this woman, and approached with extreme caution. This suspect has been known to carry farm utensils. She is well trained and can use them with deadly accuracy.

Other aliases include: Magenta Mud Matron, Fuchsia Filth Female, and Scarlet Soil Siren.

If you do happen to make contact with her, please don't tell her that her surprise gift mugshot has been posted on this blog, as she is probably not aware of it's display.

Also, certain unnamed sources have discovered this additional image of her buried deep within her own blog.

(Her Schnauzer are the subject to an ongoing investigation as well.)

Your help is needed in apprehending this woman. Comments may be made regarding this suspect's other possible aliases and/or hangouts.

But please!!!, use extreme caution when approaching this individual. Otherwise you might find produce placed in your mailbox.

Thank you. That is all.

A Very Crafty Tonya

You remember Tonya don't you? I certainly do. She is one of my repeat customers. First, I drew a caricature for her personal blog. That was a busy drawing.

And THEN... for her Mum's 60th B-day I doodled her and a whole slew (bunch of) relations. Another very busy drawing.

And THEN!... Tonya came back with yet another request for an illustration for the header of her crafting blog - Currently Crafting.

This was my first attempt, but there were a few things Tonya asked if I could change. One of which was the length of her hair. Fortunately I colored her shirt black and so I was able to give her the hair cut she requested.

Here is the new, shorter-haired Tonya who can currently found crafting at her blog, and a few other places around the internet.

At first I was going to illustrate her with a table full of crafting objects behind her, but I wasn't really happy with that idea. Then I came up with the idea of the "floating" crafting tools around the scarf. I thought it was a better concept for a blog header. Tonya said she liked it, and I believe her.

I think Tonya has set a personal record for me. I have characterized her face more than anybody else, except maybe myself, which I have doodled a number of times, but have rarely published. Every time I draw myself I think I end up looking too old. And you know us guys. We're kind of funny that way.

Drop in on Tonya's blogs. Make sure you use the proper accient when reading her stuff, because, while she lives in the U.S. of A., she'll originally from Australia. Don't they grow them young looking down there?

Thanks Tonya - you're a friend.

Blessings

I have many blessing in life. My wife. My children. My home. My halfway decent looks... to name just a few.

The friendships that I have made through this blog are some other blessings I am enjoying.

I love to draw. I consider my gifts in that area (such as they are) a blessing from God as well. I enjoy sharing that with you, and if you receive a blessing out of it, then I am blessed too.

It's another Copy & Share If You Dare doodle. Just bless me by dropping a note to tell me you're doin' it.

What more can I says, except... God bless you.

(Who sneezed?)

Justin - The Triple Threat

Justin knows piano. He knows guitar. And the big Justin knows accordion!! That's what I call being a big time triple threat!

Anyway, sometime back Justin introduced himself to me by visiting my blog. Smoozing me just a bit, Justin was very complementary of my art. Then he inquired about the possibility of me doing a caricature of him. We talked turkey, just a bit, and came to terms.

For his illustration Justin wanted me to be sure and include a grand pianie, the gee-tar, and his accordion (apparently named Erica - and why not?).

AND!!! Justin wanted me to illustrate him wearing a rainbow colored bow tie. Reportedly, his father is accustom to sporting bow ties. (No report on whether or not he owns a rainbow colored one.) So, I did just that.

(Apologies - I've just learned that Justin's dad does NOT wear bow ties. I'm sorry to have shared false information. I refer you to the comment made by Justin's mom, Deborah, in the comment section of this blog for the full and correct information on that front. But I promise you no ties of any kind were hurt in the creation of this post. Thank you.)

Putting his name at the top of the doodle was my idea. It only seemed right for the illustration.

Thanks Justin for trusting me to bring to your vision to reality. I'm proud to have it as the header of your blog. Thank you too for all your kind comments on mine. What else can I say, but you're cool!!!

The rest of you go check the big Ad-Just-er out! He's from Canada no less!

Christmas Is Coming

Here I go again, being a little cynical when it comes to my artistic expression regarding Christmas. But, the other day I was wondering what Santa's reaction would be if Christmas snuck up on him like it has the rest of us. I think maybe he has the same reaction we do.

Maybe I'm a little early with this doodle, but then maybe not. I've been seeing the Christmas displays in stores for a couple of weeks now. Plus I wanted to get this posted early enough for you to Copy & Share If You Dare on your own blog - that is, if you wanted to.

Someone said that I should have put "November" on the calendar, but I think "oh crap" begins now for Old St. Nick, and for me when I saw the displays out already.

("Oh Crap" is about as potty mouth as I generally get - especially with the prospects of my dear mother reading this post. Hi Mom! Love ya!!)

I doodled this out a number of weeks ago, and have been hanging on to it for a while - waiting for the right time to post it. I'm still not as educated on the Photoshop program as I should be. All the black lines on this doodle is my pen work. Then I colored it in on my computer. For those of you who know what I'm talking about... I still don't quite know how to work with layers. To color this one I just went in an filled all the little spots on his suit with red - instead of just coloring in a background. If you zoom in on the piece you see that there are HUNDREDS of little places that I had to zoom in and fill in. In fact, some are not all done, but I think it made the illustration look more interesting with just a few white specks showing through.

Well, a very early, very merry Christmas to you all. If you decide to use this doodle - you know the rules - drop me a note so that I came come and check things out.

Fish Ain't Bite'n

We're stilling cleaning up after the wedding. It just goes on, and on, and on...

This is another doodle I did for my friend, Teri, that works at the Pharmacy where I get my copies made.

I posted one earlier that I drew of her brother. This is her son. There was some kind of story about a pumpkin sprouting up in an old boat of his - thus the pumpkin in his mighty vessel.

I get a lot of opportunities to do fishing drawings where I live (here, and here for examples.) It's Salmon season and the port is full of boaters looking for a bite.

So You Wanted Pictures?

The rehearsal Friday evening.

The decorations for the reception.

My wife, other family members, and friends spent hours getting this room together. The whole church was very impressed with what we had accomplished in that room.

The cake

Wedding Wall

I painted this wall myself as a backdrop for the reception dinner - and to cover up a bunch of doors and stuff behind. I spent a lot of time putting it all together. I was kind of proud of the way it turned out.

The decorations in the sanctuary.

We had a metal pail with hydrangeas decoration theme going - thus all the hydrangeas drying out in our laundry room all summer. This was something that my daughter (the bride) dreamed up, and my wife, mother-in-law, youngest daughter, and a friend spent a long time putting together. I think that they were proud of the way things turned out.

A close up of the pew decorations

The video screen slide that my youngest daughter put together for display during the wedding ceremony.

I am proud of her computer artistic abilities. She's passed me up, and now I'm asking her questions about how to get stuff done. (Lot's of pride in these photos.)

Banner #1

Banner #2

My middle daughter's boyfriend put together these banners to cover up some bulletin boards in the church foyer. The photo of the hydrangeas was taken by my middle daughter this summer on our front porch in anticipation of getting these banners made. This was something she wanted to do for the big event.

The wedding party.

The flower girl - Alison.

Isn't she cute!?! My daughter had a close friend from college that died in a car accident named Alison. This Alison carried a Gurber Daisie, the favorite flower of the friend, in the wedding. The parents of Alison (the friend), came all the way from Michigan to attend the wedding.

The family - with the new SIL

The ladies bustling the dress before the reception - quite a task.

At the head table at the reception.

Cutting the cake.

Eating the cake.

Tossing the bridal bouquet.

Guess who caught it! My youngest daughter! I understand that her boyfriend ran and hid when he saw her catch it. He'd better! I'm not ready to even think about my youngest getting married.

First dance as husband and wife.

Dance with my daughter - the new Mrs. Warren.

A quick exit surrounded with the sparklers we bought back at the 4th of July. (The wife thinking ahead)

The Warrens

There you go! You wanted photos? Now you have them. But, seriously, thank you all for your kinds words, thoughts, and prayers for the big day. It all came together well, and I was very proud of my family and church friends, the way they all pitched in. You wouldn't believe the crew of people that stayed around to help tear down and clean up after the wedding. I was amazed.

Now life gets back to "normal" (whatever that is) for a while. I've been trying to get some doodling in all along. You should be seeing more very soon.

This is posted with love to my blogging family out there on the internet. Get away from the computer screen and go hug someone.

Now! put the butter on the bread, because this boy is toast!

Nupituals

My eldest daughter gets married today.

What does it mean to be married? This is what the Bible says that it means.

A "Copy & Share If You Dare" doodle. (Check the information in the right column for the complete details.)

Hot Breath

It's a very busy time for me. The whole family is together, including the man of the hour - my soon to be Son-In-Law. The ladies are sitting at the dinning room table putting favors together. I'm tired and the Mother of the Bride has her slave scheduled for a full day of wedding preparation fun tomorrow. (The nuptials are on Saturday. Y'all come!)

This is a doodle that I did some time ago and has been sitting around waiting for a chance to be posted. I call it "Hot Breath". (Creative, huh?)

Maybe you can find a reason to use it. So, you know the rules on my Copy & Share (Check the info. in the right column for full details) Be sure to click on the image to get the full, fun size.

Caroline Needs To Be Committed

I do my share of blog surfing around the net - it's one way that I've gotten the attention of a number of you. I've seen a wide variety of blogs focusing on number of different "themes". One of the subjects that I have seen are blogs dealing with weight loss.

(Ouch! - I don't like the subject - don't even like typing the words: "weight loss". Ouch again!)

But this is Caroline's chosen blog theme and she wanted me to create a doodle for a header on Caroline's Commitment. What was I going to say... "No"? I couldn't do that. After all, Caroline already had me create something to celebrate her parent's anniversary. So, despite my aversion to the... ummm, subject at hand, I acquiesced and went to doodling.

This was another carica- ture that went fairly easy. The lion tamer idea was something that I suggested. I'm glad that Caroline let me go with it, AND I'm looking forward to seeing the doodle at the top of her blog. Go ahead and check it out. Leave her a note of encouragement, because the last I read she needed a little motivation. (As if my doodle wasn't enough for that?)

Thanks Caroline for trusting me on a second go around. Good luck on the... the... weight loss thing. (OUCH!)

Yes Madison, There Is A Tooth Fairy, But...

The other day I was doing a little blog surfing and found a funny post by Jennifer regarding her daughter Madison. After reading it I began to have another doodle start brewing in my whittle brain.

Last night I woke up thinking wedding thoughts and couldn't get back to sleep. Soooo... in true cartoonist fashion, I began to scratch out this piece.

I fear that Jennifer might not want to show it to her daughter - kinda' creepy don't ya think?

Here's to you Madison and the entrepreneur spirit you display when dealing with the Tooth Fairy.

Another Copy & Share If You Dare doodle.

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Also, if you enjoyed the last post please check out Margaret's response to my comments. She did a good job tying things up a bit.

Thanks Margaret. You're very kind and very funny.

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Also, if you enjoy art, and the idea of winning a very nice print, check out Melanie's blog where she's giving away what I consider to be a very nice example of her work.

Re-Cricket Me

This was an illustration that I ended up having to redo. It's not a whole lot of fun for me when that happens, but I very much want my clients to be happy.

("Clients" - I sound like some kind of insurance salesman when I say that.)

Margaret wanted an illustration as a birthday gift for her son, Chris. Here he is. Hey!, looking at the photo, even I had to say that he's a good looking fellow. Wouldn't you ladies agree? The only problem is for most of you is that he lives in New Zealand!

(This is the second Chris I know from New Zealand.)

She wanted an illustration of him playing Cricket.

(You know... "Cricket"! Not the bug, but the love child of Baseball & Croquet - I think.)

When I finished, I e-mailed Margaret this caricature, and I got back one of those very polite... "Thank you. How do I pay you? Ummm, it doesn't quite look like him."

I hate that when that happens. I showed the drawing to my wife and she gave me a few suggestions. I tried to work with his face - as much as I can after already putting it down on paper, and mailed it back to her.

Then I got another photo of Chris from Margaret. Here's the second one she sent me...

Same guy? I think they're brothers. Still a good looking fellow, but definitely a different look in this photo.

(Now here's where I get up on my little caricature drawing soap box to tell you people... When you send me a photo of a loved one... A. Make sure that their hair style hasn't change, and B. Make sure that it actually looks like them. I've had people send me photos and say this doesn't look like them. Margaret didn't say that, but I'm assuming that the second photo is the more current version of Chris. No offense, I hope, Margaret. I just had to let that out.)

Anyway...

Here is the second piece that I put together for her.

I think she liked it. She thanked me, and paid me for it, but she never did actually say that this one looked like him.

What do YOU think?

"Bart" is his nickname. "Attack" is a Cricket term for a ball well hit. (I looked it up.) I don't understand the game, but there's a lot of things in this world that I don't understand - people mostly. But I draw them anyway.

Thank you Margaret for choosing me to celebrate Chris' birthday. I pray that the illustration made it there in time. (Today is the big day) And "cheerio" and all that from Oregon.

(Do they say "cheerio" in New Zealand?)

In other news: One week until the wedding of my eldest daughter. This is my youngest trying on her bride's maid dress. Ain't she purty?


Just get a shovel and start digging the grave now. I'm not going to be able to survive seeing all my girls dressed up for the big event.

Bug-Eyed Banjo

Hey there! I've got some carica- tures to upload but I need to do a little scan work before I do.

So here is another doodle I created while at that meeting last week.

I actually own a banjo. Do I play the banjo? No, but as I youth I had my aspirations.

My granddad left me his after he pass away. It's one of my treasured possessions. I have plans to pass it on to one of my grandchild someday - hopefully one that can actually play it. But, right now, we're working on the son-in-law thing.

The wedding is a week from tomorrow. I may be a little distracted next week - so much to get done.

And yes... PLEASE! Copy and Share If You Dare - if you can find an excuse to use it; maybe you're just a music lover - print it out for a coloring page for your child - give it to the school music teacher....