Johnnie P.

This is another example of some of the custom work that I do. This drawing is of my good friend, John Parker, and his wife. They live in Oklahoma and he is a worship pastor in the church there.

John is a unique individual. A funny guy and a great friend. I write that knowing that there is a good chance he'll see this post.

What do you think John? You finally made it to the big time! Does that give you happy feet?

Family Practice - Super-Dad 4

This is the final strip regarding the super-dad theme. The idea for this particular stip would be for a Sunday addition - thus the larger size. Again, I sent my concept to as many different cartoon syndicates as I could find. But, alas, there were no takers. What do you think? (But, please don't saying anything if you don't like it. I couldn't stand any more rejection.)

Family Practice - Super-Dad 3

Another installment of my Family Practice strip. Read the two previous Family Practice postings before reading this one if you haven't yet.

Eti

The power of the inter-net. This is a photo and the drawing I did of my friend, Eti. We've never met face to face. She lives in Florida, but our mutual interest in Webshots got us connected.

Eti commissioned me to create this drawing of her, and later one of her husband, Phil. I am proud of the way it turned out. Eti gave me a challenge; wanting a drawing of her with ALL her cats and dog, taking a picture with her particular camera, of this particular kind of flower. (Could you have been a little more specific Eti?) I think Eti will tell you that she liked the way it turned out - at least that's what she told me. What do you think?

There are a few unique details that the casual observer will not catch. So, look closely. (Click on the illustration to zoon in.)

You need to check out Eti's web-sight. She's a fantastic photographer. Go to www.etiswinford.com and enjoy.

Family Practice - Super-Dad 2

The followup stip. I like this one. I guess I like them all - what can I say? I created them.

What do you think?

Family Practice - Super-Dad 1

When it comes to boyfriends, I think that I have been a very kind dad. I've always tried to treat my daughters romatic interest with kindness. But, there were times when I really would have enjoyed embarshing my girls in front of them. Leroy, my cartoon father, has no such problems putting his oldest daughter, Dee, on the spot.

Getting Air

This is another attempt to draw something that I thought that a person mightt purchase as a gift for somebody.

There is a lot of "Four Wheeling" near where I live. Up the coast there are many places where a person can ride on the dunes along the ocean. The sand dunes are very large and there are miles of them. It's something that I haven't had to chance to do yet. Maybe, someday, someone will invite me to come along - any takers?

Again, you see a kind of "nature gets even" theme in one of my drawings. People are going to start thinking that I am ecologically sensitive. Maybe I am!

What do you think?

Family Practice - No Drool

A lot of people seem to like this one. I don't actually drool when I sleep, but do I, would I, ever pretend to sleep to get out of household chores? Naah. Never!

Lumberjack - The Sequel

On March 2nd I posted the illustration shown below. As I said then, the drawing was not quite what the friend, who requested it, had in mind. Since I aim to please... the above illustration is my second attempt.

He was apparently happy with this one - at least, that what he said. I went ahead and sent him a copy of the first attempt just so he could show his friends both drawings.

Which one do you like the best?

Family Practice - Get That One Raised

My mother-in-law has said this very line about me to my wife more times than I can remember. I think it's a complement. What do you think?

The Mighty Bruins

Our local high school mascot is the Bruins. I drew this back in '05 hoping to sell it to the family of a football player. No one was buying. The biggest mistake I made was to put the year on the uniform of the bear - thus making the cartoon applicable for that season alone. Oh well, it's a popular drawing to the kids I show it to. Can you find the egg-man?

BHHS, yes! Go Bruins!!!

Family Practice - Out of Gas

Time for another panel in the Family Practice series. If memory serves, except for the gold fish's comment, this series was plucked from a very similar conversation my wife and I had.

Have you been there?

Gabriel

This is another drawing that evolved as I drew it. I wasn't sure what I would come up with - drawing it while on a flight for our recent trip to Oklahoma. I just wanted to fill the page. Some where a long the way this runner turned into an angel and somewhere along the way I put a horn in his hand. So it was, Gabriel, the angel that blows the trumpet to announce Christ's coming.

I kept the flight attendant entertained while she went back and forth serving the refreshments. She said enough nice things about my drawing skills that I ended up drawing one of her pushing her cart. She seem appreciative. That was not the first time I gave a cartoon to a flight attendant. On one particular flight to Arizona, a flight attendant offered me a free drink when I gave her a cartoon. I took her up on it - Dr. Pepper of course. What did you think?

And what do you think of my version of Gabriel?

Invitation

This is a drawing that I've gotten a lot more mileage out of - more than I first thought I would. This was one of those times that I just started drawing without any real story in mind. I've been able to use it for a number of different things - including my personal photo for my Webshots.com profile.

I use to own a jacket like the main character. I looked really good in it. What do you think?

Family Practice - Blow You Away

The final panel in a series of three. Be sure to read the two previous strips before reading this one.

Again, I've lived this man's life, and I must add, my wife has lived hers.

What do you think?

Family Practice - I Hate Democracy 2

This is the follow up to the cartoon below. Read that one first. (Remember to click on the image to zoom in on the cartoon.)

Family Practice - I Hate Democracy 1

Anyone who lives in a house dominated by women folk knows the pain of trying to choose a video at the video store.

I think this is funny. What do you think?

P.S. Remember to click on the artwork to view a larger size!!!

Elk Hunt - Gun

Back in January I upload the bow and arrow version of this drawing. I drew this one back in 2005. It is another popular piece for those who enjoy elk hunting.

Many of my drawings have a "nature gets even" theme to them. This is no exception. I've drawn this concept before, only you could see the hunter's feet dangling over a cliff. This particular drawing grew too big to fit that part in.

Drawing the antlers and making them look as if they match has always been a particular challenge for me. Once I get them down I don't want to erase them and start all over. That's why I left the hunter's feet off frame.

I think I like the bow and arrow one (posted on January 19, 2007) better. What do you think?

Family Practice - Hair Spritz 2

Blogger hasn't been working for me lately - couldn't get it to upload my artwork. Finally, it worked.

Here is the follow up cartoon for the previous Family Practice strip. Blogger says that they will accept BMP files, but they're lying. BMP files don't work-at least not for me they don't. Stupid Blogger.

Remember to click on the artwork to make it bigger.

What do you think?

Family Practice - Hair Spitz

This strip is derived out of a true life experience. My wife sent me to Wal-Mart to purchase some hair spritz, and it had to be the right brand with the right kind of "hold." It took me FOREVER to find just the right one. I earned my husbandly brownie points that day.

P.S. A couple of people have told me they can't read the text. Just click on the photo and "POOF!!", it will grow larger before you eyes. Just like magic!!

What do you think?

Family Practice - Arachnid Situation

This is the second strip in my Family Practice series. I wasn't quite as happy with this one. I felt that the punch line, "get back to the rock pile," was a bit vague - especially for the younger generatioin, who I think don't understand what it means.

Oh well, the rest get better. Now back to the rock pile.

What do you think?

Attack of the Lumberjack

I drew this for a friend. It wasn't quite what he had in mind, so I'm going to try and take another stab at it.

I like this one. What do you think?

Family Practice - First Panel

I've decided to add something a little different to my cartoon blog. While I still have plenty of color cartoons yet to share, I thought I would start to show my one, and only, attempt at creating a cartoon strip.

A couple of years ago, I attempted to create a strip that I called "Family Practice." The premise of the strip was a family where the father felt isolated in a household of women - wife, three daughters, and a mother-in-law. It certainly was a bit autobiographical, but not entirely based on my own home situation. Still, my life has been a treasure-trove of comedic material.

This is the first of several panels that I created. I'll try to add others as time goes by.

I did try to get a commercial syndicate to purchase my strip, but, alas, no one was interested. The biggest difference between my cartoons and the ones you normally see in the paper is that mine are actually funny. Maybe someone will see this blog and buy it up.

What do you think?

Ben-O-Mite

This is a drawing of my oldest daughter's boyfriend, Ben. He came out to Oregon to visit us just after Christmas. The young man sent a Christmas present with my daughter, Tarah, for me to open on Christmas Day, and I had nothing in hand to give him when he arrived.

I like Ben. He's a nice guy. He's my go-to-guy when it comes to sports information. So, I had to give him something. This is what I came up with.

Thanks again for the OU gear, Ben.

The nickname, "Ben-O-Mite" derived from the fact that my #2 daughter is dating a guy named Ben as well. It can be very confusing at times trying to figure out which Ben we're talking about. I nicknamed that Ben, "Benigan," since he was the second one to come along. I came up with "Ben-O-Mite, because this Ben is such a tough guy - trying to be a fireman, and the testing they have to endure is fairly rigorous. When he told us about all he had to do and how well he did, something akin to "dynamite" popped into my head.

So here's Ben. He's both an OU Sooners fan, and a Duke Blue Devil fan - thus the mascots included in the drawing.

What do you think?

Wake Up Call

Here is a drawing that many people like and seem to identify with. I keep thinking that someday I need to draw a female version. I've drawn many of these cartoons with the idea that people would purchase them as gifts for someone, but I don't think anyone has purchased this one so far. I might have had more success if I had drawn a female instead.

The teddy bear was a last minute addition. The egg-man is pretty easy to spot in this drawing. Hint: Look out the window. That's all I'm going to say.

Did you find him?

What do you think?

My Daughters - Holy Ghost Riders

Here is the photo that I wrote about earlier. These are my three girls again posing in the t-shirts that I gave them for Christmas. This was taken on Christmas Eve of '06.

A few years ago I began a tradition of giving the girls a present that was specifically from me. In the past the gifts have had something to do with sleeping... i.e. pajamas with feet one year, satin pillow cases, blankets, etc. etc. I guess this year it was for a shirt to sleep in. They seemed to like the shirts, so I guess I did alright.

Our youngest, the dark haired one, had figured out what I was getting them. She saw a note on my desk which told her what the gift was. I guess I'll have to do a better job of clearing off my desk top next year.

But now there are a few of us around town who proudly call themselves, "The Holy Ghost Riders." The only requirement for membership is a t-shirt. You don't even have to own a bike - you just have to want to own one.

What do you think?

Couch Potato

While spending time at my daughter's apartment in Oklahoma I laid on her couch a bit more than I should with the remote in my hand. I think I began to look a lot like this cartoon.

I drew it while I was in Oklahoma - finished it at home here in Oregon.

What do you think?

Holy Ghost Rider

This is a drawing that I'm fairly proud of. The inspiration came when my friend, Kevin, and I went to see Superman Returns. There we saw the trailer for Ghost Rider. On the way home we were talking about the trailer and came up with the idea of calling our little group of motorcycle riding buddies, The Holy Ghost Riders. The term, Holy Ghost, comes out of the old King James version of the Bible, where God's Holy Spirit is referred to as the Holy Ghost.

When an idea really intrigues me I really enjoy getting it down on paper, and this idea did that for me. I quickly got to work on a concept and this is the results. Fire is often used in the Bible as symbolic of God's power and it is in the Book of Acts where the Holy Spirit comes to the new church - one of the sign of which is a tongue of fire above the head of each Christian.

After getting the design done, Kevin and I got a few shirts printed up and sold them to a few people that were interested. The shirts were well liked. I gave one to each of my three daughters for Christmas. I'll have to post the photo I took of them wearing their shirts sometime.

Tonight, a group of us road 26 miles south, to Crescent City, CA to see Ghost Rider on its opening night. The ride was dark and foggy - a thrilling experience. I thought the movie was weak in some areas. The plot was thin. The acting was poor, but the special effects were great. The ride down there was more of a thrill.

Anyway, what do you think of the drawing?

First Bite

This particular drawing seems to be very popular with people - especially in an area where there is a lot of fishing. Once again, I followed the "nature gets even" theme, and came up with this idea. I've actually drawn a few different variations on this theme - maybe I'll post some latter.

What do you think?

Join Our Little Party

Today is my 50th birthday! But I'm not sweating it. I've been telling people so long that I am nearly 50 I've grown accustom to the idea.I've had a little bit of teasing - not much, but I told everyone to bring it on. I don't care.

Given it's a party dayt, I thought this piece was appropriate. When I did this one I drew it with no real idea of what I was going to draw. I was just doodling. This is the outcome.

I use this for my profile photo for my photo page in Webshots. I figure, better than my face. The sport coat on the main character remains me of a smilar jacket that I often wore to church while in High School. It didn't have pink lines - I think they were gold - but the rest looks pretty much the same.

What do you think?

For The Record

Some have suggested that my comments about the January 31st cartoon said that I used my daughter, Andrea, as the model for the "beauty queen" in the drawing. For the record, I did not. I did say that she inspired the drawing because of her election to the Valentine court at her school. There is a connection in the hair color.

This photo shows all three of my beautiful daughters. From left to right: Tarah, the oldest, Marla, the youngest, and Andrea, my middle daughter.

What do you think?