Breast Cancer Boogie

Speaking of "boogie -ing" - here is a drawing inspired by my wife's cancer treatments. In May of 2005, she woke me up by saying, "I feel a lump in my breast." Soon, we would learn that she had cancer and what followed was a whirlwind of treatments for the disease. During that time, we learned more about cancer than we ever wanted to know. At the start, we had no idea what we would be facing.

This drawing may seem a bit strange, but what it is to me is an attempt to bring humor to an otherwise tragic situation, and a means by which others can appreciate what one has to go through to fight the disease.

Not everyone with breast cancer (men can get it too) has to go through all the steps illustrated in this cartoon. My wife's treatment was aggressive because there were two tumors and one of them was large - according to our doctors.

I sent a copy of this to the American Cancer Society, but never heard back from them. Maybe the last step in the drawing seemed too negative for them. I don't know why they didn't acknowledge it, but I would have liked to gotten some kind of reply.

What do you think?

Barnyard Boogie Again

This one is the other Barnyard Boogie drawings that I did for the Curry County Fair logo contest. As I stated in the earlier post, they wanted to used all three of my submissions. I never got to actually see this one in use.

It's about time for the contest to come around again. I remember reading about this year's theme. I don't remember what it is, but I do remembering thinking that it was pretty lame, (my apologies to the person who submitted the idea.)

I drew this one because I didn't think I liked the previous one, at first. After coloring that one in, I decided that perhaps I should go back and finish my first attempt. I liked it more after I had colored it in.

What do you think?

Elk Hunt - Bow Season

I drew this one a couple of years ago. I like the idea of nature getting even. It lends itself to some humorous ideas. I think if I drew this one again I probably would have made the background darker, but I wanted the subjects in the foreground to stand out.

What do you think?

Fat Hog

I finsihed this drawing last night. I tried to post a black and white version yesterday, but for some reason Blogger wouldn't let that particular file show up on my page. I have some "issues" with Blogger and it's reliability.

You may notice a motorcycle theme amongst my drawings. Yes, I do own a bike - a Harley, and that just since May. So, I have a growing interest in motorcycles and so I having fun depicting them in my cartoons. Maybe I'll try posting the B&W version later.

This is another drawing that, at first, I didn't think that I was going to like, but in time it grew on me. What do you think?

UPDATE: This cartoon has been sold to a company creating a website in ENGLAND! The web is amazing. When I get a link I'll try and post it so you can see my work in use. Thanks for the business John.

Caveman Hunt

I just wanted to draw something a little crazy and this drawing came out. I call it Caveman Hunt. I like to give my drawings titles with double meaning. The question is, "Who is hunting who?"

I have this drawing in a black & white version. Maybe I'll post it next so that you can look at the differences.

What do you think?

Oregonian VS Tourist

So often I have heard people in Oregon claim that they have webbed feet. It occurred to me that I had not every seen anyone draw that. I figured the concept was begging for an illustration.

After living on the Oregon Coast for five years, one not only gets use to the rains, but begins to look forward to them. That is, if it hasn't rained for some time. Last winter I was ready for a break.

Then there is the tourist that comes to Oregon, hoping for sunshine and gets only showers. This cartoon illustrates the different responses.

What do you think?

Sock Hop

I have a friend who really likes frogs because her last name is Hoppie. That motivated me to create a piece including frogs. I figured that frogs would feel quite at home at a sock hop. So, here is the results.

To draw this I went to Google Images and down loaded some picrues of frogs. This particular kind of frog caught my attentiion. The colorful socks came to mind because my daughter told me that kids like to show off their wild socks at sock hop dances.

What strikes me as particular funny in this drawing is the singer croaking into the microphone. What do you think?

Hot Game

This particular cartoon is one I was hired to do for a Christmas (2005) present for a friend. She needed something give to her brother. I created this piece from a photo of the him - I've never met the fellow. She told me he was a bowler - I guess somebody has to be.

I like how this drawing turned out. I like the stance of the gentleman. I like how the ball, with the frightened look on his face, turned out. I even like the coloring of the wooden floor. I thought that it came out well. What do you think?

I haven't shared yet that in each of my drawings you can find a tiny egg-man hidden somewhere in the picture. In this drawing he's a lot easier to find than in others. Do you see him?

If you would like a drawing done for a friend I am avaiblable for hire. E-mail me at green_rick@juno.com and we'll see what we can work out.

Barnyard Boogie

I drew this for a contest conducted by the local country fair. They wanted a logo for their advertisements of the fair. Considering the theme of the fair, "Barnyard Boogie", I thought it was begging for a cartoon. I ended up sending in three drawings and they said that they wanted to use all of them. This is one of them.

I was suppose to win a free t-shirt and passes to the fair. I never saw the shirt and couldn't find the time to go to the fair. But my in-laws did get to attend the rodeo for free. So, that's something at least.

I'll probably try again this year. At least I get to see my work in print on the program cover - that is, if I were to win again.

What do you think?

Mama's Lava Sauce

I drew this one while my wife was having radiation therapy for her cancer. We were able to stay in a housing unit provided by the hospital in Coos Bay, OR while she was under going her treatments. I had a lot of time on my hands and this was the result of that extra time.

I wanted to draw something using fire and this is what came to mind. I thought the usual drawing would have fire coming out of the guy's mouth, so I changed it to portray a fellow burping it out of his ears. The parrot came because I tried to think of something that would be sitting at the right height to get hit by the flame.

Most of my cartoons are loaded on my computer by merely taking a digital photograph of the drawing. So the quality is not the best. I need to go back and scan them all into my computer.

What do you think?

Rooster Rock

Another one of my favorite drawings, and one that others seem to really enjoy, is my Rooster Rock cartoon. I drew one similar to this a few years ago. My wife ended up asking me if she could use that one as a gift for a friend that was moving away. In time, I decided to recreate it the piece.

I actually have two versions of this particular drawing. One where the leader singer is not wearing sunglasses, and then this one with the glasses - I decided that he needed the shades. Everyone I show them both to seem to agree.

Here it is for you viewing pleasure. What do you think?

Easy Rider

I drew this last night and finished it this morning.

Marla, my youngest, purchased a Harley book for me this Christmas ( it was quite the "Harley Christmas" for me this year) and in that book was a photo of a remake of the Captain America bike made famous in Peter Fonda's movie, "Easy Rider." I've been wanting to draw a monster on a motorcycle for some time and while looking for a good photograph to use in that book I decided that I would use the Captain America bike in the drawing.

At first I didn't like how it was turning out, but before long I began to think it was turning out OK. So, I really got into the piece and it began to come together well. I like the contrast between the smooth, slick and the gnarly old creature riding it. I thought that I might make the rider purple, instead of going with the obvious green, but again, contrast was important and green seemed to express that the best for me.

I hope you like it.

Tree Eater

Welcome to my blog - my first attempt at something like this - so it is a learning experience. I am looking for a place to post some of my cartoons. It is my goal to frequently add some of my creations so that you will be encouraged to check in often. Your feed back is always welcomed and will be enjoyed by me.

This first cartoon is one of my favorites. I live in the NW and the lumber industry is a big part of the culture here. Looking at this cartoon you might think that I am a "tree hugger." But that would be an inaccurate description of me. I am just a guy that enjoys illustrating ridiculous situations in cartoon. The reason I like this cartoon is simply because I think it turned out very well. I like the color, the faces, and the humor that it depicts.

What do you think?