Walking Kelly

This is Kelly and her dog Benny. When Kelly contacted me about doing an illustration for her blog she presented an interesting challenge for me.

She wrote, "What I would like is a caricature of me trying to walk my dog, Benny, while trying to hold my shirt down over the back of my pants, and drink a Starbucks at the same time... with it spilled on the front of my shirt (because I am always spilling stuff on my shirt). Benny is our 11 month old Golden Retriever and he is a MESS!!! He has the straightest, whitest teeth we have ever seen on a dog. They are hilarious. I also have very straight , white teeth which makes it funny to some of our friends."

At first I wasn't sure how all those instructions were going to fit together, but, as I've said before, I aim to please. So here is what I came up with. I've got to admit, they both do have a nice set of chompers. Must come from good dental hygiene habits.
The bit about the shirt being held over the back of her pants comes from an interesting story from the first post on her blog. You can check that out and how she put my illustration to work over at Laughing Always Helps.

When you get there, you'll see that her blog guru added a house to the illustration. Normally we artist are kind of touchy about people adding to our work, but hey, it's just a cartoon - not the Monna Lisa. I actually think that the house adds to the drawing.

Also, you'll discover that Kelly and family are going through some difficult times. If you're a praying person, as I am, then offer up a prayer on their behalf and drop Kelly an encouraging bit of blog love.

A Growing Portfolio

The other evening I was drawing a caricature when I realized that I had made a big mistake on it by leaving something out. Unable to correct my mistake, I was too tired to start over. So, I decided to lay out on the floor all the copies of the various caricatures that I had done of late. I wanted to get a visual on how many illustrations that I've done.

I laid them out on our living room floor. I think there are two illustrations that are not included in this photo that I couldn't find. I don't know where they would be, but here is what it all looked like.



See any that your recognize? These are just the caricatures that I've done. A number of them are P.B. (Pre-Blog) and I've yet to post them here.

I have another large stack of the cartoons that I've done just for fun that is not shown here. Also, I have a list of orders for more that I continue to work on. So this photo will be out of date soon.

P.S. I've been tagged by a couple of people lately. I'm not very good at this game, so (once again) I'll not obey the rules - just put a link here for their blogs.

I've been tagged by...

One of my blogging friends Peach

A newer blogging friend Nekked Lizard Man

The Grand Prize

See what happens when you accept the invitation from some weird stranger that visits your blog and asking you to sign up for his little contest?

THIS kind of stuff happens!

"BB", over at Some Pink Flowers, was selected back in the first part of January to receive a free caricature drawn by me. (I was celebrating one year of blogging) After some thought, "BB" sent me a list of some of the things that she likes. She told me that likes to travel and so living out an "overstuffed roll-on suitcase" is routine for her. Also, she lives in sunny Florida and she likes her t-shirts and shorts.

"BB" also has a thing for multi-colored Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. I guess everybody has to have a thing, and brightly colored tennis shoes are hers. My thing is getting my shoes on the right feet in the morning. What's your thing?

One of the challenges about illustrating "BB" is that she is in the habit of covering a portion of her face whenever she posts a photo of herself. Yes, I know what you're thinking - just like Earl Hindman, a.k.a. Wilson, in Home Improvement. Only, I think his was an ugly issue.
As best as I can tell that's not "BB's" problem. It's more of an, "I don't want to show too much of my face on the inter-net" issue. So, the challenge for me was to capture enough of her to get a likeness. Fortunately for me she does have a wonderful crop of curly hair which distinguishes her from your average blogger.

I think the illustration turned out well. Of course I had to add some pink flowers because... A. The name of her blog is Some Pink Flowers, and B. She sent me this photo of a pink flower when she was first e-mailing me - just for me. Awhhhh!!!

Thank you "BB" (must stand for Baby Blues) for joining my little contest and thank you for my flower. You're a funny, fun lady, and I hope that you get a lot of fun out of your cartoon.

Dutch's Treat

Kathy, from Ray Travel, wanted a gift for her husband, Lykele - a proud Dutch, born in Friesland. He is a pilot and Kathy loves gardening her tulips.

Besides the caricatures, there are a number of subtle additions to this illustration. The Friesland flag, the number on Lykele's plane (He doesn't fly a biplane, but it works better with a caricature.), the chicken (He sells dairy commodities for Foster Farms - you've seen the commercials.), and Kathy's Weight Watchers Buddies name planted in the garden.

What I like most about this drawing is the color and the bright cheerful feeling that I think it conveys.

What do you think?

Family Practice - Shampoo

This particular panel was actually the first one I drew for my Family Practice strip. It came from a moment of inspiration while taking a shower one day.

I hate, I hate, I HATE (Have I stressed that enough yet?), I really dislike standing in the shower and having all the female bath products dropping around my feet because there is not enough room on the edge of the tub to keep them all in place. In a house dominated by women, there is NO END to the kinds of oils, lotions, and various liquids that can be bought for the beautification and restoration of a lady's... umm... person.

I especially dislike, (OK, I hate it too) when the lady's razor drops around your feet for the very same reason. AND, it always seems to happen when you have a face full of soap and you can't open your eyes. There you are, helplessly blinded - fearful of stepping on the blade and recreate a scene out of a Alfred Hitchcock movie - blood flowing down the tub, all around the drain. (Is this too graphic?)

So, while standing in the shower, with all the female products splashing around my feet I thought that there ought to be a cartoon strips which highlights the plight of a man dealing with life in a female dominated world - thats me!

Again, I was never able to sell the strip, so you all get to see the by-products from a guy chasing a dream that was never realized.

Fortunately, after we remodeled the bathroom, I pretty much have a shower to myself now - one shampoo, one conditioner, and one bar of soap. Occasionally, I do discover a pair of panty hose hanging in there to dry. But I don't complain - I just doodle.

Also, I keep forgetting to add a link to the Nation Public Radio website where my caricature of Dawn Meehan was published. NPR interviewed her and wanted to use the illustration for their article. She gave them permission with the stipulation that they would add a link to my blog page. I really appreciate Dawn doing that for me when she didn't have to.

Check out my post on Oct. 18,2007 for the full story of that illustration.

The Ultimate E-Battle

This is an illustration that I've been looking forward to posting for a little while now.

Joe, over at My Xbox, Shes a Cruel Mistress, contacted me about an illustration. When he told me what he wanted I honestly wasn't sure that I could pull it off. Joe is an video game expert and he wanted an illustration depicting two characters, from two different games, about to confront each other in battle.

Unless you're into electronic gaming you're probably not going to fully appreciate this drawing. But I'll bet that there are several young people out there that will.

Character #1: (Stage left) Master Chief from Halo, one, two, and three. (He's the green one.)

Character #2: (Stage right) Marcus Fenix from Gears of War. (The big gray guy.)

Which one do you think will come out the victor?

I spent a lot of time looking at artwork of these two characters. I spent so much time studying them that one time, while shopping at one of our local department stores, I got a glimps of Master Chief's hand on a TV and I knew instantly that the advertisement was about Halo.

This kind of illustration is generally not my cup of tea. It stretched me. In fact it took me a couple of tries to capture what Joe was wanting in this drawing. But, I finally got it and I am pretty pleased with the results. Joe seemed to be happy with it too. Drop by his blog and tell him what you think?

In Memory of Matt

Recently I had the sad responsibility of attending the memorial service of my good friend Matt. A couple of years ago his bride, Lil, asked me to create an illustration for him as a Christmas gift. Matt, a proud Italian, loved the accordion and polka music, a love he took up in his later years. Matt was a good guy, that loved to laugh, and loved life.

While I was creating the drawing of Matt for Lil, her daughters contacted me about doing an illustration of their mother. With a great number of fruit trees on their property they said that their mother enjoyed the frequent visits of the deer on their property, along with a number of cats

So that Christmas both Matt and Lil we're surprized to open a gift created by me.

Rest in peace Matt. We'll see you on the other side.

The Last Hole

Here's just another little drawing that I put together sometime back. This was another attempt to draw something someone would want to purchase as a gift for a loved one. Since I live in the NW, bears have been a reoccurring theme in my cartoons. They make great subject matter for cartoons.

One night, not long ago, my wife and I actually saw a bear on our road not far from our house. At first we thought it was a big black dog, but upon closer inspection we realized that it was a bear exploring our neighbor's fruit trees. He didn't stick around long - up the hill and crashing through the trees in the dark. That's life on America's Wild Rivers Coast (as they call it).

The Rougher Side of Chess

This is a recent drawing that I did for my eldest brother, Lynn. He teaches English at the Oklahoma City Centennial High School. They are trying to start a chess club there and the school's mascot is a Bison. This illustration is for a t-shirt.

When he asked me to do it I thought the concept set up an interesting contrast. To me, a couple of big burly bison participating in such a gentile activity like chess would be interesting. What do you think?

Someday someone should invent "Jungle Chess!" - where the players slap each other around a bit while they play. They'd probably even put that on ESPN 2. They put every other kind of crazy sport there.

Lynn will tell you that he and I don't exactly see eye to eye on... well - OK... several issues. But, he's family and I'm proud of his work. There are six of us siblings that our parents helped introduced to the world. I'm the third. He's the smart one and I'm the one with the winning personality.

In Other News: A few of you asked about the code for typing the strike-through text for your blog. Like this: "My balogna has a first name..." One method for doing that goes like this: (Now realize that I have to put spaces between the characters or it would merely do what I am trying to show you.) < s > your text and then... < / s >. I hope that is helpful. It was for me when I saw it.

Which One Did She Choose?

Some have asked to be informed as to which illustration "Stimey," over at stimeyland , chose for her prize. Her choice was "Barnyard Boogie," an illustration that I posted clear back in January 8, of '07. This is one of two illustrations that I drew for a contest that the local county fair was having to illustrate that year's theme. (More details at that post.)

Stimey made an interesting choice in that this particular drawing is larger than I normally draw my cartoons. It is an 11x14, rather than the usual 8x10. So, she got the most bang for her buck - or non-buck as the case may be. Thanks again Jean, oops! sorry, Stimey, for particapating in the give-away.

(That's the first time that I did the strike through thingy. I learned it over in the comments on Dawn's blog.)

Here's something that I drew a couple of years ago. I live where fishing is king and at the time I was trying to drawing a few cartoons that people might like to purchase. I have a few fishing toons that I've drawn. This is one of them.


If you're interested in purchasing a print for yourself you might be surprised how cheaply I price them. I find that most artist over price their work. While I prefer to actually sell my stuff - rather than let it sit in a box somewhere.

You contact me at the e-mail address given in the column to the right.

A Sooner Fan in Kentucky

Now back to posting more cartoons. I think that this just might be the last of the caricatures that I had to draw that people wanted to use as Christmas gift.

These are the three men in Reagan's life. She tells me that she not much of a Sooner fan, but that her husband is a life long fan. I am guessing that the boys have followed along in their father's foot steps.

This illustration is similar to one that I drew for a friend and posted back on October 26. Reagan saw that one and asked me to create an illustration incorporating an OU theme. At first I was trying to avoid drawing the Sooner Schooner (a covered wagon that they roll out on the field everytime there is an OU touch down) but the concept is just too good to ignore just because I want to do something different. So, I thought that I could change it up a bit by adding the tiny Long Horn in the mix. If you're from Oklahoma or Texas you have no doubt what the Long Horn respresents. If there are any Texas fans out there, feel free to commission me to illustrate the reverse concept. I can be bought.


Check out Reagan's blog at Livin' in Kentucky.

The Results Are In!!!

As I thought, the girls were slow in getting up and were NOT happy with the idea of me taking their photos without me giving them a chance to clean up their act a bit. My youngest kept asking, "Dad, why are you so crazy?"

My Dad always said, "Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids." But I didn't tell her that. I was focused on getting the task done.

I had so many people sign up for my little give-away that my hat was over flowing and I had to move the names over to our popcorn bowl. Thank you everyone!!!


So, here are the results.

Drum roll please...


Prize #1: CONGRATULATIONS to "stimey" over at stimeyland . My youngest daughter pulled your name from the hat (bowl) and you have just won a free copy of any one of my cartoons that I've published on my blog. Your possible choices excludes any of the caricatures that I have drawn for other people. But you CAN choose any of the other illustrations that I've published on this blog. The illustration will come to you on a clean white piece of 11x14 paper - suitable for framing. Free shipping is included.


More drum roll...


Prize #2: CONGRATULATIONS to "somepinkflowers" over at her blog by the same name . My 2nd child pulled your name out of the hat (again - bowl) and you have just won a free caricature created by me. I will be needing to hear from you about who you would like me to illustrate, the scenario for that illustration, and gets some photos from you for me to look at. Again, free shipping is included. So, start thinking.


THANK YOU EVERYONE!! that posted a comment on my blog. I was amazed at how many people were willing to sign up. I hope that you will visiting again - often, and that you'll think of me when it comes to meeting your cartoon needs.

And STAY "TOONED"

The Polls Are Closed!!

Well, its mid-night and that officially ends the registration for my big little give-away. Wow! I am excited about the number of people that signed up for it. 224! I couldn't be happier.

The various comments were interesting. Some of you were ready to burn me at the stake for posting a bit of "spam" on your blog. My apologies for being so forward, but I really wanted to try and generate some traffic for the contest. To me it seemed that the best way to do that was to go out into the blogging universe and invite people back to my little corner of the web. Thanks for accepting my "no gimmick" invitation.

Others, interestingly, practically threaten me if they don't win. I didn't realize that prize giving could be so hazardous to one's health. Still, I appreciate the intensity with which people are wanting one of my little creations. But please, it's not worth risking imprisonment.

Later on today I will be dragging my two of my daughters out of bed to help me pick the winners. (Note: They can sleep in really late) So check back to see if your name gets chosen. I know, I know - but doesn't the anticipation make winning all that more sweet.

It's late and I'm going to bed now.

Celebrating One Year of Blogging

Great Big, Humongous, Gigantic, Give-Away: Today begins the four days of registration for my big give-away. Beginning today, and until the end of January 4, anyone that adds a comment on my blog will have their name placed in a hat for a chance to win one of two prizes. That's all you have to do. Just make a comment on this particular post and your name will be entered for a chance to win!!

Prize #1: A free print of any of my cartoons that I've posted on my blog this past year. (I will even pay for shipping.) Excluded as a possible choice are any of the caricatures that I've done for other people this past year. But! The winner gets to choose from any of my cartoons - color or black & white - that have been displayed on my blog this past year. Yours to cherish for a life time!

Prize #2: Perhaps the grand prize - A free caricature drawn by me. All the winner has to do is send me a photo, or two, of themeselves, or of whoever they may want me to illustrate. Then I will go to work and create the winner their very own Rick Green original illustration. The only stipulation is that the caricature can only be of one person - no groups illustrations for this prize.

Included with your comment you will need to provide information for me to contact you in case you are the winner. The normal link back to a personal blog would work just fine - or an e-mail address. Whatever it will take for me to make contact with you.

On January 5, I will put all the names in a hat and then two of my daughters will draw out one name each for each one of the prizes. Then I will announce the winners on my blog sometime on the 5th. Each person entering is allowed only one entry. Posting more than one comment will not give you more opportunities to win. My family members are not allowed to enter - you all generally get my services for free anyway.

Good luck and thank you for all the fun that I've had this past year.

Rick Green
Cartoonist for the Common Man & Wo-man

P.S. And for you art lovers out there...