Illustrated Podnotes - Modern Wisdom - Steven Pressfield

I follow the Modern Wisdom podcast put out every week by Chris Williamson.

I’ve found a lot of the content to be informative and useful, so I decided to start doing some Illustrated Podnotes to go with some of the episodes.

This one features Steven Pressfield.

Here is the intro that appeared with the podcast:

Steven Pressfield is an author.

Many people's lives are split into two parts; before and after they Turn Pro. Steven's work has helped millions of people overcome Resistance, find their passion and have the courage to take the leap into an activity they love.

Hopefully by the end of this episode you'll have all the information you need to make your own transition to leave the amateur life behind.

https://modernwisdom.libsyn.com/220-steven-pressfield-how-to-turn-pro

I’m a huge fan of Steven Pressfield, and his writing has inspired me to get a lot of my own work done. I highly recommend picking up a copy of ‘Turning Pro’ or ‘The War of Art.’

Toons, Trains, and Toast

Trains, Toons, and Toast - how to start building a drawing habit.

Today I’m going to show you how I’ve built a drawing habit around train travel and how a slice of toast might help you to come up with a doodle.

Some folks have asked me about my drawing routine, so I thought I’d outline what I do and then see this might apply to your own situation.

Regardless of my specific situation, there are three points  that we are going to look at:

• routine

• trigger

• time limit

While your own situation is likely to differ a lot from mine, it should be possible to apply these three points to your own drawing practice.

Routine

I live in Tokyo and taking trains is a part of my daily routine. In fact it is rare that a day goes by without I catch a train.

The trains here can br pretty busy, and as a result of this I have mastered the art of drawing while standing up on a swaying train, which is a bit of an exercise in concentration in and of itself. Of course not just any subject matter lends itself to trains in motion, very detailed work is a bit of a no-no, so it’s best if I leave that until I’m stationary.

Because I have a lot of commuting, I like to put it to good use and do it’s invariably drawing or writing that I choose to do.

How can this apply to me?

Is there part of your daily routine where you might have some free time? Pre-smartphone erawe probably would have called this deadtime.

Some examples would be:

• standing in line in a queue

• the five minutes at the start of the day before everyone else comes into the office.

• waiting for the kettle to boil.

You’ll notice that none of the above examples last for very long. The main thing at this stage is to look for a little time in which you get started. It is better to do one Two-Minute doodle than no doodle at all.

Over to you:

Can you think of one space in your own routine  that you could use yourself?

Trigger

The trigger is the prompt that starts you drawing.

The trigger for me is basically as soon as the train starts moving, I start drawing.

Some examples of triggers could be:

• the moment you sit down at your desk in the morning

• the moment you get in your car after going to the gym

• after you have brushed your teeth at night

Over to you

Can you think of a trigger in your life that you could use?

Timer

Have I got a limited period is great if you want to force yourself into doing something. They say that work expands to fill the time available, and I’m sure that found that you sometimes get as much or more done in a short period of time when there is a bit of pressure on, as opposed to when you are given an entire day to work at your own pace.

For me, my train drawing sessions are limited by the journey itself. I can even do a shortened version where I use the time inbetween station to draw, or even the time when the train is stopped at a station.

Some examples of timers could include:

• the time it takes for the kettle to boil

• the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee

• the time. you spend while waiting in a queue.

Over to you

Can you think of a natural timer in your own life?

Okay.... I still don’t get what toast has got to do with it....

So let’s see how we can apply routine, trigger and timer to this

Well, imagine that you are going to make a piece of toast, something you do every morning. That’s the routine part that was mentioned earlier.

You put the slice of bread in the toaster, and switch on the toaster - that’s your trigger.

Now wait two minutes, or however long  it takes depending on whether you like your toast golden or charred. However long it takes, you now have a natural timer - the length of time before the toast pops up.

If toast is something you eat regularly, then it is part of your routine and you can link doodling with it.

Maybe you don’t eat toast, you might even be an anti-toast. That’s fine by me, however…

Over to you

Can you think of another activity instead of making a piece of toast that might provide you with a routine, a trigger, and a timer you can utilise?

I hope that this was useful for you.

I’m off to make some toast now. Hope there’s some jam left.

Alternative Marketing

With these cartoons I thought I’d have a look at the world of alternative marketing to show that there’s always more than one way to get your message across.

What Sally Sold Next

After all those years of having out by the Seashore with poor WiFi, Sally got creative and resorted to other methods to get her message out there.

It turns out that seashells wasn’t the only thing that Sally attempted to sell by the seashore.

The Enterprising Arnie Zott

New Yorker Arnie Zott took direct marketing to a while new level when he devised the radical plan to paper-plane himself direct to the rooftops of businesses he was targeting.

Zott’s campaign was thwarted when his plane got soaked in a rain storm, forcing him to crash land in Central Park. He toyed with the idea of laminating the next plane, however the New York aviation authorities wisely stepped in and slapped him with a flying ban

The Good Ship Ruritania

In June 1914, the Acme Candy Company came up with an innovative way to market it’s products by repainting the liner SS Ruritania in the colour scheme of their popular candy boxes. Unfortunately two days after the Ruritania sailed for the first time in her new look, the First World War broke out and the giant ship, already an easy target, became an even easier one. Upon making port in New York, the Ruritania was immediately repainted, depriving Acme of the opportunity to recoup the huge cost they had paid for the special livery.

Brussels Sprouts

The above mentioned Arnie Zott’s next innovation in advertising was an attempt to revamp the image of Brussels Sprout amongst Britain’s children. Countless young British people had grown up loathing Brussels Sprouts, and the board set about trying to improve the image of the vegetable. Zott hit upon the idea of sponsoring an F1 team, figuring that the sport was so glamourous and exciting, that merely seeing the name ‘Brussels Sprouts’ on the side of an F1 car would get kids clamouring their parents to buy and cook the vegetables.

Same Background, Different Cartoons

A friend of mine recently drew a very detailed kitchen background that caught my eye. I thought I’d borrow it and riff on some different cartoons to use with it.

Here’s the kitchen in it’s original form.

Thanks to Martin for the use of the background!

My first idea was to fill the kitchen with bubbles from an overflowing sink.

The Cat was added to have a little gag within the gag.

After completing that one, I thought I’d play around with the bubbles. I’ve drawn a bubble-monster before, so I decided not to do that again. The shape of the bubbles triggered the following idea.

I zoomed in a bit, but still wanted to show en0ugh of the kitchen to set the scene, so it doesn’t look like only a wave.

Next I decided that something should be done about the perilous state of the kitchen, and so I called in a plumber…

I borrowed Sally from a previous cartoon. She was busy selling seashells…you know the rest…and also giant squid, but that’s another story. I made a few adjustment and voila! A new career as a plumber.

After having the cat sat in one of the cupboards previously, I wonder what else could be lurking behind the doors…

Before going further, I thought it would be better if I dulled down the back of the background a bit more. The detail is really neat, but I didn’t what it distracting and catching the eye.

I added a 50% opacity white wash to the back.

And that wraps up these kitchen cartoons. I had a few more ideas which I may draw another time.

101 Faces of Gerald The Goat

Not quite a hundred and one, but several herds worth of Gerald pulling a wide variety of different faces. These pics are used to help illustrate the ‘Eek!..Huh?..Grr!’ - Drawing Emotions for Your Cartoon Characters Course.

If you’d liked to find out more about the course, just write ‘yep’ in the subject line in the form at the bottom of the page.

Once again, if you’d like to find out more about the ‘Eek!..Huh?..Grr!..’ Drawing Emotions For Cartoon Characters Course, just type “yep” in the subject line below.

On The Drawing Board - The Trunked Shrew

I’m currently working on a new Lesser-Known animal, so I thought I’d post the initial idea and sketches while I work on it.

Here’s the story so far.

Shrews are known for their long snouts, but the snoutiest of all shrews by far is the Trunked Shrew. The Trunked Shrews nose is as long as its body and has a tail longer than other species to act as a counter-balance.

Shrews are known to be aggressive, however, this particular species has a unique defence mechanism. It is able to suck water up into its trunk and then squirt it at a predator, which usually buys it the time in which to escape.

I’ll be expanding on this story shortly.

I’ll also be making sure that the cat is a little bigger next time, as at present its almost as small as the shrew. However, that could spark an idea for an entirely new Lesser-Known animal.

Expanding The Slush Leopard Story

A couple of years ago, I came up with the short tale about the Slush Leopard - the most elusive of all big cats.

Recently I’ve been practicing drawing leopards in different poses, so thought I’d expand the Slush Leopard story so that I could practice putting some of the new poses into cartoons.

The story below is how it originally appeared. I’m going to add to it and to crate more of a back story for the leopard.

The Slush Leopard

Everyone has heard of the rare and elusive snow leopard, but almost no one heard of the even rarer and more elusive slush leopard. 

As beautiful as it's more well-known cousin, the slush leopard is smaller in stature while retaining similar markings. 

Completely comfortable in the most frigid and wet of conditions, these leopards can be found in small pockets in remote areas in Eurasia and even in North America. It was previously thought that there were no leopards naturally found in North America, which just goes to so show how secretive these cats really are. Due to human encroachment on their natural habitat they have even been known to enter urban areas relying on their stealthiness to remain unnoticed. 

This particular individual was observed lurking in the large slush puddles that New York becomes notorious for during the winter. Choosing the deepest of puddles that even a person with the tallest of boots dare not risk stepping into, the leopard floats patiently, partially covered by slush and newly fallen snow, waiting.

Finally the patience is rewarded when a passing pedestrian leaps over the puddle, accidentally dislodging from her shopping bag a pastrami on rye sandwich, which is pounced upon moments later.

Here are some of the draft cartoons for the new story.

To be continued!

Illustrated Podnotes - Modern Wisdom - Josh Kaufman

I follow the Modern Wisdom podcast put out every week by Chris Williamson.

I’ve found a lot of the content to be informative and useful, so I decided to start doing some Illustrated Podnotes to go with some of the episodes.

This one features Josh Kaufman.

Here is the intro that appeared with the podcast:

Josh Kaufman is a skill acquisition expert and an author.

The Personal MBA is one of the best selling business books from the last 10 years and today we revisit the key lessons Josh has uncovered through his research and experience.

Expect to learn why you don't need to go to business school, the 5 things every business needs to be able to do, how your personal development can limit your business development and much more...

https://modernwisdom.libsyn.com/215-josh-kaufman-the-key-principles-of-running-any-business

I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Personal MBA.

Lesser-Known Bird Species - The Tin-Can Toucan

Many folks know of Magpies’ love of and attraction to shiny objects, but few will have heard of a bird that takes this love to a whole different level and also includes mechanical things as well in its fancies.

The TIn-Can Toucan, or TC Toucan in its abbreviated form, was first discovered by Brenda Feather. The TC is a subspecies of toucan, but differs from its relatives in having a beak considerably bigger and stronger which enables it to prise open tin cans. Upon returning to camp while on expedition, Feather came across a pairs of Toucans, rifling their way through her provisions and easily opening her stash of tinned goods. Later while writing up her account of the expedition, she used the nick-name ‘Tin-Can Toucan’ which went on to stick with the bird.

The bird appears in a variety of diffent hues, and is certainly one of the most colourful of tropical birds.

As well as the aforementioned tin-cans, this toucan is also attracted to mechanical parts, and has been known to raid garbage dumps and scrap yards for pieces that attract its attention. These parts often end up in its nest, which in makes in tree hollows. The chicks are born surrounded by mechanical parts and so it is speculated that this causes them to also seek out such objects to have around them.

The TIn-Can Toucan briefly made the international press during in the 1960s.

While competing in the 1964 Bolivian Rally, the Fiat 500 of Diego Massini and Felipe Zeppo suffered unexpected mechanical problems due to a flock of Tin-Can Toucans descending on their car while briefly paused waiting for the next stage to start. Massini and Zeppo were leading their class at the time, but were forced to abandon the rally.

Illustrated Podnotes - Modern Wisdom Petr Ludwig

I follow the Modern Wisdom podcast put out every week by Chris Williamson.

I’ve found a lot of the content to be informative and useful, so I decided to start doing some Illustrated Podnotes to go with some of the episodes.

This one features Petr Ludwig

Here is the intro that appeared with the podcast:

Petr Ludwig is a speaker, author and CEO of Procrastination.com.

Procrastination is a speedbump in many a would-be productive person's life. Thankfully Petr has given keynote speeches all over the world on this topic, so hopefully he has the solutions.

Expect to learn how to train your willpower, why finding meaning is a productivity tool, the relationship between failure, self-forgiveness and high achievement, how to take an entire month off per year while becoming more productive and much more...

Check out the podcast at the episode homepage below.

https://modernwisdom.libsyn.com/197-petr-ludwig-how-to-overcome-procrastination

Drawing TheTin-Can Toucan

While competing in the 1964 Bolivian Rally, the Fiat 500 of Diego Massini and Felipe Zeppo suffered unexpected mechanical problems due to a flock of Tin-Can Toucans descending on their car while briefly paused waiting for the next stage to start. The Tin-Can Toucan is so nick-named due to its perchant to scavenge mechanical parts.

Next I’m going to go through the process of creating this cartoon.

Initial outline of the car

I got the idea to use a Fiat 500 after seeing a post on Instagram featuring the car.

I was looking for a car that already looked quite ‘cartoony’, and the Fiat 500 certainly fits the bill.

Adding the toucans

I referred to a previous drawing of a toucan when drawing the new ones.

Colouring the toucans

I washed in the colours on a separate layer. You can see the colour overlapping the outline, so I’ll erase any overspilt colour next.

Erasing any excess colour

I’ve now cleaned up the colour layer. Next I’m going to find a suitable background to use.

Searching for a background

As the cartoon features a rally car, I had a look through some previous cartoons to see if there was a forest scene that I could borrow a background from. I was having trouble finding one that matched the angle of the car, until I stumbled across the following cartoon:

I thought that I swapped out the river for a road it would fit the bill, but first I removed the characters.

Now to drain the water for the road.

Adding the characters to the background

I’ll keep the car white so that it stands out against the background.

Adding more detail to the car

I added the racing numbers and also a little grey to add more form to the car.

Resizing the car

I finally settled on this size.

Adding shading and hatching

The shading and hatching helps to ground the car and also adds some more form to it.

The finished cartoon

And that’s it! It was a lot of fun to draw.

Illustrated Podnotes - Modern Wisdom - Kyle Eschenroeder

I follow the Modern Wisdom podcast put out every week by Chris Williamson.

I’ve found a lot of the content to be informative and useful, so I decided to start doing some Illustrated Podnotes to go with some of the episodes.

This one features Kyle Eschenroeder.

Here is the intro that appeared with the podcast:

Kyle Eschenroeder is a marketer and a writer.

You do not want to live a life that you regret at the end of it. But working out what you WANT to want is a topic no one ever talks about.

When you follow your default desires, you're much more likely to find yourself at a place in life that you didn't really want to be, or mean to get to. Today, we learn how to step into our programming and actively design our direction in life. I love this topic.

Check out the podcast at the episode homepage below.

https://modernwisdom.libsyn.com/189-kyle-eschenroeder-how-to-work-out-what-you-want-to-want-from-life

Drawing A Hot Air Balloon Cartoon

I’m going to run through the steps in drawing a hot air balloon cartoon, but first a littel background about the story featured in the cartoon.

The first-known sighting of the Pink-Tailed Eagle, was by amateur hot-air balloonist Herman Buoyant in 1897. While out for a flight with his cat Otto, a PinTailed Eagle alighted on the canopy of the balloon, puncturing it in several places with its talons. Otto was sent aloft in an attempt to dislodge the Eagle, but to no avail as the Eagle stayed put and the balloon began a slow descent due to the escaping air. With nothing left to no but wait, Buoyant began taking notes and sketches, and started compiling the first record of this until then unheard of raptor.

Upon crash landing Buoyant and Otto discovered that the eagle was not averse to scavenging for food, as it proceeded to raid and consume their picnic hamper they had brought for lunch.

Now let’s look at how I created this cartoon.

Initial sketch

Here is the initial sketch of how I imagined the cartoon would look. I used the 6b pencil in Procreate.

Sketching in the background

Using an aerial photo of some fields as a reference, I sketched in a simple background.

Adding the palette

To make it easier to keep the collation of the eagle consistent with other cartoons, I decided to use the same pallete from a previous cartoon, and then add additional colours as needed. I also pasted part of a previous eagle cartoon to use as a reference.

Starting the colouring

I’ve now now started the colouring, using the wash tool in Procreate to dab the colours on.

Doubling the colour layer.

To increase the intensity, I double the colour layer. I’ll often do this several times to build up the intensity to the required effect.

Making the pink stand out

To emphasise the pink feathers on the eagle, I added some black and purple on top of the brown.

Colouring the balloon

At first I thought about having the balloon a more uniform colour to serve as a background to make the characters stand out. However, I couldn’t resist having a more colourful balloon instead.

Colouring the balloonist and basket

I used just three colours at various opacities for the balloonist and basket.

Colouring the background

Simple washes of brown and green were used for the background. I’ve also no copied and pasted the balloon colour twice to make it a lot bolder.

Adding form to the balloon

I used the wash tool again with black set at 30% opacity to run along the edges of the balloon panels. I then used the medium airbrush tool to apply some white down the middle of each panel.

Adding a bolder outline to the characters

I doubled the initial outline layer a couple of times, and then added some black using the technical pen to add some more black.

The finished cartoon

Finally, I added some shadow under the characters, and some hatching to give a bit more form.

I really enjoyed drawing that one, it’s already becoming one of my favourites.

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoon during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the subject below.

Lesser-Known Bird Species - The Pink-Tailed Eagle

Lesser-Known Bird Species - The Pink-Tailed Eagle

One of the most specular and rare of all birds of prey is the beautiful and elusive Pink-Tailed Eagle. Amongst the largest of eagles, it is instantly identifiable due to its bright pink feathers found on is tail and wings.

First-Known Sighting

The first-known sighting of the Pink-Tailed Eagle, was by amateur hot-air balloonist Herman Buoyant in 1897. While out for a flight with his cat Otto, a PinTailed Eagle alighted on the canopy of the balloon, puncturing it in several places with its talons. Otto was sent aloft in an attempt to dislodge the Eagle, but to no avail as the Eagle stayed put and the balloon began a slow descent due to the escaping air. With nothing left to no but wait, Buoyant began taking notes and sketches, and started compiling the first record of this until then unheard of raptor.

Upon crash landing Buoyant and Otto discovered that the eagle was not averse to scavenging for food, as it proceeded to raid and consume their picnic hamper they had brought for lunch.

Crossing The Pond

Originally from the Alps, the Pink-Tailed Eagle made its way across the Atlantic in the 1920s, probably by hitching a lift on an ocean liner. From there it eventually found its way down the continent and into South America. While the eagle can be found on three different continents, its numbers remain low and there are only small pockets of the birds to be had in all the areas.

The already small number of Pink-Tails was threatened even further in the 1920s due to the popularity of its feathers for hat ornamentation. Thankfully this practice was ended by the diligent efforts of Yurice Ocelot, who mounted a one-woman crusade to save the eagle. Borrowing an eagle from the New York zoo, Ocelot cycled all-over the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, spreading awareness of the need to end hunting the eagles. Her efforts eventually led to similar protests in both South America and Europe, and within a few years the eagles magnificent plumage was saved from the milliners clutches. 

A Tricky Prey

The Pink-Tailed Eagle to happy to prey on birds or ground-dwelling creatures. It is pictured here in an attempt to catch an equally rare Double-Winged Wodgett. Unfortunately for the eagle, the Wodgett is a remarkably strong bird capable of living many times its own body weight. Wodgetts have been known to drop heavy objects onto predators in an attempt to deter them.

The Eagle and the Porcupine

One of the most unusual examples of different species cooperating with each other can be found with the Pink-Tailed Eagle and the Tree Porcupine.

The quills of the porcupine makes it too much of a bother for the eagle to regard as prey and so it is happy to leave it alone. In return for the eagle allowing the porcupine to co-reside in the eyrie, the porcupine acts as an extra layer of defence against intruders.

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoons during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the subject below.

Maze Cartoons

I was listening to a podcast a while back which referenced experiments involving lab rats working their way through a maze to get to some food on the other side.

For some reason, this snippet popped back into my head the other day and so I decided to riff off the theme of mazes and see where that led to.

Go over, not through

The first idea that came up was simply bypassing the maze altogether. That triggered the process of coming up with ways to do so.

The direct path

The rat returned for another crack at the maze, this time going through it, but not quite in the way the maze builder intended…

In a few simple hops…

I thought I’d switch animals and see what other critters attributes might help them to tackle the maze. As I was about to talk to an Aussie friend, I naturally had to include a kangaroo.

An unfair advantage

I then started thinking about other creatures so w0uld be able to cheat while in a maze. I first thought of ostriches being able to peak over the walls, but then I thought I’d take it a few feet further up and have a giraffe instead.

Bypass

I’m not quite sure what this red and white critter is, but whatever it is, it’s got the wits to find a simpler solution.

Stuck in a maze with your cartooning?

The find the easy way out by joining Cartoon Hour

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the message below.

Cartoon Hour

Do You Want To Draw More Cartoons?

...but somehow don’t quite get around to doing so?

If you’re like many folks, you probably get a lot of pleasure out of cartooning, but often don’t get around to doing it.

You know that you’ll enjoy yourself if you sit down and draw, and yet it’s often the sitting down to draw part that’s the hardest bit of the process.

And when you sit down there’s the temptation to check social media, cat videos, the phone, etc.

But then if you manage to put the phone etc down, there’s still the blank canvas of doom to deal with...

Gerald stared at the blank canvas of doom…and the canvas stared back…

Who knew that starring at a blank canvas could be so intimidating!

And the longer you stare, the less chance of ideas appearing... .

…so Gerald decided to eat it…

But it’s not just the not sitting down to draw that’s the annoying part, it’s also what you tell yourself later on when you realise that you haven’t drawn for ages.

How do you feel when you don’t get stuff done? Probably not too great.

Me Neither...

So how can you get more drawing done, and avoid berating yourself for not drawing?

It’s time for a change....time to do things a bit differently...

...less beige and more cartoony...

It would be cool to have a weekly reminder to draw, at a set time, when all you have to do is sit down and draw.

Even cooler would be having someone to draw with, as it’s always easier to do something if you’re part of a team all doing the same activity. It’s way easier to stick to something when there’s other folks keeping you accountable.

Introducing Cartoon Hour

Cartoon Hour is a weekly drawing hour.

During the hour you will draw along with other doodlers. I’ll be drawing along as well.

The hour is your cartooning time. No social media...no distractions...just you and some fellow cartoonists doodling away.

At the end of the hour we will show each other what we’ve been working on.

If you’re stuck for something to draw, then I’ll give you some ideas.

There’s no need to be a lone wolf, it’s always better to do something as part of a pack.

There’s something about the collective energy of a group, all working on the same activity.

By ourselves, it can be tricky to get started, but together we can feed off each other’s enthusiasm and inspiration.

We’re social creatures - we like to do things in groups It’s also a great way to get things done having a bit of gentle peer pressure.

There’s also the chance to share things with each to trade ideas.

There’s also a shared sense of accountability, you want to to draw, because other folks want to draw.

Online courses are popular because of the group element, but when the courses ends, the group ends as well and it can be difficult to keep it going....but Cartoon Hour is ongoing - and keeps you going!

Okay, so what exactly happens in Cartoon Hour?

We all start drawing at the same time every week. As mentioned, if you’re stuck for something to draw, I’ll give you some ideas at the beginning, so you don’t have to waste time scratching your head.

You could use the hour to work on a drawing project you’ve been putting off, to try something new, or simply to start doodling and see where that leads.

By the end of the hour you will have done some cartooning, even if its not finished.

We’ll also show each other what we’ve been working on. It’s a chance to share ideas and inspiration.

First establish the habit, mastery will come in time

The trick with getting better at anything is to consistently practice it. Cartoon Hour gives you consistent practice time - which means that it will help you to see progress in whatever you’re working on.

And if you’re not working on anything in particular, it’s a fun hour of time spent doing something you love with other interested folks.

It’s important to first establish a habit and do it for a while, before developing it. Cartoon Hour will help you establish your own drawing habit.

Cartoon Hour is designed to get you doodling every week, but if life really does get in the way, then there’s a recording of the session so you can catch up, or pick up the pace again when you get chance.

Cartoon Hour

You get:

You get:

• the structure of a weekly drawing session, which means you’re more likely to make progress.

• the company of fellow cartoonists, because its fun to do things as a group.

• ideas for things to draw if you’re stuck, so you don’t have to waste time staring at the blank canvas of doom.

Cartoon Hour Plus

You get:

• the structure of a weekly drawing session, which means you’re more likely to make progress.

• the company of fellow cartoonists, because its fun to do things as a group.

• ideas for things to draw if you’re stuck, so you don’t have to waste time staring at the blank canvas of doom.

• A Q&A session with me (I usually charge $50 an hour when tutoring someone) where you get to ask me all your drawing questions.

When is it?

There are X Cartoon Hours per week. [this is to be decided]

Here’s a few questions that you might have

I’m not sure that I’ve got time to do this every week, what if I miss a session?

There’s a recording of every session that I can send to you afterwards. It’s best for your own motivation to attend a live session, but there’s a recording in case you can’t.

I can’t draw! Can I still do this?

You don’t have to be a great artist. If you’ve ever doodled a few faces on a scrap of paper, then you’re good to go.

When is Cartoon Hour?

There are several time slots a week. I’m currently figuring out the best times for folks. Drop me a message using the form below, and I’ll send you the current time slots.

I still struggle drawing with elephants, so don’t be deterred!

I don’t know what to draw

No problem! If you’re stuck for ideas I can give some to get you drawing.

Why should listen to you?

I’ve drawn approximately 4321 cartoons (4324 if you include the aardvarks...), and made an awful lot of mistakes while doing so. Along the way I’ve picked up quite a few tips and tricks which have made my cartoons a lot better - and can do the same for you too. I also still love cartooning and look forward to drawing the 4325th cartoon with you.

Here’s Cartoon Hour in brief:

• An hour per week that’s purely your cartooning time

• The company of fellow cartoonists

• Ideas and inspiration from the group

• Prompts from me if you don’t know what to draw

Come and join the cast!

Want to find out more?

Just add your name, best email address, and type ‘Yes!’ in subject line and I’ll send you more details.

The Double-Winged Wodgett Meets The Pink Tailed Eagle

You may have seen images of eagles carrying prey several times their own weight. However, that is nothing compared to the heavy lifting capabilities of the Double-Winged Wodgett.

Indeed, the diminutive Wodgett puts the efforts of Olympic power-lifters to shame.

Possessing a unique double set of wings, the Wodgett has a truly remarkable ability to lift heavy weights.

Wodgetts also rely on their strength in deterring predators, in the form of lifting heavy objects to drop onto dangerous birds and animals.

I’m now going to go through the steps creating this cartoon.

Outlining the eagle

The Wodgetts I repurposed from a previous cartoon.

Colouring the eagle

I originally intended the eagles to be a more standard brown colour….

Recolouring the eagle

…however, I thought that adding some pink to it’s feathers would make it look more interesting.

Darkening the body of the eagle

Having added some pink, I felt that it was merging in too much with the brown. So I decided to add some black tothe body and wings to make the pink stand out more.

Almost finished

I’ve now coloured the rock, just a little bit more to do.

The finished cartoon

Here is the completed cartoon. I added a simple blue background for the sky and a few movement lines.

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoon during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the message below.

Lesser-Known Bird Species - The Double-Winged Wodgett

You may have seen images of eagles carrying prey several times their own weight. However, that is nothing compared to the heavy lifting capabilities of the Double-Winged Wodgett.

Indeed, the diminutive Wodgett puts the efforts of Olympic power-lifters to shame.

Possessing a unique double set of wings, the Wodgett has a truly remarkable ability to lift heavy weights.

Big Breakfast?

This ability sometimes leads to the Wodgett attempting to bite off more than it can chew it comes to its diet.

Impress the ladies

To attract a mate, some species of birds rely on exotic plumage, song, or even dance. Not so the Wodgett. Instead, it puts on feats of strength to impress potential partners. Sometimes local wildlife get caught up unwilling in these mating rituals.

This ability sometimes leads to the Wodgett attempting to bite off more than it can chew when it comes to its diet.

Deterring predators

Wodgetts also rely on their strength in deterring predators, in the form of lifting heavy objects to drop onto dangerous birds and animals.

Researching the Wodgett

Little is yet known about this still obscure bird. Ornithologist Brenda Feather is currently in the middle of a two-year field study. Feather has found that the Wodgett is remarkably friendly and even tameable, and has found that the bird can be trained to carry her pack in return for a free lunch.

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoons during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the message below.

Drawing The Double-Winged Wodgett

The Double-Winged Wodgett is the king of heavy-lifting in the bird world, able to carry many times its own body weight.

This brightly coloured and highly elusive bird belies it’s small size with some truly spectacular lifting feats, which would put an Olympic power lifter to shame.

Here a Wodgett is attempting to make off with an anaconda.

I’m now g0ing to go through the steps in creating this cartoon.

Initial outline

I was trying to think of some hefty critter for the Wodgett to lift and was scratching my head for a while before the anaconda slithered onto the drawing board.

Finding a background

I was looking for jungle-type background and so had a look through some previous cartoons to see if I could borrow from one. In the one that I chose, I was playing around with the idea of someone using an electric eels as a recharger.

Altering the background

I’ve now removed the characters from the background and flipped it around.

Adding the characters to the background

I added the outline and then another layer beneath it filled in with white.

Colouring the anaconda

I’m now beginning to colour the chratxers, starting with the anaconda. You can see the pallete that I used. I used the wash tool in Procreate.

Colouring the Wodgett

I used the same watercolor wash for the Wodgett. It’s blending in a bit too much with the background at the moment.

Increasing the intensity of the Wodgett

I doubled the colour layer of the Wodgett, so that it stands out more against the background.

Darkening the background

To make the characters stand out even more, I added some dark washes o=to the background behind them.

The finished cartoon

I added some more tones to the water, and some movement lines around the Wodgett, and that’s it!

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoon during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the message below.

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Drawing ‘The Horace and the Cricket Ball’

In this article I’m going to go through the steps involved in creating the above cartoon. First though I’ll give you a bit of background about the story that the cartoon helped to illustrate.

The Three-Finned Spotted Horace is a really rare fish, that briefly came to national interest in the 1930s due to its intervention in a cricket match. Here’s an extract from the story:

The Cricket Ball Incident

The Horace remained a very obscure fish until an incident during a cricket match in 1932 brought it to the attention of the newspapers.

Legendary England cricketer “Hairy” Harry Higglebottom was taking part in a charity cricket match at the village of Little Plumming. The cricket ground is one of the most picturesque in the country, with one of the sides running along the bank of the river Piddle.

Higglebottom hit a magnificent cover drive and the ball ran along the ground and into the river. Two of the fielders set off to retrieve it, but reached the bank in time to spot a Horace seizing the ball in its mouth and then setting off down stream.

So now let’s have a look at the process of creating the cartoon.

The initial outline

I used the 6B pencil in Procreate for this outline.

Adding washes to the characters and background

For washes I used the water brush, choosing black and setting it at 30% opacity.

Adding washes to the fish and water

The water is not really standing out from the grass at the moment, so I’ll put that right soon.

Increasing the intensity of the lines

To make the characters and detail stand out more, I copied the outline layers a few times so as to build up the intensity.

The completed cartoon

I worked on the water to make it stand out from the grass, and added some white streaks to show the movement of the fish.

What’s Next?

I drew some of the above cartoon during Cartoon Hour.

What’s Cartoon Hour?

Basically, it’s an hour where everyone meets on Zoom and draws at the same time (me too!). Folks can choose what they want to draw, and if they’re stuck for ideas, then I’m happy to help with some suggestions. 

At the end of the hour we show each other what we’ve drawn. I’ll be imparting a few cartooning tips as well.It’s a good way to get some cartooning done and also to share with fellow doodlers.If you’d like to receive more details on Cartoon Hour, simply add your name, best email address, and type “Yes!” In the message below.

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