What was your first
cartoon sale?
In high school, cartoons for ABC Board. (Somehow, I must've thought
"ABC" referred to Sesame Street...)
What were some of your jobs before becoming a cartoonist?
Billboard painter (before I was afraid of heights!), Television artist/animator
(WUNC-TV, PBS affiliate) Architectural designer, Staff artist, courtroom
artist, The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
Why did you become a cartoonist?
One just knows The Call. But my parents say it was because I fell
on my head too much as a baby.
What tools do you use in cartooning?
Traditional: Pen, brush & ink; watercolor; acrylics; colored pencil;
pencil & wash. Favorite pen points: #107 Flexible Quill, #1290
Cartoonist's Nib. Favorite lettering nibs: C-5 Speedball & Bowl-point
nib. Favorite brush: Winsor & Newton Series 7 - No. 2. Paper:
Strathmore 3-ply medium finish bristol and any good rag content typing
paper (25% cotton or better.)
Digital: CorelDraw 12, Painter IX, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Flash 8,
WACOM Intuos 3 tablet. And just added--the 21UX Cintiq tablet
from Wacom (a delight and the nearest thing digitally to working
in traditional media as you draw right on the screen)!
Describe the cartooning process, from concept to finished drawing:
Art Director faxes or emails doodle or verbal description and layout
size. I read copy, think, draw 2-5 small roughs for layout, select
1 or 2 best, draw rough sketch on 11 by 17 bond, scan and send jpeg
of sketch to art director. Get approval and/or changes. Convert pencil
sketch to non-reproducible, light blue image in Photoshop. Ink finished
art over sketch. Scan art, if digital color to be done, and finish
in Photoshop or Painter with WACOM tablet. Or finish in traditional
media, if desired. Send digital file of finished art, either attached
to email, on CD, or provide private link to website for downloading.
Send traditional art by courier. Wait for days and days and days to
be paid.
Who most influenced your cartooning?
Jack Davis (who presented me my second Reuben Division Award!)
Walt Kelly
Mort Drucker
Chuck Jones
Walt Disney
Heinrich Kley
Ronald Searle
Arnold Roth
Roy Doty
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Johnny Hart
Charles Schulz
Max Fleischer
Ub Iwerks
Albrecht Durer
Milton Caniff
Don Orehek
Charles Addams
Barney Tobey
Henry Syverson
Jack Kirby
James Montgomery Flagg
Charles Dana Gibson
George Herriman
Rube Goldberg
Peter Arno
Richard Taylor
Norman Rockwell
Dwane Powell, with whom I worked at the N&O for 9 years. We had a great feeding off one another as our styles developed.
Last, but definitely not least...
My parents, who bought
me the Famous Artists Schools cartooning course when I was a young
whippersnapper.
Were you considered the Class Clown?
Actually, I was an honor student (you know, the one all the class
clowns hate.)
What current project(s) are you working on?
I'm currently doing a series of amusement park/waterpark cartoon
maps around the country for Palace Entertainment. Also doing monthly
cartoon illustrations for Focus on the Family and Wildlife in North
Carolina. And I'm beginning a 12-foot mural for The NC Wildlife
Resources Commission's new offices on the Centennial Campus at NC
State University.
Do you have any advice for aspiring cartoonist?
READ EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING!! The more you know, the broader
the audience you can relate to. Be able to draw in both traditional
and digital media.
PERSEVERE! Must be able to take rejection well and keep plugging away.
Diversify portfolio (I sound like a stockbroker...). Keep up with trends
and set a few.
Develop a strong prayer life. Will definitely need it on tight-deadline
days and during the famine phase of FEAST-AND-FAMINE cycle.
Are you interested in freelance work?
That's all I do.
I can be contacted at:
|
