Just when I thought I was doing better... I draw this. Blah... Messy garbage. Perhaps the most unfunny comic ever drawn. I should send it to that Family Circus guy... I need to redo the whole thing and come up with an idea that is at least halfway good.... but not today.

I tried to do a better bubble in Photoshop... it still sucks. Why can't it be as easy as Illustrator? I can't figure out how to set the stroke with the pen tool... Lame.

My first idea for text was having the dad say, "Now what do we do?"

Monet thought I should have them say, "What kind of Xmas spirit is that?"

I just put "weird" to get it over with.

Taking a break for a few days... driving to San Diego. Hope to be drawing better when I get back.

Another quick one done while watching Leaf. When I got to my computer, I tried out bubbles in Photoshop. I'm much quicker in lllustrator at making bubbles... I'm not sure why. I have the same tools, but finding where to set point size and drop shadows is easier.

As for text, I like my own hand writing, as childish as it is, but it is time consuming. Maybe if I get time I will design a font in it. I also like my scrappy bubbles... but the last one was so bad, with it difficult to tell that god was talking from the clouds.. that I decided to try PS bubbles. I don't like these either.

I had to draw this entire comic with Leaf sitting on my lap and trying to grab the pen. The funny thing about it is, I think the style is closer to where I want to be. Messier and simpler at the same time. It is hard to describe how this happens, but it is like adding an unconscious element to the drawing... letting my hand do it, instead of my head.

Used a bit more Photoshop on this one. Until I have more time, I will continue to do the text in Photoshop...because it saves time and allows edits (I am never happy with the final text in the comics).

Major problems still:
1. Staying consistent in style
2. Being clear on the message/quotes. I think I do an okay job at finding topics/scenes, but the quotes are often confusing.
3. Fills, of course.
4. Caricatures.

Still feelinig like I'm a bit lost on style... I want the drawings to be simpler and messier at the same time. Unsure how to accomplish this. I did a bit in photoshop, mainly shifting sizes and editing text. Also added the newspaper headline. My Photoshop skills are improving a bit.

These two guys have good faces to draw... I honestly do not know much about them, except what I have read since starting out this cartoon odyssey. At the beginning, Monet told me, "How can you do political cartoons, if you are not political." The politics are not nearly as interesting to me as the characters. For this cartoon, I sensed some puffed-up sanctimony out of Huckabee, going around saying Xmas was about Jesus Christ and politicians should not be afraid to say this. From the papers, it seemed like the Iowans were eating it up. Romney on the otherhand can't seem to say anything right.

Where do I get my news? The NY Times delivered. The New Yorker delivered. Online, the Denver Post, the Arizona Daily Sun, Slashdot, and the BBC. NPR when I take Leaf to daycare. Occasionally Democracy Now, the Washington Post, the WSJ, the Phoenix Republic... I use aldaily.com as my home page, which is also good for finding lots of interesting bits. Would love to read more.

Not much time to draw again... I need to make sure I get a couple hours every morning, and lately this has been difficult.

A couple thoughts. I need to slow down and do another pass in Photoshop on all the cartoons. This would make them look cleaner and more professional... If I get my time under control, I think this will be possible. Also, if I have a piece of the drawing I do not like, I should absolutely redo it, scan it in, and replace sections of a cartoon. This would save time and make me happier with the results. I work best when I sketch it out in the evening (while watching Leaf or something), and then draw in the early morning.

A comment on the pen... I like the feel of the RoseArt SX770 (it has a blimpish shape and a thin tip, a nice center of gravity), but I am quickly running out of ink. Since this is a disposable pen, it seems wasteful. I will try to get to the art store this weekend and get a nicer, refillable pen.

When I started drawing this cartoon I thought a lot about Charles Barsotti's work (see examples on http://www.cartoonbank.com), especially his recent ones with these big corporate stooges talking down to employees or beggars. He is a genius at capturing dominance through character size and position.