Elements of Style

   Months ago I was perusing a comment thread which came after the posting (by a friend who teaches at a university) of a provocative statement . Obviously it, along with some comments left by other academics - presumably either adjuncts or grad students in the department - left quite the impression:

"This ubiquitous replacement of "you're" with "your" is getting out of control. Whenever I see such a misuse I immediately stop reading because the author's writing (and point) is not worth my time."

"I dropped an entire book, which I had been extremely excited about reading, because the author's typos and grammar flaws hadn't been edited out. If the writer doesn't care enough, the reader shouldn't be expected to either."

"Don't tolerate contractions! I have this disallowance in my term paper instructions, and tell my grad students that if contractions are used I will not accept their papers/reports/posters or othe written materials. No exceptions."

    I’ve been blogging a few years now, and every so often it’s pointed out, or becomes painfully obvious, that I can’t really write all that well. But I’m okay with that, as I write exactly like I draw, which in turn tends to be well, cartoonish. So no, nothing ever winds up looking too much like reality, or follows the damn rules, but it “works,” and people know what I mean either way. I try and have as much fun with playing words as I do with lines, textures, form etc. When it comes down to it, they're all just marks made on a piece of paper (or a screen) that stand for something, whether it's a letter, word or an essay - or a doodle, sketch or drawing.
    But what sometimes irritates me are elitists whom, to paraphrase, won’t bother to read something if it has spelling or grammar mistakes, as it “isn’t worth their time.” These are the very same people who no doubt wouldn’t listen to what other people have to say because it doesn’t sound “right” either, or they maybe the other person doesn't speak proper English. Makes me kinda glad my time is as cheap as my thrills.

   It reminds me of this past year’s efforts at mastering the making of omelets. As with many other dishes, more often than not, it fails to result in a centerfold-perfect dish like the ones pictured in the cookbook. But it still tastes good (usually), and that’s all that really matters when you’re hungry for sustenance. This carries over into artwork as well. Which is not to say one shouldn't stop trying to better oneself, either with words or with omelets (or in my case, word-omelets). When teaching, it's equally crucial to continually pushing the limit - breaking more eggs - and keep setting the bar for perfection or mastery ever higher... as it is to recognize what works well enough, as it is.

"Cruise Ship"

Originally conceived while on hiatus in Maine (especially inspired by the frequent leviathans calling into port at Bar Harbor), this panel migrated north and was easily adapted. After drawing it, it bugged me how familiar the concept was, especially considering the recently revisited theme of "originality," sure enough, I eventually remembered, which turned out to be a double-drag since that particular panel was too close to another one by someone else.

Oh well, back to the proverbial drawing board...

"The Artist's Nightmare"

Mark Trail (now created by Jack Elrod) has long been one of my old-school guilty pleasures, and he's been in the news as of late because of his encounter with a dope-growing operation. The feature is frequently made fun of by such critical wits like The Comics Curmudgeon and The Comics Examiner - see Mike Peterson's closing comment in this thread.

And Bob Ross (an alternative role model in the arts) is usually loping around the happy trees of my peripheral creative vision like some sort of Sasquatch with an afro and a paintbrush. The two of them would have made for an interesting conversation around a campfire.

"Dumb Animals"

Only one of these potentially dangerous species of animal should have it's population controlled.

   Based on a short-lived viral video that was swiftly piled upon by You-Tube viewers who called out yet another ignorant tourist intent on getting their coveted "money shot." Hours after the screen-grab seen below was taken, the "dislikes" and avalanche of negative comments went through the roof, and the video was consequently yanked as "private." Quite rightly the creator of said video should be ashamed of such a public display of jaw-dropping, irresponsible stupidity.

   Unfortunately the only real victims of such situations are the bears, and it invariably results in the eventual destruction of the animal, if not injury to other people. Having had many encounters with bears while hiking in the White Mountains, the Wrangells and Denali State Park, I know firsthand how fast a grizzly can charge, something which these idiots haven't the faintest idea about while they indulge in their eco-porn. Contrary to the glossy brochures, Alaska is not a petting zoo.

*Update: Congratulations - chalk up another casualty (and scratch off that part about "no animals were harmed").

"Make Good Art"

Without a doubt one of the top inspirational speeches I've yet to hear, crucial advice for any creative person: Neil Gaiman addressing the graduating class of Philadelphia's University of the Arts.
Link here.

Also well worth reading an unabridged interview he did with another favorite writer of mine, Steven King - link via Boing Boing.

Cover II: Anchorage Press (Roughs)

   Uncap the Sharpie: another last-minute commission preempted the scheduled graphic novel review I was writing for next week's issue of the Anchorage Press. The cover story here is about the environmental impact of accumulating human waste on Mount McKinley, something I actually made fun of here in a cartoon last year. So I incorporated that initial idea into a couple of the series of roughs submitted for editorial edification, each successive one a variation on the theme. As with the process for the previous assignment, quick & dirty saves the day: just the base sketch with several other elements pasted on helped visualize the concept.
   I'm partial to "D" as the color scheme will highlight the fact all the climbers are still roped up in line. Adding the roll of toilet paper to the mix might still be an option, though it might clutter up the composition - leaving that call up to someone else. "A" is nice and simple, open enough to accommodate other page elements added by the layout artist on staff, while "B" is probably the weakest, if not the stupidest.
   It'll be interesting to see if Turd Mountain makes the final cut, subtly tucked off in the background.

"Mating Captchas"

   As anyone who's ever tried to navigate official forms on-line, "Captchas" are those infuriating and cryptic words used to thwart the ever-increasing sophisticated attempts by spam-bots to hack the comment threads of blogs. More often than not these days I have to reload the annoying little box for new options in hopes of getting one that is legible. That said, so far I've been impressed with whatever filtering program the Blogger platform employs, as there's only been a handful of random mischief.

   This panel is similar in style to the previous cartoon in that it plays around a little bit with onomatopoeia and sound effects as expressed through cartoony lettering - best exemplified by the classic work of Don Martin (and used in some of my previous workshops). For those of our ornithological-inclined audience playing along at home, the depicted species are the Common Raven and the Black-Billed Magpie, plus a few unseen Snow Bunting calls wafting across the background (as they are wont to do). 

   The calls, specifically these particular spellings, in fact originate verbatim from Peterson's Field Guide, borrowed post-haste from the local library branch. Roger Tory Peterson came up with a unique system he termed "word syllabification" by which he phonetically translated bird calls into words where the birdwatcher could identify the respective species. This leads to all sorts of creative possibilities, some of which I am exploring in a continuing, long-term project. But as is the case with many things in life, a cartoon is a great place to test the boundary between reality and the way I think it looks.

"FrogEx"

   Inspired by recalling the events when we were pulling out of Maine in early April, and how on account of the unseasonably warm temperatures, the chorus of spring peepers from the wetland & ponds surrounding the house were already ramping up. Normally the neighborhood was blanketed with an ambient backdrop of their evening chorus. But I'll never forget how there were some areas on the highway, where even at fifty-miles per hour with the window closed, you could clearly hear delineated zones of incredibly loud sonic orgies between the desperate amphibians.
   More recently during a bird-watching outing at the Palmer Hay Flats Game Refuge, we heard what sounded like billions of them, filling the Alaskan air with their calls.
Sometimes it's the little things... especially in such numbers.

A 28,800 acre echo-chamber

MECAF 2012

Art by Shelli Paroline and Braden D. Lamb

Anybody in the New England area this weekend should check out the fourth annual Maine Comic Arts Festival, hosted by Portland's Casablanca Comics! Here's a breakdown of the roster of talent, an article in the local newspaper, and my write-up of last year's gig.

"Moose X-ing" (Ruminating Over Ruminants)

A fitting bookend to the last post, especially given our new neighbors (see below).
During the epic odyssey of a road-trip while moving from Maine back to Alaska, we had a few particular days of surreal, roadside wonder: one evening we drove through a herd of majestic elk; followed by an night-time encounter with a herd of ginormous bison (who take their own damn sweet time ambling wherever they want to go) that temporarily blocked the road, the next day saw a herd of Dall sheep - fortunately his time above us perched up on a hillside - and finally a herd of caribou crossed the highway right in front of us.
Of course we weren't holding our breath over the inevitable appearance of the signature animal for Alaska, so there was no small sense of irony in a completely mooseless voyage.

(The only thing worse than texting while driving is a cartoonist who gets a great idea when they're driving)

Fast-forward to the first day driving to the new digs - a grand total of eleven moose were milling about the Palmer Hay Flats. It's something else to witness six lanes of traffic hurtling along the Glenn Highway brought to a complete standstill by one of these lumbering speed-bumps. There really isn't much of an alternative, and the rate of highway fatalities due to moose-versus-vehicle encounters in Alaska is a sobering statistic. As I finished drawing this panel and writing up a post entry, there are two cows + three yearlings hanging around outside our chalet. Nice enough neighbors, even if they do tend to eat everything in sight and than poop all over the place.

This would be the reason Bird-Dog is somewhat constipated in the morning.