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EXPECT THE UNEXPECTEDSo I was at the doctor's office yesterday, and this doctor always overbooks his appointments. So, to make use of the time, I brought my pad, paper, and sharpener, and worked up some sketches. True enough, he kept me waiting (I eventually left without seeing the guy because it was going to take an hour and a half....!)
While I was sketching in the waiting room, this mom comes in with her two young kids, I'm guessing, around 4 years old. They're obviously nice kids, but being in a doctor's office was upsetting to them, and so, they're carrying on, and the mom is trying her best to keep them from going nuclear.
This wasn't annoying me at all. I'm a dad. I have great empathy for kids, and frankly, I felt like whining at this point, too!
But I thought I could make the situation a little better for the mother and her banshees. So I put away my sketches, and drew a cartoon teddy bear. Then I told the mother that I'm a cartoonist, and that I drew something her kids might like. (I always ask pe

MORE MUSINGS ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS...Here's another musing on the creative process. I hope you'll find it helpful, or that it may prompt reflection on how you do what it is that you do. But it's only my opinion. If your experience is different, please consider posting a comment to this journal, so we can learn from each other.
Many people view art as an exercise in personal catharsis, in that the more one expresses his or her feelings, the better the outcome will be. I don't subscribe to this line of thinking. In fact, I believe it to be a handicap. Yes, drawing is about producing a mood, a feeling, or an effect - but in others, not in yourself. It's like being the host of a party. Your job is to make sure everyone is introduced, that there's enough food, that it's served on time, and that everyone is enjoying themselves. If you enjoy the party too, that's even better. But your enjoyment cannot come before the job of hosting.
I learned this while working as a screenwriter with director Michael Ritchie, who, co

ARE YOU AFRAID TO ERASE?Come on, admit it -- do you inwardly still believe that "erasing" is a sign of defeat for an artist? Even though most of you KNOW, intellectually, that erasing is an important part of the drawing process, don't some of you still put pressure on yourselves to get it right "the first time?" Don't you sometimes feel that your drawing might have turned out better if you did several roughs, instead of trying to finish it on the first try, but you are too critical of yourself to look at a drawing that shows some re-draws and erasing-shadows?
Here's an experiment you can do:
Draw a picture of a person in a side view - the head or the entire figure, it doesn't matter. With this drawing, try to make it perfect the first time. You're not allowed to erase. When you've completed the picture, stop. Don't make any adjustments.
Now, start a new, second drawing. But this time, you CANNOT, no matter how well it comes out, use this as a finished drawing. And you have to erase three different portions of

HOW DO YOU HANDLE "ARTIST'S BLOCK?"We've all heard of "Writer's Block." What about artists? There are times when you just can't seem to get a drawing right. What can you do about it? Well, some people will counsel you to take your mind off of work, do some exercise, or go for a walk along the beach. Yeah, right, like getting sand in my shoes is going to put me in a better mood. And besides, if that worked, there would be
throngs of frustrated cartoonists wandering the beach in search of ideas.
And as if the self-imposed pressure isn't enough, there are usually deadlines looming! So I do exactly what they tell you not to do when you're stuck, and it works for me: I keep drawing over and over and over again, until I get it right. I may try a different approach, or a new pose, but aside from dashing into the kitchen for a refill on my bathtub-sized cup of black coffee, I keep my you-know-what in my chair at my drawing desk and plow forward. I figure that the Gods-Of-Frustration, who are having fun toying with my brain, wil

DRAWING CONTEST GUIDELINES******NEW DEADLINE*******NEW DEADLINE*******NEW DEADLINE*******NEW DEADLINE******
ATTENTION ALL GREAT YOU DA'S! Because of the big response to this contest, and because I go over each and every entree carefully, I need to limit the number of images that I will view. Therefore, next Tuesday, the 12th, is the new deadline! THE JUDGING WILL TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH. (This way, you'll find out sooner who the Winner, Runner Up, and Honorable Mentions are!) If you can't make the deadline, don't worry. The response to the contest has been so strong, that I am planning to have another one on a completely different, but super-fin topic. Thank you all for your great entrees. And good luck to everyone!!
Fellow artists, start your engines, because here we go:
THE CONTEST CHALLENGE:
Take the best, coolest MANGA character you can draw (original or fan art - it doesn't matter), and do a finished, black and white picture of him or her. Then beside that picture, on the same page, take tha

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RETRO CARTOONINGby *Christopher-Hart

Cartoons & Comics / Traditional Media / Cartoons / Drawings

This image is a chapter-opener for my book, "Cartoon Cool," which is all about How-To-Draw Retro Cartoons -- one of my favorite styles ever. I hope you like it.

~IndieChickZoey May 3, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

Cute!

*Christopher-Hart May 15, 2013

Thank you!

~IndieChickZoey May 15, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

You're welcome!

=Mordecai-dude Apr 29, 2013 Student Filmographer

Oh man!! I just realized who you are! Your books on Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist and Drawing Cutting Edge Comics helped me out a ton! I followed the principles religiously for drawing my comic book characters! I didn't know you drew in so many other styles!

*Christopher-Hart Apr 29, 2013

Well, thank you very much for noticing -- and nice to meet you.

=Mordecai-dude Apr 29, 2013 Student Filmographer

You are very welcome! It's a pleasure to meet you as well! Your books really break things down wonderfully! I've read just about every Comic book instruction book there is and while it made sense, yours always worked best, especially for beginners. You don't assume anything, which is extremely helpful for newcomers. The problem with a lot of instruction or how to draw books is that they assume you already know a lot about drawing, which most beginners don't. Even though I did, I still didn't understand a lot outside the cartoony style and wanted to try something a bit more illustrated and realistic. Your book helped me achieve that or at least got me on the right track to doing so.

*Christopher-Hart Apr 29, 2013

That's good to know... I appreciate your ability to articulate your observations.

=Mordecai-dude Apr 29, 2013 Student Filmographer

Thank you!

~DinoLover09 Apr 23, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Cute family.

*Tito-Mosquito Mar 29, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I love this book too!

This is what got me drawing in retro style since.

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