The Washington Post contest was a re-awakening for me. Up until that time I had become complacent as an artist and let my previous dreams fade. I was happily married, the father of two young children, and I had a very good job as a professional artist in the on-line education field - life was good.
My mindset changed profoundly after the Post contest; that experience was a wake-up call for me that made me realize that perhaps my dreams still were attainable. It finally occurred to me that my dreams/goals were
not going to come to me, I needed to go to them. And so I began working hard towards making things happen; I joined
Facebook and began to engage in social media, posting my comics on
Facebook and Twitter, and slowly my comic began to attract a small following. The recognition from the Post contest was a tremendous help in getting people's attention.
Team Cul De Sac
After the Washington Post contest, I was contacted by Chris Sparks about participating in his new Team Cul De Sac charity to benefit Parkinson’s disease. The centerpiece of the TCDS effort was going to be a printed book that included a collection of artwork from well-known cartoonists, all in honor of cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul De Sac who had recently announced that he had Parkinson’s disease. All of the major cartoonists of the time were associated with the project – including Bill Watterson, the legendary creator of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I was extremely honored to be asked to contribute and I knew that having been a finalist in the Washington Post contest played a large part in getting an invitation to participate.
http://teamculdesac.blogspot.com/
I contributed the two pieces below to the Team Cul De Sac book. The first combined characters from my own strip with Alice, a central character from Richard Thompson’s comic strip. In the second illustration, I wanted to more closely mirror Richard Thompson's sketchy cool technique. Both are pen & ink and watercolor on illustration board.
After the Washington Post contest, I was contacted by Chris Sparks about participating in his new Team Cul De Sac charity to benefit Parkinson’s disease. The centerpiece of the TCDS effort was going to be a printed book that included a collection of artwork from well-known cartoonists, all in honor of cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul De Sac who had recently announced that he had Parkinson’s disease. All of the major cartoonists of the time were associated with the project – including Bill Watterson, the legendary creator of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I was extremely honored to be asked to contribute and I knew that having been a finalist in the Washington Post contest played a large part in getting an invitation to participate.
http://teamculdesac.blogspot.com/
I contributed the two pieces below to the Team Cul De Sac book. The first combined characters from my own strip with Alice, a central character from Richard Thompson’s comic strip. In the second illustration, I wanted to more closely mirror Richard Thompson's sketchy cool technique. Both are pen & ink and watercolor on illustration board.
