Comics and Art of Robert Smith Part 1

Posted on April 5, 2013 by David Hurley
BOBBanner

My design featured on a 7″ vinyl sleeve of The Cure’s “Friday, I’m in Love” (my copy has an autograph from Robert Smith).

I was looking through artwork and comics I had placed on various social networks the other day and realized how difficult it would be if I ever decided to delete some of the artwork. And I began to realize how some of them had been shared all over the place. That’s not a bad thing as we communicate and share on-line and as artists and cartoonists we want our artwork to be seen. The way my website “Don’t Pick the Flowers” is set up at the moment there really isn’t a way to display a lot of the artwork I’ve done except on my blog. Over the last couple of years I’ve used my blog to promote other artists and cartoonists, so I thought it would be nice to put my extra comics and art here for easy access. This specific blog will feature artwork and comics I’ve done of Robert Smith, lead singer of one of my favorite bands The Cure, and there is a lot of them (good and bad).

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Friday I’m in Love (my winning design for Secret 7)
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To start with, I’ve never mentioned on my website that last year my artwork was hand picked by Robert Smith for The Teenage Cancer Trust/Secret 7/Design Artwork for the Cure. It was an amazing experience to have one of my musical heroes pick my art. I was one of 45 people picked by Robert. Here is a link to read all the details about the showing (you’ll have to dig around this is from last year-sorry):  www.talenthouse.com/design-for-the-cure-secret-7

 

 

 

The above is a banner used by CureConnections (Cure fansite) for Valentines Day 2012. I did the cartoon versions of Robert Smith and the design was put together by other CureConnections members (I will note Tania Hoffmann). The cartoon versions of Robert were then used for digital cds to download with covers.

 

Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

Back cover CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

Back cover CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

 

Artwork for CureConnections Valentine Cd’s: two cd’s available for download. This is the cover of Cd 1 with it’s back cover. It has the happier and more fun side of The Cure’s music. The design was put together by other members (Tania Hoffman).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

 

CD 2 This is the cover for the darker side of The Cure’s music for CureConnections with the back cover below.

 

 

 

Back Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

Back Cover for CureConnections Valentine CD compilation 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork for Easter at CureConnections 2012 (design by Tania Hoffman)

Artwork for Easter at CureConnections 2012 (design by Tania Hoffman)

 

 

For Easter 2012 this was used as a digital postcard. There was also a banner with this design. Other members of CureConnections helped (Tania Hoffmann) with the design and layout.

 

Bunny Bob (Robert Smith) for Easter 2012

Bunny Bob (Robert Smith) for Easter 2012

 

 

This is Bunny Bob (Robert Smith) the cartoon version used for the above design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post more comics and art I’ve done of Robert Smith next time (yes I’ve done a lot of them). Plus I plan to post other comic art I’ve posted on-line for various websites and fan art in the coming future. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did doing them. David

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Michael Pohrer: FIDDLESTIX

Posted on March 14, 2013 by David Hurley

Michael Pohrer Cartoonist PC StudiosMichael Pohrer is a St. Louis; Missouri based Animator, Cartoonist and Illustrator. Michael is an internationally syndicated cartoonist delivering his comic FIDDLESTIX for 25 years to the daily pages and now with his new comic Welcome to Jungle he is cranking out even more humorous comics. He is a member of CAPS (Comic Art Professional Society, I.C.C. (International Cartoonist Conspiracy, and The St. Louis Gateway Arts. With great pleasure I welcome Michael Pohrer to Don’t Pick the Flowers.

David: Hi Michael thanks so much for being featured at Don’t Pick the Flowers. You have been in the cartoon business for many years. Can you first share how you became interested in becoming a cartoonist and who were your influences at the time?

Michael: Thanks for asking to feature the madness from the studio’s drawing boards. I’m starting to feel a tad older at this stage, 25 years since debuting on the printed pages and still going strong. I have always been fascinated with cartooning. I remember quite vividly reading the funny pages through the newspapers during my younger years moving into MAD, Cracked, The Spirit, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Heavy Metal, etc. I eventually started drawing strips for my own amusement in 1979. An editor seen some of my work in 1987 and contacted me. One year later after avid development fundamentals my first strip FIDDLESTIX© debuted in syndication on the newspaper pages. My main influences at that time included “The Usual Gang of Idiots”, Will Eisner, John Romita Sr., Frank Frazetta, Stan Lee, Mort Walker, and many others on an endless list.

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Click on image to enlarge

David: You have a lot going on, what are your current plans with your work and what can we expect to see in the future?

Michael: All of my features are currently syndicated through Hill Communications Canada, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. FIDDLESTIX© now in it’s 25th year continues as a syndicated “Sunday Only” feature. My newest strip Welcome To The Jungle© now in it’s sixth year continues as a daily syndicated feature. The editorial cartoon madness also continues. In the immediate future FIDDLESTIX© will return very soon with all new “Limited Edition” run of strips that are really top notch. Here’s a glance at what’s rolling off the drawing boards.

David: What was it like when you started and how do you feel about the comics industry with the emergence of so many comics?

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Click on image to enlarge

Michael: When I first started in syndication I had no clue what I was doing. All I knew was I wanted to draw the funnies to share with others. This was during my start through “Old School” methods of drawing the strips then mailing them off to the editor for publication. The first few years of strips were lost forever and I have only recovered a few originals over the years. At the moment I have no answer where the newspaper comics industry will end up. It’s really a shame that so many printed pages are folding up shop, fellow cartoonists (Editorial) are being shown the front door. It’s very disheartening to see peers vanish due to the economic trends. The current cartoonists with strips on the printed pages are clinging to the very limited space available leaving no room for the new up and coming drawers of the funny. The digital world is so saturated with cartoon strip abundance I just don’t see how every single creator can continue the dream of being a full time cartoonist making a living off creating strips. It’s just not going to happen for everybody. That really is terrible in my opinion there are literally hundreds of great strips available through the digital world and most will never see life on the printed newspaper pages.

David: What are the tools you use when creating your comics?

Michael's Editoral Cartoons

Michael’s Editoral Cartoons

Michael: I still do some strips the “Old School” method pencil / ink to paper as wells as the editorial cartoons. But that is just to be able to actually have an original physical product. (These I use at personal appearance events, or for museum exhibitions.) Specific tools I use daily are General No.555 Layout, General 2H and HB, General No.497 5B, Berol 3B, and Mechanical Pencils from Pentel / Bic both HB 0.7. For inking I don’t use anything fancy Pitt Artist Pens, Pilot V5 Precise, and Pentel Micro. Favorite erasers are Factis OV12. I also usually use Canson paper either 70lb, or 111lb, sometimes I’ll use Strathmore 300 smooth Bristol Board.

Cartoonist Tip: White paper is best for cartooning. Black seems to mask all your line work. I would say currently about 90% of the material I create is all digital. It’s just so much more convenient. I use a Cintiq 21UX most of the time, but I also use HP touchscreens running Wacom tablets. Software from Illustrator / PhotoShop / Arcsoft.

David: Having been in the industry for many years, what advice do you give to anyone wanting to become a cartoonist?

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Click on image to enlarge

 

Michael: While out at personal appearances or speaking engagements I usually will tell those interested in cartooning that the best thing to do currently is probably concentrate moving in on the various aspects of animation. They will most likely be able to get a decent full time position if they can be consistently proficient at creating quality images through this avenue. The limited space available on the printed pages is probably not going to change soon. There is always more room for animators though. Plus most cartoonists just breaking into the business are using self publishing methods for the in print aspect which is actually really difficult to generate big numbers through sales without a bigger publishing company.

David: Thank you Michael for sharing your history and work here at Don’t Pick the Flowers. I wish you continued success and look forward to all your endeavors in the future. And for all the fans new and old click on the links below to connect and stay tooned with Michael Pohrer!

TOONED IN©: toonedin.us

FIDDLESTIX©: fiddlestixcomics.wordpress.com

Welcome To The Jungle©: junglecomic.wordpress.com

TOON TALES: toontales.tripod.com

GOOGLE+: plus.google.com/114814212106593672891/posts

The Global Free Press: www.globalfreepress.org/cartoonists/michael-pohrer

DCXposed: dcxposed.com/political-cartoons/michael_pohrer

 

 

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Ryan Fisher: Sometime After

Posted on March 7, 2013 by David Hurley

Ryan Fisher is the artist and creator of the webcomic “Sometime After”.ryan2 Ryan is a Seattle based Graphic Designer who is no stranger to the webcomic community with his first comic “Gin and Comics”. He has since moved forward to a humorous cast of furry (and some not so furry) characters updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Today at Don’t Pick the Flowers I’m happy to feature Ryan and his fantastic comic Sometime After and go behind the scenes to see how all the magic is created. 

David: Hi Ryan, thank you for being featured at Don’t Pick the Flowers. To start with, when did you become interested in becoming a cartoonist?

Ryan: It’s a pleasure David. If I had to really narrow it down I would say there are two points in my life that kinda tipped things into the direction of me being a cartoonist. The first being around 8 years old or so, when my dad gave me his collection of Peanuts books from when he was a kid. At the time I used to just flip through them and draw whatever panels caught my interest as a way to pass the time. Let’s just say I drew my fair share of Red Baron strips growing up.

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Click on image to enlarge

The second point, and probably the point that REALLY pushed me into doing it was discovering strips like Sheldon and Penny Arcade online. That was my first introduction to webcomics and to the idea that you can actually do this without a syndicate. I know that many people say that as a kind of middle finger to said syndicates but I want to make it clear, if given the chance, I would run headlong into a deal with GoComics. I’m not sure that I would ever want to do work that is suitable for a newspaper strip, but for a chance to be in any way associated with the amazing talent over there would be a dream come true. I have nothing but admiration for those guys.

David: How did your idea for your comic come about and what are the tools you use when creating?

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Click on image to enlarge

Ryan: Sometime After is one of those things that started as a simple gimick in my head, and rather then simply disappear after I told the joke, it kinda just hung in there and I developed a whole world around it. The original idea isn’t something I can be too elaborate about right now as it will become a pretty big plot point in the coming year’s strips, but I can say I loved the idea of twisting various fairy tale characters stories to turn them into something completely different once they grew up. This is where things like the former blind mice becoming a caffeine addict and Peter rabbit being a shopaholic came from.

As far as the tools I use goes. My first strip, Gin and Comics, was all done on a wacom tablet in Photoshop. While this is certainly an effective way to do a strip it wasn’t right for me. Like I mentioned above, I was heavily influenced by all of the newspaper strips I grew up with, along with Sheldon. There is something about a hand drawn on Bristol board comic that I found beautiful, so that’s what I wanted to do.
The comic is drawn with an HB mechanical pencil on 5.5” X 17” Bristol and then inked with Microns and a Pentel pocket brush.

David: What type of schedule do you keep (from the thought process to the finished work) with your comic and what are your inspirations?

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Click on image to enlarge

Ryan: STA posts 3X a week (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) I try to write in 4-8 strips segments so I know that if I have a good gag going I can carry it out for a few strips to really flush it out. As far as drawing the thing, I tend to do that whenever I get a spare moment. Between being a full-time student and a freelance graphic designer, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

David: Speaking of inspirations, who are your cartooning hero’s?

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Click on image to enlarge

Ryan: This list could be a mile long but I’ll break it like this: My cartooning Mt.Rushmore features; Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Walt Kelly (Pogo), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine) and Dave Kellett (Sheldon).
While that may be my Rushmore, there is a group of creators going now that really spark that desire in me to get better and I feel like they should get a shout out as well. They are Katie Cook, (Gronk) Vince Dorse, (Untold Legends of Bigfoot) Jeff Couturier, (Horde of Neurons) and Don Ahe (Road Apples Almanac).

David: What future plans do you have with your comic and what can we the fans expect?112 Rodeo Clown

Ryan: Well as I am answering this the first book collection of STA strips is sitting on my office room floor, so I am very excited by that. As far as the strip goes, the next year will be a huge year for character development, especially in the case of Rupert. It’ll explain how these fairy tale characters exist in our world and I’ll be doing a lot more with Carl and Twitch.

From a technical standpoint, I have been studying some animation manuals in order to improve my drawings and make the comics that much more dynamic, so I’m excited to see how that manifests in the strips.

David: I’m really looking forward to seeing the character development and all the the following year produces. I wish you continued success as you and Sometime After keep moving onward!

And for all the fans and new fans, click on the links below to check out and follow Ryan Fisher and Sometime After.

Sometime After Comic: www.sometimeaftercomic.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stacomic

Twitter: twitter.com/ryan_m_fisher

 

 

 

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George Gant: On the Grind

Posted on February 26, 2013 by David Hurley

George Gant is the super talented creator of the comic “On the Grind”, ageobrownavatar comic about life in retail (specifically coffee shops). Through personal experience George has brought the humor of working for the public to the comic pages with beautifully illustrated panels and classic story lines. George has been creating comics for many years and now the fruit of his labor is published in his new book “The Worse Day Ever”. So let’s find out how everything started and how humor can be found behind the counter of a coffee house!

David: Hello George, thank you so much for sharing your comic “On the Grind” here at Don’t Pick the Flowers. When did you become interested in becoming a cartoonist and who are some of your greatest influences?

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Click on image to enlarge

George: Anytime, David. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.  Being a cartoonist has actually been a dream of mine since I was a child. I remember coming across Calvin & Hobbes and Bloom County when I was around 8 or 9, which is also around the same time I learned I could draw myself. I would doodle in class a lot, and it’s gotten me in a lot of trouble, but I kept it up, and eventually I found myself doing cartoons in my High School paper. I ended up winning four awards for my comics actually. I stopped drawing in college, but picked it up again with the rise of gaming webcomics, particularly Penny Arcade. In fact, Penny Arcade inspired me to create my first webcomic, The Reset Button.  I’ve also been heavily influenced by the comics Jump Start by Robb Armstrong, Curtis by Ray Billingsley, and later on, The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder.

David: What are your preferred tools when creating your comic?

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Click on image to enlarge

George: Well, I switch it up a bit, and I try to experiment a lot. For the longest time, I used Pitt Artists pens on Bristol, and then coloring in GIMP and Photoshop. Now my comics are done digitally, in Sketchbook Pro, Corel Photo-Paint, and Adobe Photoshop.

David: What is your routine like when creating comics, from ideas to finished product?

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Click on image to enlarge

George: It depends on the time of day. I try to draw in the early-mid morning, but I’m also a stay-at-home dad to an eleven month old son, so nothing gets done until he’s sitting still or sleeping. Otherwise I tend to start later in the evening. I’m always I’ll usually brew a cup of coffee, while doing my pencil and ink work in Sketchbook Pro. Then I turn my comic into a bitmap in Photo-Paint, and do everything else in Photoshop. I usually post my comics to my Facebook page, and my comic’s Facebook page the night before, and everywhere else the next day.

David: You have a new book “Worst Day Ever”, what are the details of your new book?

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Click on image to enlarge

George: The book is a treasury of my webcomic On the Grind, which I created back in 2008. A lot of the stuff in the comics are actually based on my real-life experiences working in several coffee shops over several years. “The Worst Day Ever”, takes its name from a storyline in the comic where the main character is called into work on his off day/birthday, and Murphy’s Law sets in the moment he walks in the door. The book is being published by Hound Comics, which also currently hosts On the Grind on its website.

David: If you could describe your comic to someone who has never heard of it, what would you say? 

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Click on image to enlarge

George: I’d actually respond with another question. I’d ask, “Have you ever worked in retail before? Have you worked in the service industry?” That’s what the comic is about. It’s about what goes on behind the counter at a corporate coffee shop. It’s about dealing with crazy customers and co-workers, the coffee shop industry, and the retail industry as a whole. I think that anyone who’s ever had one of those jobs can relate, and anyone who’s ever been a customer at a coffee shop can appreciate, or at least find humor, in some of the quirky things that they tend to do subconsciously.

David: I can definitely relate as most people can George. I love how you have taken your personal experience and turned it into humor, a true sign of a cartoonist! I want to thank you again for sharing On the Grind and look forward to what you have in store for us in the future. I wish you the best as you move onward with your talent and creativity!

And for all the old and new fans of George Gant, here are quick links to On the Grind:

George Gant Portfolio site:   geogant.com

On the Grind at Hound Comics: houndcomics.com/webcomic_on_the_grind.php

On the Grind at GoComics: gocomics.com/on-the-grind

Facebook: facebook.com/onthegrindcomic

Twitter: twitter.com/geogant and twitter.com/OnTheGrindComic

 

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Graham Nolan: Feeling the Sunshine

Posted on February 11, 2013 by David Hurley

If you’ve ever wondered where characters like Bane from Batman are created then look no further. Graham Nolan is a master of the trade and with true skill he brings his creations to life. Graham has not only worked with DC and Marvel, but worked on such titles as  The Phantom Sunday strip, Rex Morgan, M.D., and created Monster Island, Joe Frankenstein, Sunshine State, and that’s to name but a few. I’m very proud to feature a true talent and discover the man behind the creations, so let’s go find out what Graham Nolan is up to.

David: Hi Graham, thank you so much for sharing your amazing work here at Don’t Pick the Flowers. You have an incredible amount of beautiful work, to start with, what’s it like in the day in the life of Graham Nolan, do you have a set schedule with all the things you have your hands in and what are the things that inspire your work?

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Click on image to enlarge

I have a pretty rigid schedule. I get up around 6:30am and have my coffee and breakfast. Check my e-mail then go to the gym. I like to start my day with a workout because it clears my head for the day as well as the health benefits of staying in shape. I actually sit down at the board around 10:30am to start my day. Generally Monday and Tuesday are set aside for (at the moment) JOE FRANKENSTEIN. Wednesday-Friday I work on REX MORGAN, M.D.

For inspiration, it depends on the project I am working on. I have so many different irons in the fire, that each one has a different inspiration.

David: Not long a go you started a web comic called “Sunshine State”, which I’ve heard you call your baby. Can you share a little about the comic and what was the influence behind it?

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Click on image to enlarge

SUNSHINE STATE is a humor strip about the whimsical adventures of two friends (Mel and Dink) as they try to navigate the encroaching technological 21st century. The world is such a busy, go-go-go, hurry up, sensory overloaded place these days that I wanted to create a strip that evoked, fun, relaxation and the feeling of vacation on the comic’s page. I grew up on the beach and a good part of that in Florida so that’s where I wanted to set my strip. Nothing relaxes me more than a day at the beach and I wanted that feeling to carry over into my strip. SUNSHINE STATE can be read on line as well in the FUNNIES EXTRA! papers around the country.

David: Having a lot of credit (The Phantom comic and Rex Morgan, M.D.) you are an excellent penciller, inker, letterer, and colorist, what are your favorite tools to work with when creating?

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Click on image to enlarge

I still do my work “old school”. I haven’t gone digital…yet. There are benefits to both but I enjoy the tactile feel of working with paper and ink and also having a piece of original artwork at the end. I enjoy the inking and coloring the most in the process. The penciling is heavy lifting work.

David: You recently had an Indiegogo project for an upcoming graphic novel “Joe Frankenstein” with Chuck Dixon (which I am proud to say I backed and looking forward to), what can we expect from this project in the future?

JOE FRANKENSTEIN is going to be a 120 pg graphic novel published by IDW and illustrated by me and co-written by Chuck Dixon and I. We are taking the Frankenstein mythos in a direction that has never been explored. JOE is the direct heir of the Frankenstein legacy…only he doesn’t know it. His entire life he’s been under the impression his name was Joe Pratt (that’s a nod to the great Boris Karloff who’s REAL name was William Henry Pratt) until the day his life is saved from a coven of vampires by an unknown benefactor who turns out to be the Frankenstein Monster. The Creature has been watching over Joe his whole life. Keeping him safe and out of the clutches of…The Bride, who needs Joe’s blood to achieve eternal life.

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Click on image to enlarge

This book is not a gore-fest but rather a classic horror/high-adventure story. We’re hoping to have it released for Halloween of 2013 but that will all depend on if I can get the art finished in time. But that’s what we’re shooting for.

David: You have been involved with comics for many years (DC, Marvel, and Eclipse). When did you decide this was the career choice for you and who are some of your cartooning hero’s that lead you in this direction? And with that what advice would you give to anyone who wanted to become involved in the comics world?

I wanted to write and draw comics since the 6th grade. It’s all I’ve every wanted to do. I’ve done lots of other stuff, advertising, illustration, package design, storyboards, but comics are where my heart is. I enjoy telling stories with pictures and making characters come to life.

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David: You have created many characters and one of the biggest being Bane from Batman with Chuck Dixon. Of all the characters you’ve created, do you have a favorite and what is it about that character that intrigues you the most? 

BANE is certainly the most well known. Now, thanks to The Dark Knight Rises, he is a pop culture icon. Chuck wrote Bane as a very complex character with an interesting layered background. It’s hard to say what character is my favorite because they all have a bit of me in them. The characters from MONSTER ISLAND tap into my love of aviation and Buz Sawyer comic strips. JOE FRANKENSTEIN taps into my love of monsters and adventure. If push came to shove and I had to pick, I’d have to say, Mel and Dink from SUNSHINE STATE. They are an amalgam of me almost entirely. You could probably find out a lot about me through them.

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Click on image to enlarge

David: Inside the mind of Graham Nolan with Sunshine State and all of the fantastic characters and art that bring us into the stories. I really appreciate you sharing your work here and look forward to seeing more of the projects and work you will be giving us in the future! 

And for all of the fans and soon to be fans click on the links below to direct yourself to some of the fantastic creations of Graham Nolan.

Graham Nolan Website: www.grahamnolan.com

Sunshine State Comic: sunshinestatecomics.com

Joe Frankenstein: www.joefrankenstein.com

Funnies Extra: www.funnies-extra.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/graham.nolan.5

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