News, Creating Greeting Cards, Something New & More
February 23, 2020
In This Issue:
News From Here
Creating Greeting Cards
Something New
Top Cartoons
News From Here
If you saw my cartoon a couple weeks ago, you know our dog had to wear a recovery cone, due to a sore on his paw. The vet called the cone an "e-collar," and I asked her what that meant. She said it's a reference to Elizabethan times, when men, women and children would wear "ruffs," or wide collars made of ruffles.
This amused me to no end.
Of course I couldn't help but picture this:
He's so regal.
Anyway, I did some research about this Elizabethan fashion trend and learned that the size of the ruffs could reach more than a foot wide, making it difficult to eat. (Our dog can relate.)
Can you imagine if we still wore them?
I was feeling bad for our dog and his e-collar, so at the suggestion of my cartoonist friend Betje, I drew this:
Then my daughter's friend reminded me that we actually HAVE a collar, as part of a game we own called Exploding Kittens. I dug it out and put it on. I felt like the dog would appreciate it, but I'm not sure he did.
I got the feeling he was trying to distance himself from me.
I was like, "You realize you're also wearing a cone, right?" He ignored that and continued to distance himself.
In other news, I happened upon this in the fridge.
"Who left four grapes in the fridge!" I shouted.
"I thought someone might want them!" Claire said.
"You couldn't just EAT them?" I asked.
"I was full!" she said. I don't think I've ever been "too full" to fit four measly grapes into my stomach, but OK.
It reminded me of this cartoon I drew a while ago:
Oh well, at least it's better than the time the kids put a mango container back in the fridge with ZERO mangos in it.
Creating Greeting Cards
I've been hard at work on a batch of new ideas for Recycled Paper Greetings (the card company I freelance for). They want card ideas for Valentine's Day, Thank You, Congrats, Anniversary and Friendship.
I take these submission requests VERY seriously because it's really, really hard to get a card on shelves. I'll submit dozens of ideas, but after the review/testing process, the vast majority of the ideas are rejected and I might end up with one card out on shelves. I've been doing this for 20 years, and that's just the nature of the business.
Since I know competition is fierce, I want to come up with the best ideas possible. Here's how the process usually goes for me.
Right now I'm in the "revise, revise, revise" stage. Hopefully by Friday I'll have a few ideas that are good.
No matter what, the ideas I turn in this week will be better than this card idea I submitted many years ago -- a birthday card about a guy who trains sand crabs to perform stunts. Yes, you read that right. This was the top of the card:
Things go downhill from there. I covered this card in , if you want to learn more.
Something New: Working With Alice's Kids
I'm excited to be partnering with Alice's Kids (I've mentioned them here before). They're a charity that provides short-term financial assistance to meet kids' immediate needs and lift their self-esteem.
I'm going to be creating cartoons to raise awareness about the charity. I really love what they do, and I want to use my skills to help them.
It's an interesting project because it's an entirely different way for me to approach cartooning. Instead of trying to be funny, I'll be using illustrations to tell stories. I've already started working on some of the cartoons, and I'm really enjoying it, and learning so much.
So watch for those cartoons soon, and let me know what you think!
Instagram Stories
I've been adding content to my Instagram Story Highlights, including some Hedger Corp content, posts about our dog, and some drawings I did to add faces to nature. You can find that material by going to my Instagram page and clicking on the circles above my posts.
Most Popular Cartoons
You can find my cartoons on Instagram, Facebook, and on my website. So follow along!
These two cartoons were the most popular since the last newsletter. The first one shows you my family's method for eating Girl Scout cookies. And, to be honest, most any type of cookie.
This next one is a celebration of dogs large and small. That's my dog on the left there, thinking he's big and tough.
(Note: Our dog was far less of a tough guy when he was saddled with that e-collar. He probably realized that his Elizabethan look required a more distinguished attitude.)
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