Between Friends Blog

Pittsburgh!

Finally.  Next week I am taking a little vacation.  I'm heading to the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award weekend in Pittsburg.  The Reuben weekend is a three day event of cartoonist seminars, cocktail parties and an Awards night which is the cartoonist equivalent of the Oscars.  I haven't been in about five years so I'm really looking forward to it.  The festivities are always fun and informative but the best part is getting the chance to meet up with my cartoonist friends from all over Canada and the United States...and even some from overseas.  Of course this means that a little shopping is in order...and I do mean more than a new blush.

http://www.betweenfriendscomics.com

TCAF!

If you happen to be attending the Toronto Comics Arts Festival in Toronto this weekend, the Globe & Mail's Warren Clements will be moderating a panel on a state-of-the-union on comics and illustration in Canadian newspapers.

 Joining him will be Philip Street (Fisher), Anthony Jenkins (Globe & Mail), Paul Gilligan (Pooch Cafe), John Martz (a whole bunch of stuff) and me. (Between Friends)

Sunday, May 12
12:15 - 1:15
Toronto Reference Library
Learning Centre 1

(It's free but space is limited)                                                                                                             

My New Web Site is LIVE!

See?  I TOLD you I've been busy.  My new BETWEEN FRIENDS web site is now LIVE!  Wanna come over and visit for a little while?  You can read BF there DAILY and I also have a great, big ol' archive of Between Friends strips you can peruse on your coffee break.  Come see.

www.betweenfriendscomics.com

Oh...and I almost forgot... You're welcome to join me on Facebook too...just click LIKE on the facebook link on my Between Friends site.

Did I mention...?

Soon...very soon, my new Between Friends web site will be launched.  You'll be able to read Between Friends there daily and read my occasional behind-the-scenes BF tidbits...all on the same page!

As for this blog...I have changes in store for here too.  So don't forget about me and keep checking in.

Cartoon Council Campaign

Very busy past couple of weeks for a variety or reasons.  I'll be launching my new web site soon...stayed tooned for that.

Also, it was high school student council election time again and my daughter ran her traditional chocolate-chip-cookie-give-away.  We baked and decorated 550 of these cookies...

Last year we did it in one day....8:30 in the morning until 1:30am.  This year we opted to do it in a two day marathon.  I baked and Tara iced the cookies in the white icing for the face.  The next day after school I mixed the orange for the hair and decorated the squiggles and she did the eyes and mouth.  It was quite an assembly line.

Below is her campaign poster.  She did it very simply using the mouse in photoshop.  After she coloured it, I sent it Staples to be printed as a poster.  (Lucky us, they had a special on posters for half price)

 

Tara Lundy For Students' Council Executive c 2013 Tara Lundy

 

I take it you're getting the idea she has curly red hair.  (Not carrot red like the cartoon but what the heck, right?)

Students running for Executive had to give a speech as well and she included a Power Point with a little animated gif of the cartoon she did last year. (thanks to my friend Mike Cope for pointing us in the direction of a simple and free online animation program)  I couldn't figure out how to post it but if she puts it up on Youtube I'll embed it)

And by the way...yes, she was elected. :)

The Quest for Middle-aged Marriage Romance: Conclusion!

And since I've mentioned "Chariots of Fire"...

 

Middle-aged marriage Romance: Long walks continued...

The quest for romance continues...

And  speaking of stamina, I thought I'd throw up Tina Turner performing Proud Mary to celebrate Friday.  Is she cool or what?  Have a great weekend!  

 

Middle-aged Marriage Romance: There HAS to be a reason...

Re-Kindling Middle-Aged Marriage Romance

The link I provided yesterday to read my "Re-kindling Middle-aged Marriage Romance" series isn't working today...so here's today's entry.

Tim and I don't take long walks on the beach...we do takes long walks around the neighbourhood though.  With the dog.  And a plastic bag for poop-bombs.

How much more intimate can a long walk get?

Do you Like Pina Coladas?

 

You know that song..."Do you Like Pina Coladas" by Rupert Holmes?  (Yeah, I know the title is actually "Escape" but I think of it as the Pina Colada song)  I have no idea why but it popped into my head one day while I was trying to write my strips.  It ended up inspiring a two week series that began yesterday.  "Inspired" makes the writing process sound a whole lot deeper than it really was.  I wrote the first couple of strips  based on some of the Pina Colada lyrics for fun and the rest of the story just spun off from there.

Here are yesterday's and today's strips...

...and now begins a little middle-aged marriage quest for rekindled romance...you can follow along by visiting the Toronto Star Diversions link.

...and speaking of the Pina Colada song, here it is to enjoy during your next coffee break...(just try to ignore the cheesy dancers in the background)

 

Grab you coffee and click!

 You can read Between Friends everyday by clicking right here.  

I Love Paper.

 

Yeah...yeah...the whole world is going digital.  I know.  I still like paper.  I draw with a pencil.  I ink with...well, INK.  I've purchased 5 books in the past month.  TANGIBLE books.  A book to me is more than the read...it's something.  I read two newspapers every morning.  The kind that you spread out on your kitchen table and turn actual pages. I tear out feature articles I want to give a closer read later on and rip out recipes and cut out the occassional cartoon strip to stick on my fridge.

And speaking of cartoon strips...I love looking at real works of cartoon art.  There's something mesmerizing and amazing about actually seeing the brush strokes, the pen scratches and the light traces of erased pencil sketchings...knowing that the ink on the page was connected to the creator.  Somehow it makes the art more real.  Does that sound weird?  I don't care.  It's true.  I enjoy the cartoon whether I read it in a book or read it online.  But seeing the art up close and personal is a different experience all together.

Digital has its place.  And its place is expanding at the speed of light.  I know that as well as anyone.  My head's not stuck in the sand. 

But...I kinda think the all-encompassing, ever-expanding take-over of digital is doing something we probably don't even realize most of the time.  It's making paper a little more "real"...and a little more personal...and a lot more special.

Yep.  I love paper.

Over the River and through I 90 (I think that's where I went...)

A week or so ago, I "went over the river" (as we Canadians call it when we cross the the Niagara River to get to the United States) to assist the NCS Upstate New York Chapter with the Reuben Award Judging in the Book Illustration category.  Lots of fun and nice to see my old friends, Graham Nolan, Frank Mariani and Margaret Shulock and to meet Scott Jensen for the first time.  (and hoping to see him again soon!)

Moi, Graham Nolan, Frank Mariani, Margaret Shulock, Scott Jensen

I'm hosting the NCS Canada Chapter judging for the editorial cartoon division on Friday.  I was hoping to have my living room painted (hasn't been done in years because I can't decide on a colour) and the drapes replaced (I got rid of the valances because they had faded), get some new window treatments for my kitchen (threw out the old ones when we put in new windows and I can't decide what I want to put up there), buy a new fridge and stove (we've had ours since we got married...the d@mn things just wouldn't die...but our fridge is hovering on konking out and we're going out on Thursday to buy new appliances...just didn't get around to it in time for this Friday).  However, my studio renovation is complete.  And when you're having a bunch of cartoonists over to your home...well...priorities, priorities.

I'll just dazzle everyone with wine and lots of food...and more wine.  Who cares about window treatments anyway?

My New Studio - Stage 3

Here are the photos of my expanded studio with new paint and carpet...

I still need to buy some kind of storage pieces so I can start filing and sorting all my STUFF.  I hate to bring anything back in though...right now it all looks so spacious and clean!

Woo Hoo! The Hot Apple Spice Wall (#2005-20 from Benjamin Moore Paints)...I want white storage pieces against this wall...maybe some open-back bookcases.

The sliding doors still need to be painted white and I need to buy some shelving inserts for my closet.

The entrance to my room still needs to be painted white as well.  The STUFF that's on the ledge is only there temporarily until I decide where I want to hang things.  I plan on keeping the shelf "clutter-free".  It'll be a challenge, but that's the plan.

My computer table...still lots of odds and ends messing it up...my tape for my holding my strips in place, telephone cabe, tacks and other little bits of STUFF.  I do love my new carpet...very soft and warm.  There's concrete floor under the carpet so it's very nice to have.

And finally, my table where I draw and ink.  I'm due for a new T-square...the one I have is at least thirty years old.  I was going to buy those hard plastic mats to put under the table and my computer station chair but I think I'm going to buy a little section of flat carpet with some red in it to match my HOT APPLE SPICE WALL. :)

I tried to replicate what I kept doing last night...after I finished the last bits of painting, vacuuming and moving my desks into position...turned off the lights except for my art table light and look at my new room and go "aaaaaaaah". :)