Check out my new blog.

For those of you that haven't heard, I am no longer running this blog (or walking it for that matter).

Why you ask? Well, it's because I have a brand new shinny blog, which you can see by clicking...right...about...here!

See you there.

Here's the scoop!

This is the final post on Happy Fun Hour. Before you scream and throw yourself in front of traffic though, remain calm because there's good news. I have decided, in large part thanks to all of you, to pursue cartooning on a professional level. For those of you that don't know, I run my own photography business, but ever since I was a wee lad I dreamed of making a living through drawing. I now feel, more than ever, that I need to take a crack at my childhood dream.

I have started a new blog, which is a place that I hope all of you will visit.

Check it out, you're all invited...

www.jasonjamescurtis.com

May 3rd Announcement

Hi everyone!

For those of you that are curious as to what my announcement is, you'll find out by checking back here on Monday May 3rd.

Now, I may have exaggerated just a tad by saying "what is coming will change the world as we know it" but for me, this really is big news.

Please note that I'll also be back in action in terms of regularly checking out all your wonderful blogs and leaving comments once again. I've missed the daily interaction with all of you so I'm looking forward to continuing with that.

I'll see you all back here on May 3rd...

Big Announcement!

Hello Everyone!

The staff here at Happy Fun Hour (which consists of me) want you to know that we have been busy behind-the-scenes in preparation for a big announcement. I can't give you an exact date at this time, or any details, but I think it's safe to say that what is coming will change the world as we know it.

Stay tuned folks...

Thank You!

Wow...I had no idea that when I started this blog I would be fortunate enough to come into contact with such a supportive group of artists. I truly do love this blogging community because there is absolutely no sense of ego whatsoever (the same certainly isn't true in the world of photography).

You have all been so supportive and kind, which was made abundantly evident from the response I received from yesterdays post. As I'm writing this, I have so far received 10 warm hearted comments on that post, and 32 emails from other loyal followers of my blog. To say that I am touched by this response would be an understatement.

Thank you so very much to all of you that regularly visit Happy Fun Hour and contribute by way of comments and/or emails. You have all provided me with endless inspiration and motivation. I think I owe it to myself to continue posting my humble little doodles, but I'll just have to slow the pace...sorry, no more posts 5 days per week. Maybe I should be focussing more on improving my art, and only posting once a week, rather than simply pumping out rushed doodles every day just for the sake of posting.

Okay, so for the time being I'm not going anywhere. I just need to figure out the best way to balance my two creative passions (photography and cartooning) while still being able to spend time with my wife and son.

Thanks for listening.

Click on image for a larger view

Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

One Year

It's been one year since I started Happy Fun Hour. I have religiously posted a doodle 5 days a week, for a total of 269 drawings. It has been a good exercise to get me into the groove of putting pen to paper again, and I have truly enjoyed the people I have met through this wonderful network of artists.

But...

I'm finding it very difficult to balance my business (for those of you that don't know, I run my own photography business) and cartooning. I love the idea of dedicating more time to improving my cartooning and getting my work out into the real world, but the reality is that I just don't seem to have the time to manage both photography and cartooning.

If I seriously want to pursue cartooning on a professional level, I need to be able to dedicate a lot more time than I am now. The result of doing so however, will take away from my photography which is already all consuming.

So, I think I need to take a little break from my 5 day a week routine of posting a doodle. Perhaps by taking a step back I'll gain a fresh perspective in terms of what I should do. My fear though, is that if I stop posting on Happy Fun Hour I'll stop drawing altogether, which would be sad.

I want to thank all of you that leave comments on this blog, and to those that email me with wonderful words of advice and encouragement.

Clark

This is Clark. He likes jeans.

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Image Info - Moleskin Sketchbook doodle; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Weird

Weird...just plain weird.

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Image Info - Moleskin sketchbook doodle; Pilot G-Tec-C4 and V5 pens; coloured in Photoshop

Compensating

This is just a random little doodle I did, and I'm not quite sure what it means. Perhaps the guy on the far right is compensating for his lack of hair by growing a moustache?

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

Play ball!

Meet Ned and Ernest. They like baseball.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen

Notebook Doodles

Part of a page from my notebook...I coloured in my favorite character for your viewing pleasure.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

What's the joke?

I can only assume that the big guy is laughing because he's the only one wearing clothes.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Huh?

I was hungry when I drew this, which might explain something?

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Don't ask...

...because I have no clue what this means.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen, Pigma Micron 005 an 02 pens; coloured in Photoshop

Lenny

If I were Lenny, and my butt was dangling so close to the ground, I'd certainly be wearing a pair of pants.

Click on image for a larger view

Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Home Sweet Home

It must be a pain in the butt for him to take his groceries in.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

An Unexpected View

Bruce thought it would be romantic to show his girlfriend the view from the edge of the cliff.

...they were never heard from again.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 and V5 pens; coloured in Photoshop

Pistol Packin' Poultry

Bill and Frank suddenly became aware of a distant presence. The hair on the back of their necks stood to attention as they realized the figure on the hill was none other than Desperado Chicken, the most feared chicken gunslinger in all the West.

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Image Info - Strathmore 300 Bristol smooth; 6x6"; Pigma Micron 005, 01, 02 pens; coloured in Photoshop

Heavy Head

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 Smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Cat and Fish

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

Gnome

Gnomes are short.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Yeah, it's a lame doodle. I just haven't had much time to put pen to paper lately.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

More Black and Blue

A boy and his dog.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pens

Black and Blue

I had a black Bic pen, a blue Bic pen, a notebook, and about 60 spare seconds. This is the result.

His name is Lou, and he's a private investigator. He wears cheap suits and even cheaper cologne. Lou will never back down from a fight (unless the other guy is bigger). He likes his women fast and his cars even faster, unfortunately all he can afford is women that used to be fast and a car that never was.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pens

Another brush pen doodle

Same as yesterday, I just dove in with the brush pen and doodled away. Here's the result.

This guy doesn't really have an ear-to-ear grin...it's more of a forehead-to-chin grin.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Doodling with my brush pen

A few days ago Michael Robertson suggested that I try doodling with my brush pen. So, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I didn't lay down any pencil work, I just dove in as if I were doodling with my favorite pen, but this time I was using a brush. This is my first (and only) attempt, but I'm looking forward to doing more. Unlike a pen obviously, no two lines are the same when using a brush which can be fun.

Click on image for a larger view

Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pental Pocket Brush pen; coloured in Photoshop

Ready for summer

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for summer.

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Image Info - Strathmore 300 Bristol smooth; 6x6"; Pental Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Marathon

11 hours into the marathon, Peter (exhausted and overheating) started to question his decision to be sponsored by a men's formal wear store.

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Image Info - Strathmore 300 Bristol Smooth; 6x6"; Pental Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop

Feeling Sad

Hey everyone...I'm a bit of an emotional wreck at the moment. Yesterday was my son's first day at daycare, and the experience has transformed me into a puddle of tears.

When my wife went back to work after mat leave, I began "Daddy Daycare". I looked after him during the day, and ran my business at night. This was the arrangement for the last 8 months. It ran me ragged obviously, but the time spent with my son is something that I will forever cherish. I simply reached a point where I couldn't balance both, so that's why my little man is now in daycare.

Anyway, forgive me for not responding to all your comments over the last few days, and for not visiting your blogs. Just give me a couple of days to dry my tears and get into some sort of new routine.

Click on image for a larger view

Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen;

Waving

I'm not sure if these guys are waving hello, or waving goodbye, or maybe even waving for help. Whatever they're doing, the guy on the far right doesn't seem interested in participating.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

Happy Valentine's Day (belated)!

The staff here at Happy Fun Hour (me) hopes that everyone had a warm and fuzzy Valentine's Day yesterday.

Oh, and just in case it isn't apparent, his arms are supposed to be in the shape of a heart.

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Image Info - Hilroy notebook doodle; Bic Ultra pen; coloured in Photoshop

Doug

Here's a quick little sketch I did while waiting for the microwave to heat up some soup (yes, that's about the extent of my kitchen capabilities).

Apparently (according to what I scribbled underneath the doodle) Doug likes taco's.

As much as I'm enjoying working with the Pentel Pocket Brush pen on Strathmore Bristol, I still love the look of a hastily drawn doodle in a notebook. In fact, I think I like them more. I personally find stuff like this amusing because it isn't at all refined. The lines have life. The looseness and spontaneity of it seems to compliment my strange little characters...or at least in my opinion.

Any thoughts on this matter?

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Image Info - Hilroy Notebook doodle; Pentel R.S.V.P pen; coloured in Photoshop

Pink Bunny

He looks like he's drunk, or falling...or falling because he's drunk.

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Image Info - Strathmore Bristol 300 smooth; 6x6"; Pentel Pocket Brush pen; Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen; coloured in Photoshop