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.

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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.

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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