Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Little Something For Vikkitikkitavi: CARTOONS!

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it." -Voltaire

"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare." -Voltaire

"The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination." -Voltaire

"To hold a pen is to be at war." -Voltaire

"Well that was a fuck of a storm." -Noah.
***

I'm back. I have been away too long, but the horrible storm has given me the chance to get a few things out of the way. I have written a few reviews of new beers I've tried, watched some good movies I'll pass along, and I've penned a few cartoons for Vikkitikkitavi that I promised her days ago.

I'm sure all of my Dear and Gentle Readers are familiar with Vik. (You don't mind if I call you Vik do you?) She is over at Bells On with her finger firmly planted on the pulse of the nations politics. If you haven't been following her writing, you have cheated yourself out some much needed exposure to a razor sharp mind and a biting whit that can cut to the core of truth in today's bullshit. And God bless her for it. We could use many more like her. This young lady has captured the plight we find ourselves in and offered some of the most well reasoned thinking of anyone I know, much like the good Voltaire whose words head this article.

A while back, I posted a few of my silly cartoons and offered to draw one for anyone who asked. She said she would be honored to have one done, and as anyone who knows me, I am a sucker for flattery. So I gave it a go. Here is the first:

This was my first effort and it was undertaken after a long night of reviewing several different domestic beers, so please, forgive a clumsy drunken cartoonist. As a child, I read quite a bit of Kipling, and to this day can recite a few, but “Rikkitikkitavi" isn’t amongst them. I drew the pic from one off the internet and this one was crossing some marshy ground, that is why his back right paw is in the mire. And if anyone can speak well of the state of our mire, it’s Vik.

But it would be wrong of me not to include everyone else into this, so let’s make this a bit of a puzzle. As I am the kind of guy who could never find the sailboat in those stupid “See the Picture Amongst The Dot’s”, let’s make this easy. Find: a skull, a spider, an oil well, a flower, a vine, a gravestone, the number 12, a red hat, a smiley face, grapes and a donkey. Yes, I’m sure you found them all, but how long did it take you?

Next, the cartoon that Vikkitikkitavi later asked for is somewhat flawed too. I explained to her that I don’t draw women well, but she defended herself by saying that she rarely acted like a lady, so that was okay. And while she is known for her truthful and honest opinion, I have to cast a shadow of doubt that she rarely acts like a lady, and if she doesn't, hell, those are the kind of broads I like to hang out with anyway. While she has no pelvis in this picture (as I couldn’t make the chair line up with her body) it isn’t a totally bad effort. But can you find the seven things that are red? Can you find: the axe, the spilled bottle of beer, the number of speakers and drawers to her desk, the red hat, or how many “A’s” were used?

Should you like a cartoon of your own, don’t hesitate to ask, and Vik, it has been a pleasure. Think of it as a small "thank you" from a regular reader.

Cheers,

Doc

13 comments:

  1. If I may, one last quote, "Man shall not be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." -Voltaire.

    Doc

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  2. Damn fine illustrations, Doc! You could turn pro if you wanted to. About 10 years back, I used to have to hire illustrators for a magazine I worked on, and your stuff is on par with the pro stuff we used to pay decent $$$ for.

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  3. These are brilliant Doc. That desk look just like her one at home!

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  4. Awesome! Love them both! I am so glad that you likened me to my namesake and childhood hero, Rikkitikkitavi. My grandmother used to read Kipling to us, and that one was my favorite.

    The one of my desk is hilarious. How did you know I always blog with an axe handy?

    Bravo!

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  5. BTW, Doc, my email address is in my profile if you have a higher res copy you feel like emailing to me. I hesitate to ask because I know you have some Luddite inclinations and I don't want to stress you out. Anyways, I have saved copies off your post so I can always have them. If it's okay for me to use them as illustrations on my blog from time to time, please let me know.

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  6. hee!! That's brilliant!! Um... would it be too forward for me to ask for a toon of ME? Or something similar? I'd love to know what you'd come up with...

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  7. Yes! I would be glad to have one of your cartoons as my avatar, if you were so inclined dear sir.

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  8. BSUWG- I don't know about pro, but if you find someone who wants to pony up a little money for one, you let me know.

    GkL- Oddly enough, I just drew my desk and put her in front of it.

    Vikkitikkitavi- The axe was a given. I know they are very blurry but it says "Axe to be ground". My dad read Kipling to us and could recite long passages of it. I just guessed that this is where you drew your name from. I'm sorry they didn't come out more clear on the blog, but when I put them up they were postage stamp sized. I blew them up as big as I could and they turned out fuzzy. And while I don't know how to send them via email, I'm sure Flannery does, as she is a whiz at that sort of thing. She won't be home for a few days but I'll send them along as soon as I can. Hell, for that matter, I could send you the originals via snail mail and you could frame them and put them in the bathroom or have it printed on the back of your business card if you like. I'm tickled you like them. Feel free to use them when and where ever you want. They're yours, and I'll be in touch.

    Skyler's Dad- Thank you, and I got your email. I'll send along some "Three Philosophers" after Friday, as that's when I get paid. Share the cookie if you have to, but the beer is just for you.

    Cap'n Ergo- Hell, I'd be glad to do one for you but I think I might need you at my elbow to truly capture the spirit of the Cap'n. Besides, I ain't seen you in so long I don't remember what you look like. Swing by when you get the chance.

    err- I have one already done that would suit you to a "T". It is a self portrait that I did many, many years ago and oddly enough, it looks like you today, only I didn't have the fetching goatee that you do. I'll have to hunt around a bit but I'll post it soon. I hope you don't mind an action shot.

    Thank you all for your kind responses. I will admit that I have a lot of fun cartooning for people I know and sharing them around. If anybody else would like one, let me know.

    Cheers,
    Doc

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  9. Very good Doc!
    I felt like I was doing a seek n find in a Highlights magazine!!


    peace
    #2

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  10. I'd love to have one of your excellent cartoons sometime Doc.

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  11. Hi Doc, hmm, what to draw (from)?

    Let's see, I've got a new kitten who's been learning to climb my new curtains, a recent flood (not quite of biblical proportions), opera season about to start (I could take KBL or HP), the other neighbors I keep meaning to write about who seem to be a family of Russian gymnasts, and me sitting for hours in front of my Mac saying to myself, no, that's not funny-I can't post that (I do a lot of editing of myself).

    On my desk, I have a Jesus action figure, an Elvis pen topper, a Napoleon Dynamite talking key chain, CDs and a phone (which helps me avoid calls from Tanya Espanya). I've been busy trying to plan a trip and I'll be going to see yours and Flan's hero, Mr. Sedaris in December.

    That sounds easy enough to draw doesn't it? Or if you want to go a different way, that's fine too. No pressure, no rush.

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  12. Dale, this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you. Your cartoon is in the works and will incorperate all of your suggestions, but it might take two trys.

    Doc

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