Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

Just a little joke.  It's been a wonderful Christmas.  My mom made a great dinner, my dad fell in love with my dog, and Sarah is happily playing Kirby's Epic Yarn.  Hope yours was nice too.

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Don - "Christmas Card"

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you!  I'm going to take a few days off from the "Talking Bird" episode, and then get right back to it.  My goal is to finish it before the New Year, but don't hold me to that.  In the meantime, let's check in with the Don.




Monday, December 20, 2010

Donkey Town - "Talking Bird" - Part 4

Today I'm 29, and I couldn't be happier.  I've got everything going right in my life.  Thank you all for contributing to that!

Please catch up with "Talking Bird" here:


And now, part 4!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Donkey Town - "Talking Bird" - Part 3

For those of you just tuning in:

Part 1  Arriss gets a talking bird.
http://donkeytowncomics.blogspot.com/2010/12/donkey-town-talking-bird-part-1.html

Part 2  The talking bird gets a job.  Arriss and Jorree wonder aloud at its vast potential, causing the bird to become fully sentient and conscious.  The bird decides it doesn't want to work at G-Ball after all.
http://donkeytowncomics.blogspot.com/2010/12/donkey-town-talking-bird-part-2.html

And now, Part 3!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Donkey Town - "Talking Bird" - Part 2

And the epic journey of a lifetime continues!  If you haven't read Part 1, this won't make sense, so please catch up below:

http://donkeytowncomics.blogspot.com/2010/12/donkey-town-talking-bird-part-1.html

And now, Part 2.  I hope you enjoy.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Donkey Town - "Talking Bird" - Part 1

It begins!  Attached please find the first installment of "Talking Bird," my first full-length Donkey Town episode.  Now, there are a lot of qualifications to be made here.  First of all, Donkey Town is meant to be an animated series, so think of this as somewhere between a storyboard and one of those crappy Simpsons comic books.  Secondly, "full-length" doesn't really translate as a descriptor between print and television media.  And finally, as you'll notice below, each page isn't going to necessarily wrap-up neatly with a punchline or resolution--"Talking Bird" is one continuous story, broken-up into chunks.  Like a "Dick Tracy" serial, the strips won't make sense out of sequence.  Sorry for the lengthy introduction.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

"Grelle" - Ballet

I never really appreciated dance.  Which is strange, because I love to dance.  But I guess it'd be fair to draw a line between what I do when drunk and what you'd see at Lincoln Center.  I guess.


Monday, December 13, 2010

Me, by way of Rick Ritter

This is just too cool.  My friend Rick, in addition to his many other talents, is an accomplished caricaturist, so it's a special treat to get a fleshed-out rendering of my little line drawing.  Also it's very convenient, since I'm busy and a little sick, and don't have anything new to show you today.  You can find Rick's blog on the right hand side of the page.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Self Portraits

I've been nominated for Annie award for an episode of "Wonder Pets" that I worked on with J. Walter Hawkes.  My old employers asked me to send a brief bio and a caricature for the awards' program, so I drew these up.  Looking at them now, I think it'd be funny if I got a job as a caricature artist at a mall or a fair.  Imagine everyone who paid me $10 getting basically one of these.  Maybe some hair.  Some breasts.  A dimple.


That'll be $10.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Donkey Town Doodle Sheet 1

At some point in the next couple of weeks I'm going to start a very exciting project:  A full Donkey Town "episode," in comic form!  As I said earlier, I want to actually make this show (when you put things in bold they come true), so the episode, along with all the other materials on this blog, will be a good reference point for anyone interested in eventually working on it with me.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"When the 2 Becomes the 1"

I drew this, shockingly, on the subway.

You know, recently the MTA has done something I actually like:  They've added those digital signs that tell you when the next train is arriving.  Those are great.  I like those.  They should have had those for the past 10 years.  But the other day I noticed the sign was outputting some other messages, one of which went something like:  "Do you like this service?  We're trying it out!  Tell us at mta.info!"  And I was halfway tempted to go to that website and give them my hearty approval.  But then I thought, who ISN'T going to like this service?  Do they really need a pat on the back for every stupid, barely acceptable improvement they make?  And then I found myself thinking about something else entirely, as it often goes with subway outrage.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Meet Mr. Sto

I have lots of bad memories of math.  But Mr. Stoenescu, my 11th grade math teacher, was a real bright spot in my education.  I can't say I remember what the hell we learned that year, but he was very cool, and patient, and as a result I did well.  Plus he had that awesome, couldn't-care-less Eastern European accent.  I don't remember where he was from, but he didn't actually speak broken English like his Donkey Town counterpart.


Monday, December 6, 2010

"Just Checking In"

When you're looking for work, sometimes you need to do a little reverse psychologizing with the job market.  "Oh, no work, huh?  Well fine.  I'm gonna stay in my pajamas then.  All day.  And order pizza.  And chicken fingers.  For lunch."  And that's when the work will come looking for you.  (I hope.)

Friday, December 3, 2010

Meet Grelle

I don't know whether you've noticed, but I don't draw very well.  The only thing I do worse than draw, in fact, is draw women.  So that's one reason creating female characters is a challenge.  That and a bunch of Freudian stuff.


Thursday, December 2, 2010

"Thank God"

I volunteered to help Sarah prepare some activities for the Sunday school she runs.  She wanted some drawings showing children and parents thanking god in various situations:  in church, at dinner, in bed, and at the doctor.
 Thank god she didn't use these.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"The Don" - Garden Hose

Everyone is getting sick.  Stomach flu, regular flu, chimney flue, etc.  Luckily, I don't have a job, so I'm staying at home on this rainy, horrid day, all bundled-up in random pieces of clothing, much like Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation," when he gets locked in the attic.  I always liked that weird scene.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

"Nothing Short of Wonderful" - Hallway

I showed this to Sarah, and she added a heartfelt punchline (which unfortunately doesn't fit on the page).  Read the comic and then the text underneath.
SARAH:  "Good."

Monday, November 29, 2010

"The Don" - Tour

And we're back!  Thanks for your patience over the last few days--had a little Thanksgiving siesta.  Now it's back to the stress (and fun) of a dozen unpaid projects.  If anyone wants to, you know, give me some money, let me know.  

Thursday, November 25, 2010

"Goodbye, Airforce" (Slightly NSFW)

I hope you're all having a nice Thanksgiving.  I am.  Here's a rather disturbing, somewhat illegible comic to change that.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Five years ago, my first dog, Fry, got hit by a car in Vermont and died.  That kind of ruined Thanksgiving. But it also gave me a reason to be thankful, in the end, because soon after that we got Job.

I Draw Like This might take a few days off--but it might not!  So keep checking.  I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

"El Pato"

This Thanksgiving weekend marks the ninth year Sarah and I have been a couple.  That's...nuts.  Over the years, I've decided Sarah looks like a lot of different things, including Pac-Man, Arthur the Anteater (or his sister D.W.), an acorn, a Vietnam War veteran named Walter, and most recently, a duck.  I expect that with each passing day, Sarah will continue to morph into even more and stranger things in my eyes, and yet always retain her magical, inimitable, and beautiful quintessence.  Happy anniversary, Sarah.

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Don, in "Acquaintance"

I have no idea how to get these pictures to sit side-by-side, instead of stacking vertically.  I've sat here on my bedroom floor for about ten minutes trying to get them to sit in a nice, neat little row, but they insist on being columnar.   So I apologize for that.  I'm also sorry about the Don's worse-than-usual appearance.  I was a little drunk.





Sunday, November 21, 2010

"Arriss and Jorree"

Today let's see how the other half lives.  Or at least works.  Or, rather, doesn't work.

Friday, November 19, 2010

"Welcome to Donkey Town"

Here's a rough lineup of the main characters in "Donkey Town."  I don't know if they'll really look like this--especially Arriss and Jorree--but since this is all just playtime drawing for a pretend TV show, I guess it doesn't much matter.    For those of you who went to HCHS with me, maybe you recognize the name Mr. Sto.  He was my favorite math teacher ever, and he's the only math teacher in Donkey Town.  Every cartoon needs a math teacher, right?  You know--for the token math episode.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Introducing "The Don"

So I hear you all asking:  "Why is this blog called "donkeytowncomics?"  Well first of all, it's actually called "I Draw Like This."  But you're partially correct, in that the address is donkeytowncomics.blogspot.com.  So we're both right.  But to answer the question I pretended to hear you ask, I named it after a show I'm creating called "Donkey Town."  I want to make this show a reality.  I've started a pilot script and I have a few characters, one of which is The Don.  I plan on developing him a bit on this blog, so instead of giving you any background information, here's the first installment of "The Don."

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

"Waiting on Line at the Movies"


Do people really wait on line for movies anymore?  It was a big part of my childhood, but nowadays you can order tickets online, or at one of the little credit card kiosks in the theater's lobby.  God, do I sound like an old, confused person or what?  Back when Sarah and I had just started dating, we were discussing our tastes in music, and I started teasing her for liking "new school" punk.  I said, "Yeah, whatever, you just like Sum 51 and all those bands."

It's Sum 41, by the way.  I was...nineteen, I believe?  When I said that.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

"iDad" Part 2

Here's Part 2!  Hope you enjoy.  Maybe there'll be a part 3 eventually.

Monday, November 15, 2010

"iDad" Part 1

Here's part 1 of a new series called "iDad."  I thought I would start this description with a sentence that provides you exactly the same information you could glean from reading the title of the post.  Check in for Part 2 tomorrow!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

"Unemployment? Fun-Enjoyment."

Despite the tone of this comic, I've actually been pretty busy--busy letting things pile up until they overwhelm me and I panic and curl into an armadillic ball, that is!  Well, I'm not quite there yet.  And busy is better than the opposite of busy, AKA musy (pronounced "mizzy," natch).

Friday, November 12, 2010

"My Raise"

What can I say?  I'm a generous guy.  And not to toot my own horn more than is absolutely necessary, but these days, even though I've been unemployed for almost a year, the presents have not dropped in quality one bit.  In fact, I've drawn even better comics than this for my family members.  I give.  It's...it's just what I do.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

"All Earth's Creatures"

Sometimes I'll be in the shower, or sitting my desk, or on the subway or whatever, and something strange will pop into my head and I'll just start giggling.  This generally means you are crazy, but I'm not going to worry about that.  When I drew this...thing, whatever you'd call it...I was just sloppily doodling some humanoids, and then thought it'd be funny to kind of celebrate them, as if it were some documentary about biodiversity.  And I guess as I was writing out the celebratory narration, I thought it'd be funny to make it extremely inarticulate.  And that's my entire apology for posting this comic.  Or whatever it is.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Introducing John Parkersmithson, in: "What Happens to a Loan Deferred?"

John Parkersmithson is a character I created on the subway while drawing comics with my friend Julian Graham one day.  Jules and I drew comics throughout high school, usually during chemistry or math, which we called "Little Tales."  He'd draw a panel, then I'd draw a panel, and so on, until the page had about 9 panels on it.  Each panel would usually be its own stand-alone scene, but every now and then there'd be some kind of bizarre, improvised story that held them together.  I know the first John Parkersmithson comic had a storyline that involved him getting fired and coming home to his large-breasted wife, but it was really his name that I liked.  So several years later I reinvented J.P. for this comic, and now, several years since then, I'm giving him a big role in a new show I'm trying to develop.

Also, I have no idea if this is how loans or interest rates work.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

"Plant Parenthood"

In December I turn 29.  That means I'm actually nearing the end of my so-called "emerging adulthood."  I grew up with this sense of life as a series of phase changes:  baby to kid, kid to teenager, teenager to adult, and with certain X-Men, adult to liquid adult.  But so far, none of those has happened!  As I approach 30, I'm reminded of when I realized I wasn't going to get any taller--if adulthood was going to emerge, it would have emerged by now.  Emergency!  Well, maybe Sarah and I will just have a baby--that'll solve my developmental crisis!  Babies solve everything, I hear.

Monday, November 8, 2010

"Job's Job"

I love Job so much.  We got him from a family in Vermont, after our first dog, Fry, bit it in a car accident.  Now, I wasn't actually present for the purchase of either dog, but Sarah obviously knows how to pick them.  Apparently Job was the runt of the litter, and the family had named him "Mouth," for his tendency to talk and talk and talk when he needed something.  This appealed to Sarah, I think, because although the whole litter was physically hurting from malnutrition and worms and stuff, Job at least was psychologically hardy and ready to speak up and be counted.  This comic is from when he was just under a year old.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

"Nothing Short of Wonderful" - Yogurt

It was a bad Saturday.  The worst part was when I left the house without my keys on three separate occasions.  I suppose those three occasions comprised the collective worst part of the day.   Do you ever ask yourself, "What the hell is wrong with me?"  Well, if you ever get an answer, could you let me know?  On the off chance that it might apply to both of us.




Saturday, November 6, 2010

"Good to Be..." (Slightly NSFW)

I mean, it's not actually NSFW--just kind of weird.  And there's pubic hair in it, for some reason.  This is just one of those odd doodles I did while working on a script.  I won't tell you the name of the show or the episode, but my guess is that "celery trail," scrawled off to the left, is a very good hint.  I have at least one other of these "Good to Be..." doodle sheets somewhere.  Maybe if you're really, really, really lucky, I'll find it and post it.  But boy would you have to be lucky.  Whoo!  What a treat for you!

Friday, November 5, 2010

"Back to the Ocean" - Theater

We have these heat pipes that clang really loudly in our apartment.  They were very rhythmic and loud this morning at around 6.  Woke up and couldn't fall back asleep for another hour or so.  It was awful, but I stuck with it, and eventually fell back asleep.  Determination:  Without it, you won't be able to sleep in while your wife gets up and goes to work.