Laughing Redhead Studio

It's Awards Season!!

Last week, I found out that I'm up for a Reuben award!! This is the award the National Cartoonists Society hands out to those sun-starved individuals like me, who are usually holed up in our studios thinking and inking and generally entertaining ourselves, in between slamming ( your choice: coffee, Diet Coke, Red Bull, 5-Hour-Energy, Hydroxy Cut), and watching vampire and zombie movies. Or werewolves-fighting-vampires movies. Or heck, making those movies. (See "I Was A Zombie for the FBI," Cult Classics, Netflix, Art Director, Teresa Roberts. Well, I was one of the ADs. I think they let me do it because my mom worked at a meatpacking company and I could provide the pig guts. But I digress.)

Anyway, sometimes, when we find out that someone has taken note of our work, it TOTALLY ROCKS!!! 

I get to go to an Awards Banquet, which means, I get to come out of my studio! Like Punxatawney Pete (I've renamed him, for the purpose of alliteration), I come out of the dark recesses where I'm busy making art with my funny-ness! I get to dress up and go have a fun weekend with a lot of other cartoonists and merry-makers. I hope to win an award, but (and here it comes), it really IS an honor to be nominated. By the way, if you are one of the judges, VOTE FOR ME VOTE FOR ME VOTE FOR ME VOTE FOR ME!!! Just sayin'.

I've been drawing since I was a giblet, and let's face it, we all start out as cartoonists. Some of us are just childlike enough to keep doing it. Picasso said, "We are all artists. The problem is, how to remain an artist once we grow up."

I'm sure Stan Lee has said something just as profound on his Real Heroes show, or whatever that show is called (and you'd think I know because I LOVE that show! Did you see the rubbery-armed guy?! Or the guy who eats glass?!!!! Wowza! I thought it was amazing just to be able to down a Kashi Fiber/Cardboard/Packing Materials Bar!!!)

I remember when I was a little girl, doing a whole book called "Snobby Models." I just thought models must all be snobby, because they are always posing with their noses in the air. So, I made up all these characters, and they had über-cooooool outfits on, jewelry, bags, shoes, everything. I also remember writing a poem and illustrating it with various polar bears, crayons, and other things which I thought related. I cannot believe that thing was never published. (Though, you may have seen the reality show. Tyra hosts it?)

 I wrote and drew and colored all the time, through high school, through college, whenever, wherever. And, when I got out of college, I did greeting cards! And, I drew cartoons on those, too. During these years, a few people found me funny. So I started doing stand-up comedy. I liked that, too. 

So, I have made my living at humor for more than two decades, and - well, I'm not rich, but I love what I do. (And, since I have nothing against being rich, I will continue to work on that, fyi.)

Funny is fun.

Rich is good.

Cartoonists and comics are very fun people (and an honor) to hang with.

VOTEFORMEVOTEFORMEVOTEFORMEVOTEFORMEVOTEFORME

peace, y'all

 

trl

Alexander-the-Pretty-Okay?

Alexander was more than pretty okay, I think. I think he mighta been "great."

I wanna encourage you to take on some inspiration - from wherever you can get it! I love learning from other artists and taking inspiration from unusual sources. Which is easy, when you are a recycling maniac like I am. The kids I teach do projects from toilet paper rolls, Altoids tins, old egg cartons - you name it, we've probably used it, or it's in the queue to be used sooooon! I don't mind taking inspiration from all sorts of places. I use teabags, reclaimed billboard vinyl, labels out of donated clothing, ribbons which secure a sweater to a department store hanger (but only after I actually BUY the sweater, I should note). I like Oprah magazine, it has lots of good pix and funny little sayings (besides the fact that sometimes reading too much Oprah can make you feel you need to fix yourself - BEWARE THE MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE ALL MESSED UP AND NEED TO BE "FIXED!" But, back to the mag. Oprah Mag pages Mod Podge down very well. Nice quality, good strong color, not too many wrinkles. Which is what I'd like to be, but I digress. The cheaper mags smear, wrinkle, and show through the back . . . and sometimes that's a good thing, but you just gotta know it might happen.

Last night, my inspiration in my workshop was a small picture of a bust of Alexander the Great. So, I was thinking a couple of things: "Wow, he was HANDSOME. And apparently, also GREAT! It sez so right there in his name!" So, I Mod-Podged that puppy down, and I built a little page around him. Random, yes. 

With Art Journaling you wanna be free - you gotta be free - and you need to know that there isn't one way to do it - or NOT to do it! You don't have to be an artist - you just have to be willing to make a fool of yourself - even if you are the only who will ever see the journal pages (and THAT'S your choice, as well!)

You have to be inspired by the silliest of things - or the most serious - and just go with it. Don't judge, don't edit, just journal. 

I post my stuff . . . almost without exception. But, maybe that's because I've done comedy and art for enough years, that I have fallen many, many, many times. In front of sometimes very large audiences. But I've managed to get back up. Lots.

As the old Japanese proverb says, "It isn't how many times you fall down. It's how many times you get back up."

Fall down, make a fool of yourself. Enjoy making your art journal!

peace, y'all.

trl