Late Night Laughs

Heeere's Johnny! Today is TV Talk Show Host Day and honors all TV Talk Show hosts past and present. This very special day is celebrated on the birth date of legendary night time talk show host Johnny Carson. For a record 29 years, 7 months and 29 days, the undisputed "King of Late Night Television" hosted 1,859 episodes of The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992.

A fun caricature of one Health-Conscious Host!

While this day is celebrated on Johnny Carson's birth date, it is intended to show appreciation to all Television talk show hosts, daytime and nighttime.

Dad may not have a talk show, but loves seeing himself on TV and in comic strips!

Celebrate today, by having a Television Talk Show Marathon...watch them all day and night. Have a happy TV Talk Show Host Day!!!

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Count Your Buttons

Parental wisdom has taught us to "count our blessings" when we are feeling melancholy, but we'll save that for another day. Today is… Count Your Buttons Day!? Yes, as found on Holiday Insights, we were perplexed by this wacky holiday too. So we wanted to know "Why!?" And it turns out that they don't know why either! The subject is rather ambiguous. Are these the buttons that keep our pants, shirts, sweaters and jackets together, or funny slogan buttons like the type we find around election season?

Some buttons aren't worth counting...

So how do you celebrate this day? Whether you are a "collector of buttons" or any other obscure obsession (hey, my grandmother collected spoons!), it's suggested that if you have nothing better to do, you start counting your buttons. Otherwise, you may choose to move on to the other other holiday celebrated today… National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!

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Evaluating Your Life

Honesty is the best policy. We usually lend this advise when we are talking to a friend who is trying to solve a problem with someone else. But what if the issue we are contemplating is with ourself?

A fitting "self-evaluation" comic that I did for Eric P. Butts CPA

Evaluate Your Life Day sounds just a little bit too serious, and can be a bit scary. What if in evaluating our own life we don't like what we find?

Well that's when we need to put on our grown up pants, muster up some bravado, and begin to make positive changes.

Evaluate Your Life Day gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect upon our life; what we've done, and where we're going. Remember, honest is the best policy here. Are things going well? What's bothering you? What do you need, or want, to change? Am I where I want to be physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially? What's your purpose? What's your passion? Here's what I found.

With a self evaluation, you can then make the changes like I did to improve the quality of your life. Or, if things are going well, just tinker with small adjustments. Evaluate Your Life Day can be the beginning of a happier and healthier you!

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Fashion Faux Pas

Can't find anything to wear?
Well, you're in luck because today is Wear Something Gaudy Day!

The roots of this day go back to the hit 1970's television comedy show "Three's Company". Larry Dallas (played by Richard Kline), one of the characters on the show, declared a Wear Something Gaudy Day.

The word "gaudy" refers to something bright, cheap, showy, outlandish, or otherwise not in good taste. And the epitome of this fashion faux pas is none other than the star of the "Because I Said So" comics! For the past 100 comic strips, "Dad" has found a new way to break every tasteful trend by combining his psychedelic shirts, mismatched short-shorts, white knee-high socks, and brown sandals.

So if you want break all the rules and dress like "Dad", have a little fun today. For just one day, forego fashion and style. Look for something to wear that's really wild and wacky, and will stick out like a sore thumb wherever you go.

And if you're always garbed in gaudy attire, this is your day to find some fashion sense and look like everyone else!

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Cartooning Isn't All Funny Business

Time x Talent = Rate. Below is a great image I found not too long ago that sums up what most clients want, versus what they are willing to pay for. And to that naiveté, most clients overlook the many factors that go into the pricing for a comic strip. So the purpose of this post is to take clients, "Behind-the-Scenes"...

What many see as an esthetically pleasing collaboration of lines with a funny punch line may appear like it took minutes to create. However, the speed of its creation from concept to completion is far from a few minutes. In fact it may have taken a lifetime. Just like cooking, singing, or solving a mathematical equation may seem second-nature to you, it's probably taken a good portion of your life to become proficient at doing those things. It likely didn't happen overnight.

Discussing: Look Into My Crystal Ball
As a client, you want funny, but you may also want the comic strip to reflect your company's niche and viewpoints, targeting a specific demographic while still being sensitive to the feelings of others. Figuring out what a client wants may require a significant amount of time to understand, because they assume that you already "know" all this. As a cartoonist, we are required to be many things, and one happens to be a mind-reader (and this isn't that far from the truth!) From only a few brief discussions or emails, we must quickly catch on to exactly what the client wants. Most of the time, I'm presented with a theme, dialogue and the basic idea. And sometimes, what the client wants may not be the best option. Therefore, EXPERIENCE, is one of the factors that are built into pricing. Clients may need to see both options illustrated in order to themselves ‘see’ the benefits and shortcomings of either. In this case I present them with alternatives to consider with my suggestions.

Writing: Finding Funny 
One of my clients is a CPA, and another is a Real Estate Attorney. Try finding the "funny" in that business! But the nature of a client's niche needs to be fully understood in order to find the humor in situations which are generally only known by those in that profession. This is where I rely on my client to carefully explain to me their concept for their comic strip. Now some of my clients choose to write their own comedic material, and if you also have this inherent "funny-bone" where ideas come to mind quickly and easily, time and effort can be considerably cut down because then I can do what I do best; bring your vision to life and ILLUSTRATE IT!

Drawing: Where the Stylus Touches the Tablet
Art appreciation is broad and subjective. So how are cartoonists to know a client's tastes? Before discussions begin, clients are given a homework assignment; review my portfolio, style, and diversity of capabilities. For some clients, they know right away. For others, this process can take time and effort for a client to visualize their project through the cartoonists sketches. This is very normal, and most comic strip projects will go through various stages of drafts and revisions, which again needs to be factored into any pricing structure. The time one spends on any project must be taken into consideration. As with any trade, labor costs as well as parts make up the final fee. With art it's no different. The ‘time’ a cartoonist spends thinking about, researching, and sketching must be considered and given proper credit, in addition to, the beautifully executed final presentation.

Considering Your Own eComicStrip?
Art is indeed a gifted talent, but it takes practice and a considerable amount of ‘learned’ skill to be proficient enough to meet the needs of a commercial market. Digital art and the technical know-how takes time, skill, apprenticeship whether one self-teaches or studies via a college, university etc. The pricing includes the skill and knowledge of the artist, much like any other profession. This process of ‘concept to creation' can take hours, days, or even weeks, but it certainly never takes seconds. As with all my clients, it is important to know your budget and I will always try to work within that to deliver a product that you are happy with. I hope that this post helps you to better understand the steps that occur even before my pencil hits the paper. The process starts long before that stage was reached and you are paying for a substantial amount of talent and skill.

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All Saints Day

What's in a name? What's your name? Do you know what does it means? Today we celebrate "All Saints Day", and at first, I wasn't sure what to post for today's holiday. Then me and my family attended Mass this afternoon and the homily by Father Joe Scerbo solidified my thoughts.

Friar Joe's homily today challenged us to celebrate our patron saint and connect with them by exploring the virtues they're associated with. Some may question the belief that our names can determine our destiny. Hey, I know it's not for everyone, and just because you are named "Rich" doesn't mean financial security. This was proven and disproven in the movie "Freakonomics".

For me personally, I feel that there is something to the name that I was given. Whether it's our birth name or baptismal names. My first name is Michael, and I have always been "drawn" to art. I love ART! Drawing, painting, music, carving, sculpting, even haircutting (YES, the next time you get your haircut, realize that every person has a different type of hair, and styling your mop is an art form.

At one point in my life I almost became a police officer. Now that's a change of scenery isn't it?! But I am also empowered by the warriors way. I have always been interested in the martial "arts". At a young age I even earned my own money to pay for my karate lessons. Later in life I discovered ninjutsu and after almost 5 years of concentrated training, finally earned my shodan in ninpo taijutsu.

I've always known that St. Michael was a warrior defender, but it was only today after researching him further, that I discovered that he is also the patron saint of artists! Go figure! So today I celebrate "All Saints Day" with this comic that I created for my parish. And although it's been said that "the pen is mightier than then sword," I choose to be proficient with both.

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Marketing Macabre

Macabre. Synonyms: appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, horrible, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible. So what's KILLING your marketing? You produce great content for your newsletter or blog, but can't get customers to read it, let alone open it.

Well, one fun way to get your emails opened and your offers responded to is with cartoons! Yes, CARTOONS! Almost everyone will take a few seconds out of their day to read a comic strip or look at a funny picture. And a few seconds is all you need to grab their attention!

No matter what your business or industry, think outside the box for a minute and do what everyone else isn't. Did you know that there is a wealth of bizarre, unique, and otherwise special holidays every day of the year? Today, for instance, is "TV Talk Show Host Day".

Now combine this "unique holiday" with a "special offer". One of the number one rules in marketing is stay in front of your prospects. They will buy when they are ready. So even if they aren't ready for your product or service today, you're likely to at least get a laugh. And a laugh means they like you. And if they like you, they are more likely to buy from you at some point.

Now, once you have catered your marketing to incorporate a bizarre holiday, you can visually grab the reader's attention with a uniquely creative cartoon. At VoogDesigns, we produce high quality custom cartoons, comic strips and caricatures for clients like you, that are designed to BRING LIFE BACK to your marketing.

P.S. What's MORE important than 10,000 twitter followers and 500 facebook friends? Send us an email to discuss a marketing strategy for your business, and we'll send you back this MOST IMPORTANT piece of information. You'll never bore your customers again. Get your emails read and your offers opened using our custom cartoons, comic strips and caricatures. In fact, rather than deleting your emails, they'll be waiting to get the next one!

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Draw In Your Audience With A Comic Strip

Just like public speakers begin their seminars with a joke to get the attention of their audience, using comic strips can help brand your marketing and drive home important messages. Although surprisingly inexpensive to acquire, humor can be one of your most powerful marketing tools.

Humor puts your readers at ease. Readers appreciate a touch of humor in an otherwise overly serious world. Humor operates on an emotional level, driving home your message in a far more memorable way than words alone. Humor makes sensitive topics more approachable while summarizing and reinforcing points that would otherwise be lost.

Why does this make comic strips perfect for print communications? Because readers will typically check them out before reading the adjacent articles. More importantly, comic strips communicate at a glance. A comic strip can attract your reader’s attention and drive home an important point in a memorable way.

Humor also adds a visual dimension to your marketing, differentiating your message from your competitor’s. Comic strips encourage readers to look at topics they might otherwise skip.

Where do you get custom created comic strips that market your message? If you see a comic strip you like on a blog or website, write the cartoonist in care of the publication and ask about availability and pricing. If there is a particular cartoonist whose style you like, contact the cartoonist about a custom comic strip. This has worked very well for Bruce Sallan and he owns total rights to use the comic strip as he wishes.

Comic strips are great for the home page of your website, newsletters, training materials and presentation visuals. In each case, the unexpectedness of a comic strip immediately captures your audience or reader’s attention and visually reinforces your message.

Using humor in the form of comic strips is a powerful way to brand your marketing and drive home important messages to your prospects and clients. Not only are comic strips fun, it’s easy to get started and they work like magic to increase sales and attract brand new clients. Contact VoogDesigns@gmail.com for a creative consultation to discuss your custom comic strip today.

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Caricatures, Cards and Comic Strips

Life. In any given month we have weddings, birthday parties, kid's sporting events, dance recitals and endless other important activities that we either attend or host. All of us have a story to tell. Our ups and downs in life. Birthdays and memorable moments. Next time you are planning an event, celebration or need to send a special gift to a co-worker, friend or family member, why not give them the gift of a custom card, caricature or comic strip? 

Below is a Retirement Card I recently completed for my grandmother.  
What's your next event? Give us a call at (805)768-4503 to discuss your ideas.

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Twitter Toons

Technology. We can choose to embrace it or be afraid of it. I must admit that one can get a little paranoid with all the information that is floating around on the Internet, especially after watching a special on one monopoly in the Cyberverse, and another in the SoMe-sphere.

In life, everything is a balance and I choose to stay current and utilize the technological advances, while still taking moments to get outside and enjoy the fresh air with my family.

Recently I embarked on an adventure to learn Twitter. Like many I am sure, I had no desire to share with people what I was doing every second of the day, but was encouraged by my good friend @BruceSallan, whom I illustrate his weekly comic strip Because I Said So, to give it a few weeks and participate in his weekly #DadChat.

After reading a few books on how to most effectively use Twitter, I can now say that if I had not taken that step to learn, I never would have met a new client over 3000 miles away in Massachusetts on the other side of the country.
Meet Brad Marmo (@ReadBradTheDad) who took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with me on Twitter during a #DadChat, and after some wonderful idea-sharing, we were able to produce his very first comic strip together: There's Something About Daddy

We all have wonderful stories and ideas to share and I would love to 'toon yours. You can follow me at https://twitter.com/VoogDesigns and tweet me your ideas.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

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FREE Caricature Contest

Every week VoogDesigns creates a heart-warming comic strip for our wonderful client Bruce Sallan titled, Because I Said So. Bruce is an author, motivational speaker, radio show host and his most important role, "Dad".

Visit www.BruceSallan.com to view this Comic Strip

Last week Bruce announced on his Radio Show show a "Secret Word", which is the key to entering to win a FREE Color Caricature by VoogDesigns. 

Discover the "Secret Word" and Enter the Contest HERE!

On January 26th from 11:00am-12:00pm PST, VoogDesigns will be a featured guest on his radio program to discuss the comic strip and the contest.  TUNE IN to am1290

Creating a Comic Strip

Deadlines. It's part of the business. Every week I have the pleasure of receiving ideas e-mailed to me from my clients to create the comic strips that I illustrate for them. And it is my challenge to provide the layout to them on how I "see" their idea illustrated in a comic strip. My approach is rather systematic, so I thought I would share my process with you.

I know many artists that choose to draw out what are called "thumbnail sketches" of their ideas to get a feel of how it will look on paper. Time permitting, I will use this approach as well, but more often I will find a quiet place, close my eyes, and let my mind wander. I picture in my mind how I would like the comic strip to flow, and visualize different perspectives and viewpoints to determine which images will illustrate the story best. 

Here is that process for a recent comic strip I completed for our church bulletin. Enjoy!

New Life

Animation. When most people see or hear this word, they of course associate it with cartoons. But animation is also defined as:

1. The act, process, or result of imparting life, interest, spirit, or activity.

2. The quality or condition of being alive, active, spirited, or vigorous.

New Years Day is the beginning of a new calendar year and symbolizes a fresh start and the promise of a new life. Like many, I get re-energized at the thought of the tremendous possibilities awaiting my pursuit over the next 366 days... just seeing if you are paying attention. (It's a Leap Year!)

The Bible says in John 10:10

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Enjoy this latest Character Matters comic strip below, and let us approach 2012 with animation! To wake up with an "Attitude of Gratitude" being thankful for the new day and the potential we've been given to make the most of our time to live life to the full.

Reflections

Looking Back. It is at this time every year that many of us reflect on the events of the past year. The things we have done. The tasks we failed to complete. And the goals we resolve to accomplish in the New Year.

As I reflect back on the achievements of 2011, I am truly humbled by the how fast an idea can grow when it's nourished with passion, watered with determination and tended with faith. VoogDesigns was a seed that was planted inside of me over 15 years ago, but it took that time and the experiences during those years to allow the roots to take hold so that he stalk could finally reveal itself through the soil. Another beautiful metaphor is a rear view mirror, which was used in the church bulletin that I also contribute a comic strip to every week found on Page 9.

Enjoy this special New Years Eve comic strip, and unlike the dad character, let us not be too eager to ring in the New Year without taking the time to reflect on the knowledge and experiences we have gained throughout 2011, to provide us with the wisdom for a meaningful and blessed 2012.

To our past, present and future clients, it is with much gratitude that I thank you for the opportunity to serve you on this wonderful journey and pursue my dreams.

Because I Said So

Our Senses. Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch and Smell. And at a given moment any one of our senses can help us relive memories of the past.

What was the first thing that you thought of after reading the title of this post?

It's funny how simple phrases can stir up vivid childhood memories, while at the same time catching us in bewilderment - that what we once thought we would never say as kids, we now find ourselves saying as parents.

Visit www.BruceSallan.com to view this Comic Strip