Leap Day

Tell you the truth, I never really understood leap year. What's the big deal anyway?
That said, not much happening in the cartooning world these days. Some anonymous dude just started a blog called "Bad Cartoonist" which basically disses every cartoonist's work out there for no apparent reason. Lots of talk about this on the dailycartoonist.com site.
Also, "Cafe on Leche" and "Working It Out" might be a regular feature on a new website. I've been in talks lately with a representative from Radio One, one of America's largest radio companies. That's all I have for now. Tune in next time.

Seeking reader help

I'm planning on drawing a series of cartoons for my "Working It Out" panel titled 10 SIGNS THAT YOUR WORKING FOR A CRAZY BOSS. Since my current boss isn't crazy (I think) I'm looking for a few ideas. I'm relying heavily on friends for this series but any help on the matter would be great.

Today is the DAY!!

Well, folks it's Sunday, Feb. 10th and I couldn't be happier. I woke up this morning, got my morning coffee, picked up copies of the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times and began to smile. Finally, after months of planning the cartoonist "sketch-in" day has arrived! I instantly turned to the comics page and just beamed with joy when I saw Cory Thomas' "Watch Your Head" cartoon.
It's just wonderful to think that after all these years a group of syndicated minority cartoonists would come together under one commmon cause.
I've been sending emails out to my fellow cartoonist all morning. I hope that you get a chance to see their contributions to this event. Check out my version of the "sketch in" cartoon above. If your newspaper doesn't carry one of our cartoons, here are some links to some of our work.

http://www.candorville.com/wordpress/cartoonists-of-color-draw-in/

http://www.mamasboyz.com/news/protest.html

What's up with Aaron?

"I don't look at it as a purely racial or racist issue," says McGruder, who is African American. "I'm sure it's a factor. But I'm not convinced. Despite the hurdles and the issues of race, I was given more than a fair shot. Nobody ever mistook my strip for 'Curtis.'
"The industry itself is struggling. It's like they're the black passengers on the Titanic protesting to get to the top deck, and overlooking the fact that the whole ship is sinking."

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020503396_2.html?hpid=topnews


The above quote was from esteemed African-American cartoonist Aaron McGruder, creator of "The Boondocks." I gotta say that it took me by surprise. I remember when we were organizing tomorrow's 'sketch-in.' One of the bruthas asked "What are the chances of getting Aaron McGruder aboard?" Or something like that. It seemed like a brilliant idea. Here's a person who could use his considerable might to help us in our cause. Here's a person who knows what its like to deal with the kinds of issues we face everyday from features editors of daily newspaper. Here's a name that people would listen to. We heard nothing, so we moved on.

Now, I'm a HUGE fan of the man's work, particularly his early "Boondocks" work. I have most of his books and I've seen all episodes of his "Boondocks" show on Adult Swim. Still can't get past the overuse of the "N-word," but that's another topic.
So, It hit me like a truck to read his comments. We've some wonderful people in the comics industry speak on our behalf, even white cartoonists. But to hear those comments from a guy who's built a career on controversy and race seem like a slap in the face. I'm just sayin.

Mentoring

Last night I went to an art show for one of my friends. I met her a few years back at the St. Pete Times, where I work as a news artist and she works in copy services. I got to know her a bit after a few trips to the coffee shop and she started to show me some of her artwork. I was amazed at the raw talent this young lady had. She's a photographer, and she has a great eye. The problem is that she just lacks a bit of confidence in her work.
For some strange reason she began to ask me for direction and help. Me, a cartoonist? I thought it was odd, but I'm always down with helping young artists. She started to talk to me about lots of things: art, future goals, and even advice about 'boys.'. Suddenly I felt like an artistic father figure. Weird. It has been great to see her compositions evolve in the last few years, culminating in last night's art show. Out of several hundred artists in the competition, she go an honorable mention. Not bad.
Her parents were there, her friends were there. I lingered in the back somewhere next to the bohemians. It was nice to just pat her on the back and say 'good job, kid.'
Now, I don't have any kids (unless you count my dog Cory) but I guess I got a taste of it last night. My friends with kids always like to wax poetic about the wonders of fatherhood (I'm talking to you Rick). It was just great to see a young artist shine for one night.