November 2011

well, it has been about 7 years since I blogged last.  I have been busy building a shed for my marmots.  Marmot sheds require a lot of time. 

More importantly, right now Im dealing with something that has died in the vicinity of my laundry room.  I of course, often do my cartooning at home, and it is hard to concentrate with the heavy smell of death lingering in the house.  I have put up over 40 Glade stick ups near the laundry room.  But they are making me hallucinate.  Obviously, it would make sense to find out what has died, but I am worried that it may be my cleaning lady and just do not want to get into a lot of uproar and polilce investigations right now. So, the Glade is the best way to go.

I'm working right on deadline these days, which is basically how I do it most of the time.  I have to submit work at a minimum of 11 days ahead of when they appear, and draw one week at a time.  I know some people have the notion that we cartoonists draw one cartoon a day and wak it down to their individual newspaper offices.  this of, of course, would be impossible, since Close To Home is carried in over 291,000 papers around the world and I would have to walk to all those places and I cannot because I have a bad ankle.

I will write more when the smell has died down, so to speak.

 

 

 

flashback Cartoon

Cats on the Move

Download Movie 1

Here is a brief look at the cats who rule my house.

Flashback Cartoon

Flashback Cartoon

Here is the flashback cartoon of the day.  (This implies that I'll be putting up a cartoon everyday.  I'm sure I won't be that diligent but I'll try!)

My Cat

Many of you noticed the "E-mail me and I'll send you a photo of my

cat" message that I put on one of my cartoons.  I also got lots of

photos of readers' cats and even some dogs.  For the rest of you,

here is my cat, for no particular reason whatsoever.  His name is

Mo Mo and he is a Maine Coon cat.  Very friendly and a serious

mouser.  

Now, send me photos of your hamsters!

Cartoons from the Archive

Hard Times for the Funny Pages- Advice for Beginners

With newspapers struggling to remain afloat, this is a tough time to try to launch a comic strip.  It may even be impossible.  So what is a new cartoonist to do?  Shift your focus, for now at least.  None us really knows
what the future of newspapers is, as they try to find their place among the difficult economy and the all-consuming presence of the Web.  I recommend trying to freelance for magazines and journals.  There are zillions of magazines and journals publications out there (well maybe not ZILLIONS, but certainly
Qua-BILLIONS!).  Publications like National Cow Groomer are out there, and though they may not currently be carrying cartoons, they may be interested.  I freelanced for many years before Close To Home came out in 1992 and would often call magazines out of the blue and try to encourage them to buy my cartoons, even though they didn't carry cartoons.  It was actually a lot of fun and very lucrative.

More, on this scintillating topic in my next installment of Advice for Beginners.

Questions?  E-mail me at closetohome@mac.com

Consider John as a Speaker at your Next Conference or Event!

In addition to his cartooning work, John McPherson is a nationally known speaker, talking to audiences about humor, stress, creativity and life as a syndicated cartoonist. 

John will reveal:

*  Cartoons that got some readers really ticked off and the letters they wrote in response.

* Cartoons that his editor felt were too crude to be published.

* How he comes up with cartoon ideas

* What makes a cartoon work, and what destroys a good cartoon concept

* How he went from being a mechanical engineer to a nationally known cartoonist

* Advice for aspiring artists and cartoonists

*The healing power of humor

* Why humor is one of the most important forms of communication

John's talk are always lively, funny and insightful.

E-mail him at closetohome@mac.com to inquire about hiring him as a speaker.

Another One Bites The Dust

Here is another cartoon that my editor

killed.  Just felt it is a little too,

well, graphic.  I can see that.

Sometimes it's fun to float some

whacked out cartoons by him and see

what he says.  I would have gotten lots

of letters on this one.

Oh, well.  It's still pretty funny, I think.