Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 Countdown: Top Ten, part I

Here they are at long last: the 2012 Top Ten!

No. 10 - I did some special cartoons for Banned Books week. I'm not sure about anyone else, but the high school librarian liked them!




























No. 9 - This was a silly throwaway cartoon, but it proved more popular than I expected. You gotta love Primary!


No. 8 - Another Canadian cartoon! Plus Zen guys!


No. 7 - Thanksgiving always has some fun cartoons.


No. 6 - There were a couple of good Mission President cartoons this year, too. This was one of the more popular ones.

Tomorrow we finish up the Top Ten!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012 Countdown: Honorable Mentions

I usually call these my runners up, but this year I thought "Honorable Mentions" might be more accurate as these are some that have special significance to me.

No. 5 - One of the oldest ladies in our ward, Marjorie, passed away in May. She was well into her 90s, yet she always told the bishop that she was willing to do whatever was needed. She was awesome. I ran this cartoon on the day of her funeral, and it got way more hits than I anticipated.


No. 4 - I have a couple of other cartoon blogs that I draw. This one is from Good Heavens, which is set in the afterlife, and honors author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, who also passed away in May.


No. 3 - The other strip, Zarahemla Times, went through a transformation this year, changing from a "daily" size to a "Sunday" size, and going from black and white to color. This is one of the first ones that ran after the change.


No. 2 - Call me a geek, but I really like Pioneer Day. I'm sure that it is in part due to my heritage -- my ancestors helped establish a lot of the early Mormon Pioneer settlements, both in Utah and in Canada. This is a Pioneer-themed cartoon that probably won't run anyplace else, but it's one that I really like!


No. 1 - As faithful readers may know, we took a group of high school French students to Europe this spring -- most of whom were lovely young ladies. This particular cartoon is based on an experience one of our girls had during a nighttime cruise on the Seine in Paris.


Tomorrow: Part 1 of the 2012 Top Ten!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 Countdown: The Sketchbook

The Sketchbook is made up of cartoon ideas that, for one reason or another, didn't make it as full-fledged cartoons. Here are my top five from this year.

No. 5 - Fellow cartoonist Arie Van De Graaff came out for a visit this summer. We talked cartoons, and he told me how he uses his gags in his Gospel Doctrine class.



No. 4 - One of my padawans came up with this idea last January. It still makes me laugh, even though it's a little bit on the naughty side.


No. 3 - This was a hit with my readers from the Great White North. I try to provide cultural and educational tidbits whenever possible. This gag provided both.


No. 2 - The US presidential election was, of course, big in the news. There was one night of unfortunate overlap -- Mitt Romney's address to the Republican Convention was at the same time as a BYU football game. For some, it was a hard choice on which to watch.


No. 1 - My conference recaps proved popular this year. It helps to have good material to draw from. If you haven't yet, check out the sketchbooks from this year's October and April conferences.


Tomorrow: The runners-up!

Friday, December 28, 2012

What's your percent?


Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we start our annual year end countdown!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Bells are ringing!


I know a lovely young couple getting married today. This is for them, may they live long and prosper!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Sufficiency


Not this year, but we've had Christmases like this. Hope yours was great!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

The Nativity, part VI

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Merry Christmas!



Monday, December 24, 2012

The Nativity, part V

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Nativity, part IV

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Nativity, part III

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Nativity, part II

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Nativity Story, part I

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.



* Follow this link for a good resource for materials about the birth of Christ

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Just in case...


Because you wouldn't want to show up at the Pearly Gates without having done your home teaching, right?

So if the world doesn't end and you find yourself needing a last-minute Christmas gift, pop over to Amazon.com and order a copy of Dave's Magic Word Square puzzle books! His magic word squares are a variant on sudoku, and I personally enjoy them a lot more. Order one for someone on your gift list today!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Monday Sketchbook: 76 angels


There's always talk of angels singing and trumpets blowing. What about some of the other instruments?

Sunday, December 16, 2012

No mas


Today's originally scheduled a cartoon showed some missionaries at a shopping mall, but after the events of this past week here in Oregon, the setting of a mall kind of lost its appeal (maybe I'll just save it for next year). Then, after the events in Connecticut, this Good Heavens cartoon seemed much more appropriate.

No mas.

There's been a quote attributed to Mister Rogers that's been circulating on the Internet that says something like: whenever there's a tragedy, look for the helpers, see the good things that people are doing.

It's a basic law of physics that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Let's be that opposite reaction; let's be that force for good.

I'm reminded of the lines from "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" --
Then in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Friday, December 14, 2012

Thursday, December 13, 2012

It's in the mail


There are those missionaries who get a ton of mail, and those missionaries who get nuthin'. It's not too late to send Christmas cards to those men and women serving in the field!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Tradition


One of the young ladies from our ward enters the MTC this week to get ready to serve in my old mission in Korea. One of the best bits of advice I got before leaving on my mission was to take pictures of the things that seem odd to you when you first get there, because before too long, they're going to seem commonplace. And no matter where you go, there are going to be things that seem odd, whether it's holiday celebrations, food, fashion or what have you. That's kind of what this cartoon is about

And good luck, Sister Gwen! Sugohaseyo!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Monday Sketchbook: I hope they call him -- soon!


There was some discussion in church about thinking of others at Christmastime, which, of course, got me thinking about what thinking of others could look like.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

All I want


I know by the time I reached my second Christmas in the mission field, I was way ready for both those things!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

What's the bait?


Here's another one that probably should have stayed in the sketchbook...

Thursday, December 6, 2012

New position


My mom used to have an Elf on the Shelf many years ago. Interesting to see they're back again.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

It's better than Michael's!


A lot of Pinteresters would love to have an army of elves to do all their projects!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Monday Sketchbook: Worrisome Home Teachers


The stereotype is, of course, home teachers that call the last day of the month. So I figured, wouldn't people get a little suspicious if the home teachers called the first week? Wouldn't they wonder if something was up?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

May the odds be ever in your favor


By way of disclaimer, I know there are many good saints who live in Las Vegas, and they would never dream of doing anything like this.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The 13th Point: A Scout is hungry


Scouting for Food is one of my favorite activities to do with the Scouts. The boys always have fun collecting donations, and our local food bank is always so grateful when we make our deliveries. If the Scouts come by today, be generous!