All this for a lame joke?

I had the pleasure of visiting with fellow cartoonist Arie Van De Graaff (aka, the Ward Cartoonist) and his family the other day as they hosted my family for lunch. We talked shop, we shared favorite jokes, we told mission stories. We talked about works in progress (we both have a couple of cool projects in the pipeline). And the food was outstanding — and abundant — as well!

One of the nicest things we talked about, however, was how we as a group of cartoonists support and encourage each other. We've promoted each other's books, we worked together on telling the Nativity story in cartoons, and we met together (via Zoom) with the Church magazines when they changed format. We celebrate each others' successes.

It would be easy to consider ourselves rivals in cutthroat competition for what is definitely a niche market. But that seems the antithesis of what LDS cartoonists should do. I'm honored to rub shoulders with such outstanding people!

Pictured here are: Summer Bird, me, Arie Van De Graaff, and Ryan Stoker. Don't know who the MC is!

 

Light the World: Words of Love

The prompt for today's Light the World is  to send a favorite book to a faraway friend. The book I want to share is "Mormon Life" by Arie Van De Graaff — one of many in the Ward Cartoonist collection.

I remember stumbling across the book in Deseret Book one day. At that time I had given up on cartooning (for a variety of reasons). I picked up Arie's book and noticed that his humor and writing style were similar to mine. His drawing style was somewhat similar to mine. If he could do it, maybe so could I!

It was a moment that gave me hope. It was a step that got me back on the cartooning path. Blame him.

If you aren't acquainted with the Ward Cartoonist, check out his webpage. I also suggest signing up for his weekly Come, Follow Me Activity Page. 

*This is NOT a paid commercial endorsement. 

A tale of two cartoons

With General Conference coming up and the whole COVID-19 fallout, I've been thinking that Sis. Kerry Jo might have something to say. I played around with a few ideas and came up with this:

I was getting ready to ink it, but something just didn't sit right. It was too negative, too pessimistic. That didn't fit with Kerry Jo's character, and it wasn't the message she wanted to deliver.

There's no other way to describe what happened next. I was hit with inspiration that made a lot of sense — and the message was pure Kerry Jo.

A lot of times we as a people get caught up in the pageantry of General Conference. Thousands of people flock to downtown Salt Lake City. We fill the Conference Center with the faithful. Tickets are a prized commodity. We wait to hear the statistical report to tell us how many millions of members we have, how many thousands of missionaries. We can't wait to hear where the next temple will be.

This General Conference, it's not about the numbers.

As Pres. Nelson told us, it's about having a personal experience, just like the young prophet Joseph Smith.

When Joseph retired to the woods, his concern was to find out which church would help bring salvation to his soul.

His answer came personally.

We see it so often in Jesus' ministry, tending to the one. His interactions are personal. It's all about the one. It's about having your own personal experience coming unto Christ. What better way to do that than through removing the distractions: the crowds, the protestors, the huge (and amazing) choir.

The settings will be intimate. The First Presidency and the speakers in a small meeting room. Each of us in our own home — alone or with friends or family. No large crowds. It will be a personal experience.

Just like Joseph had in the Sacred Grove.

Our Sacred Grove moment can be wherever we are. As a friend recently told me, "All groves are sacred."

Take care. Ask, pray, and be ready to receive.

I think it's going to be a good one.

Light the World: Thanking a mentor

OK, so this one is a little different. It's more of a true story instead of a gag. It's a nod to one of my mentors.

My Journalism professor at BYU, Ed Haroldsen, pushed me from doodling in my notebook to being a genuine cartoonist. He not only noticed and encouraged me in my cartooning, he gave me ideas to use from time to time. It wasn't unusual for him to greet me before class and give me a critique of the day's cartoon in the Daily Universe.

He had an amazing career as a journalist and as a teacher. I am honored that he took the time to encourage me in my cartooning. He taught me some great writing and editing skills as well!

That said, there are three other people I have to acknowledge for their gentle prods and encouragement. In high school, Valerie set up an appointment for me to meet with the cartoon editor at the New Era. That was huge for me, and started me on the path of cartooning as a professional. It never would have happened without her.

Similarly, in college Susan encouraged me to meet with the editors of the school paper. BYU had cranked out a bunch of editorial cartoonists, but (as far as I know) up to that point they hadn't run a humor strip. That nudging led to my relationship with Bro. Haroldsen, and it led to me achieving one of my bucket list items before I even knew I had a bucket list. The paper ran two daily comic strips: mine... and Peanuts!

My dear wife Christy is a constant encouragement and inspiration. She laughs at my gags even when they're poor and gives me ideas to improve them. She helps keep me motivated, and is the best marketing rep that I have!

I've truly been blessed with some great people in my life. Thank you!

A commercial interruption

Wait! Just east of Temple Square are the Church office buildings! And what's that book he's holding? Why, it's That's One Small Step for a Mom, One Giant Leap for Missionarykind, a collection of missionary-related cartoons by none other than yours truly! (Yes, this is a shameless self-promotion!)

It's available now on Amazon, just in time to send as a belated Valentine to your missionary serving in the field! Grab your copy today!

You think YOU have it rough...

I mean, that cuts out about half of our material! At least we still have the missionaries!

Pictured here (in clockwise order) are representations of the styles of Arie Van De Graaff at the chalkboard, Val Chadwick Bagley, Ryan Stoker, me, and "Honest" Jon Clark. Before you say anything (like, "What about Brian Crane?") there are many more Mormon cartoonists, but this is the gang of five who appear most often in the New Era.

Fighting global warming, one apartment at a time

But, wait! There's more! 
Today just happens to be Mormon Cartoonist Arie Van De Graaff's birthday. Stop over to his website and wish him well!

Sketchbook: True confessions

Actually we do it to honor our ancestors and create cultural awareness in a lighthearted vein.

But occasionally we feel guilty about it. Little twinges, maybe. A bit.

Monday Sketchbook: Teaching techniques

I had the honor of hanging out with fellow cartoonist Arie Van de Graaff a little while ago. We broke bread, swapped stories, commiserated on common issues, and generally geeked out. While I put missionary-related cartoons on our ward bulletin board, he uses his cartoons as visual aids when he teaches Sunday school. I couldn't let that opportunity pass without making some sort of comment!