Mike Cope - COPETOONS.COM - Canadian Cartoonist and Humorous Illustrator
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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Comic Strip Gag Writing: Workaholics, Daydreamers, and Procrastinators

PC & Pixel by Tak Bui

Here's a few more comic strip gags that I recently wrote for PC and Pixel by Tak Bui ... Enjoy!

First, we have one for all the BlackBerry users out there, who literally feel the pains of working overtime on their addictive little electronic devices (a.k.a. "CrackBerries")...


September 30, 2007

... I must admit that I didn't coin the phrase "Blackberryitis," but since it's becoming a more and more common medical diagnosis, I thought I'd offer an alternative therapy for those overworked thumbs :)

Speaking of being overworked ...

Have you ever wished you could get away from the daily grind? You know, find a warm, secluded beach where nobody from work could find you ...


October 21, 2007

... Keep dreaming!

On the other hand, maybe you're the type of person who's gifted with the special ability of finding alternative ways to get through a hard day's work ...


October 20, 2007

Unfortunately, it's back to work for me ... But if you'd like to read more comic strips, you can find PC and Pixel daily at United Media's Comics.com.

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

"Cardiovascular" Gag Cartoon in Reader's Digest Canada Magazine (October 2007)

Reader's Digest Canada Magazine - October 2007 CoverThe October 2007 issue of Reader's Digest Canada Magazine is now available at bookstores and newsstands.

This month, one of my gag cartoons is published in the Laughter, The Best Medicine department on Page 35 ... If you're not a subscriber, I highly encourage you to pickup a copy of the magazine!

In the spirit of the month, I've included a few little "treats" that show the evolution of this particular cartoon, from rough sketch to the final published version ... Enjoy!

Reader's Digest Canada Magazine - October 2007 - Cardiovascular Cartoon by Mike Cope
"Cardiovascular" in Reader's Digest Canada Magazine (October 2007).

Whenever I rough sketch a cartoon, I tend to work pretty loose and lightly, so I've bumped the contrast so you can see the lines clearer. As you can see, I like to put a little more detail around the faces to help me get the expression correct in the final inked version ...

Cardiovascular Cartoon - Rough Sketch by Mike Cope
Rough Sketch - Facial Details.

The original drawing for this cartoon was done on a piece of Strathmore Smooth Bristol board (total size 11"x7"). Ironically, it was a "scrap" piece that I had trimmed from a different project. I guess the lesson here is to never waste!

You'll notice that my original rough sketch had a set of weights off to one side ... Unfortunately, these made the final cartoon a little too wide for it to be suitable in the magazine. Part of me also thought that they were a little unnecessary for the gag.

On the other hand, the clock was a subtle enough decoration ...

Cardiovascular Cartoon - Rough Sketch by Mike Cope
Rough Sketch - Full Size.

I find inking with a traditional dip pen to be a lot of fun. The following image is the unaltered scan of the inked cartoon. You can see a little hint of the rough pencil work where the weights were (and at the bottom where my caption notes were) ...

Cardiovascular Cartoon - Inked Cartoon by Mike Cope
Inked Cartoon.

I'll provide a few more snapshots in an up-coming post. In the meantime ...

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Friday, October 05, 2007

Comic Strip Gag Writing: Blu-Ray, HD DVD, and The Final Frontier

PC & Pixel by Tak Bui

Here's a few more comic strip gags that I recently wrote for PC and Pixel by Tak Bui -- Click any image to enlarge ... Enjoy!

If you haven't heard the news, there's a big multimedia war going on about what the next generation of optical disc formatting should be. If you're old enough to remember, it's like the old days of Beta vs. VHS. In one corner, we have "Blu-Ray" and "HD DVD" in the other.

Which one is better? Only time will tell ...


September 25, 2007

It's bound to happen sooner or later, but this one gives a fresh meaning to "30 minutes or free" ...


September 28, 2007

You can read PC and Pixel daily at United Media's Comics.com.

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope