Comic Strip Gag Writing: Green Lawn Mowers

Last summer, I thought I'd do my part and buy an eco-friendly lawn mower. It wasn't cheap, but considering it only ran on an electric battery, it did a great job at cutting the grass . . .

Unfortunately, it only lasted one season. Yup, one season!

The short end of the story is that this particular model was poorly manufactured. To make matters worse, after I bought it, the company classified it as "discontinued" (i.e., no customer support). My father had also bought one and the same thing happened to his. It's too bad because I really liked that lawn mower. While all my neighbours were outside with their gasoline chugging machines, I was smiling inside, knowing that I was doing my part to help save the environment.

But until the technology improves and can justify the even higher price tags, I've gone back to the dark side.

Since we're on the subject of environmentally-friendly mowers, here's one that I wrote about "green lawn mowers" for the daily comic strip PC and Pixel by Tak Bui. ...

July 20, 2008

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

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Comic Strip Gag Writing: Medieval Times

Puns are always, umm, punny! Here's one set in medieval times that I wrote for the daily comic strip PC and Pixel by Tak Bui. ...

June 26, 2008

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

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Summer Cartooning for Kids - Hamilton Public Library

Calling all kid cartoonists!

Do you live in the Hamilton (Ontario) area? Registration begins today for a full-filled cartooning session, hosted by your's truly, at Concession Library on August 6. If you like to draw, you're more than welcome to come and join us, but you need to register in advance because spaces are limited.

The best part is ... it's FREE!!

Here are the details ...

Click on the above graphic to visit the City of Hamilton Public Library website.

If you have any questions about the session, please feel free to contact me.

Special thanks to the folks at the Hamilton Public Library for inviting me to participate in their summer program. If you live in the area, I highly recommend checking out their program calendars -- they provide great programs for our local kids.

Hope to see you there!

- Mike

Cartooning for Kids - Pumpkin Patch Day Care (Hamilton, Ontario)

Special thanks to the wonderful staff and kids at the Pumpkin Patch Day Care (Mount Hamilton Baptist Day Care) for such a fun-filled cartooning session, yesterday! Way back in March, I was invited to teach some cartooning activities, so it was great to see such a keen group of budding young artists.

We had about 25 participants ranging in ages from 7 to 12 ... and I'm sure we'll be seeing some of their cartoons somewhere in the future! From funny cartoon faces to friendly giants (even some animation!) . . . It's amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun!!

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer vacation, and I look very forward to our next session :)

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Cartoon Clichés: The Desert Island

There are certain themes that almost every cartoonist plays on at one point (or more!) in their career: The Grim Reaper, Gurus on a Mountaintop, Heaven/Hell ... and, of course, The Desert Island.

These themes are better known as "Cartoon Clichés."

Perhaps they're a strange tradition we've inherited from our prehistoric cartooning ancestors. Or maybe they're a funny rite of passage in becoming a real cartoonist. Overall, they just go to show you that there's more than one way to skin a cat!

The following is part of the rough sketch from a "Desert Island" cartoon that I recently finished for one of my clients ...

Cartoon Clichés: The Desert Island - Rough Pencil Sketch by Mike Cope

Just before writing this post, I decided to do a quick Google search on "cartoon clichés." According to this article, Desert Islands are apparently the number one cliché that cartoon editor Susha Lee Shothaman receives at Prospect Magazine!

I'll share the completed cartoon in an upcoming post. In the meantime, you've gotta wonder ... With all those desert islands out there, shouldn't some of these people have been rescued by now?

Stay TOONed!

- Mike Cope

Happy Canada Day!

Today's July 1st, the day that Canadians celebrate our great nation. Friendly greetings to all our friends, whether you're Canadian or not.

Have a safe and happy Canada Day!

- Mike Cope