Year: 2011

Love Cartoon Collection

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Valentine’s Day is even closer now, and everywhere I look pretty much everything is covered in pink hearts, cherubs, chocolate, roses, or some combination thereof, (mmmm…  chocolate cherub…) so I thought I’d share another love cartoon collection to get us all in the mood!

You know what I love about this cartoon? It’s versatile.

February? Love cartoon. March? Basketball. October? Pumpkins!

When I created it I was just desperate for a new take on jack-o-lanterns, but it’s a fairly popular one, and a good seller for as odd as it is.

This is of course a take off on the ol’ relationship chestnut “I just think maybe we should see other people.” I suppose the manager here thinks she’s letting the poor guy down easier, and it’s certainly better than being escorted out by security with your cardboard box of tchotchkes and stolen pens, but maybe a middle ground would be better. (Scented pink slip?)

Cats and dogs hate each other, right? Apparently not if the above cartoon is to be believed. (And it is!)

For me the hardest part of this was coming up with the name of the show’s host and creating a TV set that got you to the joke without being too showy. I can imagine a mid-afternoon talk show with a sensibly pretty host named Jenny, can’t you? Oh what reasonable life-affirming advice she’d share. Sigh…

And dig those pants and heels! Can I draw fashion or what?!

So the other day the boy says to me “Dad, Aquaman can talk to fish, right?”

“Yes,” I said. “Pretty awesome, right?” It’s not, but he’s 7. He still thinks it is.

“Yeah,” he says, “but then what about whales? They’re mammals! What’s the deal there?”

OK, it’s a pretty weak connection the above cartoon, but I had to share that.

Another Halloween/love cartoon. Weird huh?

The basic idea here is that ol’ Frankenstein is made up of other old body parts, and the Mrs. is jealous of “his” tattoo. Wow, now that I think of it this is actually kind of grisly.

I loved drawing her hair in this, although the first draft had that white stripe in her hair looking more like frosting on a Hostess cup cake.

Just in case you can’t read it on the paper the guy is holding, it says “Demands” on the top.

I bet dogs get tired of unconditional love. They give and they give and they give and then you drop some meatloaf on the floor and you don’t even call them over and let them have it.

You watch, conditional love is the next big thing. Also jetpacks.

I always thought that whole arrow in the heart now you’re in love thing was a little odd. I mean that flying baby just shot you! In the chest!! That’s not love afterward, that’s heart trauma!

On a side note, if you get hit in the liver it makes you want a sandwich. No one knows why.

OK, this is an older one and you can see my art hasn’t really solidified yet, but it’s a particularly favorite theme of mine: angry holiday character in bar.

I’ve done turkeys, the Easter Bunny, Santa, the Grinch, Scrooge, etc… Apparently they’re all heavy drinkers and they’re all surly. Happy holidays!

Well, that does it. Just in case you missed it, be sure to check out last week’s cartoon love blog. You’ll love it! Ha! Ha-ha! See what I did there? HA-HA! Love…

How To Use Cartoons To Instantly Make Any Presentation Awesome!

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One of the downsides of working in the business world is the endless meetings that usually involve long, boring presentations. What’s worse is when it’s your turn to stand at the front of the room and subject your coworkers to a lecture featuring the latest analytics from whatever it is you do.

With a cartoon, however, you can spice up your presentations and add a little fun to what may otherwise be mundane subject matter. Here are a few pointers, paired with some cartoons, to make your next presentation a slam dunk:

Beginning Your Presentation

“I know PowerPoints can be boring…”

A cartoon can be great for breaking the ice and letting your colleagues relax. After all, they’re probably not looking forward to this presentation, no matter how “interesting” it may be. By starting out with a funny cartoon that points out what everyone is thinking but no one will say, you let your audience know that you’re on the same page.

Ending Your Presentation

“So what usually happens after one of these presentations is something like this…”

We’ve all done it. Someone has just given a presentation proposing a new idea, and we all head back to the water cooler to discuss just how the plan WON’T work out. The same may be true for the viewers of your presentation, so by ending with a cartoon like this one, you can segue into telling your audience exactly why your idea WILL work.

Questions?

“I’m sure you all have questions, but let’s try to avoid this type of a situation…”

At the end of every presentation, there’s the much-anticipated Q&A forum that involves a thoughtful discussion regarding the entire team of extraordinary minds. Just kidding. Instead, this period is usually an opportunity for one individual to ask several questions, more or less to show off how smart he/she is. To mitigate these types of situations, use humor to stop the self-indulgent question-askers in their tracks.

Change

“Let’s face it, change can be difficult—and scary.”

In any organization, suggesting any type of change in policy or procedure—even for the better—will inevitably earn backlash from certain individuals. This may be due to a variety of reasons, but is most likely the result of a simple fear of the unknown. There’s no better cure for fear than humor, so use a cartoon to assure everyone that it’s all going to be OK.

Bad News

“Alright, so this might not be the news you wanted to hear, and I’m certainly not happy about it either, but…”

Having to give a presentation is bad enough, but what makes it worse is if you have bad news to share. While negative trends are a part of business, you need to be able to communicate to your colleagues that just because some aspect of your organization isn’t going as planned, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Again, an appropriate cartoon will help to calm some nerves in your audience.

Inspiration

“I know that this is going to take some work and a hefty time investment, but it will all be well worth it.”

If you’re proposing something that is going to take the acceptance and input of your coworkers, you need to let them know that their efforts will be well worth it. And, while we’d all love to be great motivational speakers, it’s often difficult to really get your team up and moving. Make your life a little easier by bringing a cartoon into the mix to lighten the mood

Idea

“So, I had this great idea…”

Even if you have an idea that you think is great, it can be hard to get people to accept it. If you’re introducing the next big thing for your company (and they just don’t know it yet), take the edge off by introducing it with a cartoon.

It’s Complicated

“OK, so I realize this may be a little confusing…”

Another tough aspect of giving presentations is that sometimes the subject matter is so specialized to your particular field that others in the audience might not understand what you’re trying to say. Many of your coworkers may be having the same thoughts as the individual in the cartoon above. Using an image like this will help you convey that you realize the complexity of the material, and you’re going to try your best to make it easier to digest.

Things Are Great

“I am happy to inform you that things are looking pretty good…”

The best presentations are those in which you can share good news. However, how can you best communicate just how positive the information is that you’re sharing? With a cartoon like this, you can let your colleagues know: Hey, it’s not so bad!

So, next time you need to give a presentation, try inserting a cartoon. You and your audience will appreciate it.

Mark Anderson is a cartoonist whose cartoons (including those above) are available for purchase at blog.andertoons.com.