What's all this, then?

Since I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do with this blog right now, I've decided to post some of the strange doodles and drawings I've kept in boxes, folders, and cabinets these past 30 years. A lot of these things were done while on the phone, or while testing pens, or out of sheer boredom. There won't be any rhyme or reason to these drawings. I'm just grabbing stuff from off the piles, scanning it, and adding it here. Think of it as a game of cartoon Russian roulette. The neat thing about the drawings is that each one has it's own history and background story. There will be plenty of bonus posts and topical additions as the mood strikes. Forewarned is forearmed.

All artwork copyrighted 2007/2008/2009/2010 Martin A. Devine.

Please do not link to or use images or content without permission from the so-called "artist". (So there.)

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Goofy #88 - Promotion


I did this sketch back in '93 for the company newsletter. I've reworked the text to eliminate the name of the company.
(Rotring pen and Rapidograph pen on drawing paper.)

Friday, April 06, 2007

Goofy #87 - King Ding


Don't even ask me from which twisted and dark part of my brain from which this sketch sprang. It apparently disturbed me so much I never inked it. The pencils are just creepy enough. I guess this was done about 10 years ago. I can't tell for sure because I blocked it out of my memory until I found it in the pile 'o' drawings.
(Pencils on scrap paper.)

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Goofy Bonus #20 - Batmen Commission



This commission sketch tries to answer the question, "What would Jim Lee's All Star Batman say to Frank Miller's Dark Knight?
(Micron pen and brush pen on Bristol board.)

Goofy #86 - Marty 'n' Stinky Show


Now this is wacky. This quick sketch was done just after I let college. Some friends and I thought it would be a hoot to do a TV show featuring a human and a dirty sweat sock as co-hosts. We came up with the Marty 'n' Stinky Show. Well the idea wasn't that shitty since the concept has been used a handful (pun intended) of times since. Age is taking a toll on the markers and paper, the yellowing and bleeding are very apparent in this one.
(Markers on scrap paper.)

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Goofy Bonus #19 - Animal Man Commission


Here's a commission I did for Braxton on the CGS forum. He requested Buddy Baker aka. Animal Man. I put Buddy in the unfortunate vicinity of Dave Wachter's pigeon guy from Fiendish Fables.
(Micron pens and brush pens on Bristol board.)

Goofy #85 - Rachel



One last baseball related doodle. Back when I first started working for my current employer, we had an company softball team. One of our opponents that year was a team comprised totally of Jewish women. Before we played them I wondered what their cheering section would look like. Well I can tell you they didn't look like my doodle and they very nearly kicked our gentile asses.
(Felt tip on drawing paper.)

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Goofy #84 - Swing


To continue the baseball theme another day, here's a quick pencil sketch I did while on the phone. I know the pose is completely improbable, but I still thought it was cool and funny.
(Pencil on note pad.)

Monday, April 02, 2007

Goofy #83 - Big Hat


Since today was the opening day for my beloved Philadelphia Phillies, I dug deep in the pile of drawings to dredge this one up. It's yet another self portrait done eons ago of me wearing the Phillies cap of the period. The Fightin' Phils went out today and immediately lost the first game. Go team!
(Ballpoint pen on scrap paper.)

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Goofy #82 - Manager



Okay, ESPN thinks today is the opening day of Major League Baseball. Everyone knows that it's not really opening day until the first pitches are thrown in Cincinnati and Detroit. To mark this false occasion, here's a sketch done a number of years ago. I don't know when exactly, but I figure it was after seeing the Natural.
(Felt tip, ball points and pencil on scrap paper.)

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Goofy #81 - Elvis Urp!



One again I mine that comedy treasure trove known as Elvis. I've got an uncomfortable preoccupation with the King, I don't know why. This doodle was done on a post-it about 15 years ago.
(Rapidograph pen on post-it.)

Friday, March 30, 2007

Goofy #80 - Germs!



I did these sketches when I was working for the ad agency 20 years ago. One of our customers was a local hospital and they wanted to do a booklet on germs and infection. They wanted to keep it light-hearted by using cartoons, so I drew tons of them. These are some the germs that didn't make the final cut, but are my favorites. Most of them are evil germs or germs-gone-bad. The family was supposed to represent how quickly infections can multiply. I like it so much I think I'll color it sometime soon.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper.)

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Goofy #79 - Burnt Hair


This doodle was done back in '91 after one of our PCs exploded when I touched it. No lie, all I did was lay a hand on it and a sudden static discharge blew something in the computer. It also zapped the monitor, a scanner and a waxer that were all on the same circuit. The power stick the computer was plugged into actually melted a little.
(Felt tip pen on scrap paper.)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Goofy #78c - School Stuff


The third of this series illustrates the old parable of the blind men and the elephant. Each man touched a different part of the elephant so each came away with a different perception. One thought it was like a snake, another thought it was like a tree and so on.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper, stated with Zipatone tints added.)

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Goofy #78b - School Stuff


This image was supposed to represent making sure your audience understands your topic. What better way of showing that than reading from an English book written in colloquial English? We colonials are so clueless. The clothes and the mullet once again date this photo. Hey look, that one kid is wearing a Ken O'Brien NFL jersey. I based the teacher on one of my former bosses.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper, stated with Zipatone tints added.)

Monday, March 26, 2007

Goofy #78a - School Stuff


The next three drawings will be a series. The three were done for a textbook years ago. This first drawing was about concentration. I was supposed to portray a young teacher reading to her class while illustrating what her pupils where actually thinking. The mullet and the leggings in this drawing will give away the era it was published.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper, stated with Zipatone tints added.)

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Goofy #77 - Big Head


Back to your regularly scheduled programming. This sketch was done one day when I was bored at work. I have tones of doodles like this one. I must have added some color along the way.
(Sharpee on scrap paper and colored in Photoshop.)

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Goofy #76f - The Bible


This final sketch ran multiple times in the ad campaign. The customer liked this one the best. It actually ran in the local Catholic newspaper too. This is the original inked sketch, when it ran in the newspaper, it was stated with Zipatone tints added.
(Rapidograph pen on drawing paper.)

Friday, March 23, 2007

Goofy #76e - The Bible


Here's the next bible story inspired sketch. Technically, it's not a true bible inspired thing, it's more of a biblical movie inspired thing. Ya gotta love Yul Brenner in the Ten Commandments! This sketch was inked, stated and had screen tints added before it ran in a local newspaper ad. One more divinely-inspired sketch in this series to go!
(Rapidograph pen on drawing paper.)

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Goofy #76d - The Bible



This sketch was also used in a newspaper ad. There's a finished inked version someplace, but I didn't dig it up when I found these pencil sketches. I really like the pharoh in this one. Once again, the TRA-640 refers to a PC.
(Pencil on drawing paper.)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Goofy #76c - The Bible


This sketch is next in the Bible series and is based on the story of wise old King Solomon. This gag actually made it into a newspaper ad somehow. The TR-640 refers to a PC the customer was selling at the time, an 8086 I believe.
(Pencil on drawing paper.)

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Goofy #76b - The Bible


Next in this series is the miracle of the loaves and fishes, courtesy of JC and a PC. Needless to say, this gag wasn't used. Humorless babies.
(Pencil on drawing paper.)

Monday, March 19, 2007

Goofy #76a - The Bible


All the cartoons this week will have a running theme. 20 years ago, when I was working at the ad agency, one of our clients was a local computer company. PCs were very new at the time and the customer wanted ads that pointed out the abilities of a personal computer. Our copy writers thought it would be a neat idea to use biblical era gags to sell the product and they threw the ball in my court to flesh things out. This is the series of ideas I came up with, some used, some not. This first sketch shows what can happen when instructions aren't clear or followed correctly.
(Pencil on drawing paper.)

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Goofy #75 - Urk.


It's Sunday morning. I'm sluggish and dim-witted today, so here's a cartoon that fits the mood. A self-portrait blast from the past. The colors aren't holding-up very well on this one, but they match my complexion perfectly today.
(Felt tip and design marker on scrap paper.)

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Goofy Bonus #18 - Happy St. Patrick's Day

A couple of goofy-assed Photoshop photos for St. Patricks day.


Marty "The Quiet Man"




and Marty "Michael Flatuence"

And that's my 100th post to this train-wreck of a blog. Ack.

Slainte!

Goofy #74 - Choke



If I recall correctly, I did this sketch after seeing Madonna singing on TV and she started to cough and hack a little bit in the middle of the song. I can't remember the damn show, but this cartoon is proof it did happen . . . in my mind at least.
(Felt tip pen on scrap paper.)

Friday, March 16, 2007

Goofy #73 - Grandpa


Another self-portrait . . . I'm stunned! Back when I was first working for my current employer, one of my co-workers at the time likened me to an old man. They went so far as to call me Grandpa Marty. To show my self-deprecating sense of humor, I whipped-up this sketch. It's eerily close to reality today. Turn down that music and get off my lawn!
(Sharpee, highlighters, and Design markers on scrap paper.)

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Goofy #72 - Gumby



This one may be the oldest sketch yet! I did this one while I was still in college 27 years ago. Like most geeks back in those days, I loved Monty Python's Flying Circus. One of my favorite characters from the show was the loud Gumby guy. Look at this doodle and scream, "My brain hurts!"
(Felt tip on drawing paper.)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Goofy Bonus #17 - Punisher Commission


A fresh one for y'all! This is a low res version of a Punisher commission I finished recently.
It's a little deviation from my usual stuff style-wise, but I thought it fit the character.
(Micron pens and brush pens on drawing paper.)

Goofy #71 - Old Vet


This doodle was done after seeing an old vet handing out poppies at the local Walmart.
(Pencil on note pad.)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Goofy #70 - Runners


This sketch was done for T-shirts and advertising for a local 5K run/walk when I was at the ad agency 20 years ago.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper.)

Monday, March 12, 2007

Goofy #69 - Stress



This sketch was done about 10 years ago for a company memo on stress management. I really like the loose line work on this one.
(Felt tip on drawing paper.)

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Goofy #68 - Witch


This ink sketch was done when working for the ad agency about 18 years ago. The customer had a shop that made bagel sandwiches and they wanted a witch mascot for advertising. This drawing was submitted with a group of others, and this one got the axe for some reason. I can't figure that one out. It just screams "BAGEL SANDWICHES" to me.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper.)

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Goofy #67 - Kiss the Pig


This sketch was done about 10 years ago for a local charity. The charity was raising money by having people donate money to have local dignitaries kiss a pig. This sketch was reproduced on small pins that were handed out to anyone that donated. Any resemblance to Anna Nicole Smith or Maggie Gyllenhaal is purely coincidental.
(Pencil on drawing paper.)

Friday, March 09, 2007

Goofy #66 - Golf


A Friday afternoon gag cartoon! I drew this one while working in the archives. I was fortunate in having the men's room right next door. I would hear things. Horrible things sometimes. And sometimes, funny things. This is one of the funny things. I lifted the dialog for this cartoon straight from the joke I overheard told in the gent's rest room. Honest to God bathroom humor.
(Rotring drawing pen on drawing paper, scanned and lettered in Photoshop.)

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Goofy #65 - Ollie



The subject matter dates this one. This is a doodle of Ollie North during the Iran Contra days back in the 80s. It's a small sketch done a very small post-it.
(Felt tip pen on a neon-colored post it.)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Goofy Bonus #16 - Cap's Dead



It looks like Marvel Comics killed Captain America. Or did they? That remains to be seen. In response I whipped-up this cartoon after hearing the frenzied wailing of the fan boys.
(Felt tip pen and Sharpee on scrap paper.)

Goofy #64 - Rat


Here's another sketch I did for ads for a local bar. In this case the bar is called the "Rathskeller". Obviously they didn't go with the actual rat graphic, but it amused me so I kept it.. Adding the wingtip shoes was my attempt to give the varmint some class.
(Felt tip pen on drawing paper.)

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Goofy #63 - Shiot



This cartoon is probably one of the more disturbing things I've ever done. About 5 years ago, a website called Shiot Crock had an online cartoon submission thing. The catch was that you had to use 4 randomly selected words or phrases in your cartoon. You got the 4 words by rolling 4 virtual "DaDa Dice". For my submission, my 4 words were PANTS, STUTTERING, HUNGRY DOG, and SWEATY PALMS. Most folks actually incorporated the 4 words into their dialog, not me. I still don't know what guided my hand on this one.
(Rotring Drawing pen and Rapidograph pen on drawing paper, scanned and colored in Photoshop.)

Monday, March 05, 2007

Goofy #62 - Chiggers



This one really isn't a doodle at all. I was inspired to do it while enjoying a handful of Swedish Fish one day. "Why Swedish Fish?", I asked myself. Then the idea of Swedish Chiggers popped into my head. It struck me so funny I started laughing like a ree-ree. Using the awesome power of modern computer technology, I set out to create the Swedish Chiggers packaging, which you can see here.
(Created in CorelDRAW and exported to Photoshop.)

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Goofy #61 - Loach



A gag sketch this time around. When I worked at the ad agency 20 years ago, we would sometimes get lunch from the Chinese restaurant around the corner. One day the boss screamed and was storming around the office in a fit because he found something extra in his won-ton soup. I drew this cartoon to mark the occasion.
(Felt tip on drawing paper.)