Skip to content

Social Media: Not Your Best Guide To Truth & Understanding

June 18, 2013

I’ve been doing some work for The Rumpus, which features a diverse mix of essays, profiles, and interviews.

The illustration below was for an essay which referenced the recent Boston Marathon bombing, and reflected on the fact that while tragedy travels fast via social media, truth and understanding come slowly, if at all.

illustration about terrorism and Boston Marathon bombing charred running show burning in pool of blood tiny flames with word Why in cloud of black smoke

A close-up detail:detail of illustration about terrorism and Boston Marathon bombing charred running show burning in pool of blood tiny flames with word Why in cloud of black smoke

Photoshop users have access to lots of fancy fonts, but I actually drew the word “Why?” with a mouse, using a “smoke effect” Photoshop brush. I used the same brush for the
black smoke.

Here’s what it looked like originally. I decided it was a little too small, sharply etched,
and easy to see.

Boston Marathon bombing running shoe with word Why hand drawn in cloud of black smoke

So I duplicated the layer, hid the original, and used Edit>Scale to enlarge the writing. Then I reduced the opacity of the layer to fade the writing and emphasize the point that it’s difficult to perceive the truth, the Why, behind the smoke and noise of a tragic news event. Boston Marathon bombing running shoe after word Why scaled up and blurred with reduced opacity

Here’s the same again, with the relevant portion of the Photoshop Layers Window:Boston Marathon bombing running shoe with Layers Window showing revised word Why in black smoke

blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

    *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 16 pixels high

Do you rely on social media sites like Twitter for “news bulletins”?

Do you think the lines between fact, rumor, and opinion get more blurry every day?

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, please click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, please click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.BlankVertSpace.8pixelsblank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Eyes In The Night: A Street Corner You Don’t Want To Hang Out On

Happy Birthday To Folksinger Patty Larkin And Her Machine Gun Guitar

From Hokey To Hip: Animated GIF Goes To Hollywood!!

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

See The Caricature. Pretty Caricature. Think, Think, Think. Who It Is??

June 10, 2013

I did a post back in March that featured some old caricatures. I challenged readers to guess who they were, and said a prayer that people would actually recognize some of them… : )

The post was well received, and I’m happy to say there were some correct guesses. So it’s time for an encore. See if you can identify the following idiot celebrities.

Answers at end of post.

caricature of singer Bob Dylan and television talk show host, comedian, and singer Jimmy Fallon

caricature of movie star Sandra Bullock famous for role as undercover cop in beauty pageant in movie comedy Miss Congeniality

caricature of Yoko Ono and Beatle John Lennon as hippies holding flowers and late North Korean dictator and ruler Kim Jong-il who liked to play nuclear chicken

caricatures of rock musicians Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of group Steely Dan shown with deaf human ear using waxy cotton swab as cane

caricatures of American tennis stars Andy Roddick, James Blake, Robby Ginepri

End of caricatures, scroll down for answers.blank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Answers:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

1. Singer Bob Dylan, and talk show host and comedian, Jimmy Fallon.

2. Movie star Sandra Bullock, who had a big hit as an FBI agent working undercover at a beauty pageant in the film Miss Congeniality.

3. Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un. Like his father, young Kim seems to enjoy playing “nuclear chicken” with South Korea and the West.

4. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (L-R), core members of rock group Steely Dan. In the above drawing, they seem to have encountered a deaf ear.

5. American tennis professionals Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Robby Ginepri, circa 2004. Roddick, who once achieved a World No. 1 ranking, retired in 2012. Blake and Ginepri are still active. The caricatures were for an article which playfully cast the players as certain types: Roddick as a fashion plate; Blake as an intellectual; Ginepri as a hippie.
blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

    *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

Did anyone get Kim Jong-il? That one was tough, since his son, Kim Jong-un, the current ruler, sports the same distinctive haircut. OK, if you just said The North Korea Guy, you get half a point… : )

Did anyone notice the tennis ball globe? Did it make you feel kind of warm and, uh, fuzzy?

Hope you’ll leave a comment.BlankVertSpace.8pixelsblank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, please click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, please click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Honest To Gosh Singing Caricatures

Viva La Redhead, But It’s A Sin To Eat A Mocking Birdie

Meet The Beatles Parody: Vote For Me, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Fed Ex Pot, Yoko Ono, Chubby Checker, Mold & Other Courtroom Dramas

May 28, 2013

I do a monthly cartoon illustration for Inside Counsel Magazine. They send me short summaries of four unusual lawsuits, I do a rough sketch for each, they pick the one they like best.

Here are the winners and also-rans for the past two months:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

A woman sued Fed Ex after they mistakenly delivered a package containing marijuana to her home. She turned it over to police, but three men later came to her house looking for the package. She says Fed Ex endangered her family and violated her privacy by giving the men her name and address.

strange lawsuit involving Fed Ex delivering package of marijuana to home, woman thought birthday present for daughter, drug dealers showed up looking for package; dogs pointing to package held by Fed Ex delivery man in witness box, judge with large pipe asking for marijuana, jury members smoking marijuana and getting high

A couple rented their home to a man who didn’t tell them he planned to use it to film a raunchy reality show. They couple sued for damages to house and property, including a badly stained couch. strange lawsuit couple rented home to reality sex show producer, house and furniture ruined, couple in courtroom sitting on top of stained couch, jury members spraying Lysol and air freshener trying to kill bacteria and germs

A fashion designer sued Yoko Ono for allegedly stealing her idea for a fetish theme: clothing with illustrated handprints on the crotch and chest areas.  strange lawsuit fashion designer sued Yoko Ono for stealing fetish fashion idea handprints over crotches and breasts, Yoko on stand wearing dark glasses, lawyer and judge wearing clothes covered with hand prints, jury members with dirty hands leaving hand prints on jury box

Actor Jude Law sued a Canadian fireplace company for allegedly using his likeness to promote its products.strange lawsuit actor Jude Law sued fireplace company for using his image without permission, Jude on stand, judge's bench as fireplace with mantle and stovepipe, lawyer toasting marshmallow, judge wear gas masks, jurors frightened by smoke puffs that look like Jude Law's face

The rough sketch for the Fed Ex pot delivery case:
rough sketch for strange lawsuit involving Fed Ex delivering package of marijuana to home, woman thought birthday present for daughter, drug dealers showed up looking for package; dogs pointing to package held by Fed Ex delivery man in witness box, judge with large pipe asking for marijuana, jury members smoking marijuana and getting high

A Wal-mart employee sued the store and the Hershey Candy Company after eating a moldy candy bar on her break. She says the candy bar was nine months past its expiration date.strange lawsuit about Wal-Mart employee who ate moldy Mr. Goodbar candy bar, got sick, and sued, lawyer holding wand of mold detector checking sleeping judge for mold, witness and jury eating candy bars and getting sick

Singer Chubby Checker, known for his hit record The Twist, sued Hewlett-Packard over a smartphone app called The Chubby Checker. The app, which is no longer available, claimed to estimate the length of a man’s penis by his shoe size.strange lawsuit involving Chubby Checker smartphone app which estimates male genitalia size, Chubby in witness box, lawyer dancing with Learn To Twist book, judge and male jury members with smartphones looking worried about penis size

A pharmacist sued Rite Aid after the store fired him for refusing to give immunization injections, despite a letter from his doctor testifying to his extreme needle phobia. He says the store made no effort to accommodate his disability.
strange lawsuit Rite Aid pharmacist afraid of needles fired because he refused to give flu immunization shots, lawyer with big needle and bottle of truth serum, judge shielding himself with umbrella, witness and jury sweating profusely at sight of needle

Figure skater Oksana Baiul sued NBC Universal and a skating promoter for allegedly using her name and likeness to promote a television skating special in which she declined to appear.

The promoter claims she had asked to be in the show and backed out, and that she was never featured in promotional materials for the show. strange suit figure skater Oksana Baiul sued NBC for using her name without her permission to promote a tv skating special, lawyer skating in courtroom with ice rink floor, jury members fishing thru holes in ice, judge and jury throwing octopus onto ice

The rough sketch for the moldy candy bar case:rough sketch for strange lawsuit about Wal-Mart employee who ate moldy Mr. Goodbar candy bar, got sick, and sued, lawyer holding wand of mold detector checking sleeping judge for mold, witness and jury eating candy bars and getting sick

blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

    *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

Does this post make you want to sue someone so you can join in the fun?

Was Stephen Sondheim thinking of lawsuits when he wrote Send In The Clowns?

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, please click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, please click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Hulk Hogan Is Ripped– Sues Cocoa Pebbles!!

You Sure Are A Lot Uglier In Person

A Blog Named Sue: More Lawsuits

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Time Sure Flies When You’re In A Time Machine

May 21, 2013

Here’s a panel from the first installment of a graphic novel I’m working on. I decided to incorporate a time machine to maximize possible storylines.

There’s a line from a Steve Goodman song that goes, “From the cradle to the crypt is
a mighty short trip.” Here we see that this is especially true if you’re in a time machine.

Moe Gizmo time traveler using turkey time machine to travel thru time, sees baby in cradle with yellow bird morphing into R.I.P. grave with dead flowers in pot and crow brooding on top of headstone

Here’s a detail showing my illustrated version of time-lapse photography.detail image from Moe Gizmo time traveler using turkey time machine to travel thru time, sees baby in cradle with yellow bird morphing into R.I.P. grave with dead flowers in pot and crow brooding on top of headstone

My time machine looks suspiciously like a turkey, doesn’t it? Yes, it really gobbles up the years… : )detail image from Moe Gizmo time traveler using turkey time machine to travel thru time, sees baby in cradle with yellow bird morphing into R.I.P. grave with dead flowers in pot and crow brooding on top of headstone

My machine is a affectionate parody of the time machine in the 1960 movie version
of H.G. Wells’ celebrated novel. Here we see Rod Taylor as George the Time Traveler contemplating the machine in his 1900s-era laboratory.still from 1960 George Pal movie The Time Machine based on H.G. Wells' famous novel, scene star Rod Taylor as George the Time Traveler looking at the finished time machine in his laboratory

MGM art director Bill Ferrari designed the machine. It has a great Victorian look. I’ve always admired its elegance. The film’s a bit cheesy, but it won an Oscar for its inventive time-lapse photography, as seen in the clip below.blank vertical space, 32 pixels high

BlankVertSpace.8pixelsblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Are you a time travel fan? Ever read Wells’ book or seen the movie?

Does time seem to pass more quickly when you’re eating a turkey sandwich??

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Another Memorial Day, Up In Smoke…

Ring Around The Rosary, We All Stand Together

Fred Mertz Meets The Man In Black & The Guy Who Climbed Blueberry Hill

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

That Horse Coulda Been A Contender!

May 15, 2013

Every cartoonist knows there’s always one more desert island gag. This one was inspired by this year’s Kentucky Derby, won by Orb on a very wet and muddy track.

Part of the joke here keys off the fact that some horses run better than others on a wet track. Such a horse is referred to as a mudder.cartoon inspired by Kentucky Derby horse on desert isle running around palm tree in rain splashing mud, fish observing that some horses run well on muddy track

More horse racing slang: in researching this post, I learned that this year’s Derby took place on a sloppy track, as opposed to a muddy track.

A muddy track is just wet. A sloppy track is so wet, it has standing water. Here’s a detail from the cartoon.
detail image from cartoon inspired by Kentucky Derby horse on desert isle running around palm tree in rain splashing mud, fish observing that some horses run well on muddy track

How muddy was it at this year’s Derby? Here’s a photo of winning horse and jockey as they crossed the finish line.

Orb was the favorite, but he had to come from far back to win. If you’d like to see the race, you can watch this 3-minute clip on YouTube.racehorse Orb and jockey galloping on muddy sloppy track splattered with mud as they win 2013 Kentucky Derby horse race

Ever been to the Kentucky Derby?

Ever bet on a horse race and won some serious money?

Do you wear galoshes when you run in the mud??

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

“Enter The Geezer”: Inky Draws Movie Trailer

What A Deal: One Face For The Price Of Two!

Hey, Bertie Bott– Time To Brighten Up Your Beans!!

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Hey, We Can’t All Win Beauty Contests!

May 8, 2013

I was inspired to draw this cartoon after reading a very funny anecdote about Pope John XXIII, best remembered today for calling the Second Vatican Council which ushered in a new era for the Roman Catholic Church.

He was elected pope in 1958 at age 77. The convening of all Roman Catholic cardinals to elect a new pope is known as a conclave.

Hard to believe today, but security was not a major issue back in 1958. Pope John liked to get out of the Vatican and meet people, and would often stroll the streets of Rome dressed as an ordinary prelate.

He was a huge man, and on one occasion he overheard a woman talking about how fat the pope was. He turned to her and said:

“But, Madame, you must know that the conclave is not exactly a beauty contest!” 

Cartoon about Catholic Pope John XXIII who was fat showing him speaking to woman and telling her papal election is not a beauty contest with angel cherub hovering nearby with tray of donuts

He sounds like my kind of quipster.

He was once asked how many people worked at the Vatican. His reply: “About half.”

A little boy wrote asking advice. The boy said he wanted to be either a policeman or Pope, but couldn’t decide which. Pope John wrote back advising him to become a policeman, because “Anybody can be pope; the proof of this is that I have become one.”

Amazing, isn’t it, how humanizing a sense of humor can be.

More Pope John wit and wisdom hereblank vertical space, 24 pixels high

    *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

Got any funny stories about popes, saints, or other religious leaders?

Do you think there will be free donuts in Heaven?

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Why Bruce Springsteen Got To Ride On Air Force One

About Face: Some Thoughts On Redesigning My About Page

Once Upon A Time At Westminster Cathedral

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

It’s A Tricky App To Download, But It Sure Comes In… Handy

May 2, 2013

two worms discussing apps for cell phone, smartphone, iPhone, one worm now has hands because he downloaded hands app, other worm wants to know how he managed to push download button, big dandelion in background

Have you downloaded any unusual apps yourself?

Should worms be allowed to have mobile phones?

Hope you’ll leave a comment.blank vertical space, 16 pixels high

If you enjoyed this post and would like to let me know, click the Like button below.

If you’d like to share this post with others, click Tweet or Facebook or one of the other Share buttons.

I also invite you to get updates. Just click the Get Updates button in the sidebar below the Portfolio Thumbnails, or click + Follow in the blog menu bar.blank vertical space, 24 pixels high

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:BlankVertSpace.8pixels

Attention: The World Mayan Today

Eyes In The Night: A Street Corner You Don’t Want To Hang Out On

And For Her Birthday, Lola Wants… A Leg Lamp??

footer for all future blog posts showing picture of blog author Mark Armstrong, along with short bio and contact information

blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 40 pixels high

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 3,017 other followers