Constructing a Marshtoon to be Sent by Email
The time has come again when I have to construct a cartoon (Marshtoon) that can be sent by email to the publication up north where we have our cottage.
Last year a number of docks were swept down the river and ended up on one guys lawn as his cottage is at the bend in the river. Cottagers from the lake had to go down and relieve their docks from the lot -or suffer a yard sale. One of the docks was in the water and could not be budged. On inspection the cottagers/retrievers found that even the crib had been dragged along with the dock.
I have concerns about our new dock we just had built last summer (along with raising a sunken boathouse -but that's another story). This is our dock's first winter.
Ergo this Marshtoon.
I start with doodles in my sketch book until one just fits the idea I'm trying to get across. Sometimes there are a number of sketches before I make my final choice. But, eventually one suits me and off I go to my studio. (You can see where I tore it out of my sketchbook to get it ready for tracing.)
Then I trace the drawing using my light table and Straedtler pens. The trick for me is to enclose all the spaces and yet keep the cartoon looking easy. Then I scan it into my computer, label it (image b) and save it to my desktop.
Last year a number of docks were swept down the river and ended up on one guys lawn as his cottage is at the bend in the river. Cottagers from the lake had to go down and relieve their docks from the lot -or suffer a yard sale. One of the docks was in the water and could not be budged. On inspection the cottagers/retrievers found that even the crib had been dragged along with the dock.
I have concerns about our new dock we just had built last summer (along with raising a sunken boathouse -but that's another story). This is our dock's first winter.
Ergo this Marshtoon.
I start with doodles in my sketch book until one just fits the idea I'm trying to get across. Sometimes there are a number of sketches before I make my final choice. But, eventually one suits me and off I go to my studio. (You can see where I tore it out of my sketchbook to get it ready for tracing.)
Then I trace the drawing using my light table and Straedtler pens. The trick for me is to enclose all the spaces and yet keep the cartoon looking easy. Then I scan it into my computer, label it (image b) and save it to my desktop.
I bring the jpeg image into "Seashore," a free drawing program for my mac. Most of the spaces are "filled" -in fact that is all I used on this Marshtoon. I have used the brushes for shading but chose not to do so this time. The new image is labelled (image c) and saved to my desktop.
Then I open "Comic Life," choose a border rectangle and place it on the blank page, high light the rectangle and insert the cartoon -thank goodness for drag and drop. I then choose the dialogue box I want, drag it to the spot I want on the cartoon and drop it. Type up the message and its done.......er...
all except for the issue of getting it jpeg ready to send by email. I have to label this image (image d) and save to my desktop somehow out of Comic Life or export the Marshtoon from Comic Life to iPhoto and then email it from there.
But off it eventually goes, and then, once again, I must come up with another Marshtoon and meet yet another deadline.
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