Here’s #4 of my #DailyInks challenge. I inked this drawing of a fellow on a Segway for a large map project i’m working on. Actually, the drawing of the fellow is based on the person who brought me into the job and rides a Segway himself, Lari Thaw.

As I inked it I realized that the drawing was revealing the influence of a favorite cartoonist of mine, Roy Doty. Way back in elementary school i started noticing his work in advertisements and book cover. Roy illustrated the covers of the books by Jack Douglas, one of my favorite humorists.

Since becoming a member of the National Cartoonists Society I’ve got to meet and to know Roy Doty, who is now 91. I’ve heard many a story. My favorites being when he was often a guest of Ernie Kovacs on his variety program and doing cartoon improv, something i love to do and basically what i do when drawing caricatures.

This is a page I inked today as a coloring page give away at the big Ocali Days event starting Wednesday. It was a last minute project, that took a half dozen layouts or so to work out. Inking was the easy part. This is the finished piece already at the printer.

The focus is the city of Dunnellon in western Marion County, Florida, that I’m working on a coloring book for.

This is for an involved cartoon map I’m working on. It’ll get digitally colored along the way.

A Facebook post by fellow cartoonist john Sanford has convinced me to try and continue with something I missed in October – Inktober. Everyday of the month post an inked piece of art. I was on the road so much it was impossible to start. Since this new version of #DailyInks basically started yesterday – by one person, no less – I thought I could jump in and see how far I can take it….hopefully past Thursday!

The first is one of a series of cartoon kitties I drew for a friend who is out to help save homeless kitties.

Most will likely be part of a project I’m already working on. Many may be caricatures. Not sure if I will always post an explanation of the art involved, but will when I can.

Drew caricatures for the Aveda school of hair care and massage in Dunedin on October 19th, to help raise donations for breast cancer. Here are a few of the instructors who were drawn by me that day. Thanks to, long time friend, Jo Ann Fenstermacher for having me there! Above is A.E. Sabo, Jo Ann Fenstermacher and me at the event.

After the event I brought into a room where the drawings adorned a number of wall sections. Below is one section.

Gathered the necessary breakfast tools for a Halloween morning. Of course, with that much cereal, it’s going to be a looooong morning!

My high school pal, Steve Brewster, tipped me off to find these at a Target store. A trip I made to scoop up a selection for this year. Best to get them now. Like ghostly apparitions, they appear now, will disappear and then, with all hopes, appear again next year.

I think it’s great that General Mills let’s these cereal icons return once a year to help tie so much of us from an earlier time to those younger folks of the present. It’s traditions that maintain this country and it’s values. Even when it’s a silly vampire cereal.

Wilder Times: The Life of Billy Wilder by Kevin Lally

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been savoring this book since this past January. It’s a very fine book that primarily examines the films of Wilder. His personal life is presented at first and then takes a distant back seat through the rest of the book. The bulk of the book carefully looks at all that goes into a Wilder film.

That is what makes this book excellent to me. What stands out more than anything else from this book is the importance of the English language. Wilder fell in love playing with our language. His fun was batting about the words into a one liners and heart-felt dialogue assembled into terrific screenplay.

As I read I kept thinking of the insanity as efforts continue to water down, or dumb down, our language. That and the heavy handed effort to make us learn Spanish. Texting adds to the mess. It’s no wonder we hear the inanity we do in movies, television, music and books today. We should be heralding our ability to communicate, instead of launching backwards to days when men couldn’t communicate each other and used a giant club or fists to make a point. Alas, that seems our fate judging by the blood we see continuing to spill on our streets.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this book to any film buff and to those who wish to better understand the methods of producing humor and outstanding storytelling.

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Journey of the Mountain Man by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my sixth go round with Smoke Jensen and friends and it’s familiar territory. Though there are new turns in the story, the foundation is basically the same. Instead of a town in trouble, it’s a range war. A town is still involved and scenes are repeated from the other 5 novels.

As usual the characters carry the story and the strongest parts of the entire book. The characters are well written and distinct. The dialogue is excellent.

Bottom line: I recommend the book.

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Attended a political meeting near Interlachen, Florida, at Backwoods Smokehouse and sketched these folks. I was there to support Thuy Lowe, who is running for Congress and graduated with my sister in high school.

Did a series of courtroom illustrations for my friend Sally Baptiste today. I’ll now take the art and further work on the illustrations. Sally now has art of the courtroom scene of her winning her case today.