This is one of a good 100 caricatures I drew today between two events of 4 hours each in Orlando and Tampa.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first of the Aunt Dimity series I’ve read and I liked it a lot. The writing is outstanding. The description of setting drape the reader in vivid awareness of the surroundings. The characters are extremely well done with dialogue very well thought out.

The down side to the book are the contrivances of the plot. The main character is quickly drawn as wrapped up in work, leaves from America for England and suddenly, not only does work not matter, it’s not brought up again until the very last pages. The new location for the main character takes her in far too easily and suddenly the character is a sleuth who shrugs it off as something a computer expert could become. All too pat. All too contrived.

I will set that aside only because the excellent writing and the intriguing story line, which is really not all that much of a mystery.

The whole “Aunt Dimity” thing takes up far too much of the book cover considering her involvement in the book. I guess as the series continues “Aunt Dimity” takes a more important role.

I do find it interesting that this is the second book in the series and the supposed main character, “Aunt Dimity”, takes such a small role. The same happened in the last fiction book I read before this in which the second book in that series has it’s main character, Miss Silver, also take a very back seat.

Bottom line: I recommend the book. Enjoy the atmosphere but be warned of a very shaky plot.

View all my reviews

Been going back and forth with these birds. Finally put some ink on them during a Silver Springs Advisory Committee meeting this morning in Ocala. There happened to be am Audubon Society leader there who i got to consult with about the birds. She approved. I’ll stop going back and forth with them. This inked version stays.

Was at Ocali Days today helping man the Marion County Museum of History booth. The event continues through Sunday at Silver Springs State Park.

After the event I hit the swamp hiking trail in the park and made my way to the connecting Silver River. I made a video, which I will feature separately. As I finished the video Scott Mitchell, Silver River Museum Director, was coming up with a group to take a boat ride on the Silver River to the head springs of the river.

After teh boat ride we all jumped in a trailer to be taken back to the main park. It was late, we traveled slow and discovered deer along the way. i decided to put ink pen to paper and whipped out these nearly contour drawings of various deer we saw. Drawing while the vehicle and the deer were in motion was a challenge!!!

This is part of  larger Happy Birthday card for an old friend. Penciled and inked it while at the annual Ocali Country Days today while tending our Marion County Museum of History and Archaeological booth at Silver Springs State Park.

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.