Abandoned Chihuahua Cartoon Project – Learning How to Draw a Chihuahua

A few years ago (when Nickelodeon Magazine was still alive and well) my pal and editor Chris Duffy asked me to pitch him some comic strip ideas...


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I didn't know where to start. Chihuahuas were kind of a big trend at the time, so I started thinking about how to draw Chihuahuas.
I went to the library with my post-it notes and started trying to figure out how to draw a cute little cartoon Chihuahua…
After looking through tons of pictures and doodling my sketch studies, I couldn’t help falling in love with the little critters. They’re so cute with those big round heads and bulbous eyeballs and those teeny little bodies.Once I felt comfortable with the basic animal anatomy I started to cartoon it up a little bit…
…and then finally I came up with this little guy:

The marking on his forehead was scribbled quickly, and when I gave it another look, it looked like a chili pepper. Then the name popped into my head: “Chili Chihuahua!”

So this is the final result of those cartoon drawing explorations. I was really happy with it! And you know what? I tossed it all in a folder and haven’t done a darned thing with it since.

Oh, and lest I forget: Chili Chihuahua is TM and ©2011 by Sherm Cohen! ---After all, I might want to come back and revisit this little project someday :)

Stylish Dino

Yet another break-time doodle. Who needs a sketchbook when there's so much copy paper floating around.  Drawing is fun!

Untitled Ridiculousness

More cartoony doodles from a few minutes of downtime. This time I brought a grey marker with me…I better be careful or soon I'll start bringing my whole art kit into the conference room.

Wuzzat? Assorted Bloops & Another 2-Faced Guy

Wuzzat you say? It's just more free-associated randomness from my pile of sketches.

Yes, I said "pile of sketches." I have never been fond of sketching in a sketchbook...the fact that it's bound in a book cuts off the spontaneity mojo right away. I prefer drawing on scraps and post-its, and then tossing 'em into a folder.

If you're wondering what those "bloops" are all about, join the club. The bloops started showing up in my drawings about a year ago -- I enjoy drawing them because they're just pure shape/form/designs. It's kinda nice to un-hook from trying to make something "look" like something.

Then there's the whole recurring "two faces on one guy" theme...ay, yi, yi. A shrink would have a field day!

C’mere, I’ll PUNCH Ya!

X-Xing - aka: drawing doodles during down-time

One of the best times for me to get some doodling done is while waiting for an animatic screening or a storyboard pitch to get started. I always grab a slice of paper and a pen, pencil or marker before heading into the conference room; Anytime you're waiting for a big group of people to assemble you can count on having a few minutes of down-time.

Being in the middle of my work day, I'm totally in drawing mode, but since I'm away from my desk I all of a sudden feel free to just let the drawing take me where it will. It's a little improvisational "cartoon jazz" that yields surprising results simply because there's no "goal" other than the love of drawing. Y'know…like when we used to draw for FUN.

I scanned a bunch of these scribbles recently and I'll be posting a bunch in the coming days. Enjoy!

Captain Tootsie Full-Length Comic Book Story by Captain Marvel's C.C. Beck Studio

The greatest product placement hero in comic book history was Captain Tootsie, created and produced by the CC Beck studio (the same folks that gave us all those great adventures of the original Fawcett comics' Captain Marvel), and published in two issues by Toby press in October and December of 1950.

This 12-pager is from The Adventures of Captain Tootsie and the Secret Legion #2

You can click on any one of these pages to open up
a Captain Tootsie-sized full page comic book scan!

Find out more about Captain Tootsie at:

Toonopedia entry on Captain Tootsie

Museum of Comic Book Advertising Tootsie Roll Theater

Captain Tootsie Comic Book Ads
Oddball Comics on Captain Tootsie

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Ger Appledorn from Those Fabuleous Fifties has posted a whole buncha "Captain Tootsie" comic book scans. These were Tootsie Roll advertisements in comic book format from the pen of C.C. Beck and the same crew that brought us the classic Captain Marvel comics from Fawcett in the 1940's and 50's.

 

They're like those Hostess Twinkies and Fruit Pie ads from the seventies, but with their own original super-hero.

Go check 'em out --
they're chock-full of cartoony goodness!

Captain Tootsie Comic Book Ads

More Frank Frazetta Funny Animal Comics – Bruno the Bear 1949

Bruno the Bear by Frank “Fritz” Frazetta from Happy Comics #32 July 1949

…and here’s a couple of beautiful Frazetta illustrations from the obligatory text pages from the same comic…
…and make sure to Cartoon squirrel pirate Frank Frazetta Daffy & Dilly comics in case you missed it…
Daffy & Dilly – pirate squirrel comics by Frazetta
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and enjoy more Frazetta funny animal comics here…
Frazetta funny animal comics Dodger the Squirrel