It was a time before massive heat waves hit my home in California, I finally ate all the Easter candy in the house, and khaki shorts became a normal part of my attire.

So, like a Cadbury Egg, let’s just get right into it!

Pack Rat

This is totally me when packing. I always forget SOMETHING.

On a recent trip, I forgot jeans. Then, on my last one, I forgot a tie. I think it’s pretty normal. And when this happens, well, there’s always an easy fix: Walmart! I go and buy the cheapest option to get me through the trip and call it a day. Although, surprisingly, they have some quality stuff that tends to last beyond my getaway.

So I no longer say “rats” when this happens. After all, it’s usually the only time I’m at one of these big-box stores. It’s kinda fun sometimes to scurry into them.

Monster Phone

Hopefully there are thunderstorms in the forecast, too.

Turkeys

Way before ChatGPT could spit out an AI slop illustration, I always felt that tracing a hand was a form of cheating when drawing a turkey. It seemed too…easy.

After all, in kindergarten, I was toiling away at my drawings, painstakingly going through crayon after crayon, trying to perfect the best turkey I could without tracing a thing!

Naturally, when it came time for all of us to put our turkeys on the wall at school, mine always looked “off.”

This is probably why I don’t cook the turkey on Thanksgiving.

Quacked

Awful pun? Sure. But I like the illustrations here. They make some solid characters I wouldn’t mind playing basketball with.

And don’t worry—I wouldn’t try cooking duck, either.

Potatoes

I love potato fries. I’m not sure why I’m more fond of them than skinny French fries, but I am.

As for other potato formats, I like mashed the best. Actually, scratch that—loaded mash. It’s so good! I feel like making some now.

Boy…

This is the third or fourth time I’ve mentioned cooking and food. I should probably stop before I drool all over my keyboard (I’m hungry).

Brain Rot

Those YouTube videos will do this to you. Or if you’re not wearing deodorant on your head. Either way.

Fish Relationship

I’ve had quite a few fishbowl gags throughout the years. So, why not another?

When I created this, I was toying with the idea of making the fish look different instead of similar. But then I thought about your average fish species and how they look the same among themselves, so I drew it like this.

Plus, I think deep down it makes it a bit funnier, since you don’t know if it’s trading up or down in terms of looks.

It’s a fishy situation (sorry!).

Grills

I just like this one. It makes me think of food, cooking out, and…oh, crap! I just drooled on my keyboard. Ugh. I knew I had to stop. Alright, I’ll be back. Time for a lunch break….

Cat Lap

Okay, I’m back…

My keyboard is all wiped off, and I’m stuffed after a scrumptious can of SpaghettiOs.

Anyway, I’m going to end it with this cat cartoon. I’m not sure how funny it comes across to anyone who’s not a cat owner (or, even if you own a cat, I can’t tell if this is hilarious or not). I created this one because it’s the bane of my existence. In a household of five cats, when one sits on your lap, it’s hard to move. Moving feels like betrayal (at least it does, considering the glares Fluffy gives me).

So, the sucker I am, I’ll try to wait it out.

I’ve lost hours, if not days (weeks? months?), in productivity to this.

Speaking of Cats…

Our cat, Luna, is entered in the Pet Star 2027 Photo Contest!

Each vote helps support Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies and the local animals they care for. I’ve been friends with the Palm Springs Animal Shelter for years now, from doing an event with them to being VillageFest neighbors. They do amazing work helping animals in our community, so I’m happy to have Luna do her small part. (Although she seems mostly interested in just sitting on the final calendar once released.)

If you’d like to help Luna out—and help some furry friends along the way—you can vote for her here!

Alright, gang, that’s a wrap, er—rap! (Sorry, I was still hungry, so I had candy and the wrapper was on me.)

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I was a shrimp last year. Don’t laugh too hard…

I thought I’d share some of my favorite Halloween cartoons I’ve drawn that I have lying around the studio and show a sneak preview of what spooky stuff I’m cooking up for this year. It’s never too early, right? When Walgreens starts putting out Halloween decor, I know I’m good.

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Not complaining.

The job was freedom. It got me out of the house, the money was solid (four-something an hour!), and at this job, I got away with everything while working my main role at the cut table.

I’m not sure if “cut table” is the proper name for this area or not, but I always referred to it as that, and so did my fellow employees. It’s where you wait for pizzas to come out of the oven on a conveyor belt, cut them accordingly, box them, and place them in their proper destination of dine-in, carryout, or delivery.

At any rate, in the ’90s, Pizza Hut was popping.

Our location was slammed on the weekends. Literally nonstop, with a full dining room, deliveries out left and right, lines of customers waiting to pick up their orders.

My main role at the cut table was where I shined the most. And where I felt most comfortable.

I could snag a pizza from the oven with pliers, toss it on a wood board, use the roller cutter, precisely cut it to perfection, and swoop it into a box in mere seconds.

Meat Lovers, stuffed crusts, thin, pan, personal pan—you name it, I cut it.

I had to keep a constant stock of small, medium, large, and personal boxes supplied. Also, we’d have the occasional pasta orders, which were a pain, but maneuverable.

In a nutshell, mostly systematic, but not exactly.

Every order was different; incidents occurred (“Hey, we need this remade!”), and imperfect systems across the board. But I made it work, with several burnt fingers to boot.

Free for All

This place was so lax on discipline; it’s amazing to me it never got shut down. Which it ultimately did, but I’m guessing the downfall of Pizza Hut was what did them in—not the grunge teenagers running wild behind the counter.

In high school, in an effort to be cool, I smoked cigarettes. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I regret doing that nowadays. But then? Well, this job allowed me to make friends with the delivery drivers, toss them a few bucks, and they’d buy me a pack. It was such a solid system, since I couldn’t legally buy them at my age.

Then, I could set up an ashtray next to the cutting table, work my weekends, and feel like a pizza rebel without a cause, puffing away on the things, stinking up the joint, never getting fired.

Yes, an ashtray. Next to the pizzas.

Pretty gross, huh?

Well, it was. And I haven’t smoked in close to two decades. But these were different times. We all smoked then. I think the only time anyone didn’t have a cigarette at this place was when serving pizzas in the dining room. Even then, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see one dangling out of a waitress’s lips while serving the first slice of a pan Supreme.

Boy, I felt grown up. Free. And when you added in all the pizza you could eat for no cost at all, this job was amazing.

Plus, my shift would end at close, and I wouldn’t get out of there until after midnight. That meant I could get into more shenanigans late at night and blame it on working late.

Shifting Gears

The child labor laws at this time cracked me up. I was required to have two breaks per shift, being 16 and all, so I’d have them right before I started. They’d schedule me at 4, so I could sit there for an hour, then clock in and be nonstop through the night.

Breaks would be a free pizza, all the pop I wanted, and smoky treats.

Another perk was that I could bring my own radio in. I had this cheap, scuffed-up boombox with a CD player on it, so I’d bring it by the table, toss in some Metallica or Nirvana, or listen to 104.7 WIOT—Toledo’s rock station.

I cranked it to the level where I had to stop because the wait staff would complain that it was too audible out in the dining room.

Then, I’d cut up pizzas.

So many pizzas…

Keep ’Em Moving

This job required you to keep pace. If the pizzas started getting backed up, there was nowhere else for them to go. They went through this conveyor belt, and when they came out, you had to grab them. Otherwise, they’d land on top of each other, get burnt, and chaos would ensue.

So there I was: 16 years old, Metallica playing, cigarette nearby, armed with a pizza cutter, trying to prevent a conveyor-belt catastrophe.

Of course, during all of this, I wanted to be a cartoonist more than anything. I never pursued pizza cutting as a profession. I have to say, though, that for a high school job, this was awesome.

I was there about a year or so, up until I graduated and got outta Dodge.

Now?

Anyway, I often wonder what it’s like these days to work that same job I had.

Obviously, no ashtrays allowed in the area, I’m sure. Boomboxes are replaced by, well, probably AirPods. Another aspect of this role was picking up the phone during any downtime. I’m not sure most pizza places even get regular phone calls anymore. Don’t most people order on an app now?

The whole thing feels like it belonged to another world.

The old Pizza Hut building is still there on Woodville Road. I looked on Google Earth, and it’s a cash loan place now, with the pretty much vacant Great Eastern Shopping Center behind it. That shopping center used to be filled with tons of stores, including a comic book shop that I frequented many weekends, buying Ralph Snart or TMNT comics.

It’s strange looking at it now.

At 16, that little stretch of Woodville Road was a pretty big part of my world. I’d walk there, make some money, eat an irresponsible amount of pizza, listen to music, smoke stuff I wasn’t old enough to buy, and feel like I had a little taste of freedom (which was rather zesty).

Now it’s something I pull up on Google Earth.

I’d like to think that if you look long and hard enough, you might find an old pizza cutter buried somewhere on the property, probably with my greasy fingerprints on it.

So, yeah. That’s probably my little contribution to Northwood history.

And if you ever found an ash in your pizza back then, don’t blame me.

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The anxiety comes from the fear that after a project ends, it’ll be the last client I ever get. Done. Finished. It was a great career while it lasted. Now get a day job!

It feels like an absolutely valid concern. After all, there’s no client faucet I can turn on that makes them pour in. It’s really just a matter of luck, timing, and sheer patience before you know that you have some work to tackle. But damn, that would be so cool if there were a faucet like this. I’d install it immediately.

I was lucky this summer with an abundant amount of work. Like, I picked up waaay more than I should’ve. However, I handled it all, even before the deadlines kicked in. I’m still not quite sure how, but I thanked my Starbucks pods next to the Keurig for their help.

But now that the madness of several projects is over, I’m awaiting more to arrive (staring at my inbox).

Cricket chirping ensues.

Is This Normal?

This is a common concern amongst all freelance cartoonists, illustrators, or anyone depending on someone dialing them up (or emailing) for a service.

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I’m fortunate that the bulk of my income is from other sources, like syndication, but still…those clients are a needed puzzle piece when I put together my to-do calendar. Without them, I may have to cancel my subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club. Mine’s not free like Griswold’s.

Client projects tend to roll in like thunder. There are times when there are too many to tackle, and other times, it’s as if there’s no storm coming at all. Silence. Those moments are unsettling. It’s more adventurous when you have a storm warning, with possible outcomes and scenarios on the horizon. A bit dangerous. Although I’ve never had an Apple Pencil blow into my face.

I’m a sucker; I don’t turn down too much. Actually, let me clarify that: I don’t turn down too much that’s a fit. I turn down multiple projects on a regular basis, usually for lack of a budget, political nonsense, or it’s just not my cup of ginger tea. (I was pitched a concept about, in my opinion, a boring historical figure a few months ago, and yeah, I couldn’t imagine spending a year or more staring down drawing this person, bored out of my mind.)

But, yes, this is all normal. Ah, the day in the life of freelancing.

A Chunky Way of Living

Call it a miracle, or maybe my inbox is working properly, but things tend to come in chunks.

The funny thing is, I’ve had this exact fear countless times over the years. And so far, every “last client” has eventually been followed by another one.

Sure, I’ve had many tight months where I’m not sure how that mortgage is going to get paid. However, the next one might be like this past summer, with clients ringing my bell constantly. So often that I have to put a “No Solicitors” sign out front of my studio. (Okay, it’s never gone that far. I wish it would, though.)

Even in this day and age of AI, there’s a desire for human-made comics, illustrations, and work that I do.

And this can help me sleep at night.

But…

I’m Still Awake

Has nobody contacted me about anything? I think as I check my phone first thing in the morning, with no new projects or anything significant.

Fluffy, my orange and white cat, swipes my phone immediately from my hands. She wants to be fed.

(In cat language) “Chill out, Nate. It’ll happen,” Fluffy meows. “Now, feed us. We’ve waited long enough for your lazy ass to get up.”

So it goes.

Work does usually come along when you least expect it.

My advice for any freelancer is to get those consistent things, too. Whether it be a day job (part-time, even?), some contract deal, or maybe delivering jellies—whatever it is that you can expect. That way, when those clients don’t come in exactly on time (which is never), you’ll have a little financial ammunition to play with, regardless.

This will help you sleep better.

Just expect to get up early if you have cats like mine.

For more tidbits on how I create comics—and somehow make a living doing this—consider my Cartooning Academy! All the enticing details can be found HERE.

If you want an official premise, it’s this:

Life of Lawrence is about an ordinary guy navigating modern life with his best friend by his side. Unfortunately, his best friend is his phone.

I’m having an absolute blast writing and developing Lawrence, so I’m keeping it going. After all, fun is the reason for doing anything in this wild world of cartooning, right?

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All this said, the ol’ boy made quite the stir a few days ago. Lawrence, you rascal, you.

The recent strip went somewhat viral, garnering over 250K views on TikTok. Meanwhile, it got over 40K views on Instagram and Facebook.

Numbers don’t mean a ton on social, with the annoying algorithm changing practically daily, but still…they give you an idea of how far Lawrence traveled.

What was surprising was on Threads, a platform I admittedly ignore quite a bit (things automatically post there from Instagram).

No, it didn’t go too wild, but it did get over 1.5K “likes.” And what’s important for this article is the fascinating comments.

First, here’s the strip.

And the reactions were…interesting.

Look, when you start a new strip, you never know what audiences will think. One thing that’s crucial here is getting a reaction, whether good or bad. Lawrence tends to spark conversation, which is my wish for my comic strips.

And he definitely did on this latest one.

Everything from this strip being “fat shaming” to man-bashing, along with some people outright hating the concept altogether.

As you can see, kind of a mixed bag…

And, believe it or not, I love all of this.

People aren’t just commenting on whether they liked the joke. They’re debating Lawrence, defending Lawrence, criticizing Lawrence, and even identifying with Lawrence. Some are arguing with each other about the wacky guy.

For a relatively new character, I couldn’t ask for much more.

It’s interesting to me because Lawrence is a bit like Charlie Brown, where he starts with optimism and, typically, it doesn’t end well. The theme of him trying to pick up women isn’t new, and will continue. With this being a new strip, and people unfamiliar with Lawrence, I think that explains some of the wildly different reactions.

I created the way Lawrence looks simply because I like it. I worked at MAD, and quirky and imperfect appeals to me (think Alfred E. Neuman). He’s not supposed to be some perfect-looking protagonist. He’s, well, Lawrence.

And throughout the strip, Lawrence does have some wins…and the phone doesn’t.

I also think there’s something interesting about introducing a new comic character into the world. Right now, someone might see one Lawrence strip without knowing anything else about him. They don’t know his personality, his history, his relationship with his phone, his acne problem, or what might happen to him in the next strip.

Anyway, what I’m getting at is, with anything new, there are always opinions right off the bat. This is a one-off strip in a pool of thousands of comics on social media. Judging by the likes, it’s overall quite positive (patting myself on the back).

Lawrence isn’t Garfield-level recognizable, where if someone sees a cat eating lasagna, they’d call foul about how unnutritious it is for cats to be eating Italian food. We know Garfield. We know he loves lasagna. We know his orange world.

People are still getting to know my dude.

I find the comments really amusing, even the ones that aren’t impressed at all with the strip.

And maybe there’s something else buried in some of those comments, too: people seem to care about the guy. Like, in a big way. Some almost seem protective of him.

That might be my favorite part of all of this.

Maybe that’s part of introducing a new character. The more Lawrence makes appearances, the more people will get to know what he’s about. There are emotions involved, which is great. These comments I somewhat take as people really caring for the guy, which is exactly what I want.

At any rate, stay tuned. More Lawrence, who probably won’t change his T-shirt ever, is on the way!

Let’s see what kind of awkward trouble he can get into next. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, one of these times he’ll ask a girl for her number…and he’ll get it.

Doubtful, but I like to keep an audience in suspense.

I’ll end with some more Lawrence strips, in case you’re not familiar.

What’s your take on Lawrence, this strip, or the weather? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

After wrapping up an excellent time in Columbus, Ohio, for the NCS (National Cartoonists Society) Reuben Awards, I posted about my experience. You may have seen it. No? Well, read all about it here.

Anyway, of course, I wasn’t alone in posting about this overwhelming experience.

Numerous cartoonists who attended posted articles, photos, and their thoughts about what a whirlwind it was. If you didn’t get a chance to go, you could live vicariously through all the ones out there. Take your pick! I’m sure your favorite cartoonist has something posted.

Remove all the fun, connections, and feeling-like-family moments from all of it, and another common theme I noticed scattered throughout was the feeling of imposter syndrome.

Ah, yes, that feeling of being found out…that you’re a fraud and don’t belong, despite any success.

Boy, I saw a lot of people saying they felt it. Admittedly, I, uh…(raises hand).

It’s worth noting because it’s something I’ve constantly battled, and apparently, so have a ton of others—especially in this doodly business.

Questions Ensue

With Break of Day, I’m always questioning my panels, even after over a decade of cranking it out regularly. After all, I’m not the first gag cartoonist, and definitely not the last. So, it’s vital to be, well, different.

However, gag cartoonists often have similar themes, ideas, and concepts. I’m always wondering where exactly Break of Day lands in the big scheme of things. Is it different enough?

You have your New Yorker cartoonists, who often indulge in that black-and-white style but have quirky attributes about them (we won’t get into deserted islands) that make them work.

Then, in the syndicated world, there are the champions out there, like The Far Side, Bizarro, Off the Mark—and others. I think they’re all superb, and I admire all the cartoonists behind them. They have a lane of their own.

And, let’s be real, my comics have landed in rather similar territory from time to time. I really try to avoid that, while still fitting into that world, if that makes sense.

Different (Pen) Strokes

I’m always trying to differentiate myself from them. After all, those comics and cartoonists are already out there doing their thing, so we don’t need me to have something that’s already been done. Like, you only need one orange cat like Garfield. Well, there is Heathcliff…but still, he’s not inhaling pans of lasagna.

When I create Break of Day, I really look at each panel with due diligence. Often, I’ll Google to see if an idea has been done before or if there’s something similar out there. If there is, I’m one to scrap an idea (even though I do believe that cartoonists offer their own twists on things, and it’s not always necessary to abandon something because similar ones are out there).

I mention all of this because then I start to think, “Well, is my work up to par with what else is out there?”

“I’m different, dammit!”

That said, I don’t create my comics to compete, be like the others, or anything.

My comics are developed out of pure love for what I do. Gag cartooning allows me to create something unique every day, and my scatterbrained mind thrives on that, taking me out of a routine of drawing regular characters.

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And what an awesome weekend it was.

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Not only is it the NCS’s 80th anniversary, but it was held…

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A new source of revenue for me is sponsored ads.

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It’s crazy how these were published only several months ago, yet I totally forgot about a few of them. And that can be bad, because as a cartoonist, you don’t want to forget about c…

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I thought I’d tap into three of the less glamorous parts of Comic-Cons. Not to bash them or dissuade anyone from setting up shop at one, but there’s a lot that happens at these that you don’t hear about much. Kind of the “off” side, away from the flashy panels, over-hyped autograph signings with a star that cost a few hundred bucks, and run-ins with your favorite creators.

So, these are my observations, while the stench of SDCC is still lingering in my mind, that I’m not too fond of at comic cons. And in this case, specifically SDCC.

Let’s start with one of the first things you notice when you get there…

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Yes, I recorded the whole experience. Well, most of it…

Come along for the ride, from leaving my driveway at 5:30 AM all the way through when I’m about to head to my hotel on my final night.

It was fun, exhausting, wild, inspiring. And a quest for coffee proved difficult at times.

Robert’s a controversial guy, for sure. And I don’t really care about that. It’s the art that grabbed me back then, and still does to this day.

Like any fledgling artist, I tried to replicate him. I loved the crosshatching and inks he used to create the comics. They seem so alive. Almost realistic, but cartoony in the same sense. Whatever he does just works and is unique as ever. Solid stuff.

Today in Studio Pass, I thought I’d touch on this topic for several reasons…

One is, I’m reading an excellent book by Dan Nadel called Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life. It’s really a page turner. Not a ton of illustrations in it, but I find his path interesting, intriguing, and a train wreck. Anyway, I’m slowly reading it because I don’t want it to end. Ever read a book like that?

Another reason for this little Crumb article is that, funny enough, I found my old sketchbook from around this time.

I look back and, well, cringe. It’s not pretty material. You can see the influence of Crumb’s art, though. (And if you’re not familiar with his art, just Google, go to the library, order some books from a bookstore, or find other means of doing so. Hurry!)

This is the sketchbook I never wanted anyone to see. But since you've got the Studio Pass, and I found it... here we go.

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Lots on my cartoon plate (which I sketched out myself), including several book projects for clients, new courses, animatics, new comics,…

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What’s i…

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Of course, I’m sure I’ll do a wrap-up post as well…if I have any energy left.

I thought I’d share a bit of how I’m prepping, what I’m getting into while ther…

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Oh…what could it be?

Well, it’s exercise.

No, no, no. Not like a drawing exercise. But the real deal. The potentially sweaty stuff. Actually getting up, moving, and making an effort to avoid the pitfalls of one who leans over a drawing board (or iPad) all day, indoors, without doing much more.

I lost about 20 pounds over the last several months, and it completely changed how I feel while drawing comics.

After all, in the comics world, we’re all sitting for most of the day, typically have easy access to snacks, and, well, don’t move much.

It’s actually a pretty important topic that’s never talked about in this industry.

Whether it’s an old Richard Simmons VHS that gets you moving, or your desire to bike across town on sidewalks where vendors may yell, put on some jogging shorts because I’m going to get this article in shape by talking diet and exercise.

I can remember every deadline I've ever had, but, for a time, standing up once an hour was asking too much.

I’m writing this from my own experience, and what I’ve done to conquer the brutally static position that I have, cranking out comics.

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Today, we’ll take a look at some panels from this past April.

These are comics that I find funny, or just like for no apparent reason. Anyway, I’ll show them to you in random order, with some commentary about each one.

Fun? Sure! Let’s …

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Now listen, I love Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang more than anything. It’s one of the best comic strips ever made. I’ve done my share of a few parodies of the yellow shirt kid.

But...

With countless book collections, internet archives, and other ways of getting your Peanuts fix, does it need to be published, considering they’re all reruns and totally taking up real estate on the comics page for a new comic?

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Oh, and Peanuts isn’t the only one. Countless others may seem like déjà vu because you’ve seen them before! Some cartoonists have retired from the daily strip grind to just Sundays.

So...

When is it time to retire a comic from the funny pages?

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So has the war.

Here in Southern California, that means some beach visits, patio weather, and ants. Damn ants.

There’s no avoiding them. Somehow, someway, they find a way to intrude on our home.

W…

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Ones that just don’t get traction, build an audience, or really grow in any meaningful way.

Yet their creators (like me) put them out for years. No changes, no adjustments. The same comic, and the results aren’t transitioning.

That said, sure, that’s fine for many people. Dare I say most comic creators do it for sheer enjoyment and don’t really care whether one or a million people read their work. Some cartoonists don’t even release their work into the wild and just keep it to themselves. And that’s totally great.

But what if you do want to build something?

Maybe your dream is syndication. Maybe you want to create your own IP. Or maybe you just want a comic that’s fun to make and don’t care where it goes, even if that’s taped on the back of a toilet seat.

Those are three very different goals, and I think each one comes with a different answer to the question:

When do you stick with a comic, and when do you move on?

That’s what I’m going to attempt to explore today, even if the subject matter is more difficult than a woman’s purse.

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