My pal, Andy Heckathorne, challenged me to draw. Yes, I draw every day, but specifically he challenged me to a sketch-off. At first, he wanted it to be every day until we die. Thinking that perhaps the sketching and posting daily is what would kill me, I said, “no.” So, he compromised and suggested we do it for five days. I agreed.
The rules of the game are that each sketch can take only a maximum of 30 minutes. I did not specifically time these, but am pretty sure I am close to that deadline each day this week. No stipulation was made as to drawing materials, so let the games begin.
Since Andy’s challenge reminded me of an old western duel, my first thought immediately went to cowboys. However, instead of dueling with guns, their duel is between who has the biggest belt buckle. Enjoy!
The bigger the buckle, the bigger the man – well, in stature anyway.
I am a longtime member of the National Cartoonists Society (NCS), and recently the NCS has partnered with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help and volunteer where possible. What goes better with cartoons than children? NCS members around the country have been volunteering to draw for the kids at various hospitals in the St. Jude network, and they lend a hand with fundraisers.
If you aren’t aware, the folks at St. Jude are dedicated to the medical care of children, particularly of those facing terrible diseases such as cancer. They take these kids in regardless of whether or not the families can afford to pay, so fundraising for this organization helps them maintain their ability to help these kids through their toughest battles.
As a former artist on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, I came to love drawing the characters. Who wouldn’t?! Of all the things I have worked on, these guys are most often what kids ask me to draw for them. So to help the kids, I created this 11 x 14″ watercolor and colored pencil piece for the auction they will have for St. Jude’s.
Some lucky bidder will go home in their tux or swanky dress full, happy, and with Mickey and the boys under their arm. Perhaps it will be you!
Mickey, Donald & Goofy are ready to help some sick kids!
P.S. – If you’d like to see the rough drawing that was created in preparation for this final piece, come visit my public Facebook page by CLICKING HERE!
On the final day of our time at Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey, we had two big drawing sessions. The base had a Facebook page on which photos were being posted of our activities, and word-of-mouth buzz was building. Our first session was at the Youth Center where kids as young as 4 came up to us for drawings.
My favorite remembrance at the Youth Center was when a little 4-year-old girl looked at the paper I was about to draw on and said, “That paper is too big.” I said, “Don’t you want a nice big drawing?” She said, “No, I want the drawing on THAT paper,” as she pointed to the pad that Rick Kirkman was using next to me. Then she didn’t want it in pencil as I had been doing, so I had to break out the pens. To top it off, she insisted it be of Doc McStuffins, a character from the Disney Channel I had never drawn before. So after someone printed me a picture from the internet, that little girl got herself the one and only small inked drawing of Doc McStuffins that I have ever done! She probably still wasn’t pleased with it and took it home where she colored it herself.
Our second drawing session later that night required returning to the scene of my attempted flight the night before – the bowling alley (see yesterday’s post for an explanation). I kept my back to the lanes so as to not suffer any flashbacks.
Rick Kirkman trying his best not to have his arm jolt every time a bowling ball strikes some pins.Michael Ramirez, Bruce Higdon, and Ed Steckley doing their thing.Sam Viviano doing his MADest work caricaturing folks.This soldier requested Mickey Mouse as Darth Vader. Hard to imagine that falsetto voice saying “the Force is strong with this one.”
I do wish to mention one thing we saw in Turkey of which I unfortunately do not have a photo. During one of our afternoons on Incirlik Air Base, several of us entered a store run by Turks. As we were looking at the various local tchotchkes, we came across a bin of framable pictures printed on canvas. One image was a sepia photograph of New York City with the Twin Towers still intact in it. Photoshopped in from all angles were about twenty airliners diving into the city. The image sent chills up and down our spines. The feelings folks in that part of the world have towards America were VERY clear in that one image meant to be hung on someone’s wall as art. It was no wonder that we were restricted to base while in Adana. If local shopkeepers were brazen enough to stock merchandise like that in their store on a military base largely populated by Americans, the hostility we could have faced in town could have been amplified.
Well, all good things must come to an end, and early on our final morning we were driven to the airport to wing our way home to the States. It also was our one chance to see the town. As with the other countries, we had arrived at night. So, our early morning drive provided us with the chance to take a few snapshots of the area as we zipped through it.
One last group shot waiting for our ride to the airport that includes our USO guide Jeff on the left, and Mary, our hostess at Incirlik Air Base.I LOVED this motorcycle cart with wares for sale. Just wish it was a little less blurry, but it isn’t so bad having been taken from a speeding van.A scene not unlike what I see in Glendale, CA.This opulent mosque of which I know nothing appeared after we zipped through an underpass. I later got a shot of it from the air.Once in the airport itself, I managed to sneak a few shots of folks unaware of my camera.The old suspiciously eyeing the young.Parents seeing their young one off is the same in any culture.Michael Ramirez and Eddie Pittman taking one parting look back – mostly because I yelled, “Hey guys, look over here!”Turkish Air flight attendant.As seen from the air, the mosque we had passed on the road earlier.A view of Adana, Turkey. Do you see that bridge with arched supports off to the right? That is an old Roman bridge dating back to biblical times.After a whirlwind trip in five countries (U.S., Germany – plane change, Kuwait, Djibouti, & Turkey) across four continents (N. America, Europe, Asia, & Africa), now some rest is in order.
Thanks for following along with my latest adventure. Thank you to the National Cartoonists Society for putting together a great group of guys to make the journey, and thank you to the USO for sending us. I welcome the opportunity to do it again sometime!
If you would like to see more about what the USO does for our troops, and if you might like to donate to their efforts, please visit their website by CLICKING HERE!
The last destination for nine weary cartoonists on this fantastic USO tour was Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey. Adana is in south central section of Turkey above Lebanon and Israel. However, before making our way there, I managed to snap a few shots of locals in the Istanbul airport where we had a layover.
Turkish delight.Some friendly employees of a Turkish restaurant called “Burger King.”Wheelchairs in Istanbul’s airport were scooters that zipped through pedestrian traffic.Chip Bok ready to board our twilight flight to Adana with his hands free to hold a water bottle, because for the first time on our trip he checked his other bag.Rick Kirkman and Bruce Higdon waiting for Chip Bok to find his bag in Adana’s airport. Murphy’s Law dictated that his would be the only bag through the entire trip to become lost. (It showed up the next day.)Family vacation.We made it to Incirlik Air Base in Adana. Incirlik is a Turkish air base that has allowed Americans to have a presence there, too.Our name in lights! Although, by this time we were feeling like International Cartoonists.Our first drawing session was in the afternoon of our first day. They split us into two groups. I was part of a group that drew in the food court outside of the base’s main store. As you can see, children are at this base.Some international locations allow soldiers to bring their families. In such cases, they are usually stationed there for two years. At the moment, everyone was restricted to base due to some threats outside the walls, so we, too, were unable to leave to see any of the local sights during our down time. Our captive audience LOVED getting their drawings!Usually when I draw, the kids ask me for Disney characters. These twin brothers went a different way. The brother on the right went first and asked me to draw a ninja bear. I can honestly say that is my first ever ninja bear. A second first for me was when his brother asked me to draw him the Phantom of the Opera. He was nutty for that musical.While in Adana, Armed Forces Radio wanted to interview us, so representing our group was Michael Ramirez, Paul Combs, Rick Kirkman, and Ed Steckley.Steckley and Kirkman making faces appropriate for radio.
Armed Forces Television also did a piece on us while we visited Adana. While I was over at the base store, they interviewed the guys who were drawing over at the bowling alley. I heard later from someone stationed in Djibouti that he saw the report on television all the way over there, so it went out to all our troops who had access to the military’s media feed.
After our first day in Turkey, we had a free night to ourselves. Some of us found our way to the bowling alley to strike a few pins.
While striking pins was a goal, I managed to prove on an air base that you don’t need an airplane to become airborne. When bowling, never ever ever step across that line. I did so accidentally, and found myself getting some very real air before landing with a thud flat on my back on the alley. While no one had their cameras ready for my wingless flight, Rick Kirkman remembered it well enough to commit it to paper later.
Rick Kirkman’s photographic memory captured my wingless flight.
As our time in Djibouti was coming to a close on this USO–NCS trip, one of the officers invited us to join him and others at the Chief Petty Officers club. We entered through a rusty gate past some piles of what some might call “junk”, and entered through a door into a structure of plywood and magnificent air conditioning. There we socialized with some pretty nice folks after a long day of heat, sweat, and drawings (not necessarily in that order).
Cartoonists and soldiers alike making the best of the situation in Africa.
As would happen during our drawing sessions, conversations with soldiers here at the club could sometimes reveal how hard it is for them while serving so far away from home. That night I met one gentleman who had been through the ringer. He started off by telling me that just two days earlier, his cousin and an aunt had just been murdered back in the States, his daughter died back in February, and his sister-in-law had a heart attack this year. So much personal tragedy for this man, and he was unable to go home to deal with any of it. He said those buddies of his in that room helped him through it all. He was living proof that it sometimes is a great sacrifice to live a year away from home and family.
The walls of the club were littered with signatures and messages from guests and colleagues of the officers, and we were invited to leave our mark as well. Ed Steckley, Eddie Pittman, Rick Kirkman and Sam Viviano all drawing on the wall.I left behind a naval themed Goofy for the gang.Sam Viviano drew a special caricature of the club DJ, Thor.
The next morning we left the base in the daylight which allowed us to finally see what the area was like since we had arrived under cover of darkness. The poverty was astonishing.
The local bus stop, with a bus behind it that looked to be permanently stopped.Local housing as far as the eye could see made from whatever found objects were acquired. Garbage was strewn about everywhere as well.We noticed the local women were very colorful in their choice of clothing, while many of the men were more drab in appearance.Capital punishment, when needed, is carried out here at this cement hanging gallows.Some local workers. Well, technically one worker, and several supervisors.
Our route to the airport was short, so there was not an extensive tour of the area, but the one structure we saw with evidence of money behind it was the local mosque.“Knock knock!” “Who is there?”Here is one of two guards we saw at the gate to the airport. Interestingly, a plain clothes man approached our first van and received bribe money from the driver before both vehicles were allowed to pass.
I will say this about the Djibouti airport experience – the place is full of crooks. When our vehicles pulled up to the curb, we were approached by MANY aggressive porters all with their hand out for tips. Of course, we turned them all down. Who requires a porter when suitcases all have wheels today? As I entered the airport, I had to pass through security right at the door. They kept buzzing me at the metal detector, and when I finally got through, my suitcase was missing from the X-ray machine belt. Turns out a porter ran around the other side of the machine and grabbed my bag and was demanding money. I looked him right in the eye and firmly said, “NO.”
Later as we passed through a second security check point, the security man boldly confiscated Sam Viviano’s batteries of all things! He just told Sam, “Not yours. Mine!” and took them! When we arrived at our next destination in Turkey, Paul Combs found that his running shoes had been stolen from his suitcase. We had been warned by our USO traveling companion that Djibouti could be that way, and sure enough, it lived up to its reputation.
A parting shot of some colorful local women.
Next stop for our band of cartoonists is Adana, Turkey.
The second country my cartoonist pals and I visited while on our USO-NCS tour was Djibouti. Located on the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is bordered on land by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, and by sea the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. And just for kicks, it is a stone’s throw distance across the water to Yemen. Good times.
Let me tell you now, Djibouti had by far the toughest living conditions I have ever experienced. While I never heard what was the exact temperature, it felt hotter there than in Kuwait, likely due to the intense humidity that was always present. It was as if you showered in the morning, toweled off, and were instantly wet again. I actually developed some sores along my wrist where my watch was. One of the guys even changed his shirt three times one day in an attempt to stave off the inevitable stink. And because of the humidity, there was a very real danger of contracting malaria from one of the resident mosquitos, so we were all on malaria meds for this portion of our trip.
Camp Lemonnier was ready for us! Chip Bok, Sam Viviano, Michael Ramirez, Ed Steckley, Chad Frye, Paul Combs, Bruce Higdon, Rick Kirkman, & Eddie Pittman.
We were assigned to Camp Lemonnier, a military base established by the French in the 1950s, and now occupied primarily by the United States Navy. In fact, this base is the ONLY U.S. military base in all of Africa. It is a tough part of the world in which to serve. Due to the danger in the area, everyone was restricted to base, so our arrival was welcomed as a nice distraction from their routine. After spending three days there, my heart goes out to the men and women who are there between nine months to a year.
Our accommodations were these shipping containers there on the right just beyond Thunderdome (rimshot). They were split into two small rooms on either side with a bathroom in the middle.In fact, many structures on the base were shipping containers. There is a rash of new building going on there right now after President Obama signed a new agreement with Djibouti earlier this year that extends our country’s presence there for the next 20-30 years.These are some barracks we visited on base. Notice the “no saluting” sign. Just in case the enemy had eyes looking over the wall, this rule was in effect to prevent any officers from being targeted when out in the open.This gentleman named Jordan, is interested in becoming an actor. We smiled, nodded, and then handed him cartoon drawings.Chip Bok having found the rare bit of shade on base.Looks a little different than what is in my garage.In the mess hall of each base we saw a table set for the missing man – the soldier who died, the one taken prisoner, or the one missing in action. The lemon represents the bitterness of battle, the salt is for all the tears shed for them, the rose is for the blood shed, the upside down glass to show that the fallen cannot partake, and the lit candle to show the hope for their return home.Paul Combs and I glistening in the heat with the workout gym tent in the background.Meeting with base Commander Matt O’Keefe and some of his men.A few times they split us up into groups of two around the base in coffee shops and recreation areas to draw for whomever came in. Eddie Pittman and I were assigned together, and Commander O’Keefe came in to get drawings of his boys with the platypus from Phineas and Ferb which Eddie worked on. Eddie also got to draw for a general that day!The Red Cross lady came to me with an old WWI Red Cross poster painted by Howard Chandler Christy and asked me if I could draw that, but put her face on it. I obliged.This was the local recreation hall where we had a couple of night sessions together as a group. See that Pizza Hut over in the corner? Even on a rustic base in Africa, that project has had problems getting the okay to open due to food service regulations. So there it sat teasing us.During the first night session, the first guy to sit for me was a huge Disney fan, even with a small Mickey on his shirt. So naturally, I had to make him part of the gang!
On night two, the gentleman below sat for me. He was memorable for several reasons. 1. He thanked me profusely for coming to see them in Africa. 2. I had been there longer than he had been! He just arrived that day for his nine month stint, I had been there since the day before. 3. His name is also Chad. And the strangest of all is #4. While drawing for him, the topic of West Point came up in conversation, and Chad said he graduated in 1994. I looked up and said to him, “I attended your graduation.” He looked dumbfounded, so I explained that my cousin was from the class of ’94, and was currently teaching at West Point. I went to my cousin’s graduation, so therefore I also saw Chad graduate!
Chad Jagmin’s drawing was for his daughter Jami who was about to turn 3 and is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse nut.
Tomorrow I will wrap up my thoughts about Djibouti.
Continuing our USO/NCS cartoonist adventures in Kuwait, my pals and I had a few more moist moments at Camp Arifjan during our first full day in that arid country. As guests of the base, we were fortunate to be able to run through the 120s heat from one air conditioned situation to another. Despite having that luxury, we were often wet with our own sweat. It gave us a real appreciation of the working conditions of many of the soldiers we met who are stationed there for nine months to a year before they are assigned a new location.
Eddie Pittman and Michael Ramirez shooting the breeze where there was none.If telling you to stop in two languages isn’t enough, then the base is prepared to stop you in other ways.At each installation, the base commanders like to meet guests and welcome us to their facility. After meeting with the Camp Arifjan commanders, they presented us with certificates commemorating our time with their troops. Sam Viviano, art director of MAD Magazine, made a presentation of his own to them.
Whenever we had drawing sessions, we would just sit and talk with these folks like a good friend from home. Sometimes it was just heart wrenching to hear the stories of what they have had to deal with while in the service. At Camp Arifjan, I remember meeting a young woman who was very smiley and perky and was so excited to meet us. I commented that she looked quite young, and she readily told me she was only 19. (I ended up meeting many teenagers over there serving our country.) When I asked her what she did there in Kuwait, her face sunk and her voice dropped as she quietly said that she worked in Mortuary Services, the one job that was allowed only a 6 month run. I could tell by her demeanor that I should not ask any more about her job, but tried to encourage her and give her more reasons to smile. Later, her supervisor sat for me, and he opened up about what their work entailed. Basically, they process the bodies of our fallen, and prepare them for transport back to the States. It is a morbid duty, and it made my heart break even more for the young people who have to face that reality in their work over there.
Many folks would ask for caricatures of themselves or for sketches of characters we have been known for drawing. I drew many of the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh gangs for our troops, having worked on television shows featuring both. Often a soldier would ask for a sketch of themselves with a Disney character, and it was always fun to see their faces light up at the end when the finished drawing was revealed.
This soldier told me of a time when he was stationed in another country, he was in the latrine with a buddy when the bomb sirens sounded. They hesitated to leave for cover in their present state, but their better sense got a hold of them and they pulled up and ran. About 100 feet away from the latrine, a bomb descended and destroyed the structure. I looked him right in the eye and said, “Isn’t it interesting that your adventure with poo that day has led you to have THIS adventure with Pooh today?” His ever present smile turned into hearty laughter.Just a quick shot of the smelly Persian Gulf next to which our hotel was located. We were told that much sewage finds its way into the Gulf. Despite the heat, something NOT in the Gulf were swimmers.When possible while traveling abroad, I enjoy taking interesting pictures of locals. These gentlemen were working on improvements to the hotel grounds.
You never know who you will bump into while in Kuwait. Our hotel was home to two other American groups in town, like we were, to do special things for the local U.S. soldiers. One was a group of Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes with whom we actually caravanned to Camp Buehring on our second day. I had the chance to meet in conversation nine time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, which was far better than meeting the receiving end of his profession. There was also a troupe of actors staying in our hotel that included Natasha Lyonne, Jay O. Sanders, Joanne Tucker, and her husband who will be playing Kylo Ren in the upcoming Star Wars movie, Adam Driver.
Just a couple of Hollywood guys in Kuwait after having discussed how cool it was that Adam was illustrated by Drew Struzan on the new Star Wars movie poster.Located just 12 miles from the Iraq border, Camp Buehring was as dusty and dry as they came.Everything comes in a delightful shade of beige in Kuwait.Normally cartoonists are used to fighting with our art. The base thought it would be a good idea to give us some practice on their simulator shooting range. You can see we were confused by the funny pens they made us hold.We were also taken out to the helicopter field to meet some of the soldiers who operate some of the big stuff. Here we are with an Apache pilot who explained the finer aspects of these fascinating flying machines. L to R: Ed Steckley, Chip Bok, Eddie Pittman, Sam Viviano, the Apache pilot, yours truly, Michael Ramirez, Bruce Higdon, Rick Kirkman, and Paul Combs.Ed Steckley promptly forgot everything the pilot taught us.It will be interesting to see how Rick Kirkman can turn this experience into material for Baby Blues.We also were able to meet with a crew of a medical chopper who were members of the National Guard stationed in Kuwait.Paul Combs, who works on the side as a fireman, swapping rescue stories with a soldier.Michael Ramirez ready for take-off.Later in the afternoon, we met with the base commander and his staff where the Q&A was quid pro quo – we asked them questions, they asked us questions! Answers for everyone!
That evening we had a big drawing session for the soldiers on base. The line was so large and I was so busy drawing that I forgot to take pictures except for just this one below.
Despite Kuwait being unforgivingly hot, dry, and dusty, and that the soldiers were restricted to base, we saw so many smiles throughout the day when we met folks. These two personified our welcome at Camp Buehring.The next day we were off to the airport on our next adventure. Even at the airport, they had designated prayer rooms for the Muslim required prayer rituals.Even with two suns, the planet Tatooine has nothing on the single sun of Kuwait.A parting shot of Kuwait City as we winged our way to Africa.
Tomorrow is a new dawn in the African country of Djibouti.
I had a unique opportunity last month to go on a trip to visit some of our United States troops in the Middle East in conjunction with the USO organization and the National Cartoonists Society (NCS). Together with 8 of my friends and colleagues, we traveled to military bases in Kuwait, Djibouti, and Turkey to draw for our soldiers and thank them for putting their lives on the line every day in some pretty unforgiving conditions not only for us, but for the people native to those regions.
Over the next few posts, I plan to share with you some pictures and tales acquired from the ten life changing days spent in August 2015 with our troops. Sweaty cartoonists will be a recurring theme.
Traveling from all over the country, all nine of us met at the airport in Washington D.C. and proceeded to travel together to our first stop in Kuwait. While there were smiles here in D.C., the smiles started to droop after the journey to Kuwait ultimately lasted a long 30 hours.Our first group photo taken in the lobby of our Kuwaiti hotel in front of some pics of their employees of the month. From L to R: Chad Frye (animation artist & former Disney guy), Eddie Pittman (former Disney Feature animator & Phineas & Ferb artist), Paul Combs (Drawn By Fire comic & editorial cartoonist for Fire Engineering Magazine), Sam Viviano (MAD Magazine art director), Bruce Higdon (Punderstatements comic strip), Rick Kirkman (Baby Blues comic strip), Ed Steckley (advertising illustrator & MAD contributor), Michael Ramirez (two time Pulitzer winning editorial cartoonist for Investors Business Daily), and Chip Bok (syndicated editorial cartoonist).
Once in Kuwait, for our own safety our movements were restricted to transportation to and from our hotel and three military bases we were there to visit. We had a security detail with us at all times which kind of made you feel safe, but also it made you feel like you were always in danger.
We traveled in a van with curtains over the windows which were for our safety, but they also helped keep things cool inside. It was a wretched 125 degrees Fahrenheit there.Many bases had these posters made up to advertise our arrival.Our first stop was at Camp Patriot, a small base. We set up in their USO recreation hall which consisted of some games, a library, and computers for soldiers to use to contact home.Michael Ramirez drew MANY caricatures for the soldiers willing to be the subject of his expertise.We later went to Camp Arifjan where we immediately had lunch in the base mess hall. I learned that there were plenty of starch options in Army food, along with various forms of protein. The salad bars were the best source for fresh vegetables, and would rival the salad bar of any stateside restaurant.You can see these cement barricades all over the Kuwaiti bases with designs painted on them. The barricades were there to protect from a possible attack, the paintings were there to distract from the various shades of beige the land offered.Some of the barricades were quite large, and made you feel tough. That’s me being all tough while smiling large and wearing my Mickey Mouse watch.
Besides our scheduled drawing sessions and meals with the troops, we had opportunities to meet with soldiers just to talk to them and hear about what it is they do. This stop was to meet the local hazmat team.
The heat was extremely oppressive, and the land very dusty and dry. This was a typical sight wherever we walked. Another typical sight was of people drinking water.Rick Kirkman chatting with a soldier.Bruce Higdon, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel himself, thanking some of our nation’s finest for their service.Those hazmat folks have some pretty cool vehicles to use for their jobs. Just standing in front of them together made us all feel cool, despite the crazy heat.
More to come from Kuwait tomorrow in my next post!
