Nothing Happens Here -- Happy New Years from My Refrigerator

Cheer Up

You know, there are times I don't like to go to church myself, and, ironically, mostly it's when our 11-year-old isn't happy to be there either. So to cheer us both up, I draw silly little pictures. Here's the batch from Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas from My Kids Refrigerator

Another Cartoonist?

I begin to wonder if we've got yet another cartoonist in the house. Though she's not as serious about it as her older brother.

My Future House

Our oldest has come up with a fantastical house design likely to put Frank Lloyd Wright to shame. Take that, Fallingwater.

Yet Another Movie!

This was the end product of our oldest working on his Photography merit badge in Scouts. I think it turned out well.

Double Comic

More stuff from our oldest's Gary Larson Phase.

No Moralizing from the Parents

First, two drawings (they make up one comic) from our oldest.

Then, the inspiration. Notice our son changed Dad's moral. Little stinker.

Solar System: A Movie

It's nice to have art once and a while that's not just a drawing.

A Request

Well, two requests actually.

The fame that comes from having drawings posted on this blog is getting to our kids. They always want to see whose art is on top of the pile. So today, our oldest brought me these two drawings and insisted they go up on the blog tonight. So enjoy.

We've got a little bit of copying going on here. The zombie farm is reminiscent of Gary Larson's infamous last moments of D.B. Cooper comic, in which we see the ill-fated hijacker dropping into a rottweiler farm. But I do like Scooter's bugged-out eyes.

Temples

This from our daughter. It's been on the real physical fridge in our house for a long time, and finally got cleaned off to find a home here.

From Dad's Big Book O' Art

Sorry. More Dad Art. Cute stuff from the kids coming later.

Happy Thanksgiving from My Refrigerator!

Another Drawing Fight

I love Richard Thompson's take on kids' art. It's so real.

"I Hope Your Magnet Degausses."

Just in case you've ever wondered what your fridge art says to each other when you're not around.

Dodgeball

Ah, yes. Dodgeball. The deadliest sport known to mankind.

Somebody's Thoughts

Just when you thought looking into someone else's thoughts is like looking into an empty room, you get something like this.

For Veterans Day

Today, lots of soldiers. But before you get nervous because you see swastikas on these uniforms, just remember that about the only exposure our kids have to soldiers is through "Hogan's Heroes." In fact, that's Col. Hogan coming in at No. 3.

Missionaries

We have many missionaries in the family. Well, some are family missionaries, others are missionaries Michelle writes to and such. So missionaries are often on the mind. And often flowing out of the pencils of our oldest kid. Behold:

This one obviously foretells a healthy, normal association with sister missionaries.

And this one, well, maybe it's inspired by an Ensign cover. Who knows?

Watch Out for the . . .

Again, our oldest is playing with perspective. It's kind of an unusual take, face on like this. I kinda like it.

Horpy Hunkaroon*

In honor of Halloween, here are some spooky chiller drawings from my kids.

*Gag from and old Close to Home comic that I can't find at the moment.

Old Joke

The old jokes never really get old, do they?

Dress Code

That I work in a cubicle is an endless fascination for my oldest, who knows about the cubicle world through Dilbert. So once and a while he creates a cubicle-oriented comic like this one. Thankfully, the dress code where I work includes safety vests, steel-toed shoes and safety glasses, not fairy costumes.

More Dad Doodles

Yeah, once and a while I get bored and do some doodling too.

Apologies to Gary Larson for this one.

Photos from Mars

So I draw a picture. And then our oldest does his own version, and does it much better than I. I am content.

I Love You, Rattlesnake Mom

The longer I look at this drawing, the less it makes sense. What does the rattlesnake have to do with loving Mom? Was the message put on the picture after the drawing was made, or was this all part of some enigmatic nine-year-old girl's grand design? I have no idea.

Why Be an Artist?

I find it interesting that the commentary on this comic (over at Incidental Comics) focuses on how art education is being cut in schools and lamenting that we'll turn out fewer artists that way. Well, this blog hopes to prove that if a kid really wants to be an artist, they can be an artist despite what happens at school. Our oldest, for example, is learning much more about comics and drawing a comic strip by reading comic strips and drawing his own than he would in an ordinary art class.

Superstitious About Safety

Out at work, they're having another kids' poster contest on the theme of superstitions and safety. We'll see if the kids can get better than consolation prizes this time around.

I have to admit, I have my doubts . . .

Before and After

Frankly, I'd say this is good advice whether you're at church or not.

I Should Worry Less

Sometimes when I post these drawings, I worry that my little artists are copying too much, rather than creating things on their own.

Then again, when I see them copy ideas and combine them in interesting ways, I have to wonder if right now I'm worrying too much.

Take, for example, this Dilbert comic strip, which inspired our oldest son to create a drawing of his own:

Here's our son's drawing. (It's in two parts because it's a bookmark, front and back.)

FRONT

BACK

Mars or Bust

Sometimes I know where our oldest's ideas come from:

He did make this one his own, though. I like his characters' eyes a lot more than mine, and he's got the Gary Larson lips thing down pretty pat.

Now I'll turn some time over to him so he can write about his own drawing:

He has no idea.

No, that's not true!!(Liam)What I really wanted to say is this: Sometimes I get ideas either from my dad or from an anonymous resource...that's all.

Wanted

It's not every day you come home and see a wanted poster like this stuck to your front door. Today was my day for it.

I have no idea who CoCo the dog is.

I have no idea where "the office" might be, either.

The signs are also posted all over the interior of the house, too. I love coming home.