On July 16th, CNW welcomed cartoonist Dan McConnell from Eastern Washington. Members were gratified to be introduced to a Cashmere apple farmer who had turned his love for orchards into a cartoon series about rural humor; his ongoing comic Apple Andy appears regularly in the Cashmere Valley Record.

Apples are only one aspect of Dan’s varied career. He’s also a skilled mainstream comics inker. Promotional comics and characters for Marvel were passed around, including the X-Men on a box of Nerds and a premium comic for Tony’s Pizza. Dan had also recently been certified as a scientific illustrator, and brought samples of fish drawings soon to be published in River of Memory by University Press. This certification was the reward for driving twice a week to the University of Washington to study botany and muscle articulation so nature can be accurately rendered in colored pencils. His latest project is a series of trading cards for church youth groups called “Bible Cards.” (more…)

On April 16 Cartoonists Northwest welcomed comics publisher James Taylor as their April speaker. James focused on giving CNW members further insight into the process of getting a book published, distributed and sold nationally.

James Taylor began his career as a comic book inker in 1997. He founded Rorshach Entertainment in 2000 to help other talented comic artists overlooked by major pusblishers get their work distributed. At the end of 2003, Rorshach published its first comic Sprecken, a science-fiction cop story by local Lynnwood artist Brian Meredith. Their second book was published in 2004, and their most recent and best-selling book is the crime caper Grave Digger, formerly a webcomic. (more…)

The Cartoonists Northwest meeting on Friday, February 18 featured Seattle Times editorial cartoonist Eric Devericks. Eric’s is a success story based on hard work and determination, and members listened with interest as he detailed his rise to prominence at such a young age.

Eric acquired an interest in cartoons while pursuing a medical career at Oregon State. After publishing a series of humor strips in the school paper, he tried his hand at editorial cartooning and fell in love with receiving hate mail. He made it his goal to become a paid, professional cartoonist, and put all of his focus into winning journalism awards that would impress potential publishers. Eric won several contests including three national journalism awards; he quit school and became a freelance cartoonist. He developed a relationship with the editors of the Spokane Review at a cartoonists convention who showed some interest in hiring him, but September 11 interrupted the process and made it impossible for the Review to hire. But the Spokane editor was so impressed by Devericks he shopped his name around various newspapers. Eric received a call from the Seattle Times, and since then has been their hard-working staff editorial cartoonist. (more…)