Ron Leishman Illustrations

Grounded

2012-01-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Four months since I last posted? Not possible! Okay so it is possible.
Here's my latest Illustration Friday submission. Doesn't get much more grounded than this.
By the way for those of you who read this, you may be interested to know that my Toonaday site is now free. Yes I am nuts. Thanks for asking...
Check it out at http://www.toonaday.com

Boundaries

2011-09-09T11:31:00.000-06:00

Sometimes we create our own boundaries. I suggest we simply go around them...

Swell

2011-08-12T10:12:00.000-06:00

The theme for this week's Illustration Friday theme brought to mind a simpler time. Shades of Richie Cunningham.
By the way, in case anyone missed it, my other site Toonaday is now free. Yep, you can subscribe to my daily toon absolutely free!

Gesture

2011-07-15T10:17:00.001-06:00

Well now there's a creative young man. Not just one friendly gesture but two. And they say only women can multitask. My Illustration Friday contribution for this week.

Remedy

2011-07-01T15:40:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the remedy is worse than the ailment. My Illustration Friday contribution for this week.

Lesson

2011-04-29T13:31:00.000-06:00

There are a number of lessons to be learned here.
1. Pick your contractor carefully.
2. A nail through your hand is not a good thing.
3. It's never too late to make another career choice.

Swarm

2011-02-25T09:01:00.002-07:00

One man's bug is another man's swarm. What else can I say? Unfortunately since I'm away and on holidays I had to resort to my archives for this one. I usually try and come up with a new idea for Illustration Friday

Reverse

2011-02-05T15:11:00.002-07:00

Isn't that just the way it goes. You start out enjoying a nice day in the park and suddenly, BLAM! your boomerang actually comes back. Some things are best left to the professionals.
My Illustration Friday endeavor for this week. I lost count of how many preliminary ideas I tossed in the trash before I settled on this one. Hope it works...

Surrender

2011-01-29T21:52:00.003-07:00

My Illustration Friday contribution for this week. It occurred to me that sometimes we hesitate to make a decision when it's in our best interest to come to a quick decision. This poor fellow needed persuasion.

Deja Vu

2011-01-11T12:31:00.003-07:00

The Illustration Friday theme for this week was quite the challenge. It actually took me a lot longer than usual to come up with an idea. Not sure I'm entirely satisfied with this solution but it is what it is.

Phenomenon

2010-12-15T13:21:00.003-07:00

I don't know about you but I might consider an alien abduction to be some sort of a phenomenon. Not knowing if I'll be contributing to the next Illustration Friday theme or not, I want to take the opportunity to say Merry Christmas to everybody.

Spent

2010-10-29T13:45:00.002-06:00

You know what they say, Easy come, easy go..." And she seems to take such joy in it.

Racing

2010-10-22T11:38:00.002-06:00

Yep, all you really need is a pair of goggles and a nifty silk scarf and if nothing else, you at least look fast...

Proverb

2010-09-16T15:30:00.004-06:00

I'm running a little behind with this week's Illustration Friday submission. The theme of course reminded me (as I'm sure it did you as well) of that well known Chinese proverb that states, "He who waits with mouth open, hoping for roast duck to fly in, will have a very long wait."

Frankly I think it's way more plausible than the infinite monkey theorem that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.

My money's on the duck.

Immovable

2010-08-27T12:33:00.004-06:00

An immovable object need not necessarily be large. Sometimes an object is immovable because it has been rendered thus by external forces. Man, sometimes I'm so philosophical I could just...
And thus, my Illustration Friday submission for this week.

Satellite

2010-06-28T11:15:00.001-06:00

Isn't that nice? He has his own personal satellite?

Paisley

2010-06-22T15:17:00.003-06:00

Now I like paisley as much as the next guy bitbut I also believe in a little moderation in all things.
I'm getting this out a little late for last week's Illustration Friday theme. Oh well...

Ripple

2010-06-11T22:34:00.002-06:00

I wanted to avoid water for this Illustration Friday assignment - too predictable. Now this may not qualify as your typical "ripple effect" but I think a "domino effect" qualifies as a close second.

Trail

2010-06-05T14:03:00.002-06:00

This week's Illustration Friday contribution. I never could figure out how my mom always found out when we got into things. Guess I wasn't too good at hiding the evidence.

Early

2010-05-21T17:30:00.002-06:00

The Illustration Friday theme this week is 'Early". Some folks don't handle early so well. Particularly if the sun isn't up yet.

Ahead

2010-04-23T18:37:00.003-06:00

The theme for this week on Illustration Friday was 'ahead' but perhaps I should have labeled this 'paranoia' instead...

Detective

2010-04-16T19:57:00.002-06:00

This week's Illustration Friday contribution. I recalled that detectives used to be called Gum Shoes and thus my inspiration.

Rescue

2010-03-26T13:35:00.003-06:00

So much for good intentions. Sometimes we're almost better off duking it out with the sharks...

Expired

2010-03-19T12:44:00.003-06:00

Expired is the Illustration Friday theme for this week. Don't you love it when you go to pour a glass of milk and you get lumps?

Mud

2010-02-08T07:09:00.003-07:00

You know, I'm sure his mother won't notice. This brought back memories. Now all he has to do is leave is shoes stuck in the mud and the memory is pretty much complete.

Clumsy

2010-01-22T19:46:00.002-07:00

My apologies to all the waiters out there. I'm sure that some of you are very light on your toes...

Renewal

2010-01-01T15:01:00.002-07:00

I know it's a new year and time for resolutions and the like, but sometime a new tie does not a renewal make. Good try though.

Entangled

2009-12-26T16:30:00.003-07:00

This as supposed to be an Illustration Friday submission but Christmas got in the way. Actually my drawing sometimes gets in the way of Christmas not the other way around. THis was mostly done in Illustrator with some Photoshop embellishments.

Hatch

2009-12-11T16:35:00.002-07:00

Only a mother could love something this ugly.

Unbalanced

2009-11-13T11:41:00.005-07:00

Another challenging Illustration Friday theme. My first inclination was to go with some deranged individual, most likely a woman with a hormone deficiency. (Just kidding ladies, after all a postal worker would do just as well.) But then I rememebered that I try and avoid the obvious and so I came up with this fellow, someone for whom being unbalanced is an occupational hazard.

Skinny

2009-10-30T10:31:00.001-06:00

I don't care what they say, you can't cut out carbs all together.

Flying

2009-10-09T18:04:00.003-06:00

Here we go with my interpretation of this week's Illustration Friday theme. Frugality is the mother of invention I always say...or was that my mother?

By the way, did I mention that I created an iPhone app and it went live this past week? It's called Piranha Pool. If you want to check it out, just click on the image over on the right hand side of the page. It's guaranteed to make you smile. Thanks.

Germs

2009-10-02T11:20:00.003-06:00

Some people just can't quite come to terms with the reality that germs are a fact of life. If they could actually see them, they'd really freak out. They're coming to get you...

Pattern

2009-09-25T10:09:00.003-06:00

Ladies don't you hate it when you get home with that new outfit only to discover that you should have followed your gut feeling that it looked all too familiar.

Welcome

2009-09-11T12:34:00.003-06:00

Call me cheap but when ever I go to a restaurant with a Maitre'D, I get nervous about the bill. Hard to feel truly welcome in those circumstances. My Illustration Friday effort for the week.

Strong

2009-09-04T18:34:00.003-06:00

And there's nothing stronger than the smell of overripe garbage. My Illustration Friday offering for this week. This of course is hot on the heels of my last post where I said I didn't draw women as often as I should. This should offer a little redemption...

Wrapped

2009-08-15T11:23:00.003-06:00

As you've probably ascertained by now, the majority of my cartoons have male characters. What can I say, guys are goofier than the ladies. And we're certainly clumsier. If you've ever seen me attempt to wrap a package you'll understand the motivation for this Illustration Friday toon. My wife , on the other hand, can make a package look spectacular.

Impatience

2009-08-07T18:51:00.002-06:00

If they can get past this, their relationship might stand a chance. My Illustration Friday contribution for this week.

Idle

2009-07-24T13:20:00.004-06:00

Some people just have too much idle time on their hands. This is my Illustration Friday contribution for the week. I actually had a number of idle type images in my archives but as I try to do for Illustration Friday, I drew up something fresh. Keeps me sharp and addsd to the archives as well. Darn I'm clever!

Shaky

2009-07-03T20:28:00.001-06:00

And that's why coffee is evil... My Illustration Friday offering for this week.

Worn

2009-06-26T10:47:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I'd say they're worn. Good news is he now has flip flops...

Drifting

2009-06-19T13:25:00.003-06:00

Not much to say about this one. Pretty self explanatory for my Illustration Friday image for this week.

Craving

2009-06-05T13:53:00.002-06:00

This was an Illustration Friday theme that I could really sink my teeth into. Some cravings are just harder to control than others... right ladies...?

Adapt

2009-05-29T12:18:00.003-06:00

Sometimes adaptation just isn't in the cards. I guess he should have listened when his mother tried to each him how to do laundry. My Illustration Friday contribution for the week.

Cracked

2009-05-22T17:50:00.003-06:00

It's been a few weeks since my last Illustration Friday submission. My first th9ught of cracked had to do with eggs but I didn't want to do Humpty Dumpty. I think this might put someone off eggs forever...at least for breakfast.

Parade

2009-05-08T15:06:00.002-06:00

This si your basic parade of one. However "Her Majesty" might not like to be referred to as basic. My Illustration Friday image for this week.

Fleeting

2009-04-10T12:18:00.003-06:00

And what can be more fleeting than a good thought? My Illustration Friday toon for this week.

Apart from my pencil rough, this toon is completely digital. The image was roughed out using a non-photo blue pencil, scanned, then the final image was drawn using my new Cintiq tablet.
I'm trying Corel Painter Essentials which came with the tablet. The drawing was then vectorized in Adobe Illustrator where it was tweaked and colored.
I've had the tablet for over a month but am only gradually getting used to it. Eventually I'll be doing all of my drawing on it.

Subtract

2009-03-20T11:18:00.003-06:00

I was never very good at math either and I have 4 fingers. Did I count my thumb? Oh, now I 'm confused. Did I mention that I was never very good at math?
And no the stool is not the same one as in the last toon I did. This one is from Ikea.

Intricate

2009-03-07T15:31:00.004-07:00

Busted! Some guys should just stick to things like fishing and burping the alphabet...
My Illustration Friday offering of the week.

Breezy

2009-02-27T12:09:00.002-07:00

My latest Illustration Friday contribution. Just between you and me, I don't think there's anything more pitiful than a man with a toupee unless of course it's a man chasing his toupee.
Oh yeah, comb overs are right up there as well.

Time

2009-02-07T12:06:00.003-07:00

It's been a few weeks since I contributed to Illustration Friday. That's what going away on vacation will do for you. There is a price to pay for taking time off - major catch up which explains why my image is pretty basic with no background.

Clandestine

2008-12-27T13:55:00.002-07:00

I wonder what happened to selling watches on the sly?

Rambunctious

2008-12-12T19:59:00.003-07:00

Can they get any more rambunctious than this. (Extra points by the way for spelling rambunctious correctly)

Balloon

2008-11-29T12:10:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I contributed to Illustration Friday. Perhaps the themes just didn't tweak my interest. These things happen. Which brings us to this week's theme - balloon. This is my interpretation of a birthday balloon gone bad.

Vacancy

2008-10-31T16:29:00.003-06:00

Here's my take on this week's Illustration Friday topic. This is your proverbial artist's or writer's block.

Repair

2008-10-24T13:05:00.003-06:00

That's gotta hurt. And like they always say, you need the right tool for the job. My latest Illustration Friday submission.

Late

2008-10-17T13:42:00.002-06:00

The sad thing is, she's two hours early for her flight and she's still late. My Illustration Friday take for this week.

Strings

2008-10-10T14:16:00.002-06:00

An interesting topic this week for Illustration Friday. So who's pulling your strings?

Sugary

2008-10-06T12:39:00.003-06:00

I struggled a little with this week's Illustration Friday theme. To say struggle, usually means that something didn't immediately pop into my head and I had to do some thinking.

But when all else fails, draw a bear. Okay maybe not all else but a bear is always a good solution and nothing is more sugary than a handfull (or facefull )of honey.

Packed

2008-09-26T13:36:00.004-06:00

Another Illustration Friday entry. I thought that packing is one of the worst parts of traveling, that and making sure your socks match. Poor girl looks a tad tired...

Other stuff

2008-09-23T13:34:00.004-06:00

Up till now, I've pretty much used my blog to post my Illustration Friday topics. I think perhaps it might be time to branch out and post other stuff as well as muse a little. (I like that word muse)

The image I posted today is actually a request from one of my Toonaday subscribers. She's a teacher in Brazil and apparently she's been asked to teach a science lab where the students are more knowledgeable than her. My advice to her is to lock up all the chemicals and hide the matches.

It actually brings back memories of when I taught junior high and was occasionally given teaching assignments that I knew little about. Can you say "scrapbooking" boys and girls?

I've posted the final image as it will appear on Toonaday on Sep 28 as well as a scan of the original blue line and ink drawing so you can see the transition.

While I'm musing, many thanks to those of you who take the time to comment on my work. Unfortunately many of you have no contact information available so I can't email you to say thanks. Hopefully this will suffice.
Carpe toonem
Ron

Clique

2008-09-19T14:52:00.003-06:00

So another Illustration Friday topic is here. And what, I ask you, can be more cliquey than a bunch of dogs getting together for an afternoon of sniffing and hanging around their favorite fire hydrant? Do they allow cats in their little group? I think not! And look, they have their own matching T-shirts. I understand there is also a secret handshake. Or is that pawshake?

Island

2008-09-12T14:13:00.003-06:00

You think he has problems now? Wait'll the tide comes in...

Clutter

2008-09-05T14:22:00.003-06:00

An interesting Illustration Friday topic this week. One thing I've learned over the years is that if I come home from work and my wife is in this predicament, never, ever ask what's for dinner...

Memories

2008-09-01T14:13:00.003-06:00

This theme stymied for a while but after I had cogitated (don't get to use words like that too often) for a bit, I remembered the warning about old memories coming back to haunt you.

Routine

2008-08-22T13:26:00.003-06:00

My contribution for this weeks Illustration Friday theme.
So what could be more routine than spraying on the old pit juice. (Yeah, I know mostly it's roll-ons nowadays, but sprays make for a better cartoon).

Poof!

2008-08-01T15:19:00.003-06:00

Like they say, smoking is hazardous to your health. My take on the Illustration Friday theme for this week.

Sour

2008-07-04T12:35:00.002-06:00

Here's my take on the Illustration Friday theme of the week - 'sour'. I couldn't help but be reminded of all of the concoctions my kids made for me in the past that I had to grin and swallow. Sugar is alway a good thing to add to lemonade...

Fierce

2008-06-27T13:15:00.003-06:00

Ever have one of those bosses? Actually I think he may be bordering on maniacal. Go ahead. Ask him for a raise...

Hoarder

2008-06-23T15:28:00.003-06:00

My Illustration Friday contribution of the week.
I believe I read somewhere that hoarding is a mental disability. Hoarders often collect things of little value except to them. Thus, who in their right mind would ever consider hoarding canned peas?
Canned beans maybe but peas never...

Punchline

2008-06-13T13:42:00.004-06:00

My immediate reaction to this week's Illustration Friday theme was to do some sort of character with perhaps boxing gloves or something to that effect. You can see I didn't dwell on that idea for too long - too obvious.
Then it occurred to me that so often we want the joke to finally get to the punchline. Skip the details and tell me the joke for heavens sake. As you can see, sometimes the story teller tends to ramble on and on and on and on...
Okay I'll quit now. Point made.
It also occurred to me that most of the work I do at Toonaday.com is the result of requests so why not make the weekly Illustration Friday topic one of the daily toons, only add backgrounds and other elements? Ron you are so clever...

Forgotten

2008-06-07T18:10:00.004-06:00

And I thought elephants never forget. Obviously bits of string and sticky notes are not enough to do the trick. My Illustration Friday contribution for the week.

Oh Baby!

2008-06-02T12:54:00.003-06:00

Baby is the topic of the week on Illustration Friday. Please don't misinterpret this image to think I dislike babies. I just find their tantrums to be funny at times. And yes the teddy bear is recovering and doing fine

Worry

2008-05-23T18:19:00.004-06:00

The Illustration Friday theme for this week is "worry". Frankly I think some people just need to let go. Either that or don't leave the house...

Wide to the Max

2008-05-19T10:01:00.004-06:00

This is my take on the latest Illustration Friday topic. You'll be happy to know that no actual chairs were injured in the making of this image.

Spiders...

2008-05-03T21:34:00.006-06:00

This was an illustration for a client that sells metal detectors. This version was actually revised to suit the client who wanted to show the entire spider. Personally I preferred this version since it left more to the imagination. That often happens where the client has another vision that differs from your own.

And sow it begins...

2008-05-02T09:39:00.009-06:00

My first entry (and the first entry for my new blog) for the weekly theme at Illustration Friday. I call this "Power Seeding" for the real keeners out there.