DanLtoons

I get a "FREE" iPod Touch and you get a FREE autographed book!

2010-03-17T13:14:00.011-04:00

Since Apple came out with the iPhone, I've wanted one. However, there were (and still are) three things about an iPhone that keep me from getting one. The price of buying one, subscribing to phone service and the small storage capacity. Since they've come out the price has dropped and the storage has increased to 32GBs, but it's still not enough for me to bite the bullet and get one. But the iPod Touch is another story! There's no subscription to any service for the iPod Touch. When it first came out, the price was a bit much for me and the storage was too small too... but that has changed. The storage is up to 64GBs and I know how to get one for FREE... well, almost for free! And I really, really, really want one for things like this:

Artwork

It's now possible to sketch and paint on the iPhone and iPod Touch! Check out this video!

Display Artwork (and family photos too!)

I could also use it to show my artwork to people when I'm away from my computer.

Presentation Remote Control

I am speaking at Lake Ellen Bible Camp this summer. When I speak there, my computer has to stay in the back of the chapel. If I had an iPod Touch, I could have a "screen" of my presentation up front with me. There is an app that turns the iPod touch into a remote control for a presentation in Keynote (the APPLE competition to Powerpoint).

Portable Bible

I've always wanted to have a small device with multiple versions of the Bible on it.

Also, I have an audio Bible, as well as a huge library of sermons and messages, and music.

And that's just a few things I'd like to do IF I had an iPod Touch.

If you'd like to help me get one (it's easy and legit), go to my web site for more info. If you choose to help me, I'll send you an autographed copy of one of the listed books that I've illustrated, and I'll do for FREE!

Thanks for your consideration.

On the "drawing board" - Nov 16, 2009

2009-11-16T15:56:00.004-05:00

It's been way too long since my last posting, so I apologize for taking such a long break.

Here is a peek at part of my latest illustration which is an upgrade to something I did for Ken Ham many years ago. The original/old illustration was done in a hurry and is getting pretty hard to look at as it pops up in the Answers in Genesis speakers talks from time to time.This new version has been produced with quite a lot more time and is a vast improvement, although it's not finished yet.

I'll try to give more sneak peeks at art in the days to come ... if anybody is still checking my blog. :-)

BUSY SUMMER!

2009-08-02T08:07:00.006-04:00

This has been a busy Summer! We have traveled and had lots of travelers visit us. From July 5-11 I was the speaker at Lake Ellen Camp near Crystal Falls, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. This is the same camp that I attended as a camper in my younger days and in the mid to late 80's was a cabin counselor for quite a few summers. Then in 2006, I shared my testimony with the Answers in Genesis staff and to my surprise Ken Ham asked if he could post my testimony on his blog. That led to my first speaking at Lake Ellen Camp in 2007. Then, I was again asked to speak this summer for the second time at Lake Ellen Camp. What a blessing it has been to return to a place that meant a great deal to me in my childhood. Hopefully it will mean as much to those that were there this summer.

On the Digital Drawing Board This Week!

2009-06-22T12:32:00.006-04:00

There's a special Answers in Genesis/Creation Museum event scheduled for this Thursday at 8PM Eastern US time. That's important to my life because I'm scrambling to finish creating and updating MANY Ken Ham illustrations for this LIVE web cast. So if you want to see what's NEW on my computer, tune in for this event. Here's a little sneak peek at one of the illustrations to make you even more curious!

Watch Me Draw Online ... AGAIN!

2009-06-20T13:24:00.009-04:00

Quite a while ago, I wrote about a web site called Sketchcast.com. This site has a tool for recording drawings online and making it possible to email others to see your drawing movie online.

Well, yesterday a coworker of mine made me aware of another art recording web site. This one is called ArtPad on Art.com. Click on the ArtPad link to see some sample drawing and painting movies.

I produced a very quick drawing movie of the cartoon character I drew back in the 80's when I worked at a roller rink in Marquette, Michigan. You can see it here. The cool thing about the ArtPad movies is that an animated brush moves around on the screen and draws the drawing while you watch. Also, there's more tools and colors available which it very nice. It's great fun and it's very easy to email to friends and family. Try it, you'll like it!

I'll post more drawing movies this week, so stay tuned!

The Cintiq Box is RETIRED!

2009-05-19T07:16:00.005-04:00

Quite a few postings ago, I shared my story of how, through a friend of mine, the Lord blessed me with the gift of a Cintiq. The only problem with the Cintiq was transporting it back and forth from the office to home and back again. The only way to do that was to use the box it was shipped in which was clumsy at best and the box was falling apart. See here.

That problem was solved when I found an iLugger case listed on Craig's List last month. The seller, Tad, lives in Texas and was willing to work with me on the purchase even though I was not a local buyer. So, long story short, I have a really cool and efficient case for transporting my Cintiq! Again, thank you Lord!

But the story doesn't end there. Tad, the seller, told me that he is in the Army and soon will be going to Iraq as the Public Affairs Officer for the 36th Sustainment Brigade. He'll be there over a year. That year becomes even more difficult that it normally would be because he just got married back in Febuary. He and his new bride will be honeymooning in India in June before he goes to Iraq. WOW!

I would like to invite my blog readers to pray for Tad and his wife during his time in Iraq. Thank you Tad for your sacrifice on behalf of those living in this wonderful and free country. May this upcoming time in Iraq fly by and may your return to your lovely bride be quick and sweet. Oh, and thanks again for the iLugger!

When I Grow Up I Want To Be ...

2009-05-04T21:41:00.005-04:00

When I was little, my first profession of choice was veterinarian. I really loved animals, knew a lot about them and had a heart to make the sick ones better. That love for animals eventually began to be expressed as drawings of animals. Somewhere along the way, my love for drawing passed my love for animals and here I am, many years later, drawing for a living instead of operating on animals.

A little over a week ago, my wife had an attack of appendicitis and our little family rushed to the emergency room of a local hospital to make sure that she received swift and proper care. As my 5 year old daughter and I waited in the the waiting room, it occurred to me that I should prepare her for what may need to happen to her mommy. So I grabbed one of her beloved toy puppies (Brownie to be exact) and told her he needed surgery to make him better from a sudden illness. With the help of my lovely little and eager assistant, we then preformed a very detailed and successful operation on Brownie. And a few minutes later, by special request, another operation was preformed on Patches (Brownie's best friend). The play-surgeries were so successful, that for the next 3-4 days, I heard a constant pleading for me to play surgery on stuffed toy animals. The day of Marcia's appendectomy, Hannah and I were at home waiting for news about Marcia's surgery and Hannah created a line of animals in our living room that "needed" surgery. However, they never had the opportunity for surgery because Hannah and I were called to the hospital to see Marcia before she went under the knife herself. Thankfully, her surgery went just as well as Brownie and Patches surgeries.

My return to the veterinarian field has been fun, and hopefully, Hannah's stuffed toy animals will be the only ones in our house that require surgery for quite some time!

Rachel and the Dinosaur

2009-04-23T23:23:00.006-04:00

Next month I will be teaching a dinosaur drawing workshop at the Creation Museum. To help promote the event, I Photoshopped together a photo of me and one of my dinosaur drawings. The drawing was one I produced a number of years ago for Answers in Genesis. The photo of me was not taken for purposes of promoting anything. It was taken a couple of summers ago at Lake Ellen camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I spoke there for a week during that summer and a cousin on my wife's side of the family (but also dear friends of mine) named, Rachel Helwig, came to visit me and saw me speak on one of the nights at the camp. The photo happened to work out very well for use with the dinosaur. So, in Photoshop, I preformed a "Rachel-ectomy" and replaced her with a smiley Trex. Sorry Rachel!

I'll be speaking at the same camp again this summer, so, Rachel, please come and visit me again. Maybe this time around I'll remove myself from the photo and have you posing with the dinosaur!

My Debut in an Answers in Genesis DVD!

2009-04-14T17:19:00.016-04:00

After years and years of my artwork being featured in Answers in Genesis talks, videos and DVDs, I finally have my chance to shine in one of the newest AiG DVDs by Carl Kerby titled, "Genesis: Today's Answer to Racism". I was in the audience the day that this talk was video taped and I am prominantly shown in one particular shot. Some of the AiG staff previewed this DVD in a morning meeting and ALL burst out laughing when they saw my face appear on screen. Take a look for yourself and see why! It's not how I imagined my first appearance in a DVD would be, but if it helps people understand genetics and the Bible better, OK. :-)

In this section of Carl's talk, he's answering the question of "where did Cain get his wife?" I'd encourage you to buy this DVD to get the answer to that question and to hear the rest of this powerful message. However, if you want the answer to that question NOW, you can find it here.

This video clip is posted here by permission of Answers in Genesis.

"Easter" Cartoons - Part 3

2009-04-09T06:53:00.006-04:00

This illustration is another assignment from my art school days. It's one of my favorite concepts from way back then (around 1986) because it takes a shot at Santa and the Easter Bunny all in one image. My view is that both of these holiday characters are the same character. He just morphs according to the time of year to distract as many as he can from the real meaning of each holiday. The art never really was finished all the way and I've wanted to redo it for many years. Some day I'll get around to it. Until then, enjoy!

"Easter" Cartoons - Part 2

2009-04-07T16:55:00.003-04:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I would often direct my assignments in art school in a biblical direction. During the critique portion of the class, my classmates would then comment on my assignment and hopefully tell me the message I'd attempted to communicate in it. This sample assignment is one of those "what's wrong with this picture" pieces as it's purposefully unbiblical and my classmates had to tell me why it was that way. It was interesting hearing them explain, in class, the real meaning of Easter.

Click here for the biblical basis for this illustration.

"Easter" cartoons

2009-04-04T10:39:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite topics for cartoons is one of the most serious topics of all. That topic is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Starting back in art school, each Easter time I would do at least one illustration that contained some kind of editorial comment on this important Christian holiday. Part of the process of art assignments for art school was to place the piece for a class up on the chalkboard for a critique by the entire class. So the class had to tell me what I was saying with a given piece! Many times they had to tell me the Gospel message!

In the coming days I'll post some of those art school assignments. For today, here's my most recent cartoon comment on the resurrection and what our culture has done to its remembrance.

The March Experiment

2009-03-31T18:34:00.005-04:00

And now for something completely different! This was videotaped without a script as you will see. "And now that the month of March is over ..."

Happy Birthday to a FAMOUS Artist!

2009-03-30T20:40:00.003-04:00

March 30th is a very important and significant date in the art world for it is the date that we remember the birth of a world famous artist. The works of this immensely talented man have been viewed by millions if not billions of people.

Happy birthday Vincent Van Gogh!

Common Question

2009-03-29T18:28:00.007-04:00

One of the most common questions I receive after people learn that I've illustrated a number of children's books is, "I have an idea for a children's book. Could you illustrate my book?". You'd think that this would be the type of question illustrators are looking for, but finding an illustrator is not the required step to getting published many think it is.

So what's an aspiring author to do? Here are a couple excellent web articles on what to do if you have a book idea or manuscript and you're looking for that artist to add the illustrations:

How to Find an Illustrator for Your Picture Book

Picture Book Manuscripts and Illustrations

Guest Artist - Dr. Georgia Purdom

2009-03-28T23:05:00.004-04:00

Today we had a surprise birthday party for my wife at our house. Part of the surprise came from the fact that my wife's birthday was 2 weeks ago. The party was late because of schedule conflict, not because I forgot. Some dear friends came to celebrate with us and they contributed to the food and drinks too. Dr. Georgia Purdom made the cake and so she is my featured guest artist for today. Thanks Georgia!

After Eden - Behind the scenes 11

2009-03-27T17:17:00.017-04:00

Gary Larson of Far Side fame had his cows. I have my car fish. In this weeks After Eden, I return to a favorite topic of mine, the war between the Christian Icthus fish and the Darwin fish. This cartoon is titled, "Car Wars". Click on the image to see the making of Car Wars, step by step.

Dead Egyptian Blues by Dennis Jones

2009-03-26T12:14:00.002-04:00

Here is another great digital painting video from Dennis Jones.

Cows with Guns by Dennis Jones

2009-03-25T20:37:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite illustrators of all time is Dennis Jones. Not only is he a great artist, he's also a great Christian artist! I've followed his work for more than 3 decades by finding and collecting his work in magazines, books and various church publications. Years ago, those illustration treasures would only show up every few months or so. Now, through the miracle of the internet, I can find Dennis and his artwork every day on his blog. He doesn't post new material every day, but I do check just in case there is something new.

Here is a recent video that Dennis recorded of himself painting an illustration called, "Cows with Guns". It's fun to see him work (sped up quite a lot in this case) and this almost 3 minute video is set to music by a very funny song called, of course, "Cows with Guns".

Even if you're not an artist, give it a look. You will enjoy it anyway!

Special Guest Artist

2009-03-24T10:12:00.004-04:00

Our special guest artist today is my daughter, Hannah Lietha! This is a drawing of the Disney characters, Goofy and Mickey Mouse, all from memory. I love the detail and the word balloon is very good too.

Space Alien Art for Answers in Genesis?

2009-03-23T16:39:00.005-04:00

Having graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art, one might think that I should be drawing comic book superheroes and space aliens. Well, working for a minstry that doesn't believe in aliens from outer space (nor do I), does limit an artist's portfolio in that way. However, here is a fun piece created for Answers for Kids a number of years ago.

The Magic Drawing Board

2009-03-22T15:30:00.006-04:00

Does anybody remember the Captain Kangaroo show? I know the show has been off the air for quite a while and the dear "Captain" is no longer with us, but there was a feature on his show that I found fascinating as a kid. It was the "Magic Drawing Board". It's been a while since I've actually seen the show and I'm not exactly sure how they did it, but a drawing would be drawn on the drawing board by an artist unseen by the audience, giving the appearance that the drawing board was doing the drawing all by itself. It was ... magic! Ha ha! I never thought it was magic, but I did like watching the drawing develop before my eyes.

Well, many years later, I've found a web site that gives you simple drawing tools and a small screen space to make and record drawings on. And when you are satisfied with the drawing, you can save it and view the recording and send it to others. It looks like the Magic Drawing Board! You can watch my first SketchCast doodle HERE!
Just click on "Doodle Man" and watch the drawing develop before your eyes, just like the Magic Drawing Board!

There are lots of computer programs available these days that make it possible to record one's activities on a computer and play them back and many artists have produced tutorial DVDs and web videos with their recordings. I'm looking at a few of these programs now and will hopefully post art videos on this blog in days ahead. But for now, the Sketchcast web site will be my art video home. More videos to come!

After Eden - Behind the scenes 10

2009-03-21T07:42:00.008-04:00

If you look over my entire collection of After Eden cartoons, you'll see a number of them were produced in memory of people that have died. Again, some may think of cartoons as only fitting for purposes of humor, jokes or mocking, but I disagree. I believe cartoons have the possibility for other kinds of communication, and serious editorial comment is part of that communication.

Last week, I learned of some sad news (scroll down to "Sad News—But Good News") about a 12-year-old girl named Elizabeth, that had lost her battle with cancer. Last year Ken Ham had written about her in his blog because of her desire to visit the Creation Museum after a long treatment for her cancer. Elizabeth's story touched me, so I honored her memory and Her Savior with this cartoon.

Thank you Lord, that Elizabeth is now with You, her Creator.

Haul It Home Friday

2009-03-20T19:00:00.004-04:00

It's Friday! The day the weekend starts, the work week ends and the day I pack up my Cintiq and haul it back home for the weekend. As I reported in a previous posting, a friend of mine gave me a Cintiq to produce my art on and now I can't work without it. The Cintiq usually spends the weekdays at my AiG office so I can use it for my artwork there. And then on the weekends, I use it at home for freelance projects.

The only way for me to safely transport the Cintiq back and forth is to pack it up in the box it came in. As you can see in the photo, I've fashioned a homemade handle made out of twine and masking tape to make it possible to carry the box as I would a suitcase. The handle on the box broke, forcing me to either carry the box in both arms (which I did a few times) or get creative and make a different handle. I'd love to have a special case for my CIntiq like this, or this, or THIS! But, those cases are pretty pricey, and the last REALLY COOL one is only available in the UK!

Unless I hit the jackpot at a garage sale this summer, it may be quite a while before I own one of those cases. So, my box and twine will continue be called upon each Friday and Monday to haul this high-tech art tool to the next place it's needed.

Currently on My Digital Drawing Board

2009-03-19T11:25:00.004-04:00

The newest addition to my list of regular AiG cartoon features (the others being CreationWise and After Eden) is an editorial cartoon titled, "Let There Be Truth". This cartoon is produced for Answers Magazine four times a year.

Out of all the forms of cartooning, I enjoy editorial cartooning the most. My other cartoon features are a comic strip and a one panel gag cartoon, and both often include an editorial leaning, but LTBT is a true to form editorial cartoon.

The sketch sample above is a section of my current LTBT in process. I'm not sure the final will reflect the direction seen here, but this is the latest LTBT as it is, at this moment.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 9

2009-03-18T11:34:00.007-04:00

I've known Stacia McKeever's family for almost as long as I've known her. And over the years some of them have made their way into my cartoons. Here is an After Eden cartoon that was created as a birthday card for Stacia's mom, Nancy. The woman in the cartoon is based on Nancy. The man is just a generic person.

Also, here is a recent CreationWise comic strip in which I based one of the characters on Stacia's father, Bob. The likenesses are not quite on the mark, and really weren't intended to be as I have only so much time to create these cartoons. However, I do enjoy placing people I know in my cartoons ... every once in a while.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 8

2009-03-17T11:47:00.010-04:00

Casting characters for After Eden is an interesting job. Most of the time, the characters are just nameless, generic people and it's not too critical for them to look a certain way, unless of course, they are specific, real people. When it comes to biblical characters, we have very little knowledge of what they looked like, so there's lots of room for artistic license. But, it is important to develop a look for them so that they are recognizable and consistent if used again in future cartoons.

For this cartoon about Seth, the lesser known, yet very important named son (There were many other children with names not given in Scripture. Genesis 5:4) of Adam and Eve, I used an approximate likeness of a real-life Seth. This is the husband of Stacia McKeever, the same Seth who's name is hidden on the book covers in the previous post. To me, he looks like a Seth, so why not go with known success?!

More Hidden Names

2009-03-16T14:54:00.006-04:00

As mentioned in a previous posting, my wife Marcia is not the only one to have her name hidden on some of my book covers. If you know where to look on the Answers for Kids curriculum covers, co-written with long time Answers in Genesis coworker and friend Stacia McKeever, you will find the name "Seth". Stacia's husband's name is Seth and I thought since we were a team on those books, her spouse's name should be hidden on the covers.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 7

2009-03-15T17:58:00.006-04:00

Years ago on the Answers in Genesis website in the After Eden section, I had a step by step, start to finish After Eden art feature. Here is that step by step art all in one file.

Today is the day!

2009-03-14T00:57:00.004-04:00

Marcia is a birthday girl today. Happy birthday to my lovely wife. Thank you Lord for my wife.

Genesis 2:18
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing
And obtains favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 19:14
House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the LORD.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 6

2009-03-13T00:02:00.008-04:00

Some of you may be wondering, since I often hide my wife's name on book covers, do I draw her in my cartoons? Well, I have, along with our daughter Hannah in this cartoon below. And I wrote about it in my book Welcome to Life AFTER EDEN. Here is a section of text from that book written in 2003:

As I put this book together, my wife and I are expecting out first child; and yes, this exciting event hasn't gone untouched by my cartooning. On 24 February 2003, I posted the cartoon below on the After Eden website–a few weeks before my wife and I made the official announcement.

I received many emails complimenting the message in the cartoon but no comments about any possible hidden meaning. Because my co-workers had made comments about my previous baby cartoons, I expected at least some speculation.

After we made our baby news public, several co-workers admitted that they had suspected something when they saw the cartoon, but they were afraid it might be nothing more than just another baby cartoon. This time, however, the cartoon was inspired by a real baby!

By the way, my wife and I still don't know our daughter's name.

Isaiah 43:1
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Hiding Marcia - Part 3

2009-03-12T00:10:00.007-04:00

Late this past summer, I finished my most recent childrens book project. It's a book entitled Absotively Posilutely Best Evidence for Creation, written by Answers in Genesis speaker, Carl Kerby. This would have been the latest book to have my wife, Marcia's name hidden on its cover. However, the cover I designed and illustrated was never used. Instead the publisher replaced it with some of my illustrations from the inside of the book. So Marcia's name is not hidden on the cover of this book.

Included with this post are the printed book cover, the rejected book cover and the location of Marcia's name hidden on the rejected cover art.

Hiding Marcia - Part 2

2009-03-11T00:08:00.001-04:00

A is for Adam is the first childrens book on which I hid Marcia's name on the cover. But, it wasn't the last. Here are the other books with her name hidden on them.

I'm still not going to reveal the location of the hidden names, but on the When Dragon's Hearts were Good cover, Marcia's name is NOT under the CD shown in the photo.

There would have been one more book on this list, but something out of my control prevented that from happening. More on that tomorrow.

Hiding Marcia

2009-03-10T12:27:00.007-04:00

Artists have long been known to hide things in their artwork. Sometimes the items or words hidden are meant to be found and other items or words hidden are more for the artist's private purposes. Some things hidden have been quite harmless and funny, and other things have been obscene (if seen) and scandalous. One of the most famous artists that openly hid words in his drawings was famed Broadway caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. He hid his daughter's name "Nina", in most, if not every caricature he drew since her birth in 1945 until his death in 2003. That's a lot of hidden Ninas! He would even hide multiple Ninas in some caricatures and then place a number after his name to let the viewer know how many times her name was hidden in that drawing.

Over the years, I've also hidden words in my artwork. Nothing too daring or mischievous, just fun stuff. The only word hiding I've done over the past 13 or so years have been the names of people's spouses (more on that will come in a future blog). Most notable to me is the name of my spouse, Marcia. Her name is hidden on the cover of the book, A is or Adam. The reason for this was not to be daring or anything like that. It was done to say, "thank you". You see, when I produced the artwork for A is for Adam back in 1995, we lived in Minnesota and I was working as a staff cartoonist for a company that made children's products such as scratch and smell stickers, fun meal type boxes, and school lunch posters. Illustrating a children's book was a freelance job that I worked on in my off hours. And it took me 4 long months to complete the project. Almost every day during those 4 months, Marcia would see me just for a little bit after I got home from work and then during supper after I'd taken a good 2-3 hour nap. Then I'd disappear into my closet of an art studio and not be seen again until the next morning when I'd leave for work and the cycle would start all over again. Yet, she was very supportive, patient and helpful during those long stressful months. I'll always be grateful to her for her loving support, especially on that project.

I finished the artwork for A is for Adam in April of 1995, but Marcia never saw the little surprise I hid on the cover until August of that year when we flew down to visit a very new ministry called Creation Science Ministries (later to be renamed Answers in Genesis), headquartered in Florence, Kentucky. Ken Ham invited both of us to come down to meet the staff and see the operation, and also to see the first copies of A is for Adam that had just been shipped to him from the publisher. The first time I saw the actual, finished, printed product was in the Cincinnati airport. The gentleman that was sent to pick us up was holding up a copy of A is for Adam instead of a sign with the name "Lietha" on it. He figured we'd know he was there to pick us up and he was right! Thinking about seeing a grown man holding up a children's book in the airport still makes my chuckle. And it was on the ride from the airport to a restaurant that I revealed the special little secret I'd been keeping from Marcia for the previous 4 months. I held the book up so Marcia could see it and I said, "honey, I want to thank you for being so patient and supportive for the 4 months that it took me to complete this book. And as a way to say thank you, I've hidden your name on the cover of this book". And then I pointed to the spot on the cover where her name was hidden. It was a very touching moment. My voice cracks when I tell the story to this day. And I still enjoy sharing that story with visitors that come to see me at my AiG office. But, not everyone can visit me there, so here the story is for you to enjoy as well.

Where is the location of Marcia's name hidden on the cover you ask? You'll have to visit me at my office or see me speak this summer to get the answer! Or you can buy a copy and find it yourself.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 5

2009-03-09T07:10:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time (2002 in fact) an After Eden cartoon about fish knees was very popular and lots of people were sending emails requesting that it be printed onto t-shirts. So, Answers in Genesis had a bunch of t-shirts printed, announced and offered for sale on the ministry web site. We waited for a wave of web shoppers and buyers similar to the previous wave of fan email. This wave never happened. Some shirts did sell, but not to the extent that we hoped or thought they would. So much for my super-popular cartoon shirts. I felt pretty let down. What happened? Why didn't they sell? It was puzzling to say the least.

Flash forward to early 2008. The Creation Museum had opened the previous year and almost 400,000 people had visited to that point. My boss at AiG asked me to design some t-shirts for the museum bookstore. These designs weren't to be just for decorative t-shirts or to be only a museum souvenir, but to have a firm Christian message on them. I came up with a number of ideas for the new shirts and somewhere along the way, shared them with my wife. I remember Marcia liking the ideas, but she noticed one particular idea wasn't included among them, so she asked me, "why don't you try printing that After Eden fish knees shirt again"? I liked the idea, but would it sell this time around? Having a popular museum bookstore could make a big difference. I presented the idea to use the After Eden fish knees design again and it was accepted along with two other shirt designs. After a little tweaking to the fish knees cartoon to simplify it, I sent it off to the printers with the other two designs.

Flash forward to the present. Good news! As of the writing of this blog entry, the three shirts I designed for the Creation Museum bookstore are the three top apparel sellers. Even better is that the After Eden fish knees design is the number ONE apparel seller! Thanks Marcia for your great idea and encouragement to try that shirt design again!

And, if you (my readers) should want one of these shirts, you can buy one HERE!

After Eden - Behind the scenes 4

2009-03-08T06:00:00.019-04:00

About 4 years ago, some friends/coworkers of mine were in a very bad and very strange automobile accident. The van they were traveling in at around 55 mph, was struck on the front passenger side by a car that was traveling in the same direction as they were. This car was apparently pushed into them (that was the claim of the driver) and the impact of the collision collapsed the front tire on the driver's side of the van causing it to flip over onto its top and literally slide down the highway on its roof, windshield and hood until it came to a stop. Check out the damage to those sections of the van in the photo below. This amazing accident should be featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not some day! A miracle for sure.

The potential for injury and death in this mishap was great, and while there thankfully was no death, the injuries suffered were painful and not easily overcome, yet they were not as bad as what you might imagine them to be. Above you can see the After Eden cartoon that I produced a few days after my friend's crash. It features a van and a car that have been involved in some sort of accident and both ended up upside down. This didn't happen to the car in the real accident, but for the purposes of the cartoon, this addition to the cartoon version of the story worked out quite well. Below you can see the photo of the actual van that I used as reference for the cartoon.

Knowing that this cartoon is based on a real accident may cause some to think I'm making fun of this very serious event. Far from it. It was my way of expressing thankfulness to God for His protection and preservation of Dave and Lynn Jolly's lives. And it was an opportunity to show that even something that we see as an "accident" can help us to see that life is no accident.

Who among all these does not know

That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
Job 12:9-10

Notable or Non-notable? That is the question!

2009-03-07T09:46:00.005-05:00

Back in April of 2007 I was sent an email informing me that " an entry for Dan Lietha has been targeted to be eliminated off the Wikipedia site". The reason was I was a "non-notable". I was shocked! I had no idea that there was a Dan Lietha entry on Wikipedia! However, I wasn't shocked that I was deemed a "non- notable.

A few days later I checked the Wikipedia link to the Dan Lietha entry that was included in the elimination announcement email and found that somebody unknown to me (probably the same person that made the entry in the first place) had written a nice little bio on me and posted it to the Wikipedia page. That bio must have done trick because the entry was not eliminated, so I can only assume that I had graduated from "non-notable" to "notable". I'm still not sure I qualify as "notable", but if Wikipedia says I'm notable, who am I to argue?

After Eden - Behind the scenes 3

2009-03-06T14:57:00.007-05:00

There are days when even artists don't feel like drawing. That doesn't change the fact that deadlines still must be met. But, there are also ways to make those two facts of life come together. This cartoon was one such solution. And now you know.

The Next Lietha Artist?

2009-03-05T13:05:00.005-05:00

Another question that I am asked from time to time is if Hannah has her father's artistic ability. For us it's hard to answer that question because we don't see much of any other child's art to compare her art against. Hannah's Sunday school teacher once told Marcia and me that Hannah's drawings stood out from the other kid's in the class and she could tell Hannah has an artist in the family, so that was a nice compliment to her skills.

If Hannah does have advanced skills in that area, it isn't because we are pushing her in any way to be like me. We do see that she likes to draw and paint quite a lot. She often likes to draw when she sees me drawing which is quite funny and touching to me. And Hannah has a very nice collection of art equipment like a kiddy drawing board with a lamp and built-in lightbox, and also a nice dual-sided easel with a chalkboard on one side and a marker board on the other. And she often draws and paints on my Cintiq in either Photoshop or Art Rage2.

At this point I could digress into one of those "I never had any of that stuff when I was a kid" type of rants. I won't, however, when I was a kid, the first lightbox I ever had was a bedroom lamp placed in a tall cardboard box with a sheet of plexiglass laying over the top of it. WOW! That thing would get pretty HOT and I could only use it for minutes at a time before I had to turn it off or suffer damage and pain from the heat. And I'm glad I can still see OK because I had to stare at the overly bright lamp with only a couple sheets of paper to block the lamplight through clear plexiglass. Proper and safe lightboxes today have clouded plastic to dim the light passing through it and lights that are just bright enough to allow you to trace the image through a couple sheets of paper without burning your eyes out like when you stare at a solar eclipse! Kids, don't try to build a bedroom lamp and cardboard box lightbox at home! Thankfully Hannah has better drawing supplies than I did.

But, does she have art talent? Time will tell. For now, she is just a cute little girl that likes to draw and paint, and she makes her parents very proud.

After Eden - Behind the scenes 2

2009-03-04T11:13:00.005-05:00

People often ask me where my ideas for cartoons come from. For the After Eden cartoon featured in my previous posting, it began with the news of my brother's skiing accident and broken collar bone. My original thought was to somehow do a cartoon about the broken bone, but then I turned the focus onto the "fall" aspect of the story and things fell (pun intended ... sorry about that) into place. Almost immediately after that redirection took place in my mind during a Friday morning staff meeting at AiG, I did a quick sketch. That quick sketch sealed the deal for the direction of the cartoon.

Here it is, the very beginning of the visual part of the cartoon. The proto-cartoon. However, I would like to think of this as a case of intelligent design and not evolution by random, undirected mutation!

Most of the cartoons I've created that I like the best, have started with a small, simple sketch that hit me just right and gave me a clear vision of what the end product will be. If only this type of clear and quick revelation happened more often. Usually the final idea seems to develop from more random, kind of directed, idea mutations that eventually turn into something useable after long periods of time have passed. That's about as close as evolution ever gets to really happening anywhere in the universe ... but it still ends up being "intelligent design".

After Eden - Behind the scenes 1

2009-03-03T15:33:00.004-05:00

This After Eden cartoon that I produced a couple weeks ago is actually loosely based on a real event. My younger brother Mark was recently out skiing with his church youth group and while instructing one of the kids on how to ski, caught his own ski on the snow in an unusual fashion and did a flip into the snow and broke his coller bone. OUCH! Fortunately his young student didn't learn the lesson all that well and walked away unhurt.

A blog posting every day in March ... I hope!

2009-03-02T17:25:00.005-05:00

March is a wonderful month. Both my wife and I have birthdays in this lovely month. So, to celebrate March, I am going to attempt a new blog posting for each of the 31 days. Some postings may be small, but they'll be new.

For today, I'll give you a sneak peek at the illustration hiding behind my daughter's hand in the previous post. It's from my current at home project of illustrating the Ken Ham childrens book, D is for Dinosaur. Enjoy!

Blessing from Heaven ... and Florida too - part 2

2009-03-01T08:21:00.006-05:00

It's ironic that I ended my last blog entry with the phrase "rest of the story" because yesterday I learned that Paul Harvey, the one that made those words famous, passed away at age 90. I have many memories of hearing his voice on the radio at a distance and running to where ever the radio was to hear his news or rest of the story. He will be greatly missed.

And now on to my "rest of the story".

I follow a lot of artist blogs. Going to these blogs is a part of my daily routine for inspiration and instruction. Many if not most of these artists now use Wacom's Cintiq to produce their illustrations on the computer. And each of them LOVE using the Cintiq and have blogged about how it has increased their speed and enjoyment of illustrating digitally. This caused me to look into obtaining a Cintiq myself and I eventually found the 21 inch model on Craig's List for $1200.00! A steal of a deal. I contacted the seller and he still had it and I was the first in line for it. The missing, vital, must-have piece in this deal was my wife's approval. Before I approached her, I prayed and told the Lord that if Marcia said no, I would agree, let the Cintiq go and move on from there. It's important for me to have her blessing on my activities, especially on major purchases. Her response was not one of excitement because we really didn't have the money and in the initial short conversation I never got the definitive "NO", but I could tell that was where the discussion would end up. So, before the topic was fully fleshed out, I decided to contact a friend in Florida that had worked for Wacom and run a few questions about the Cintiq by him. Not long into the conversation, my friend asked me when we were coming down to Florida to visit him. I had to tell him we had just been down in Florida in March to visit my parents and sadly we didn't have time to stop by for a visit. He said that was too bad because he had a Cintiq sitting in a box on the floor of his office ... waiting FOR ME! I was blown away! After asking a few times if he was pulling my leg, he assured me he was serious and the Cintiq was real. What a great friend!

The end result is that I have been using the Cintiq for the past few months at home and at work. I am RUINED for doing digital art any other way! It's everything the others artist said it was and more! My biggest frustration now is sharing it between home and the AiG office. I need a special case to make hauling it back and forth easier and more possible. As it stands now, I only take it home on the weekends so I can only work on freelance projects with it on weekends and that slows down projects like my current illustrating of the childrens book D is for Dinosaur. So a special Cintiq case is my next prayer request.

In the photo above is my daughter Hannah drawing over one of my D is for Dinosaur illustrations. She loves to draw on the Cintiq too and often begs me to let her paint and draw on it. The white glove in the picture is the one I wear while using the Cintiq to protect the screen from skin oil and it helps my hand to smoothly move across the glass. What a blessing this Cintiq has been. Thank you Lord ... and my friend in Florida!

A blessing from Heaven ... and Florida too.

2009-02-19T21:25:00.008-05:00

Wacom is a name that probably doesn't mean a lot to most people. However, to many artists, the name Wacom is very important, even if most of them don't know how to pronounce it. Wacom manufactures graphics tablets used to produce digital artwork on computers. I have used their tablets for years to paint many hundreds of the cartoons and illustrations for Answers In Genesis. Wacom has truly made it possible for me to do what I do and I am grateful for their high quality products.

There is one drawback however, in that the tablets I've painted with for years and years are used in a somewhat unnatural way. Instead of drawing while looking at my hand, I've had to move the pen around on the tablet while looking at the computer monitor. This has worked fine for painting, but I've never liked drawing on the computer with Wacom tablets because of the disconnect between the eye and hand.

Wacom also has a special line of tablets called Cintiq, with computer monitors built into them so the user draws on the monitor in a much more natural fashion. That ability is a miracle of modern technology and a dream come true for digital artists. However, these tablets are REALLY expensive. The top model is $2000. That kind of price tag can stop an artist's drool right in its tracks.

It stopped me in my tracks, until recently. Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Animation

2009-02-13T14:52:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I like to dabble in a little simple animation. Nothing too difficult, but it's fun to add a little movement to my cartoons. Here's my latest effort. To see it move, click here: http://www.answersingenesis.org/media/image/cartoons/after-eden/fishy-legs

My Art School days

2008-11-11T22:06:00.008-05:00

Google Alerts as mentioned in my last post, has produced some very interesting finds on the internet. One of these finds came to my attention a few weeks ago as I was sent an alert telling me that my name had been used on the following web page:

http://1womp.livejournal.com/68199.html

As it turned out, this was a blog page from a guy that I knew back in my first year at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. I've had hardly any contact with fellow JKS attendees and grads since I completed my time at the school so it was great to catch up. And I was also reminded of quite a lot of things I'd forgotten and learned many things I didn't known. So, for those that would like a look back at my art school days through the eyes of my friend John, read his blog starting with the link above. My name pops up every once in a while along the way and there are some photos of me and many fellow JKS students. It's quite a long series of blog entries (20 or so) but John does a good job of keeping it interesting. Thanks John!

ALERT! ALERT!

2008-09-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

I used to Google my name on a fairly regular basis to see what was being said about me on the web. Now, however I let Google do the work for me, at least with
newest postings on the web. I do this with a tool called Google Alerts. You can find it here:

http://www.google.com/alerts

I recently found a very interesting part of my history through a Google alert. That will be the topic of my next blog entry. But until then, give Google alerts a try. You never know what or who you might find.

Vacation photo

2008-07-29T18:34:00.003-04:00

Since my last posting, we've done a few things. One of which was to travel to see family and friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Here's a photo that a nice lady offered to take with my camera in exchange for my returning the favor with her camera. I'm glad she offered as it's nice to actually have at least one photo of me with my family instead of just pics of my family. The camera guy is rarely in the picture. And this turned out to be a very nice family pic. Thanks kind lady!

I feel the need for WIRELESS speed!

2008-06-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

Going to garage sales is an activity that I was brought up with and educated in from an early age.
At first, it was a bother because there were so many other fun things I could be doing such as climbing trees, catching snakes or riding my bike. But somewhere along the line, "garage saling" caught on and has become something I look forward to doing as often as I am able. I refer to it as a way to live beyond your means. Over the years I've allowed others to pay full price for a new item from the store and later when they're done with it, I help them get rid of it at garage sale prices. And I often even talk the seller down to an even lower price. I've certainly picked up my share of junk, but I also have a long list of aquired treasures that amazes me. The latest is a wireless router purchased today at a garage sale for $3.00. Purchased new, this router costs around $80. If you can find a used unit, I've seen prices for it around $30 to $50. It came with everything needed to get it up and running and I am now blogging wirelessly as my lovely bride checks her email on her computer at the same time! Our new high speed web access was great when we had to share it one person at a time. Now it's so much better. What a blessing! If only I could've gotten our high speed web access at garage sale prices too!

Then and now - now and then

2008-06-09T19:32:00.003-04:00

One of the things I appreciate about the internet is how easy it can be to find people you have lost communication with through time, distance and the course of life. Because of my personal web site as well as cartoons and articles on the web for Answers in Genesis, I have been the fortunate and thankful one to be found by people I've known in years past. Just last week I received an email from a middle school girl that used to practically live at the roller rink I worked at in Marquette, Michigan. Of course now she's no longer the little girl she used to be and it's been fun to catch up and learn what's happened in her life from then until now. Thanks for finding me Pam!

There's an interesting dynamic that takes place when you see someone in person or in photos that you haven't seen in 20 or so years. You remember them as they were back then and they remember you (if they remember you at all) as you were then too. The discovery is either what time has done FOR them or TO them, and the same applies to you from their point of view. I remember going to my 20th class reunion a number of years ago and seeing the look on peoples faces when they read my name tag and looked at me. I obviously fell into the "what time has done TO me" category.

So for the readers of my blog, I share with you a look at what these people from my past saw then and see now.
Time has made a change! I'm thankful that this world is not all there is, and for the hope of an eternity far better that anything experienced in this now fallen world.

" I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life". 1 John 5:13

Fresh from the digital drawing board

2008-05-28T23:44:00.004-04:00

One of the most enjoyable things of late has been surfing through my growing collection of artist blog links. One of the ways freelance artists are promoting themselves these days is by creating a web presence for themselves and blogging is an important part of the picture. The illustration information on these sites ranges from funny details of the artist's day to sharing illustration and digital painting techniques as well as showing off their latest projects. I'm addicted.

So in the spirit of artistic sharing, here's a sneak peak at a project I'm currently working on in the evenings. It's a children's book written by one of the Answers in Genesis speakers. This is a section of the book cover in development. More art will be posted in future days.

Enjoy!

Speed has arrived!

2008-05-21T07:03:00.002-04:00

Patience for speed seems to be contradictory, but it
sums up our wait for high-speed internet access.
Here it is, May 2008 and we finally have web access
faster than dial-up. Now the next step will be wireless
access. Given how long it took to get high-speed, wireless
should be added by the time Hannah is driving. Well, maybe
not that long, or will it ...?

I feel the need for SPEED!

2008-05-14T23:46:00.002-04:00

According to a recent commercial, my family is technologically living in the "stone age".
We are dial-up people ... until tomorrow, I hope. We are going to give the world of ZOOMTOWN a try.
No longer will the phoneline be busy because someone (me) is online. No more will Marcia
have to endure wondering who's trying to call us while I'm tying up the phoneline. No longer will
Hannah ... well, let's just say that one was headed off at the pass.

Tomorrow, the UPS should be delivering a new DSL modem and the Lietha's will be living the fast web life.
YEE HAW!

My New Macbook Pro

2008-03-31T23:19:00.003-04:00

My new Macbook Pro

It's finally here! My new Macbook Pro has arrived. This is the mean machine upgrade I've literally waited for for years.
My old Powerbook was very old and very used. It's so old that the new machine is almost intimidating with all the new features. Here are just a few:

• Everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) is faster. YEEEHAW!!!
• The Harddrive is more than double the capacity of my old harddrive ... and faster.
• The keyboard automatically lights up in low light situations.
• Screen is L.E.D. illuminated. Very bright and beautiful.
• Power cord is held in magnetically so if someone trips over it the end pops out of the computer instead of the computer being dragged down to the floor.
• Leopard (the new MAC OS) is wonderful and full of new features.

So with all the power and potential to create, what's the best thing I've done so far
with this new machine? See attached photo above.

The new Macbooks have a built-in webcam, plus a fun program called Photo Booth. It's great for father/daughter bonding time! Hannah loves it.

One possible flaw in my new Macbook is that It's not liquid-proof, so certain computer-hydrating friends of mine will have to remain at a distance while holding beverages.

I love my new MAC!

Smokin' MAD!

2008-01-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

I really don't want to begin this brand new, fairly unsullied year
with a rant, but our meal tonight at an unnamed Northern Kentucky
restaurant gives me more fuel for a particular fire (pun intended)
and this topic has been something I've wanted to comment on for
quite a few years.

Tonight was one of those, I'm too tired to cook" times for my wife,
so we picked an alternate option for our evening sustenance.
Upon arrival at the eating establishment to which we had a
two-for-one coupon (the deciding factor), we were greeted with
that oh so familiar question, posed to ascertain our air quality preference.
"Smoking or no-smoking?"
In years past I've learned that if you just say "no smoking, please",
that leaves the option open for them to seat you as close as
humanly possible to the smoking area, and still have met your
"no smoking" request. This is what happened to us tonight.

To me the concept of a no smoking area is a joke in most cases
because smoke has no idea it doesn't belong on my
"no smoking" side of the restaurant. I often liken the situation of
smoking and no smoking areas to a fireplace and a chimney.
The fireplace is where the smoke is made, and the chimney is
where it goes. Unless the restaurant is separated into two walled-off
rooms, the person greeting you may as well ask, "fireplace or chimney?"

So, to help the person who is about to seat us, I often try to kindly
insert a clarification like, "give us the cleanest air you've got please".
Sometimes this very clear and specific request is granted with a
favorable spot a good distance away from the smoking area. However,
far too many times, I have been seated very close to the
smoking area, if not right next to it when there have been plenty of tables
open well away from the smoking area!
One time this happened to me was late at night and I was the only one
in the entire place. Upon entering I made my preference for clean air known
in a nice way and was led to a booth connected to a booth IN the
smoking area. THEN a few minutes later, a second person arrived
in the restaurant, a smoker in fact, and this person was seated in the booth
connected to mine.

This happens to me enough that I'm beginning to think there is some kind
of conspiracy going on. Do the greet and seat people have a goal to rid
the world of people like me by killing us off with second-hand smoke?
Maybe it's a power thing and they love to see me ask to be moved to
where I should have been seated in the first place. It amazes and frustrates me
every time.

My purpose in posting this on my blog, is to ask has this happened to you?
How often? How did you respond? I'd really like to hear about it.

Anyway, Happy *COUGH* New Year!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

To all the Bloggers that posted "Happy New Year" AFTER January 1, I salute you!

Procrastinate into the new year and I will do the same!

Christian cartoon web site

2007-02-09T20:20:00.000-05:00

Having web sites that promote Christian cartoons is a benefit and a blessing. One of my favorite web sites that does just that and includes my After Eden cartoons in their selection is: http://www.christiancartoons.com/
My friend Marty has selflessly run this web site as well as created a special web family for the cartoonists who's cartoons are included on this site. I would encourage you to bookmark this site and check it out each week!

" YECs like Dan Lietha"

2007-02-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while I like to Google my name just to see what I can find. Being that I work for Answers in Genesis, I have fans that like my artwork, and I have what I call "anti-fans" who don't like my work, me as a person (though they don't know me personally) or the fact that I even exist on this planet at all. So this little Google exercise can provide rather varied results.

One of my latest finds is in the EvoWiki, the evolutionist version of a Wikipedia-type site. I am mentioned in the opening paragraph of the section titled, "The Truth About Leviathan". The reason I am referred to is because of an illustration I produced a number of years ago of the biblical creature called Leviathan found in Job, chapter 41. The sentence goes like this:
"Here's what YECs like Dan Lietha imagined Kronosaurus as according to Psalms 104 and Job 41", and that is followed by a link to a copy of my version of Leviathan.

Yes, I am a YEC, which stands for Young Earth Creationist. And I would probably be pretty safe in saying the those that oppose us YECs get a big bang (pardon the pun) out of calling us YECs. Although we refer to ourselves as YECs at times in our own publications, the way old earthers and evolutionists use YEC at times seems like it's calling us a name. "Hey stupid", "look at that idiot", "YECs like Dan Lietha". YECs ... YUCK! Surf around the web and tell me I'm wrong. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not complaining, just making an observation. And in this particular instance in the EvoWiki, it may or may not have such name-calling intent. It just strikes me funny. " YECs like Dan Lietha". I like it.

Testing, testing ...

2007-02-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

Can you read me now? GOOD!
Seeing so many other cartoonists with BLOGS made me want to give it try too. So here we go, into a new venture. I hope it is a blessing to most.