THE LATEST-Part 2: Back in the saddle again!!

It seems like the second, and I do mean the second that we'd put away the last folding chair and pitched the last trash bag of decorations from our wedding reception, I was right back at the ol' drawing board (or more accurately, new drawing board that Laura bought me for my birthday). Just before the wedding launched on October 27th, I was bombarded with a bunch of art stuff that had to be done between Halloween and November 12th, so I had precious little time to make it all happen. But I'm dedicated to my art like I'm dedicated to my wife, and I knuckled down and brought it together to the best of my ability. However, I wasn't so busy that I was about to let my all-time favorite holiday EVER slip past without paying it some serious tribute....

Halloween isn't just another cruddy little Hallmark moment tacked on the end of October. It's a state of mind, a way of living, a point of view. And it's my favorite holiday, hands down. So this year, Laura and I made a Devil's Night pilgrimage to the Midland Mall to see what kind of last minute Halloween costumes we could throw together from all the picked-over refuse lying next to the impending white squall of Christmas display decor. For our efforts, Laura put together a very cute Devil costume, while I chose to pay homage to one of my favorite movie monsters, Jason Voorhees.



We headed over to Laura's dad's place in Auburn to pass out candy. It was adorable watching Laura hand out candy to the cute little toddlers and gradeschool kids. However, watching me interact with the slightly older kids who knew who Jason was and knew just as well that they weren't comfortable taking candy from him was less than adorable. Truth be told, I scared the shit out of more than a few. Two little girls I sent running back to the street before they even approached the porch. Guess I played the part well. Anyway, it was the first real Halloween celebration Laura and I have experienced since we began dating back in 2002, and we had a real ball.


Back on the art front, the first post-wedding priority I had waiting for me was an assignment for Interlude Magazine, now called Tri-Cities Magazine (or Trimag, as I've coined it). They wanted me to draw a double-page spread about area DJ's for a story they were featuring, and they needed it by November 2nd. The story posed the question, are DJ's really cocky and arrogant, or is it just an act? So, using the swelled head metaphor, I came up with the resulting artwork:


What's strange is that just as I completed this piece, the most famous DJ in the line-up, Johnny Burke, had gotten himself suspended from 96 FM for some racist jokes he made on air and on their website regarding school kids from Flint. So Trimag's director tells me there's a chance they might have to cut all of Burke's responses in the article, and erase his and his sidekick's caricatures from the art, just to avoid negative controversy for their article. Fortunately, Burke was brought back after two days, and I made a point to send a few e-mails to Trimag to make sure they knew, and to not alter my artwork in any way.

The next major project to complete was for Recycled Paper Greetings. As I'd mentioned in my blog a month ago, RPG liked the card ideas I'd submitted to them back in April and were intent on buying three of them. But they wanted to see some more "everyday cards" from me to include in a collection to show a focus group. Everyday cards consist of "Happy Birthday", "Get well soon", "Just for laughs," and other non-holiday specific occasions. So, rifling through my old unused cartoon idea surplus as well as concocting some new gags on the spot, I whipped up ten new samples and sent them out a week before the Novemver 12th deadline they'd given me. Here's a few of the better ones:






So currently I'm waiting to hear back from them and see what the next step towards paid work is. More news as that progresses.

My next mad rush to artistic completion was a family portrait done for my friend Steph Witt. I've drawn Steph countless times in the seven or eight years that we've worked together, but this was the first time I had to draw her whole family for a paying gig, so the pressure was on. Here's the end result:


So I'm happy how this turned out, and to the best of my knowledge, Steph is, too. If this gives any of you guys an idea for a Christmas gift for your own families, don't hesitate to get ahold of me. I'm always available, and will produce my best work for you.

Once the dust had settled and I got yet another art gig out of the way (a two-hour caricaturing stint at Northwood University for which I produced a whopping two whole caricatures but still made my standard hourly rate), I sat down and began producing some art just for the fun of it, for myself, like in the old days. My best stuff comes from those free-release sessions when I'm my only audience and boss. This time around, I had a hankerin' to do some caricaturing. Good celebrity stuff. I began by rounding out the freaky foursome of classic horror actors that I first showcased here a month ago (Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, if you don't recall). This time around I chose to create Vincent Price and possibly the scariest actor of them all, Christopher Lee. Here's how they turned out:
































I'm very happy with these. I've had more fun creating what I refer to as my "Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse" than any other caricatures in recent memory. Not that that stopped me from creating others, as you'll see...

Jennifer Aniston had a look I've wanted to draw for a good long while, so she was doomed to be doodled...


















Willem Dafoe is a god of an actor, and he was due for some cartoon canonizing...


















And Wilson and Carell own Thursday nights these days, so I figured I should own them on paper.


So that's all what I've been up to since the wedding. In January Laura and I are trying to plan a total get away honeymoon, so hopefully that'll be a good release from all the chaos. But after that, it'll be back to the drawing board again. Ape Comics still say they're interested in bringing Dead Duck to published reality, so I have to stay on top of that. Plus there's more art gigs coming up between now and December, and unknown projects that are just waiting for me to tackle them as soon as I heard about 'em. Thanks for hopping aboard this wild ride with me, folks. I enjoy the company!

Jay

THE LATEST-Part 1: The wedding!

It's been a few weeks now, the smoke has cleared, I've caught my breath, and I'm finally ready to share some news regarding my wedding to the wonderful Laura Tanner.

For all the headaches, money concerns and petty squabbles that went into our wedding (as is the case with ALL weddings, mind you), our wedding was truly everything we ever dreamed of, and exactly what we wanted. Somehow, within the strict boundaries of our budget and resources, we pulled together an intimate ceremony and reception that reflected us perfectly. And most significantly, Laura and I were able to share our vision and happiness with so many of those closest to our hearts.

The whole sha-bang took place at The Bay City Players, a community theater close to both our hearts. To set the mood, I'll tell you that our processional song was "Rainbow Connection", as sung by Kermit the Frog in "The Muppet Movie." This was a natural choice, since I'm a huge, HUGE Muppet fan. Once we got up on stage, we were greeted by Laura's maid of honor, Allison, my best man Scott, and the honorable Judge Tim Kelly, who presided over the ceremony.


























Laura and I wrote our own vows, and we each had people do readings. My friend Justin read a piece chosen by Laura, and Scott read a poem I'd written. They both did wonderful jobs, and it meant so much to have them involved in the ceremony.



























Our recessional song was "All You Need Is Love," by The Beatles, which was reflective of Laura, whose a tremendous Beatles fan. We greeted out guests per isle, exchanges hand shakes and hugs, and led them to the lobby for the reception.














The reception was also a unique event. Rather than having people clinking on their glasses to get us to kiss. laura and I devised a trivia game where someone would pick a question from their table, come up to us and ring a bell, then ask the question which was about each or both of us. If they got it right, we kissed. If not, there was a penalty, such as they'd have to give us marriage advice, kiss someone themselves or sing a song about love. For the most part, the guests knew us pretty well, and there was abundant kissing.

Here's Laura with her maid of honor, Allison...

















Here's us with Laura's grandma...


















Here's a picture of us cutting our wedding cake, which was very good, and decorated with a "Corpse Bride" topper that I built myself...















Here's me, my dad and his wife...












This is the photo collage I made for the reception, full of pics of Laura and I together and separately, many from our childhoods...


















Here's me, Laura and my grandma...

















Here's Laura dancing with her dad....


















Here's me dancing with my mom...

































Here's me, Laura and my birth-mom, Penny...


















Here's me, Laura and her mom...

















Here are my best men, my crew, my boys: Justin, Scott, me and Dooley...














And here's Laura and I, enjoying our first dance together as husband and wife. The song we chose was David Bowie's "As The World Falls Down," from the Jim Henson movie "Labyrinth." This was also the first song we'd ever danced to as a couple about four or five years back at another friend's wedding when we first began dating. Not to mention that we both loved Bowie, Henson and Labyrinth, so this song was so perfect for us in so many ways.




























The night went off without a hitch (or at least, no hitch so bad that we couldn't recover), and it was wonderful to experience it with so many great people. I hope you guy's enjoyed this sneak peek, and remember what I said before: you were all there with us in our hearts.

Jay

GLAD TIDINGS AND INCREDIBLE "GREETINGS!!!"

Please forgive a 33 year old's girlish outburst of emotion, but……

OHMUHGAWDOHMUHGAWDOHMUHGAWDOHMUHGAWDOHMUHGAWD!!!!

I have some seriously great news to share. Do you recall way back in my blog dated March 1st how I was in the process of creating some sample greeting cards to submit to Recycled Paper Greetings? Well, it's been seven months since then, and admittedly, I was getting a little disheartened about my odds of getting a reply, let alone published at all. With my wedding coming up, I was preoccupied enough to not think too much about it, but it was still in the back of my mind.
So tonight, as I walked into the apartment, full from a nice dinner with Laura and anxious to watch "Deathproof" which I just rented, I decided to check my e-mail, if only to delete the influx of spam I've been getting from my website's forwarded e-mail. That's when I came across this interesting and unexpected correspondence:
____________________

Hi Jay,
I realize that it has been several months since you sent Recycled Paper Greetings art submissions for consideration. I apologize for the extreme delay in responding to you. I actually just joined the team in September to help stay on top of new submissions.
Enough rambling though, I showed your card submissions to our Art Director and he really liked two of your birthday cards in particular (the devil & the woman plucking herself bald), as well as your Halloween dentist card.
Would you be available to schedule a conference call sometime next week to discuss your art further? If so, please let me know the best days & times you would be available to chat.
Best regards,
Liz Sacks
Art Department
Recycled Paper Greetings
________________________

My first response was disbelief. I was like, "Oh, that's nice. I got a reply." But then, slowly, it started to well up inside me until the realization reached my brain that, yes, THIS WAS REAL!!!! They honest to god like my work and want to talk about publishing me!!! I walked, flabbergasted, into the living room where Laura was on the phone. She looked at me, later saying I seemed like I was going to puke, and told the person on the other line to hold on a sec. She asked me what was wrong. I choked out, "Recycled Paper Greetings wants to buy some of my cards." Needless to say, she was as elated as I was, and still am. So I let her get back to her call, and I got back to a quick response to Miss Sacks, which went like this:
__________

Liz,

Thank you so much for getting ahold of me! I'm very excited to hear that your art director has interest in some of my card samples. During the week I'm home after 4:00 pm Michigan time (I can't recall if Chicago is an hour ahead or behind us) if that would work for a conference call. Otherwise, I'll be home all day next Thursday, October 25th if that would allow for a better time to talk. I'm so anxious to engage your company in discussion, and I am truly thankful and appreciative of you for contacting me. I look forward to hearing back from you soon to schedule a time to talk. Until then, take care, and thank you again. You've made my day!
Sincerely,
Jay P. Fosgitt
__________

Folks, I am so very, very excited about this. The Dead Duck deal at Ape Comics is still warmly percolating and now THIS!!! I've been in such a mad panic about the idea of Laura having to marry a penniless cartoonist, how I'd support her, would I ever have a career, and all that access baggage. But I'm seeing my dreams come true before my eyes, and just in time to see me get married! My life is beginning!!! I'm just bursting with happiness here, and had to share the news with all you guys, the people I love. I'll be sure to let you know what the next step in all this will be, just like I promised you way back on March 1st, so never let it be said that I don't keep my promises! So much love, people, and more news to come very, very soon!
Oh, and for those interested, here are the cards that Recycled Paper Greetings are interested in publishing. They're three of my favorites of the bunch, too! Hope you dig 'em!





Yours,
Jay

Crushes....

So I sit here at six in the a.m. on a Saturday morning, a victim of unseasonably warm October weather with resulting sinus congestion to show for it. And as I sniff and struggle to shake the cobwebs out of my head (No, spiders haven't laid eggs in my ear. It's a figure of speech), I find myself reflecting on my lost youth. Y'see, today's my birthday-by-proxy with Laura (tomorrow being the actual date of launch), who's the love of my life. And drifting back twenty years or so, I begin retracing some of the steps (of the female persuasion) that got me to where I've always wanted to be:

In 1981, I was chubby, insecure and an incurable doodler. Sure, that sounds like a euphemism for masturbation, but I liked to draw. Clean it up, potty minds. The first grade is an intimidating place. As Dan Akroyd reflects disparagingly in "Ghostbusters", "They expect results." Bullies, math, and forced physical exertion (I refuse to call it education) didn’t hold well for me. But one girl, Mara Mueller, who would become one of my first friends and just as importantly, my first realistic crush (or as near as I could assume to have at that age, a good five years before puberty kicked my ass), kept that period of my childhood from being an absolute bust. The fact that I fell for a girl who had religious values far flung from my own (Jehovah's witness) and who could draw horses way better than I could made the crush even less likely. You may note that I referred to Mara as my first "realistic crush." That's because just before Mara caught my eye, I was won over by a freckle-headed vixen of the big screen who's unshakable belief that the sun would come out tomorrow only made her more appealing. Aileen Quinn's performance as "Annie" would forever be etched in my mental black book as my very first serious celebrity crush, and of an older woman, no less (she had me beat by four years).

1985 and the fifth grade held it's own brand of horror that would make first grade seem pleasant by comparison. Given a choice between two mean old bitchy teachers, I inexplicably chose the worse of the two for my homeroom. Mrs. Dankert hated me for reasons I can't begin to understand. I wasn't a wise-ass, I wasn't a bully, and I wasn't a know-it-all by any stretch. But she seemed to resent me, and found ways to inflect petty tortures that left scars significantly internal if not external. But a bright spot in my year of darkness came in the form of Mary LePeak.
Maybe crush is a bit too strong to describe my feelings for her, but she was certainly the truest friend I'd made that year, and I recall drawing a figurative white squall of cartoons about and for her.

1986 was a mixed bag. Sure, it was, up until that point, the greatest year of movies I'd ever experienced (Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors and Howard the Duck in the same year? Who'd been looking into my dreams?!). And it introduced me to the three guys who would end up being my best friends (mad props to Ray, Danny and Bill). But there seemed to be a bully population boom that year (the market was flooded, almost like a full page ad requesting twelve year old thugs was posted and the response was overwhelming), my hormones were off the charts, and I was a social misfit of the tenth power. And lording over the wasteland of my scarred psyche and throbbing libido was Jenny Masterovski.
In the truest sense, it could be said that she was my first honest to god, would face a firing squad for one kiss crush. Mara was good for the first grade, but Jenny was the real deal. In retrospect, she was a very kind girl given her social status (burgeoning popularity with the homecoming queen crown on the horizon). She actually gave me the time of day, so to speak, and did nothing to discourage my harmless flirtations in the form of the previously mentioned white squall of cartoons. But like most twelve year old boys who's decision making is marred by the mystery of where that hair came from and why does my zipper feel abnormally tight, I let me emotions get away from me and scared her off, albeit temporarily, but enough so to embarrass myself in front of the entire class. Hey, what's one more scar to the ol' psyche, anyway? Fortunately, a 6th grade girl's memory of such things had the lifespan of a fruit fly, and we were on decent speaking terms (a brief "hi" in the hallway or a polite acknowledgement of a drawing) after my obsession ran it's course. But I will say that there were much worse people to have around when puberty came a knocking.

1989, another great year for movies (Batman, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade), and another great year for crushes. Actually, crush really doesn't pertain here. With the others, I'd harbored a fruitless hope of an actual "Wanna go with me?" relationship. But with Amy Royal,
I just wanted to stare awhile. She was a different kind of popular than Jenny: stuck up, a wee bit loose perhaps, humongous red hair and with a real cruel streak from what I could tell. So what did I see in her? Just the superficial. Great body, loads of freckles (I've had I thing for them since the days of Aileen), and that hair. Oh man, all that red, bushy hair. So I found that staring awkwardly in the hallways and cafeteria every chance I got was the best way to suffer my libidinous affliction. Ironically, by the time I had a class with her in my junior year and her senior, I got to know her and found myself as disinterested as could be. Her hair deflated, her snotty attitude was wearing thin, and I had other interests to pursue. I don't know if that made me shallow, but seeing as how it was fifteen years ago, I'm not apt to feel terribly guilty about it.

Which brings me to 2002, my second year at my third college (I'd attended Saginaw Valley State University for semester, spent a long and wonderful tour of duty at Delta College, graduated and went on to Central Michigan University). At the time, it seemed I was working towards a degree in not getting a date, and having maintained that area of study for the better part of 28 years, I was certainly overdue for my Masters. I'd about given up trying, actually. I didn’t even want frivolous "friends with benefits" type of canoodling. I just wanted to forget the whole idea of the opposite sex. Of course, that's when it all comes tumbling down upon you. A brief sojourn of non-exclusive dating with a girl who ended up a good friend gave me valuable experience (non-sexual, ya bunch of primates) in future relationship endeavors. So when by absolute whim of fate I met Laura, I had at least an inkling of how to treat a girl (I would have killed for an inkling back in 1986). What was great about Laura is that we started out as friends. Or more accurately, we started out less than friends, though not quite enemies. We were acting in a scene together, and she being the more experienced actor had little patience for my unintentional skill at stepping on her lines during rehearsal. She made sure I knew I screwed up, in short. So I was put off by her, which as we know is a sure sign you're going to fall in love with this person. Soon, it became evident that, through chance encounters and some not-so chance that Laura liked me, which was great, since she was a very attractive woman with a great smile. Yes, superficial at first, but a cute girl liked me. I couldn't afford wasting time reading her resume and doing a background check. Fortunately, when all research had been completed on my part, I found that we were highly compatible and that I loved being with her, which soon evolved to the point where "being with" fell off altogether, leaving "I love her" to stand on it's own merit. This did not take long, on my part at least, which I imagine intimidated her and understandably so. But that's the fun thing about relationships: they don't run on a time schedule. They're going to grow and spread in their own way in their own time. And ours did, into the beautiful blossomed garden that we'd planted together five years ago this month. Sure, that garden has a few bugs and weeds, but it's healthy, and it's going to sustain us well into our old age when such nutrition is most vital to a couple.

So I stand on the precipice of the future, and casting a look over my shoulder to the past, I close my hand around Laura's and signal my appreciation for the experiences that brought me to where I am today, by her side, in her heart and anxious as that awkward twelve year old to profess my love on the alter and make her my forever bride.

I've been meaning to tell you this....

So you want some news? I mean some real, sink your teeth in and let the juices squirt over your lips and run warm down your neck into your shirt collar news? Alright then. You asked for it. How about this...

















After five years of dating and two years of engagement, Laura and I are finally getting married.

Now, to some of you kids who read the inane surveys I fill our on Myspace, you've probably pieced together this info already. But for the rest of you out there who haven't been privy to the constant hints and references, the truth is out. On October 27th in Bay City, Michigan, Miss Laura Beth Tanner will become Mrs. Laura Beth Fosgitt. And me, I'll just be the same ol' schmo who drew pictures in the back of the class since day one.

Now, I'm sure there's more than a couple of you out there saying, either to yourselves through inner monologue or perhaps out loud in a grocery store or public restroom: "Hey! Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?? And where the damn is MY invitation?!?"

The answer is simple yet regrettable. Laura and I, with some assistance from her family, basically had to scrape together the money and resources to put on this wedding all by ourselves. While this enabled us to do things entirely our own way, it limited us to the amount of people we could afford to invite. The resultant guest list, after much number crunching and no shortage of headaches, is a cozy fifty people, all immediate family members. If you wonder what that amounts to financially, think back to what you probably spent on your first car and subtract a thousand. That might come close to our wedding budget. In the end, we are very happy with the way the wedding plans are taking shape, and thus far, it looks like this will be the best possible wedding we could hope for.

That doesn't, however, make it any easier that we couldn't invite every friend we've ever had, or even a quarter the amount of every friend we ever had. For this, I can only hope that none of you will hold it against myself or Laura, and will be able to wish us your best with the understanding that, in an ideal, financially independent world, you would all be there, and will still be in our hearts.

If you're still with me at this point, I'll be happy to share the details of what the day will hold in store.

Laura and I will be wed at The Bay City Players, Michigan's oldest running community theater where Laura grew up and where I've been creating some great memories of my own in the last few years. We'll be married on their stage by Bay City's own Judge Tim Kelly, himself a regular performer in several Players' production. The reception will be held in the Players' lobby, where we'll enjoy some great food, music and just sharing the day with our families.

So that's it, folks; the biggest news I've had to share in, well, ever. If you have any thoughts, positive or god for forbid negative, don't be afraid to share 'em with me.

In other news, just a couple weeks prior to my matrimony, I've got a birthday coming up. This Sunday, actually, on October 7th. I'll be a perpetual ten year old trapped in a 33 year old's body. And what's on my birthday agenda? Well, not as much as you'd imagine. This Friday night I have a gig at Buck's Run in western Midland County where I'll be drawing caricatures for a Dow Corning event, Saturday night Laura and I will be doing something together, and Sunday, the day itself…hell if I know. Maybe nothing. As I'll be working the following Monday, it hardly seems wise to party on the Sabbath.

As for the rest of this report, I'm still in talks with Ape Comics, who still seem interested in Dead Duck and are assessing how best to market my comic. Their comment, and a very complimentary one in my opinion, was that "There's nothing else out there like it." That may make it hard to market, but it makes me proud all the same.

I've had a caricaturing gig last Friday at an Elementary school here in Midland, and I've got three more lined up this month (the one at Buck's Run, one at Northwood University here in Midland, and one at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi after my birthday). So that's good, at least. I sure can use the money and exposure.

More news as soon as there's any to report, people. My best to you, and the hopes that we all converse very, very soon. Oh, and as an early Happy Halloween to all you guys (and because it's my favorite holiday ever), I hope you enjoy these caricatures I drew of golden age horror actors Bela "Dracula" Lugosi and Boris "Frankenstein's monster" Karloff.

Jay