Workplace Cartoons, Part 12

 

I've posted more of my Workplace cartoons over on my Substack. Click Here to be amused. Hopefully.

Belleville Drink N Draw Feb 2026

 

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ink in sketchbook

This past Wednesday was our February meet-up for the Belleville Drink N Draw at Egan's Pub. There was a decent turnout and we had a great time with some good conversations and sketchin.' There was a small blip when a patron (not one of ours) went down hard and luckily an off-duty Detroit paramedic was right there when he went down and the guy received immediate attention. He seemed ok, but they decided to take him to the hospital anyways for safe measure. At that point, I wasn't sure what I wanted to work on, so sketched the scene. The image is a little blurry on the side there because of the sketchbook spine, but you get the idea.

A Scratchboard Gentoo

 

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scratchboard/clayboard

Last week a group of us visited the Detroit Zoo for a penguin experience where we could feed and interact with them. There were gentoos, rockhoppers, macaronis and even a king came to visit. 

Then a few days later, I got together with art pals Mary and Jennifer and I worked on this scratchboard gentoo based on some sketches made up from my photos. The plan is to add some color on the beak. 

Charles Henry Turner Sketch

 

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colored pencil in sketchbook

So, just in time for Black History Month, I have learned about an entomologist that I had never heard of before after beginning to read Peter Kuper's Insectology. And quite frankly, that shouldn't be, since what this man, Charles Henry Turner (1867-1923) studied and wrote about is right up my alley, so to speak. 

Turner studied the intelligence of arthropods, that bees talked to one another and can recognize colors, that ants are not just robotic, reactionary creatures, but have individual personalities, that spiders are smart... I could go on. I've been doing some internet dives and seeking anything I can about the man and hoping to find some books that he wrote, but there isn't much out there, sadly. I did find a small book and it's on its way and there is a children's book at my local library, so I'll check that out the next time I go. I will have to do a deeper dive into his published research papers. That stuff sounds fascinating.

And, of course, since he was a black man living in the times that he lived in, it was hard for him to overcome the usual obstacles. 

I'd like to add that if you are familiar with Peter Kuper's work (Mad magazine, The New Yorker, etc), check out Insectology. It's a large graphic novel that is wonderfully drawn and written. My reading list has grown from just what I've read so far.  

The Scratchboard Bumblebee Process

 

I did a post over on Substack showing the process for the Bumblebee scratchboard that I posted yesterday. Click here to check it out.

Scratchboard Bumblebee

 

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scratchboard/clayboard

This past week, I had an art day with my friend/teacher, Mary. We worked on our own scratchboard projects, with hers being very ambitious. She's been sending me updates on the progress and her piece looks great. Anyways, I did a bumblebee and had a great time doing it. Tomorrow, I will do up a Substack and show the process. 

Rainy Day Sketch Night Feb 2026

 This past Saturday the Rainy Day Art Supply and Framing Store had its sketch night at the Grosse Pointe Congregational Church, with our model Darian Wolfe dressed as Elsa from the movie Frozen. The models always do a great job and Darian was no exception. 

I broke out an old pad of Kraft paper to give that a go after some time.

A blind contour sketch.

... and another.

A couple of quick sketches of some fellow artists.

And a colored pencil sketch.

There was a very good turnout for Saturday night, with a lot of familiar faces and some new ones, as well. It was a good night.

De-Icer Sticker

 

Recently, I was reading a book about the Wacky Packages stickers from the 70's and was inspired to do one myself. For those that don't know, Wacky Packages took common (and not so common) products, changed the name just enough so that you would know exactly what they were talking about and made it gross and funny in some way. I did not know that Art Spiegelman worked for Topps and on these stickers, although other artists took up most of the jobs. Wacky Packages had the worst gum ever. Hard as a rock and shattered when trying to chew. but, that was all part of the fun.

So, here is my rebellion sticker, based on a familiar company product. I will have these up on my website and Etsy storefront, probably this weekend, but you can avoid fees by contacting me directly. $3. Also, I will have these on hand tomorrow at the Warren Elks Comic Show. 

Warren Elks Comic Book Show February 2026

Poster by Martin Hirchak

This Saturday, I will be set up at the Warren Elks Comic Book Show in Warren, MI from 10-3(details on the flyer). I will have all the usual stuff, plus a new sticker. I'll have a post about that of Friday. 

So, if you like comic books, cartoons, prints, sketch cards, original art, stop on by. Other cool artists will be on hand, as well.

 

Workplace Cartoons, Part 11

 

My latest installment of those zany Workplace cartoons is now up on my Substack. Click here to check them out.

Belleville Drink N Draw January 2026

 Last night was the freezing offing cold version of the Belleville Drink N Draw at Egan's Pub. The temps were cold, but it was a fun night out with like-minded people. I worked on some cartoon ideas and also sketch some bar patrons. 

Almost no one was facing my way... 

Dave Graue

 

I did a little write-up about the cartoonist Dave Graue over on my Substack. Click here to check it out.

Pillsbury Daliboy

 So, last night as I was falling asleep, I had this...vision, an image that became stuck in my head. I giggled at the absurdity of it and promised myself that I would sketch it up today. Then, I thought of that Seinfeld episode where he had that idea for a funny bit after watching a tv show. "Flaming piles of Magma" or some such thing. My image was of Salvador Dali as the Pillsbury Doughboy. Why? I have no friggin' idea. But, it made me chuckle. So, in the dark I sketched my idea, so I wouldn't forget.

It looks like a face with glasses. But no! Those 'glasses' are actually that Catalan mustache, with one side much bigger than the other. If fact, what looks to be the top of a head, is actually a swooping mustache. What appears to be a chin, is in fact, my loose, very loose interpretation of the doughboy's body. Wow. It's a good thing that I remembered, because if I had not, this sketch would not have helped me at all.

Here's more of what I had in mind. I replaced the chef's hat of the doughboy with the loaf of bread that Dali famously adorned for a photo op. 

Hilarious.