Category: Beartoons

  • Political Campaign Phone Calls Cartoon

    Editorial-Cartoon Political Campaign Phone Calls-

    Today’s editorial cartoon is a shout out to all my friends who still have a landline (aka home phone line).   During the campaign season, even if you are on the Do Not Call List, you can be called by political campaigns, PACs or other entities trying to convince you to vote for/against a candidate or issue.    Even caller ID doesn’t always help.  Typically if you see an 800 (toll free number) as the caller, you can ignore it.  However, many times the campaigns have gotten smarter and initiate the call from a local area code compelling you to pick it up.

    Many of my friends and a huge influx of younger people on their own for the first time have foregone their landline in favor of just having a cell phone as their primary line.  The good news for this group is the robocalls and tex message are currently forbidden under FCC regulations to be sent to cell phones unless you opt in to receiving messages from that campaign   More on that here.

    However, I honestly think it is a matter of time when that regulation changes.  Who wants to make the calls?  Politicians.  Who can write laws to begin allowing the robocalls to cell phones?  Politicians.

    So I keep paying my $30/month to have a home phone line just so every time I sign up for a store rewards card or anything else, I have a home line (that I rarely answer) for all the junk to go to.  My friends/family know to call my cell.

    What about you?  Anyone give up their landline?  If you are outside the US, are political campaigns allowed to call your cell phones??

  • Long Island Medium & Hairspray

    Bearman Cartoons Long Island Medium and HairsprayToday’s cartoon stars Theresa Caputo, better known on TLC as the Long Island Medium.   Sure we have seen tv psychics come and go: John Edwards, Sylvia Browne and of course my favorite Ms Cleo.

    First of all let me say I am a:

    Optimistic Skeptic

    I don’t believe in psychics but I would love to find proof for myself of life beyond this one.  But I have to say, I am impressed by Theresa.  Not because of her abilities so much because as always on TV, we don’t know what is cut.  But rather her over the top personality and the melding of her family (and husband Larry or as she in her Long Island accent says “Laaarrrry”) into the show.

    Of course one recurring theme is Theresa’s overuse of hairspray.   My wife used to overdo the hairspray.  She has since dropped her usage to about 1/4 of what she used in the past.  I think (and she agrees) that her hair and she looks even better now than when I met her.   So put it down Teresa!!!

    I know there are skeptics who think that all mediums do harm to those they read by taking advantage of their grief.  I take a less harsh view.  I think those who would continually try to profit on the sorrow of a grieving person should be called out.   However, if a person has the ability to make you feel better about the loss of a loved one in one session, how is that different than going to see a psychologist?   Sadly, I think there are those who are addicted to mediums and are constantly looking for answers.

    What say you?   Believe in spirits, mediums, good/bad?

  • Romney Cuts off Head of Sesame Street

    Romney Cuts off Head of Big Bird by Bearman Cartoons

    Whoa!  What are you doing posting an editorial cartoon on a Tuesday you ask?  Well my friends this is a two part experiment.  The question in the experiment is can I piss off both my liberal friends and conservative friends using the same cartoon on two different days.

    Today’s cartoon might of course irritate some of my more conservative friends.  Seems since the debate, candidate Mitt Romney has been taking flack for his assertion during the debates that he would consider cutting funding of PBS, the broadcaster of shows such as Sesame Street.   There have been memes galore floating around on social media blasting Mitt for it, but I thought nothing said it better than Mitt Romney holding a knife in one hand and the head of Big Bird in the other.

    So how could this possibly irritate my liberal friends?  Well you have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

  • Social Media Copywrong

    Editorial Cartoon Social Media Stealing

    Today’s cartoon was inspired by some conversations I have been seeing more and more from cartoonists and graphic designers bemoaning the practice of companies who crowdsource graphic work.   The process of crowdsourcing is where a company invites anyone and everyone to submit graphic/cartoon work but only choose one or a limited number of people to win.  And even then there may or not be a monetary prize.   Personally I don’t have a problem with the contests except when (and it is becoming all too frequent) when the contest rules state that any submissions become the property of the sponsoring company.  BS!!!

    However, some of my same friends who will be irate over crowdsourcing don’t seem to have any issues with illegally downloading music, tv shows, or movies.   It becomes a larger group when you include some others that I follow on social media.   Some complain when someone posts something they found/made without attribution to the original poster.   I am in full agreement with that complaint provided that you aren’t yourself in the practice of stealing content from someone else.

    Know your meme is a great site to find out the history behind certain memes that suddenly become popular on social media.

    Those of you who are artists/designers, what are your thoughts on crowdsourcing design work?

     

  • Overwhelmed Underwhelmed

    Feeling Overwhelmed Underwhelmed Cartoon

    Today’s cartoon is based on an actual conversation my wife and I had today.   As I was saying it I realized underwhelmed is NOT the opposite of overwhelmed even though “over” and “under” are.

    overwhelmed

    • Bury or drown beneath a huge mass.
    • Defeat completely.

    underwhelmed 

    • Fail to impress or make a positive impact on (someone); disappoint

    You would think they wouldn’t BOTH be bad.  Anyone else think of two words that should mean opposite things but really aren’t?

  • Bald Men – Hairy Backs

    Bald Hairy Back Man Cartoon by Bearman Cartoons

    Decided to change up some of my cartoons and experiment with different things.  Today’s cartoon was inspired by a friend of mine who is of course bald.  I don’t know if he has a hairy back or not but I can imagine.

    It seems as I grow older thankfully I have not yet lost the hair on my head but I find these strange giant ear hairs or strangle long hairs coming out of my eyebrows.  As my wife calls them “crazy eyebrows”

    Trying to work on some new shirt designs and some back-end website redesigns so I may post sporadically or not necessarily cartoons but I will try to still make my rounds as I can.

  • Bill Clinton Speaks at DNC

    Editorial Cartoon: Bill Clinton Speaks at DNC Convention Seems former President Bill Clinton is needed to rile the troops at the Democratic National Convention where he has been invited as a keynote speaker.   Hope he can make it through all his lines with a straight face.  Not a secret the history between him and President Obama.

  • Romney Picks the Other Paul

    Editorial Cartoon: Mitt Romney Picks the Wrong Paul

    What they hell are you doing posting an editorial cartoon on a Sunday again and where is that obnoxious banner begging for votes?  Well I made it to week 9 among the top 10 but didn’t make it to the top 5 in the final week.  Thank you all so much for the support, votes, sharing and essentially putting up with me.  I’ll share my thoughts later in the post but first…

    Today’s cartoon was inspired by Mitt Romney choosing his running mate as Congressman Paul Ryan (oh and former Miami University alum – anyone know any other famous MU alums??  ahem ahem).   There was some quiet chatter that another presidential candidate, Ron Paul should be considered for the VP spot and a little more outspoken chatter about his son Rand Paul getting the nod.  So for those out there who think Romney got the wrong Paul, this cartoon is for you.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    A few comments on the editorial cartoon contest…

    What I liked

    • It forced me to create and post an editorial cartoon 2x a week for the past 9 weeks.  Sure I typically post on Sundays and Wednesdays but sometimes I might share a different type of cartoon work.
    • It allowed me to utilize social media and the power of my readers to have a great showing every week.  Until the last week I was consistently in the top 3 in votes and the last week I was number 4.  Again voting didn’t account for the entire process of who got picked for the next round.

    What I didnt like…

    • No link love back to the creators.  Sure you could link to my twitter or facebook account from their page but why not open it up.
    • No direct voting links.  You had to go to the voting page and then find my picture to vote for it.  Several people accidentally voted for the first image that popped up and it wasn’t mine.
    • No archive of participants who didn’t make it.  There were several cartoonists who I loved that didn’t make it to further rounds but there is no way for me to find them because all their posts and info has been hidden.  Maybe it will pop back up after the competition.

    If you keep voting, I am putting my support behind Al Goodwin.  I think he is the best of the rest.  Consistently on the mark, timely and a fantastic cartoonist.  All in all it was fun…though I doubt I will be participating again as I am looking at what I want the next chapter of my cartooning to be….  I’ll keep you posted.

  • Space Cadets: NASA, Mars, and Presidential Candidates

    Editorial Cartoon NASA, Mars and Presidential Debates

    The Cartoonist Studio Editorial Cartoon Contest continues and I made it to week EIGHT!!  Thanks to all for voting.  Click the image above or here to go to the voting.  You should do a search of “Bearman” and my cartoon will come up front and center and then vote.  Again, as long as I stay in the contest, there will be two editorial cartoons a week to vote on – Mondays and Thursdays.   Oh and you can vote multiple times in each round if you want (resets every six hours) until EOD Saturday.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Today’s editorial cartoon is a tribute to NASA and their successful landing of the probe CURIOSITY on Mars.  With all those “rocket scientists” you would think one of them could help us make sense of the Presidential Candidates and what is going to spew out of their mouths in the upcoming debates.