Category: News

  • Mammogram Awareness Challenge

    Mammogram Awareness Challenge

    Mammogram Awareness Challenge by Bearman Cartoons

    Recently someone close to me was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram.  This is someone with no family history and who is in good shape.  Her message is to all her friends and family is to make sure you are up-to-date on your mammograms.

    So I decided to help out with one of my challenges where I do all the donating.  This Mammogram Awareness Challenge will run through October or until I hit the maximum of $1000.  For every share of this message on social media, I am donating:

    All donations will be made to the Cris Collinsworth ProScan Fund.  I chose this charity because they offer free mammograms and other breast related services to lower income women.

    Thanks!!

  • Computer Crash Cartoon

    Computer Crash Cartoon

    Computer Crash Cartoon

    Well it finally happened.  After 9 years, my computer, and primary drawing tool, crashed.  Towards the end I could work on it for about 5 minutes before everything locked up.  After weeks of dealing with it without finding a solution and then researching new computers and then transferring files and programs, I am finally just seeing the end where I may be back up and running.

    Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge

    The Challenge was a bust this year compared to the previous nine so maybe it is time to put that in the ground along with my old computer.  As of last count we were only at about $150.  I went ahead and made a donation to all three charities of $250 each.

  • Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge 2016

    Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge 2016

    Bearman-Cartoons-Charity-Challenge-2016

     

    Yes it is that time of year once again.  The Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge 2016 from May 9 – June 15, where you do stuff and I donate money to worthy charities.   This is the 8th Year I have done this so far donating over $7500.

    I do this challenge each year to raise awareness of my blog while giving money to charities who need it.  Some people have asked why I don’t just shut up and donate the money without all the fuss.  Three  reasons.  First, what I spend on this is my advertising budget for the year so if you enjoy Bearman Cartoons, please help by spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc and/or thumbing up on StumbleUpon or Reddit.  Second, I have heard from many people who want to donate but their current financials don’t allow for it.  This is a great way for them to get involved.  And finally, no one would probably know about all these great charities without the challenge so it is my way to strum up some publicity for them.

    Again this year I will divide evenly the amount of money donated between three charities up to $1500.   The first charity I will support is the Red Cross in their continued efforts.     The second charity is the Brandon C Gromada Head and Neck Cancer Foundation.   This charity is named after my friend Brandon Gromada who was stricken with this terrible disease and passed away in 2012.  His family set up this foundation to direct funds to research for better treatments.  This is a rare type of cancer that research funds are needed to combat it. And the third is of course one of my favorite charities,  Crayons to Computers.  It is a free store for teachers allowing them to stock up on school and art supplies for their students/classrooms. But that is not all.      I will donate the indicated amount for each thing that you do in the month of May:

    • $10 – For any cartoonists who uses ME in a cartoon in their strip.  Use “BEARMAN” somewhere in the toon.  Maybe it’s a character’s name, a name on a bar sign in the background, integrating my green haired gravatar into a background character or even loosely as “Check out that Bear, man!”  Be sure to link back to this post so I know to include you in my tally.   I know some of you work with a buffer so if you plan to post after May just contact me and let me know and I will add it to the list.
    • $5 – Blog about my challenge to your readers and link back to this entry in your post – http://beartoons.com/2016/05/09/bearman-cartoons-charity-challenge-2016
    • $1 – Circle/Follow me on Social Media -Payout limited to the first 1200 new followers in May so I have money for the other parts of the challenge.

    PLUS Donation Match.  You make any donation to any of the three charities listed above in honor of Bearman Cartoons or Beartoons.com and I will match that donation up to the maximum payout for the challenge.  Just send me something or post something showing your donation so I can count it.

  • 99Blast Card Game on Kickstarter

    99Blast Card Game on Kickstarter

    99Blast Card Game is officially on Kickstarter. Click Here to go to the project page where you can support the campaign either by purchasing a deck or by sharing the project via social media to your friends/followers.

    We have been working on this for months and are happy to finally get this thing moving.

  • 99Blast Card Game

    99Blast Card Game

    So I am happy to finally announce the upcoming project that my buddy and I have been working on for the last several months that has been taking up lots of my non work time.  99Blast the card counting game.

    99 is a card game that can be played with a traditional deck of cards.  I hadn’t heard of it until my mother in law introduced me to it.  It is a fast paced card game that can become addicting.  Essentially the goal of a single hand is to NOT be the person to take a running count of the cards above 99.    Once you understand the single hand rules, it is up to your imagination how to play a full game.  Traditionally my mother in law gave each person three dimes.  When you lose a hand, you put your dime in the middle.  Lose all the dimes and you are out.  Last person standing wins all the money.  It is a great way to teach kids to count while playing a game.   Older players have turned it into a drinking game with shots or the person losing three hands having to buy the next round.    That is what is great about the game is that you make it your own once you have the basic rules down.

    The problem with 99 is that you have to remember which card represents negative 10 and which represents reverse.  So working with my partner we came up with and designed our own deck with some added game play not found in traditional 99.  Thus 99Blast.

    Please check out the video above and the entire site.  Right now we are considering a kickstarter campaign most likely in mid August but could be sooner.  If you are interested in being notified when it launches (and get in early for the discounted decks), please fill out this form.

    And as always let me know what you think.

  • The Copyright Zone

    The Copyright Zone

    Copyright Zone

    I just finished reading the second edition of Edward Greenberg and Jack Reznicki’s book “The Copyright Zone” and anyone that creates original content (comics, art, etc.) should check out this book.  Available at Amazon.    Ed is a NYC attorney who has been working with photographers and illustrators for 30 years to protect their intellectual property rights.  Jack is a NYC based commercial photographer with a list of national clients.

    Anyone who has ever posted any creative work online is prone to having your work used without your permission.  Even with all the URL’s and email plastered over my work, I have found my own cartoons cropped to remove my contact info and someone else’s URL.  Thankfully I have just enough readers who point me in the right direction in those rare cases.  See my FAQ section for image usage that Ed would probably cringe at. 🙂

    Making sure artists get proper credit has been a passion of mine on social media.  Guess it comes from having a father and grandfather who were attorneys and my dad was involved in one of the most cited First Amendment cases to go before the Supreme Court.

    Back to the book.  Here is what I liked:

    • Humor – Nothing is more drab than the law.  But Ed and Jack use language that is “dumbed down” (in a good way) and play off each other in a brotherly back and forth.
    • Complete Step by Step:  Never copyrighted your work?  They walk you through every step you need, whether it has already been published on your website or is coming right out of your camera/work area.
    • Examples:  Multiple examples of real life cases Ed has been involved in.  Make the right moves regarding copyright and you are set.  Do nothing and suffer the consequences.

    From the perspective of a online cartoon distributor and promoter of other’s work on social media (using links of course) I would love to know more as to what is the right and wrong thing to do from a legal standpoint.  If Ed is amiable and I can figure out a way to get a hold of him, maybe I can gather a list of questions my fellow cartoonists have that might not be answered in the book specific to the work we do.

    ____________________

    Charity Challenge Week 2 Results

    Thanks again for supporting the charity challenge and spreading the message.  Full Details Here.

    Cartoonist using “Bearman” in their cartoons ($10 each):

    Blog about the Challenge ($5 each):

    New Google Plus Followers ($1 each)

    • 365 (wow)!!

    Week 2 Grand Total of $425 and running total of 1025!!

    Let me know if I missed anyone.

  • Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge 2015

    Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge 2015

    Bearman-Cartoons-Charity-Challenge-2015
    Yes it is that time of year once again.  The Bearman Cartoons Charity Challenge during the month of May, where you do stuff and I donate money to worthy charities.   This is the 7th Year I have done this so far donating over $6000. and it will run until the end of May.

    I do this challenge each year to raise awareness of my blog while giving money to charities who need it.  Some people have asked why I don’t just shut up and donate the money without all the fuss.  Three  reasons.  First, what I spend on this is my advertising budget for the year so if you enjoy Bearman Cartoons, please help by spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc and/or thumbing up on StumbleUpon or Reddit.  Second, I have heard from many people who want to donate but their current financials don’t allow for it.  This is a great way for them to get involved.  And finally, no one would probably know about all these great charities without the challenge so it is my way to strum up some publicity for them.

    Again this year I will divide evenly the amount of money donated between three charities up to $1500.   The first charity I will support is the Red Cross in their efforts to help those suffering after the Nepal Earthquake.    The second charity is the Brandon C Gromada Head and Neck Cancer Foundation.   This charity is named after my friend Brandon Gromada who was stricken with this terrible disease and passed away in 2012.  His family set up this foundation to direct funds to research for better treatments.  This is a rare type of cancer that research funds are needed to combat it. And the third is of course one of my favorite charities,  Crayons to Computers.  It is a free store for teachers allowing them to stock up on school and art supplies for their students/classrooms. But that is not all.   Once again, I am going to match dollar for dollar anything you donate to Crayons to Computers up to a max $500.  When donating just make it in Honor of Bearman Cartoons and they will know how to notify me.   So that is $2000 of my own money I am will to put up to get the word out about these causes. I will donate the indicated amount for each thing that you do in the month of May:

    • $10 – For any cartoonists who uses ME in a cartoon in their strip.  Use “BEARMAN” somewhere in the toon.  Maybe it’s a character’s name, a name on a bar sign in the background, integrating my green haired gravatar into a background character or even loosely as “Check out that Bear, man!”  Be sure to link back to this post so I know to include you in my tally.   I know some of you work with a buffer so if you plan to post after May just contact me and let me know and I will add it to the list.
    • $5 – Blog about my challenge to your readers and link back to this entry in your post – http://beartoons.com/2015/04/30/bearman-cartoo…challenge-2015/
    • $1 – Circle/Follow me on Google Plus – http://googleplus.beartoons.com.   Payout limited to the first 1200 new followers in May so I have money for the other parts of the challenge.  Currently I have 84,004 followers so a buck for every one added above that up to the max.

    If by some luck I hit the max payout and your are a cartoonist willing to utilize me/my name in your strip but haven’t posted yet, just let me know and I will still count those as part of the match money to Crayons 2 Computers. Thanks for your continued support.

  • Chuck Jones Red Dot Auction

    Chuck Jones Red Dot Auction

    Red Dot AuctionThe Chuck Jones Center for Creativity (CJCC) Red-Dot Auction is coming May 1, 2015 in  Costa Mesa.  The CJCC is a “Chuck Jones, the Center’s vision is to inspire the innate creative genius within each person that leads to a more joyous, passionate, and harmonious life and world.”

    To support their needs, they have reached out to artists to produce an original 12×12 piece that they can auction off that night.  They have over 200 pieces this year including TWO from yours truly.  However I can’t tell you which are mine.  The idea behind the auction is that each work is signed, but on the back so you don’t know if you are purchasing the work of a famous artist (like Eric & Bill Teitelbaum of Pink Panther fame or Disney artist/director Kelly Asbury) or just some cartooning schlub like me.  Got to Chuck Jones site to see all the participating artists.

    Better yet, you can get into the auction early as Heritage Auctions has all of the artwork available for prebidding before the night.  Each artwork has a starting bid of $100.

    Or if you happen to be in the area you can purchase your $25  tickets for the night here.

    Go to Heritage Auctions and see how good you are by trying to pick out the work that I submitted  (tell me your 1-2 guesses in the comments) and maybe take a chance on some original artwork for your place.

     

  • Reddit and Blogger Begin Banning Certain Nude Images

    Reddit and Blogger Begin Banning Certain Nude Images

    Reddit-Censorship-Bearman-Cartoons

     

    Welcome news for those who have been the victim of others taking their “nude” photos and posting it on Reddit.  Blogger has announced that going forward nude photos have to be on a private site and reddit announced that nude images can no longer be posted without the subject in the image’s permission.  See story.

    Now if we could get a rating put on certain images as they are uploaded to Google Plus so I can avoid the explicit images some of my “friends” post so my wife doesn’t think I am looking at nudies on my ipad in bed.  I couldn’t resist creating this image of the reddit alien flashing you all.

  • Christopher Hart Cartoon Faces Giveaway

    Christopher Hart Cartoon Faces Giveaway

    Drawing-With-Christopher-Hart

    Anyone that has ever wanted to learn to cartoon has at some point come across one of the books of Christopher Hart.   I know I have two of his books on my shelf, “How to Draw Animation” and “How to Draw Cartoons for Comic Strips”   Well somehow the publisher of his books, Sterling Publishing, knew I was a fan and asked if I would like to do a giveaway of his latest book “Cartoon Faces – How to Draw Heads, Features & Expressions”

    Unfortunately this is open only to my US and Canada readers (sorry Australia, Tasmania and UK – when I publish my own book you will be eligible but don’t hold your breath for that to happen).  If you are interested just comment with the phrase “ENTER ME PLEASE” and you will be in.  You have until end of day on Tuesday to get entered.

    Good Luck

     

    UPDATE:

    Congratulations to Aaron Glendenning.  Winner of the giveaway.  Aaron please email me your contact info for shipment!!