No Pot Of Gold!

Even Leprechauns have it rough these days...

Illustration for JEMS magazine

WORTH THE FIGHT!

You would have to be living in a very deep hole not to have noticed the vicious pro vs anti-union rhetoric being slung by everyone from politicians to the old lady walking her dog down the block.This is a nasty and dirty line being drawn in the sand, and one that my state of Ohio will face shortly (if not already with SB-5).

I am not a union member, but watched for many years as my father worked for union and non-union coal mines in Kentucky. I have witnessed first hand what ownership will do without a union holding them accountable for egregious cuts, safety violations, and worker's rights. Unions, be they IAFF or any other are not without fault, but these latest attacks on union rights and the ability to organize, negotiate, maintain current benefits, and secure a safe future for their workers is inexplicably wrong - and I will use the point of my pen to voice this message as loud as I can. There will be more!

I will leave you with this quote from our seventh President, Andrew Jackson. Sadly, it holds as true today (be it Local, State or Federal Gov't) as it did 150 years ago.
"I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office." - President Andrew Jackson

FEBRUARY FIRE ENGINEERING MAGAZINE COMMENTARY

FIRE ENGINEERING EDITORIAL CARTOON

Nothing like a little freelancing to muck-up the best intended plans and strategies. It's bad enough when these individuals circumvent the chain of command to "help" where they please, but their blatant disregard for accountability and the safety of others is simply inexcusable!

Sketch

A recent sketch at our local café, Seasons - ah,  I'm a slave to their mocha! Anyway, this character was ALL about attitude and little on being convincingly tough. Imagine a nerd with a "gangstah" complex - which is really humorous considering he was white, overweight, in his mid-thirties, and drove a VW Beetle (I notice such things).  Naturally, he made my choice of sketchbook victims an easy one:)

New Princess Cruises Saftety Posters

These "Hazard Spotting" posters were a blast to do - and a challenge.

FIRE ENGINEERING EDITORIAL CARTOON

 January's magazine editorial cartoon speaks to any department which relies on volunteers or paid-on-call personnel to protect their district. Quality local jobs are dwindling and people have become less interested in helping their communities to concentrate on second careers, soccer games, and a myriad other distractions. In most cases, they no longer work and live in the same community, as was the case just 10 or 15 years ago. What's more, the crop of young replacements are leaving for the promise of brighter futures in larger cities where their service as volunteers is not needed - and who can blame them. It's a very scary situation with no immediate answers. Aggressive recruitment and retention is not enough - if the people aren't there, they aren't there!
The volunteer or combination fire department will not go extinct, but they will look dramatically different in the decades to come. Creative solutions by smart and dedicated people will navigate through this crisis - they always have! Fires will go out, people will be saved, and emergencies responded to - it's just a question of how far you can stretch what you have and how innovative you will be with the future.

THANKS FOR THE EDUCATION!

 

I like to share this editorial cartoon every college bowl season. Sportsmanship, tradition, pageantry, and wholesome competition are just pipe dreams when compared to the real motivation for bowl games. Belly-up to the platter boys (Universities, that is), these kids make you a fortune!

JEMS Magazine Illo

New illustration for Jems magazine about EMS health-care providers trying to multi-task too many things and overlooking the patient's obvious needs. This was a fun and challenging piece to do. Went through nearly six roughs before I was satisfied with the viewing angle and energy of the piece.

Weekly Work

Working on a spot illustration for Inside Business magazine today and tomorrow - will share as soon as possible. Also, finishing up on my first illo for FireIce this week and will post first of January. Busy, busy, busy...
In the mean time, here's a sample of a large two-page illo I'm working on. I love pipers!!

SCROOGED!

 

As I was reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol last week, it came to me that the lessons learned in this classic tale apply to many facets of life - especially in the fire service. And just as the three ghost that haunted Ebeneezer Scrooge that Christmas Eve opened his eyes to what was, is, and will be, so could they warn us of the perils of recording and posting crash-scene photo/videos. Though a few creative liberties were taken on my part, the message remains the same - we are chained to what we do in the past, must be accountable for the present outcome of our actions, and suffer the future consequences.

With alarming regularity, incident scenes and video taken by firefighters are popping up everywhere on the internet. Most are harmless; well-intended movies of responding units showing what we do and experience. However, in recent months reports of disturbing photos and videos recorded by firefighters are making headlines. Whether for morbid curiosity or deranged pleasure, these images were leaked to the public, and what's worse, to the victim's family. I can't imagine their horror and heart-break! In an age where nearly everyone carries technology that is capable of taking photos or recording video, we must stop and think about our actions. Because once shared, they can never be retrieved - and that permanent chain is forever linked to you! And just as my Jacob Marley/Ghost of Christmas Past character portrays, you will dredge that chain for the rest of your life.

Cell phones have NO business on the fire ground or crash-scenes, so keep the damn things in your pocket!!

CHOPPED!

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, everyone!!

FIRE ENGINEERING EDITORIAL CARTOON

I LOVE Fall!! I love everything about it, except for the allergies, of course - but even they're tolerable with the incredible beauty of a Great Lakes Autumn!!

However, seeing multi-colored leaves carpeting the ground also brings to mind the ever increasing mounds of paperwork and documentation that accompany our jobs as firefighters - whether career or volunteer. This commentary came to me while out on a country run. I saw a couple raking their leaves and they were literally up to their waist in fallen foliage. It was comical - and made for a great metaphor (always looking for a great metaphor) about the ever-present pile of paper that weighs down the firehouse desks - especially chief, inspection, and training officers.

Enjoy Fall, everyone - it goes by too quickly!!

A HUNTING WE WILL GO...

It's deer season here in NW Ohio and the hunters are out in force. Generally a good and jolly bunch, but there are always a few that get the "fever" and take things overboard. Couldn't resist having a little fun at their expense:)

TESTIMONIALS

Thought I'd post a few comments that I've received about my book Drawn By Fire - the response has been terrific. Thanks to all!!

_________________

Just had to say, "Great work!"

Those training and leadership observations were so on-target they hurt.

Well done.

_________________

AWESOME!  I just received a copy of ‘Drawn by Fire’ and print # 99/100. As a gift for being selected Fire Training Instructor of the Year by my department, my Battalion Chief blessed me with a copy. He’s heard me talk about your illustrations so much and seen the samples I have in my office that he was compelled to honor me with a copy.

I try not to contact you every time I am inspired by your cartoons, but I had to email you again. ‘Preventable LODD’ is my all time favorite.  I’m the physical training instructor and I teach a LODD class. Needless to say, all of our recruits have seen that illustration.

I compliment and encourage you to continue to share the sentiment of the fire department through your incredible gift.

_________________

Paul, I've looked through the book Bro, outstanding work! It's another training tool I can add to my toolbox thanks to you. It looks great, my 21 year old daughter, big on drawing, not big on fire stuff, was looking through it and liked and understood the work my friend. To me, that speaks volumes of the way this book turned out!

_________________

INCREDIBLE!!! I've seen your work for years - but to see it in such detail brings it all to life. The leadership cartoons are spot-on! Great Job Brother!

_________________

Hey Paul, I got my book and Print, and I can't put it down, Amazing and is an awesome book...I didn't realize I had missed so many, I got #37/100. You truly have a way of capturing the thoughts, pride and tradition of our job.....Great Job Brother can't wait for the next one…

_________________

You did it again - I have used your work in classes for years and can honestly say they teach our lessons very well. you make us smile and laugh - and cry and get angry. Thanks for the gift of your cartoons brother! 

_________________

Ouch! These editorial cartoons sting - and thank you for doing them. We can all learn something from your work. BTW - I received a print too - AWESOME!

_________________

CHARACTER STUDY

Just finished a character study for my next book project. He (Smokey Joe) is a combination of drawing and painting to create the gritty high-contrast style. Firefighting is a dirty job, and I want the viewer to experience the smells, grit, and sweat through my art - I'm pleased with the results here (kind'a). I have a ...few tweaks here and there, but for the most part this project is ready to launch. More teasing to come later...:)

PRINT SIGNING TODAY

Signing the first of 100 L/E prints that will accompany my book Drawn By Fire - which ships next week. Very exciting time around the Combs home - our cat even got an extra tummy rub - she was very happy about that!!

EMAIL-BLAST FLIER

Here's the PennWell email-blast flier that was sent out today. Very cool, and they did a great job on the design, too!

NEW BOOK AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 30th

My new book is titled Drawn by Fire and it's a collection of 150 fire service editorial cartoons created over the past five years. I'm EXTREMELY excited about this! More will be posted later, but if you're interested in pre-ordering a copy, you can go to the PennWell bookstore to do so. Here's the link...

http://pennwellbooks.com/drawnbyfire.html

And, there's more.... the first 100 pre-ordered books will ship with a L/E hand signed and numbered 15x9" print by me. Orders are starting to mount, so my guess is these will not gather any dust. I've attached a sample of the promotional print below.

The Beacon

Whether you're for or against a Mosque (Cultural Center) near Ground-Zero, it is sure to be a hot-spot for protests and heated debate.

August Fire Engineering Magazine Commentary

NY CITY STREET SINGER

From quick NY City sketch, to finished illustration. Watching this guy dance around in Brooklyn was a blast. He had such a passion for singing that he was totally oblivious to the world around him - including the delivery truck that almost creamed him as he danced across a street.

Had a lot of fun pushing the contrast with this piece - not to mention painting the crazy brick patterns.

NO TIME TO STOP - FIRE ENGINEERING COMMENTARY

'Nuff said!!

FRIDAY SKETCH

It's very hard to draw while sitting in uncomfortable chairs, twisted like a pretzel - but somehow this sketch came out of the ordeal. Had fun working the light and folds of clothing - however, wish I had more time to explore his personality a bit more.

TAMPA PD LODD

Tampa Patrol Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab - rest in peace, gentlemen!

THE BLAME GAME

For those of you that have not read Chief Halton's commentary in June's Fire Engineering magazine "Is Making A Mistake A Crime?", please take a moment to do so - trust me, it's worth your time. My second illustration this month plays along many of the same lucid points made in his commentary and highlights the challenge we now face as emergency responders. We train, we rely on experience (both our own and those around us), and we study trade magazines, journals, and case studies, all to help us prepare for those split-second decisions that may save a life, or prevent one of our own from sustaining an injury. Unfortunately this is not enough in a scape-goat society where the need to feed a perceived gratification for justice sometimes outweighs common sense. Add to this a bandwagon of attorneys who are licking their collective chops at big dollar settlements, and you can see where the "system" has left the tracks.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes good does come from the justice system hammering down on our bad practices, negligence, and complacency - especially in cases where injury or death has occurred. Measurable positive change has come from these unfortunate events. The thorn in my side stems from the frivolous questioning of our decision making and actions for monetary gain. Isn't our job tough enough without this keeping us awake at night, too?!

JERSEY CITY SKETCH

Sketched this guy while in Jersey City two weeks ago. As usual, I love to wake up early and walk around a new city, soaking in the experience of the city's culture and people as I go. All the while, taking mental snap-shots that ultimately end up as sketches while sitting in some local café. This man, however, really caught my attention (along with anyone else in a two block radius) because he screamed constantly at perceived demons that were tormenting him at ever turn. He would walk quickly from street corner to corner, stopping only to warn those following him to "stay away and go home" with profanity that would make any sailor blush. His savage anger was startling... and very sad, too.

I could not leave this experience in my head (which would ultimately drive me insane, too); thus, it came out in this quick sketch. I was not concerned about catching a likeness as much as I wanted to portray his anger - I hope it worked.

FIRE ENGINEERING EDITORIAL CARTOON

Perhaps this illustration is a bit over the top, but it is an unfortunate reality for many of our retiree and disabled Brothers and Sisters. Pension benefits often do not cover sky-rocketing medication costs, not if you intend to eat, too. Volunteers have it worse, yet - some gave 20 to 30 plus years of service to a community, working a full-time job that may, or may not have provided retirement benefits. It's heartbreaking to see them struggle with drug costs; having to make the choice between daily living and life saving medication.

I wish I had a solution! All I can offer is a whimsical take on a serious situation and the knowledge that we honor your service and sympathize with your struggle.

NEW YORK CITY SKETCHES

Thought I'd post a few sketches I did on a recent trip to New York City. Incredible place! I only wish I had more time to just sketch and watch their inspiring diverse culture. More sketches to come...