subwaysurfer animated cartoon

limited animation clip of me drawing person on the train who was so over whelmed he wanted to share his latte with me....

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas for Comics?

HI! IM ELGIN BOLLING, ALSO KNOWN AS SUBWAYSURFER! BUT THEN, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT DONT CHA? TODAY i WILL BE TEACHING ON HOW I GET MY IDEAS FOR COMICS. IM OFTEN ASKED THIS QUESTION, AND CHUCKLE AT THE ANSWER, BECAUSE ITS REALLY QUITE SIMPLE. EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET IS LITERALLY A WALKING BOOK, FILLED WITH BILLIONS OF STORIES THAT KEEP GETTING ADDED TO EVERYDAY! ALL THE MATERIAL ANY ARTIST NEEDS TO CONSTRUCT A COMIC STORY IS NOT TO BE FOUND "OUT THERE" IN SPACE, BUT "IN HERE" BETWEEN THEIR TWO EARS. WHENEVER I NEED A STORY FOR ONE OF MY COMICS, I ALWAY GO INSIDE FIRST FOR INSPIRATION....



USING A SHARP CLEAN KNIFE I CUT OPEN OFF THE TOP OF MY CRANIUM AND CAREFUL TAKE THE BRAIN OUT AND START SEARCHING MY MIND FOR DATA. THERE ARE BILLIONS OF STORIES, OBSERVATIONS, AND IMPRESSIONS BURIED DEEP IN MY CONCIOUSNESS THAT I JUST HAVE TO BE PATIENT ENOUGH TO ACESS. OF COURSE SOMETIMES PANIC SETS IN AND I DONT QUITE REMEMBER WHERE I PUT ALL MY STORIES. ONCE YOU GET TO THIS STAGE, CONTINUE SEARCHING, BUT BE CAREFUL TO NOTE WHERE YOU'VE PUT ALL YOUR GRAY MATTER, AFTER ALL, YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING IT ALL BACK!

IN ORDER FOR MY WORK TO "RING TRUE" I MUST HAVE A STRONG EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH IT. EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS COME FROM DEEP INSIDE BASED ON HOW I FEEL ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS, PAST HURTS, REACTIONS TO FILMS OR SONGS, AND ESPECIALLY CHILDHOOD AND YOUTHFUL MEMORIES. iT'S ALL THERE INSIDE. ONCE i HAVE A STRONG EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO MY WORK, i KNOW THAT THE AUDIENCE WILL FEEL IT TOO AND NOT JUST BE LOOKING AT :"PRETTY PICTURES" mOST ARTISTS KNOW HOW TO DRAW A PRETTY PICTURE, BUT THE TRICK IS TO WRITE A "PRETTY STORY" WHICH IS WHY SO MANY ARTISTS WHOSE WORK LOOKS LIKE A TEN YEAR OLD CAN BE MORE ENTERTAINING THAN AN ARTIST WHO DRAWS EVERYTHING"PERFECT".

ANOTHER METHOD I USE IS TO JUST GET OUT A REAM OF PAPER AND START 'STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS DRAWING" sOMETIMES THE OLD IDEA ENGINE NEEDS TO BE WARMED UP, SO I JUST DRAW ANYTHING! ONE DRAWING FLOWING INTO THE NEXT, FORMING ASSOCIATIONS AND VISUAL CONNECTIONS.... SOMETIMES FRUSTRATIONS SET IN AND I START TO LET OUT PRIMAL SCREAMS OF FRUSTRATION ESPECIALLY AROUND DEADLINE TIME.....

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST BEST TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD AND GO OUTSIDE FOR A WALK. A SIMPLE CHANGE OF SCENERY CAN SOMETIMES HELP SPARK YOUR IDEA ENGINE. FOR ALL YOU KNOW, THE NEXT BIG IDEA CAN COME TO YOU UNEXPECTEDLY OUTTA "NO WHERE!...'

SOMETIMES OUT OF NOWHERE, AN IDEA JUST HITS YOU!! THAT'S JUST HOW THE CREATIVE PROCESS WORKS!!! WOW... THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK!

condom cartoon

This is a perfect example of a joke "coming to you out of no where.

Latest Wave Cartoon BCHS vs The Board Of Education

Love Letter comic

Here's something different. I was in the mood to do a tragic love story wanted to use an animation/comic minimalist technique. We all know a little bit about heartache, dont we?

Dont get HUNG by your TONGUE!!! cartoon

Ever notice that what the things you SAY concerning/about yourself usually come true? Think about those times in your life when you've said, " I cant do that" or " Im too old," "Im tired" "I'll never be able to afford that!" " I'm stupid..." the list goes on and on..... If we're honest, the WORDS that we SPEAK are not just "harmless meaning less things" which pop and disappear like soap bubbles. Words have POWER! Power to transform, uplift, and heal, or consequently, to teardownk, or distroy.The Bible says ... whether you believe it or not... God created the heavens and the earth and everything in between by speaking it into existence. Since he made US, he put some powerful stuff in US too!
I was listening to a broadcast on Christian TV one day and the host was speaking on this very subject:

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth

He then exclaimed, " I WISH I HAD A CARTOON SHOWING SOMEONE BEING HANGED BY THEIR TONGUE!!!
I immediately got to work on the cartoon, confident that I was the ONLY one who thought of the great idea to send it to this broadcaater!

Weeks later I got a very nice rejection letter, thanking me for the toon, but informing me that it would not be used, just like the many hundreds of others who got the same idea to send a cartoon in! LOL!

It's STILL a great cartoon, and still a truism.

There's a reason why your mom used to tell you to
WATCH YOUR MOUTH!!

Latest Wave Cartoon

Law enforcement officials are finally installing video cameras in the Hammels Housing Projects in an effort to discourage a rash of shootings in the area. A New "crew " is in town, hopefully to stay.

Subway Comic Beware of Passengers with Hot Coffee

CANT TOUCH THIS!!! NYPD Comic 100 Pct

From what I understand there's this bizarre law on the books that limit or prohibit cops from frisking suspected felons. Law enforcement is upset about this, but felons seem to have no problem with the law..... Ive been noticing of late with my drawing style how I inadvertently end up paying tribute visually to one of my early artistic references, Robert Crumb.

latest Editorial cartoons

Anyone who lives in the Rockaway Park is familiar with the HORRIFIC parking problems in the area. This cartoon accompanies an editorial that offers a solution to the problem.

The other cartoon calls attention to the legal loophole inadvertently created by congressmen Meeks, and Weiner, that allows firearms to be sold to anyone willing to cross state lines to PA, Florida, Ohio, North and South Carolina to attend a gun show. In these states, only "antique weapons" as supposed to be sold and displayed, but that is often not the case. Many of the firearms in the Rockaways are linked to weapons purchased in these states.
In a recent New York Magazine interview, Congressman Weiner, featured here, commented that although he comes under criticism with the paper, nevertheless, he is a faithful reader. I recently sent him a large resolution version of the cartoon which he happily accepted.

More Wave Publishing Editorial Cartoons

The First Toon accompanies an editorial on the re writing of the constitution. I used a modern spin on Old George and Ben Franklin... personally, I think Frankie was "the geek of his day" and that ole George, a military man of action, probably didnt like him, the feeling being mutual on Ben's part. The second toon accompanied an editorial calling for a clean sweep of the current "career politicians" that service The Rockaway Community. The article called for a clean sweep of the old party members, to bring in the new. The final editorial calls attention to a newly created group of homeless people who will soon be populating The Rockaway area due to the closing, or "renovation" of the SRO's That previously housed them. Many of these residents were on fixed incomes, and medically and emotionally challenged to begin with. One can only imagine what's going to happen to the community now that they've been released....

latest wave cartoon Beware Of Dishonest Debt Col-lectors

This is my latest editorial toon for the 1st week of August For The WAVE Newspaper. Here is the text that accompanies the picture.

Beware Of Dishonest Debt Col-lectors
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is on a mission. Just two weeks ago, he sued 35 law firms and two debt collecting firms that operate in the state in order to throw out more than 100,000 default judgments improp-erly obtained against state citizens. Here’s the way the scam works. One day you open your mail, and you get a debt collection letter from a firm you have never heard of about a debt that you never incurred. One recent letter that has hit Rockaway homes purports to come from a company collecting for Veri-zon that seeks to collect a few hundred dollars that you owe on a phone num-ber you never had. Two or three weeks later, the telephone calls begin. When you explain that you don’t owe the debt, the person on the other end of the phone says that you do, and offers you a “deal” to pay off for half the amount owed. The letters and calls continue, and eventually the person on the other end of the phone says that the agency is going to court against you, and it does. The problem is, agents of the company certify to the court that you have been served with a subpoena to appear in court on a certain day, when in fact you have not. When you do not show up on the appointed day, the agency gets a judgment against you. That judgment is then sent to your bank, and your account is seized, even if it contains monies from social security and pensions, something that is not allowed under the law. The banks find it easer to simply obey the court order than to check where the money in the account comes from. Now, however, Cuomo wants all of those default judgments overturned, something for which we should all applaud him. As a consumer, you have cer-tain rights. You have the right to ask the caller proof that you owe the debt, but it must be done in writing. You have the right to see credit card receipts and other documentary proof that you owe the debt. And, should your bank account be seized, you have the right to appeal that with the clerk of the court, arguing that you were never served with the subpoena. Don’t take the debt collectors lightly. Many of them are crooks, out to take away your hard-earned money.

Fun In Junior High...my war with "Vinnie"

Just thought I'd park these illos here just to remind myself to complete this comic. Im FINALLY wrapping up the final stages in it and it should be completed in about a week or two. Keep tuned to this post for update

ANATOMY OF A FREELANCE JOB COMIX(based on a true story)

Been doing a LOT of in house freelance jobs lately, and after one particualrly "killer job" I decided to make a comic about it, as best i remember it

First thing I recieved was the deposit check and samples. The client overnighted it as promised, and I was confident they had followed my instructions to the letter. This was a massive twenty person caricature for a company poster and I emphasized that I needed good samples. To my horrow when i got into the studio i found these teeney weeney almost postage stamp sized pictures that were blurry and washed out looking. I thought my eyes were gonna roll outta my sockets to make them out. My Client had also given me a killer deadline. I called my client in desperation pleading for better pics, and also an extension if I was doomed to work with these. their answer was concise and immediate. I immediately got myself a pot of coffee on and went into automatic pilot, sketching erasing redrawing, ripping pages up, throwing them all over the studio..... Finally in the wee hours of the morning I managed to scan everything, photoshop held together and I scanned everything over.

The client loved them.