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Today’s “Oh, Brother!” panel features the winner of our “Oh, Brother! Is Your Kid A Character?” contest. An expert panel of humorous and lifestyle bloggers from the RoleMommy.com network judged all of the contest entries and selected one child to be featured in our comic strip. It was a tough decision because there were many funny stories to choose from, but the judges made their selection. They declared Chiara, a 7-year-old girl from Columbia, Missouri, the winner! See a photo of her below.
Chiara’s mother submitted the winning anecdote about why her daughter is a character:
My kid is a character because she can always turn a bad situation into a good one! Her random funniness is what gets me through my day. Last week, we were talking and she said, “Mom, I’m never getting married.” I asked her why and she said, “Because boys like to take your paycheck and play video games all day, and I don’t have time for it, Mom!”
Chiara is a character, and we are very happy that she could be a part of “Oh, Brother!” for a day! In addition to making a guest appearance in today’s “Oh, Brother!” panel, Chiara received an autographed print of the original drawing signed by Jay Stephens and Bob Weber, Jr.
Congratulations to Chiara and her mother Tanisha! Well done, ladies!
If you love to color, hightail it over to our all-new Coloring Section, where you can print out extra-large versions of your favorite OH, BROTHER! strips to color!
Coming Soon: “Welcome To Oddville” by Jay Stephens
April 2nd, 2011 | by Oh, Brother!Posted In: blog posts
Check out what Publishers Weekly has this to say about Jay’s upcoming book, Welcome to Oddville. Hold tight because the book will be available for purchase this summer.
Welcome to Oddville
Jay Stephens. AdHouse, $14.95 (88p) ISBN 978-1-93523-308-4
“Drawings with a deliciously old-fashioned feel and atomic-inspired colors that pop off the page place readers squarely in the palm of Stephens’s hand from page one of this stunner of a graphic novel. Much of the work consists of stand-alone comics in the epic newspaper broadsheet style of ages past; each forces Stephens to crescendo quickly to achieve the conflict/resolution style this short form requires; luckily, his artistry is more than equal to the task. Best of all, though, is the goofy, harmless brand of humor in evidence throughout, especially in the longer Welcome to Oddville strips starring precocious Jet Cat and her associates. At the end of one adventure, she happily chirps: ”Well, we did it! Somehow a kid superhero, a grumpy snail, a vegetable ghost, and the head of a giant robot managed to team up and save the city.” With his spot-on comedic timing, crisp can’t-look-away graphics, and steady storytelling, Stephens proves that he is the whole package.”
And The Winner of the Oh, Brother! Contest Is…
April 1st, 2011 | by Oh, Brother!Posted In: blog posts
We are proud to announce the winner of our “Oh, Brother!: Is Your Kid a Character” contest. After receiving dozens of great entries, our panel of judges cast their votes and declared the winner of the contest is Chiara, a 7-year-old from Columbia, MO whose mom shared the following funny tidbit about her daughter:
“My kid is a character because she can always turn a bad situation into a good one. Her random funniness is what gets me through my day. Last week, we were talking and she said, ‘Mom, I’m never getting married!’ I asked her why and she said, ‘Because boys like to take your paycheck and play video games all day, and I don’t have time for it, Mom!’”
In the coming weeks, Chiara will be featured in an upcoming “Oh, Brother!” comic strip that will be syndicated by King Features to newspapers nationwide. The comic strip will also be featured on www.rolemommy.com and in the May issue of Project You Magazine. Stay tuned to the blog for more details!
Below is a list of the runners ups, all of whom contributed funny submissions, worthy of honorable mentions. Thse runners up will each receive a comic strip print autographed by Bob and Jay.
Our thanks to everyone for entering this fun contest and to our judges for casting their votes! Congratulations, Chiara!
“Oh Brother! Is Your Kid a Character?” Runners Up:
Trent, age 10
Norfolk, NE
Allie, age 8
New York City, NY
Dominic, age 9
Reminderville, OH
Clay, age 7
Klamath Falls, OR
Sarah, age 3
Voorhees, NJ
Hayden, age 5
Newnan, GA
Nicholas, age 6
Rice, TX
Sera, age 11
Middlesex, NJ
The “Oh, Brother!: Is Your Kid a Character?” contest was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network.
RoleMommy.com recently sat down with Bob Weber, Jr. and asked him to share his advice and best practices with any budding cartoonists out there, and this is what Bob had to say:
“If you like to draw and aspire to be a professional cartoonist, all you need to get started is a pencil, paper, and the determined desire to draw every single day. The more you practice drawing, the better your cartoons will be. Many aspiring cartoonists spend a lot of time drawing faces. That’s fun, but you’ll need the ability to draw a wide range of things in order to effectively illustrate your jokes or stories in an interesting and convincing manner. Go to the library or bookstore to find cartooning lesson books. These books can be valuable resources for learning to draw faces, hands, motion, backgrounds and perspective. You might also want to consider taking a cartoon class in your area.
Another terrific way to greatly improve your drawing skills is by studying the work of cartoonists that you admire. Allow yourself to be influenced by the styles and techniques of successful cartoonists. In most cases, the cartoonists you admire were themselves influenced by cartoonists that came before them. Don’t worry about your art looking too much like those you admire. Over time, as you continue to practice, your own unique drawing style will develop.
Finally, a cartoonist needs an idea before he or she draws. Being a good artist isn’t enough. You need to be somewhat smart, clever and witty. The more you know about the world around you, the more brain food you have to feed your imagination, and the more interesting your cartoons will be. Read as much as you can. Pay attention to the people and world around you. By observing the everyday activities that take place around you, you will soon find that you have plenty of ideas to draw from.
Now go find a pencil and draw, draw, draw!”For more great advice on cartooning, visit our “How to Draw” section.
Oh, Brother! Contest: Is Your Kid A Character?
February 14th, 2011 | by Oh, Brother!Posted In: blog posts
It’s Valentine’s Day, so we thought it would be fun to kick off the day with a CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT! Yay for Cupid and contests!!!!
Let’s get started: Would your child make the perfect comic strip character? Is he or she an impulsive prankster like Bud or precocious like Lily? Tell us why and your kid may get the chance to be a part of Oh, Brother! and appear in the strip as a classmate of Bud’s or as Bud and Lily’s neighbor!
To be eligible to win a coveted guest spot in Oh, Brother!, please send us a cartoon drawing created by your child along with a brief description of why they would make the best “Oh, Brother!” character. You can scan your child’s cartoon and email to OhBrotherContest@gmail.com or upload it to the Oh, Brother! Facebook Page (scans need to be converted to a JPEG to be shared on Facebook). Finalists will be featured on the Oh, Brother! Web site and the winning entry will be selected by an expert panel of humorous and lifestyle bloggers on March 21st. Please include your child’s name and your contact information along with the cartoon drawing.
We are really looking forward to meeting and greeting all the “characters” that read Oh, Brother!
Here’s an interview on Comic Book Resources with Oh, Brother! artist Jay Stephens, discussing the strip and the state of the cartooning business.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=30673
Posted in the Activities section is a brand-new activity that both the young and young at heart are invited to do. Donna Erickson has created a wonderful heartfelt craft that arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day!
http://ohbrothercomics.com/activities/send-in-house-valentine-wishes
A handwritten note is a great way to express all the things you love about your favorite Valentine! If you had to guess, what do you think Bud would say in his Valentine’s note to Lily? What would Lily say to Bud?
It’s the weekend!!! Bud and Lily are happy to get a break from the books. From today’s comic, it looks like Bud is going to spend the majority of his weekend pulling pranks on Lily and his parents.
Let us know if you have any fun plans for the weekend!
Comics Character Playdate…Who Would You Pick?
January 18th, 2011 | by Oh, Brother!Posted In: blog posts
If you live in the Northeast, you know that the weather outside is frightful. It’s cold, wet, slippery and just downright miserable. Did we mention cold?
When the weather is keeping you indoors, sometimes you have to find ways to have fun indoors! If you could have a “playdate” with your favorite comics character, who would it be? Who, in your opinion, would be the BEST character to spend time with on a snowy/rainy/cold/damp afternoon?
