The Popeye Cartoon Brotherly Love illustrates Obama’s American Promise nomination acceptance speech nicely.

That’s the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation …

… the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams …

… but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business …

… or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job – an economy that honors the dignity of work.

As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I’ll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.

And I’ll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy – wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can’t ever be outsourced.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.

Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have that chance. I’ll invest in early childhood education … And we will keep our promise to every young American – if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.

I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.

I will never hesitate to defend this nation…

…but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

It is that American spirit – that American promise – that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can’t just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits.

What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose – our sense of higher purpose. And that’s what we have to restore.

Take a look at those beautiful images again, those lush black and white backgrounds, those hand-inked cells and those awesomely grotesque drawings.

If it merits the effort, I’ll put pictures to McCain’s acceptance speech next week. My guess is that it will be pretty easy to find another Popeye cartoon to back his sentiment.

Popeye and associated characters © King Features Syndicate, Inc. Hearst Holdings, Inc.

Sara’s the recipient of a Cincinnati Entertainment Award for her role as Izzy in Rabbit Hole for the Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati!

- Proud Brother

I’m flattered! By happenstance, a friend found a copy of my drawing on deviantArt last night.

The original:

Being copied doesn’t bother me. It can be a sincere compliment. I copied lots of artists when I was a young lad. Most artists do. It’s a great way to learn techniques.

The artist says he just recently started drawing and is looking for tips and tricks.

1. Signing it was somewhat questionable. If for some reason you want to publicly display your copy, you want to make sure you give credit to the original artist. Especially the starving ones.
2. Draw from life. Personal observation makes for personal expression in drawing. Personal expression is what being an artist is all about. Go to a place with lots of people and draw ‘em.

I’m not currently playing a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game, World of Warcraft as an example) and I don’t see any on the horizon that grab me. I have several pals who play, but don’t play together. They each have their separate worlds and goals.

There was a sweet spot for MMOs for me back in 1999 with Everquest and then later in 2004 when Warcraft first came out. It was sweet because my pals and I banded together to play. It was brief, but those memories are fond, the chuckles, hearty. What a kick it was to try to bring very different-minded friends together to try to accomplish things in the game! It was doomed to fail, but it was a highly entertaining failure. I think we all felt that way.

The style in my sketchbook is always changing. This page is actually from a week or so ago, and my quick morning sketches are in a completely different style this week. I’m hoping to beef up my cartooning mojo. I’ll post this stuff soon.

Sometimes it’s fun to create your own story for a picture.

Not today, though. You should probably just quickly click away.