musicallydeclined

Welcome to my new page. I decided to put everything together
on one page. My art, cartoons, drawings, Original art and music.
I might even add a rant/opinion page. In other words, everything
that I'm about. This also includes the promotion of my new
online store, WU's Cool & Funny Tee's Where you'll find my original designs on t shirts, mugs,
clocks, mouse pads and so on. So look around and I hope you like what you see and hear. Please visit my store, most of my original art and
pictures will lead to my store by clicking on that image.
Thanks for dropping in!

wizard

IRISH PRIDE

CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY THE T SHIRT

Irish girls

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Rasta T SHIRT

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cool T SHIRT

PEACE T SHIRT

Click the image to buy the t shirt

COOL T shirt

we are the 99% T SHIRT

Click the image to buy the t shirt

we are the 99% T SHIRT

dinosaur T shirt

Click the image to buy the t shirt

DINOSAUR T SHIRT

Manchu t shirt

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Manchu t shirt

2012 t shirt

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Grey Alien

CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY THE T SHIRT

What's up cheetah ?

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Rusty Pimp t shirt

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dreamscape t shirt

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mushroom t shirt

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We are the 99% t shirt

CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY MY T SHIRTS

Cool Woo's logo, my other shop!

IS THE T SHIRT A RESPECTED VENUE FOR ART?

I've always liked art, not so much the Monet's and Van Gogh's, but the funky, weird and cartoony sort of art. I've always been a big fan of Robert Crumb. If you don't know who Robert Crumb is, you probably know his drawings if you are over forty. Robert Crumb is famous for "Keep on trucking" and the drawing that went along with that famous saying. You know, the weird little guy with the big shoe, the really big shoe, stepping in a long stride.! He's also known for the first x-rated cartoon "Fritz the cat". I'm also a fan of Dali. I think you're starting to get the picture, art that is on the odd and quirky side, instead of landscapes and flower arrangements. So, it seems fitting that my drawings would follow what I like, weird and quirky. For a brief couple of years I tried my hand at freelancing, which is not easy, by any stretch of the imagination. When I found out how hard it truly was, I went back to carpentry. That is until I was struck with congestive heart failure, which left me looking for an alternative means of income. Now, with so much time on my hands, the idea of returning to the drawing board had a certain beckoning, that and the urging from friends and family to return to "humorous illustration" was enough to convince me to break out the art supplies. Which is more my laptop, than actual supplies. I still freehand, but that's usually only the line drawing and by the time I'm done with Gimp or Illustrator, it's barely recognizable

I recently opened a POD (Print on demand) tee shirt shop with Cafepress. It's a place where I can put all my art and designs and sayings on tee shirts.Yes, tee shirts. So, does this take away from my "artist" title, The fact that I'm not in a museum or on the cover of the latest trendy magazine? Well, seeing how that was not going to happen any time soon and the fact that I get no rejection at all, except from myself, is great! That's right, you can be a horrible artist and still put your designs on tee shirts and trust me, I've seen horrible! Yet, people do it anyway. In the same way horrible singers go on American Idol. Don't get me wrong, I have been published several times and even made a little money. I do mean little. It's a very competitive market. Yup, I had two cartoons and an illustration published. I received two hundred dollars a cartoon from Bostonia Magazine and I sold them two cartoons. I also did an illustration for Midwest today, but never did get paid.

So, now my art can be seen by the millions of cool tee shirt seekers and I'm not the least bit ashamed and actually, I'm quite proud of my art. Like I said, my style is more "cartoony" than "classic rendering" so my art really does fit into the tee shirt market quite nicely and though it has only paid 10 dollars, as of now, it's the most fun and rewarding thing I've done in years. I get seen, I will get paid and I have total expressive freedom. I'll also say this, I am proud of what I've produced so far. I'm glad to be drawing again and despite sales ( I just started a month ago)
I'm just beside myself with glee, or a more manly word, that isn't coming to mind right now!

CAFEPRESS, ARE YOU KIDDING ME ? OR,
I POOPED TODAY!

As I stated in my first article, I recently opened a Cafepress store, a POD (Print on demand) store, where you create and sell your own designs on tee shirts and gifts. Judging from my title you might think this is a negative article about Cafepress, but it is not. It maybe a bit judgemental, but not negative. It's not even Cafepress, it's more of the "ranking system", or should I say, the unspoken code of who gets placed in front, by in front, I mean the first page of their marketplace, for any given item.

I would assume the people in front would represent the best of the best. I have to say, by my standards, I don't find that to be true. I'll give you an example. If you click on "funny tee shirts" the very first tee shirt you see is a plain tee shirt with the saying: "I POOPED TODAY!". I POOPED TODAY? That's one of the better selling sayings? The drawing is just a black stick figure raising it's arms in celebration. I used it as my sub- title, to get attention, did it work? Yeah, it might get your attention, but would you wear this on your chest ? Do you think this is clever ? Don't think for a minute I'm bitter, or jealous. My hat is off to the creator, not because they're clever or witty, but because the shirt is actually selling and pretty well, I'm guessing. I don't even blame Cafepress. why should I ? If something sells, it sells. I blame the people who eat this sort of thing up. I'm all for a good laugh, but usually that laugh is based on something funny, but "I POOPED TODAY ? Really ? That's one of your best sellers ? Maybe it's because I'm getting older and this is "todays" humor. I admit, I don't laugh that much at South Park, but I do laugh out loud at Family guy, so todays humour isn't totally lost on me.

If it was just that one saying, I wouldn't be writing this article, but it's more than that. There is another popular tee, that uses the stick figure, again, that says: "I GOT YOUR BACK" with two stick figures and one is holding a straight line, which is the other stick figures back. Now, that is a little more clever, but that's not the point. What happened to actually "drawing" a cartoon? It's the age of total minimalism, and it's working! That's the sad and scary part.

I just opened my store a month ago, so my expectations are not that high, at this time. I think I'll do well, eventually. Most of my designs are in the marketplace and some of my designs even show up after going two pages deep, so that's hopeful. However, I'm hoping I don't have to stoop to" I pooped". Is that the level that will put me on top? Am I willing to sell my dignity for top ranking? Then I can make a tee shirt that says: I STOOPED TODAY! I really rather not stoop. I like my designs, they are a litte different and quirky, but I like them. Of course, if I want to sell, it better be more than me that likes them.

I hope I don't come across as a disgruntled Cafepress "shopkeeper" as they call us, I'm not. Yup, I'm a shopkeeper. I'm an old man with white hair a white mustache and a denim smock. That's how I picture a "shopkeeper". I am 52 and have white in my hair, but I don't think of myself as a shopkeeper, or the shopkeeper type, but according to Cafepress, that's what I am. I'm Paul Ferland, the shopkeeper and I pooped today!

A logo I made for a friend.

Pen and ink drawing

In your face

Ok, with a little tint and newsprint, I think I achieved "Vintage"!

My attempt at a "vintage" look.

NEW CARTOONS

RASTAFARIAN PREYING MANTIS (Now available on a tee shirt, just click the image.)

This cartoon once appeared in "Bostonia Magazine"
and sold for $200.00 dollars. It's one of two I
sold to them and the most money I made with my art, so far!