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Harry Bliss is a famous American cartoonist and illustrator. He's a New York Times best-selling artist known for his humorous and artistic "Bliss" comics. Since 1999, Bliss has published many books and collaborated with authors like Doreen Cronin on the well-loved "Diary of a Worm" series. His unique style and wit make his cartoons stand out, earning him recognition in the world of illustration and cartooning.
"I see my drawings as a piece of a longer narrative. I’ve always tried to make my work seem as though the reader is dropping in on a longer narrative - a narrative leading up to the art, and the narrative continues after the art. The reader is simply dropping in on the story. Sometimes, I will stare at one of my drawings, a drawing of a magnificent oak tree in the woods with a dog and a man walking together, but it’s not a cartoon yet. I’ll stare at this drawing and imagine that the man is saying something to the dog and that’s where ideas start to flow for me," the artist shared in a previous interview with Bored Panda.
More info: Instagram | store.harrybliss.com | twitter.com
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Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
I like to think this is why my grandma died three weeks before election time.
Bored Panda caught up with Harry to dive into his creative journey. Starting from the beginning, we were eager to learn how his career as a comic artist kicked off. "After graduating from art school and waiting tables to make ends meet, I started doing book cover illustration (lots of mysteries) and editorial illustrations. Mostly publishers in New York City. I was doing all right then - had solid freelance work, so I was able to quit my restaurant gig. One day, I decided to submit some cartoon ideas to The New Yorker. People had always told me I should try giving that magazine a shot, and I finally got around to it. After working on seven or eight samples I later put in the mail, I received a reply from The New Yorker editor, Francoise Mouly. She sent me back a nice letter, essentially telling me that it would be a long shot, but why don’t I submit some cover ideas? That’s how it all started. A year later I was doing both covers and cartoons for The New Yorker. Syndication came eight years later with Tribune media and now I have a daily newspaper Cartoon ‘Bliss’ in addition to my work for The New Yorker," the artist shared.
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While many artists grapple with creative blocks, Harry revealed that he doesn't face such challenges when it comes to cartooning. "I suppose there was a time when that happened, but I don’t recall it being a problem. I would generally play hockey or go for a long hike. These days, I tend to do a lot of reading. I love the New York review of books and I get a lot of ideas from that publication. I’m always reading something. Going on hikes, or simply journaling every day as I do, helps me come up with ideas. Honestly, most of the time I just start drawing a tree and that’ll turn into some landscape…I’ll add a figure walking a dog…a caption eventually comes. So, it’s a purely organic process for me now. I just start drawing and I end up with a cartoon. There’s no pre-meditation whatsoever. This process is different when I work with Steve Martin."
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Danish Susanne 1 year ago
I think this made me smile so much, because I believe that it is a dumb idea to lie to dogs and cats. They understand what we say, so if we lie they stop believing in us.
Armand de Sillègue 1 year ago
Is Tintin in the public domain now? Because that is Snowy (Milou in French) in this panel.
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Tabitha 1 year ago
My husband sleeps the sleep of the dead, and doesn’t wake up, even if a huge bolt of lightning struck right over the house—-which actually happened, woke me up right away, and he slept right through it. We have two cats who are rescues and don’t like strangers. So, if anyone ever tries to break into the house, guess who is going to be the one to have to deal with it? Not the big and strong one, and not either of the ones with scalpel-sharp murder mittens. Nope. It will be me. Luckily, I will be so royally pissed off—-livid, actually—-at the lack of help from any of the other residents here, that the thief won’t know what came at them like a terrifying banshee and took them down, cursing a blue streak the entire time, and will end up regretting their choice of house to rob.
You might've noticed that a lot of these comics feature dogs. Well, turns out, Harry's got a soft spot for our furry friends – he just can't resist their charm! "I have a dog, Junior, and he’s beautiful, and I love him very much. We spend a great deal of time together, and naturally, he inspires my work. Animals and nature are some of my favorite things and I don’t know why this is, but it is. Being in nature is calming and peaceful, and drawing nature from my memory of these long hikes (much like the old Chinese landscape artists used to do), continues that peaceful meditation when I’m sitting at my desk."
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Speaking of dogs, Harry jokingly admits that the most challenging part of his creative process these days is tiring his furry companion out, just so he can get some peace and quiet for his drawing sessions. "I have a mini Australian Shepherd, and he requires a great deal of activity. He’s so damn cute, I can’t say no to the guy. The good news is he gets me outside for at least three or four hours each day. I like to be outside with him and I live in the woods where he can run and run and I can sip from my flask and take it all in."
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Jantje Groot 1 year ago
He is refering to Juan Dorito, a large Bolivian man who was buried in haste after a drug deal went wrong.
Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
Who buries their Doritos that deep? The rain would ruin them. Just a top layer of dirt, some plastic, then another thin layer of dirt.
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PopscotchM 1 year ago
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PopscotchM 1 year ago
(it won't let me post an image for some reason, so here's the link to the image i wanted to send ⇑⇑)
Load More Replies... Jantje Groot 1 year ago
It would have been much darker if that was his daughter on life support.
Bobby 1 year ago
Full metal alchemist already did the darkest daughter and family pet storyline I've ever seen
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Micheline Reichert 1 year ago
Cat will be concerned if dîner time is coming
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Linda van A. 1 year ago (edited)
If he were dead his eyes would be crosses and his tongue would hang out.
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Natty Tempest 1 year ago
ThE wAlLs hAvE EyEs! "yeah reg. It's called a picture" THE HOOMAN FROZE TIME IN A FRAME!
Ashley Deane 1 year ago
God not only can I relate to this but I know my cat does too. We uh.. relax together just not with the same herb 😉
George Dabrowski 1 year ago
My (ex) wife, in the mid-70's, didn't want our very loved cat to have any more catnip after the first drooly, writhy high. She felt it was abuse, and I agreed. On that, at least.
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Anxious Aardvark 1 year ago
A squirrel ran across the yard. Our cat followed it up a tree. The dachshund attempted to follow them. Got a few feet up, gave a panicked look and slid back down. Classic.
David Martin 1 year ago (edited)
My Jack Russell Terrier can climb numerous trees damn well as good as a cat. And he's caught (and killed) numerous squirrels by surprise. He also digs under fences. Killed two of my neighbor's rabbits, much to his surprise. He's kind of a jerk - my dog, not the neighbor...
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Dave Platt 1 year ago
Moving into the universe and she's / Drifting this way and that / Not touching the ground at all and she's / Up above the yard
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CharliAnn Olney 1 year ago
My pup makes a truly MEOW sound. He whines, howls and yawns all at the same time. It comes out more of a "EEEYOW". I was so surprised the first time he did it as a 9 week old, he still does it at four months and it is still hilarious!
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Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
I would automatically assume someone had a gun in my back. Sticks feel remarkably similar to guns, if you jab hard enough.
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Linda Colosimo 1 year ago
My mother always said she wanted a Cadillac for her burial procession. When she died, beautiful black Cadillac hearse took her to the mausoleum.
EarthGrowl 1 year ago
Excited about death is a better approach than being terrified. Would a fetus fear birth? Death is just another step up to ladder of Cosmic Evolution. Try to learn as much as possible in this life because you never know what your going to need in the next.
Janet Howe 1 year ago
I suppose when it's my time, I wouldn't mind going out in a stretch limo. Or a pink Cadillac.
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David Martin 1 year ago
TIL: Broseph is a slang term that refers to a male friend or comrade...
Brian Droste 1 year ago
That's not how you do it. You supposed to be sitting next to your master with puppy lookijg eyes.
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Trainingfortheballetpotteh🇺🇦 1 year ago
I might be dumb, but why is it sad?
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Ken Beattie 1 year ago
We don't get snow, but my dogs are the same when it comes to the broom or the rake.
Hyppymom the Only 1 year ago
Looks like my Chihuahua, barks his foods into submission after batting it around the room, every meal, every bite.
EarthGrowl 1 year ago
When I clean around my rats cages, some of the girls will insist on inspecting everything in the dustpan. I can't throw away anything without their approval.
Daddy’s Girl 1 year ago
Reminds me of a sweet pup, now gone, who used to do this when I shoveled snow. 🥲
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Michele Van Hecker 1 year ago
I hope that is just his day spa and he gets a warm bed inside at night!
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Natty Tempest 1 year ago
Hooman. I removed my bell and identification to be fed by the street. Replace my expensive collar now?
Dave Platt 1 year ago
Subtle... exercising a cat's inalienable right to knock things off of table-tops, but doing it by proxy this time.
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David Martin 1 year ago (edited)
I see it: the 2 dark round eyes, Hudson Bay is the nose, and the Great Lakes the mouth, eh? Is little Xeno howling at the Man On The Earth?
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Brian Garrett 1 year ago
We have five bookshelves, plus my wife has a Kindle, and we still have at least one zone like this in our home. My wife loves her books. What can I say.
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BPisaddictive 🇮🇹 🤌 1 year ago
I solved with remote controlled plugs (not smart plugs, just the old fashioned remote)
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daniel sullivan 1 year ago
What about the paperbacks they gave me in high school? I read that sophomore or junior year. It was quite aa WTF experience
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George Dabrowski 1 year ago
Cats too, I hope. The first night terror, a hallucination I guess, was waking up to see a giant cat face on the ceiling with 6-in fangs. Screamed, ducked under the covers and shook for 5 minutes. If that was my cat, she'll certainly be able to protect me from anything in the afterlife. Fierce.
Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
They do. And they are. In Native Mexican mythology, dogs can be alebrijes, which are guides in the Land of the Dead.
La Petite Morte 1 year ago
Dogs & corvids (ravens, crows, etc.) Several cultures believed corvids were either the guides to the afterlife for souls or were the messengers of the dead. Dogs were sometimes thought to be able to guide lost souls back to the proper path in the afterlife.
David Martin 1 year ago
Just because 1 billion people believe something - doesn't make it true...
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La Petite Morte 1 year ago
Not 'Beware', just 'Aware'. ~~ There's a dog. He's in the yard. He like treats, ear scrubbies, & being told what a good boy he is. If he shakes, please make sure to acknowledge this with 'Oh, good shake!' If you ignore him, he will stare at you with increasingly sad & limpid eyes. Now you are aware.
Lindy Mac 1 year ago
La Petite Morte : You know dogs! Also, I hope you are feeling better.
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La Petite Morte 1 year ago
I find it awesome that scientists proved that cats understand the basic laws of physics, so they absolutely know when they knock something off of a shelf that it will fall onto the floor & will do so deliberately *just to see it fall*.
David Martin 1 year ago
I don't know how "scientists" proved that. But having had cats, I know this to be true. Whether or not 1 billion people believe it, or just me and my cat...
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La Petite Morte 1 year ago
Ooh, going to hell for that last one. I'm one of those that if I run out of poop bags I'll go find something in a garbage can or just garbage other people littered with & come back to pick it up.
Lanswyfte 1 year ago
I've gotten into the habit of putting a few bags into every jacket or bum-bag I have, as well as extra rolls in my car. I also usually think to check how low is my roll that's attached to the leash. It's rare that I find myself without one.
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George Dabrowski 1 year ago
My kids saw a Cadillac pass over Demelza, who hunched down to live more years and lived. One scrappy cat, not to be intimidated by a mere Caddy
BPisaddictive 🇮🇹 🤌 1 year ago
Was that the Cadillac hearse mentioned in an upper post?
Load More Replies... Michele Van Hecker 1 year ago (edited)
I've had multiple cats all my life; there are way more then 8 left!
Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
Death will come. And challenge you to a duel! Get your gatito blade and go!
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Michele Van Hecker 1 year ago
You can shut off a broken record! Get up and go for that walk you promised!
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Minti Ramsey 1 year ago
He is skiing off a cliff and it's a long way down
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General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Until the brown doggie piles start reappearing as the snow melts.
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General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Who the heck decided that adding "Bored Panda Recommends Did you enjoy this article? We’ve got a feeling you’ll like these pieces, too:..." to the comments under a post was a good idea? The tabloid yellow "journalism" isn't enough, now you have to add clickbait to the comments?
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Thank you! This amount of extra stimulation each time I try to read comments or look though an article is totally overwhelming.
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Samuel Styve 1 year ago
FFS! The scroll locking is infuriating! I don't know why, but I'll get part way into a post, and the screen just locks up. I can close advertisements but I can't scroll up or down. I only have this problem on Bored Panda, and as much as I enjoy death scrolling your site, I'm fed up with having to reopen an article multiple times in order to get to the end. I'm blocking your site from all of my feeds....
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
I don't have any such problems, so maybe you should find out what is wrong instead.
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General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Who the heck decided that adding "Bored Panda Recommends Did you enjoy this article? We’ve got a feeling you’ll like these pieces, too:..." to the comments under a post was a good idea? The tabloid yellow "journalism" isn't enough, now you have to add clickbait to the comments?
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Thank you! This amount of extra stimulation each time I try to read comments or look though an article is totally overwhelming.
Load More Replies... Samuel Styve 1 year ago
FFS! The scroll locking is infuriating! I don't know why, but I'll get part way into a post, and the screen just locks up. I can close advertisements but I can't scroll up or down. I only have this problem on Bored Panda, and as much as I enjoy death scrolling your site, I'm fed up with having to reopen an article multiple times in order to get to the end. I'm blocking your site from all of my feeds....
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
I don't have any such problems, so maybe you should find out what is wrong instead.
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