This is a comic strip about the things I wish I was doing every day- riding my bike, horsing around on my skateboard, climbing rocks and rock-like things with my brother, kayaking the occasional bit of whitewater that doesn’t try to kill me all the way… Of course, if I was off doing these things right now, I wouldn’t have time to make a comic strip about them. So there’s my issue. Vocation versus Vacation, if you will. It seemed like such a good idea to combine the two, until I discovered that the one takes concentration away from the other. Anyhow, I get to draw the stuff I like to do, and you get to read about stuff I assume you like to do.
About Greg, generally-
Greg’s first comic strip ‘Zork & Eem’ ran in the Jackson, TN weekly ‘Jackson Banner’ for three weeks until the newspaper folded. At sixteen and seventeen, Greg drew caricatures at Nashville TN themepark ‘Opryland’. The owners subsequently pulled down Opryland to create Opry Mills shopping mall. Greg then went to Memphis State University for four and a half years to earn a four year BFA Graphic Design degree. The University then changed its name. Having left this trail of destruction, Greg went into the field of advertising- an industry rightfully needing a good kneecapping. He has drawn cartooning work including many activity books and coloring books for the likes of Shoney’s restaurants, Perkins restaurants, FedEx, Piggly Wiggly, Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites, The Memphis Grizzlies, IPNI, Baptist Hospitals, Morgan Keegan… in fact, more clients than you’d be wise to shake a stick at.
In 2000, Greg was contacted by his friend/mentor Scott Stantis (now editorial cartoonist at the Chicago Tribune) about being an art assistant on his syndicated feature The Buckets- a comic strip about family life featuring a married couple, their two sons, a dog and their mortgage. He accepted, and after a slow start, they made arrangements for Greg to take over the artwork on the strip. Six months later, his name was added to the feature. Because of this, Greg found it easy enough to join the National Cartoonist Society, now having tear sheets from an internationally syndicated comic strip and more than enough advertising work to show, aside from having met many pro cartoonists who could write recommendation letters for his application. in 2006, Greg took over the comic strip completely, and Scott’s name no longer appears on it.
Another comic strip, passed on by the syndicates but aided into existence by syndicate editor Amy Lago, was turned into a webcomic in late 2010. It is called Hubris! and features the exploits of a small outdoors business owner, his family, friends and customers, and bicycles. There are also kayaks, skateboards, trampolines and various other outdoor activities in the comic.
Greg was awarded the NCS Tim Rosenthal award in 2006
His newspaper illustrations for The Memphis Flyer were nominated for an NCS Reuben Division Award in 2007.
Greg is the illustrator of the Lewis The Duck series of books available at Homewood Suites hotels.
Discussion (10) ¬
This would make a GREAT t-shirt!
Permission to use some (most) of this on Wikipedia Mr. Cravens, Sir?
Sure! Any of it you feel won’t send readers scampering for pitchforks and torches. Thanks!
http://en.wikipedia.org/Greg_Cravens_(cartoonist)
Much appreciated, Allan!
It was a pleasure to meet you today. Thank you for signing your book for me. I look forward to following your strip.
Likewise meeting you! That’s the best part of conventions!
I have written a rhyming book about two elephants and have sketches of all the illustrations. I also have three more story ideas for these elephants.
I have had a few articles/stories and some poems published but nothing like this. When I saw “Lewis the Duck Goes to Canada”, I thought your work was very well suited to my book.
I need help. Would you be willing to assist me?
No problem. I charge $500 per page, and $2000 for wraparound covers. That price includes sketches and up to three sets of revisions prior to finished art. You’ll need to talk to your printer/publisher and find out what format/size you’d like the final artwork to be. Half up front to get started, and the deposit is unrefundable after the initial set of layouts is complete. The art style from the Lewis the Duck books is fine, and I have other styles you can choose from if you prefer.