ToonDoo Official Announcements: BEFORE and AFTER the contest.!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

BEFORE we launched last month’s contest, we had no idea that the contest theme will attract so many interesting and varied toon entries from different toondooers!

AFTER launching the contest, we had a great time looking at the various ideas that the contest generated and an equally hard time picking out the winner!

NOW that we’ve finally selected the winning toon, we can’t wait to announce the results!

So here they are…

Caryloliver’s ‘Tourism B&A’ wins!!!

Much BEFORE the contest, we already knew Caryloliver from her distinctive toondooing style and the variety of topics that she's created toons about. AFTER reading this interview, we get to know her better:

TD-You have been an avid dooer at toondoo. Many of your toons have also been featured as Editor Picks and this time around, your toon has even won the contest! How does it feel to be a winner?
CO-Very exciting and a real buzz! Will have to get a larger screen to hide my head

TD-Tell us more about yourself. Where are you from?
CO-Melbourne Australia for the past 30 years. I was born in Sweden and grew up in the UK. I travel a lot and love it!

TD-What are your interests besides toondoo?
CO-I work as a consultant in mobile learning and just recently I have returned to the sport of fencing after 15 years break! I will be representing Australia at the Veteran World Fencing Championships later this year in France. I also enjoy playing in the kitchen and creating digital stories. I speak at a lot of conferences about living and learning with technology – friends refer to me as the techno tart!

TD-When and how did you get to know about toondoo?
CO-My work requires me to know all that is new and emerging with technology. A teacher mentioned Toondoo in passing last year and so I looked it up, found it so easy to use, fell in love with it and have been addicted ever since...

TD-Where was all this creativity, and how was it being channelized before you learnt about toondoo?
CO-I am not sure, I do a lot with words because I can’t draw. I think I was doing a lot more digital storytelling and my dog tells me that I don’t tell him as many jokes as I used to..

TD -Could you tell us what is the inspiration behind your many unique and creative toons?
CO-I have a highly developed sense of the ridiculous which can often make something quite ordinary seem funny.
I play with words a lot and now that I can illustrate those words it has opened a whole world of fun. Sometimes I open the Creator and randomly select elements until something funny emerges.

TD-Amongst the many toons you have created at toondoo, which one is your personal best?
CO-That is tough because I generally think the newer ones are better than the older ones. I do still feel good about Adam on Eve book and I still giggle at Blue Fluff even though it is incredibly corny. The whole B&A topic seems to have sparked something in my brain, they just poured out!

TD-If you see something toondooable and a computer is not at hand, what do you usually do?
CO-I have a tablet computer that goes everywhere with me so I can note things as I think of them. Or I have my PDA for other times. Some of my better toondoos have been produced while sitting in very boring meetings – if only they knew I wasn’t noting their every words!

TD-Which toon character and background are your favorites?
CO-I keep coming back to Jambav – he seems to be perfect for so much. But I do try to experiment with the new characters. I am not sure about background although if I most often pick from the scenery group.

TD-If you could change any one thing about toondoo. What would it be?
CO-It is constantly changing and improving but here is a little thought: Can a slice be made in the background so a character can be put behind a table for example or in a car?

TD-Who are your favourite toondooers?
CO-Meeraspara is probably my favourite – I like the way her brain works. But I also like a core of dooers like sovereignjohn, brocali, duraionly and bernd when he is not too angry about something. Indianblues stands alone with his drawing, I wish I was half as good with a pencil, let alone a mouse! I think I have left a few out but they get my cheers regularly.

TD-What do you think toondoo should evolve into in the future: A tool for the non-artist community to express their creativity? A tool for school children to consolidate their learning? Or A tool for the new youth to get linked in, in interesting new ways?
CO-All of the above. As a non artist I appreciate toondoos. I find it really interesting seeing what is obviously a class doing toondoos on a topic – a real insight to their learning. I would not like any change that takes the focus off creating toons though ..

TD-Do you have any message for the toondoo community?
CO-The first thing I do every morning is check out Toondoo and it stays open all day. I am often charmed, amused and challenged. The collective strength we have is our commitment to seeing life more lightly and that is a really healthy thing. Also, thanks to everyone who has supported my stuff.

TD-Congrats once again on winning this contest and all the best for the next one!

Congrats are also due to the 4 other toondooers whose entries were selected as 'Special Mentions' by the judges panel:

Hi Caryl,

Congrats on winning the contest!

Rajendran.

ToonDude from www.jambav.com