Tiff and cookies for all!

Forgot to post the third watercolor commission earlier, but here it is now!

I'm working on another Yvette now, and I'd love to have another project after that. Care to help me out?

Birthday partying! Or not.

It has been a... dull birthday. The highlight of my day was an uneventful trip to the DMV to renew my license. Wheeee! Overall, it was just another day. Ho Hum. I did get some comics finished, so my obligations have been met. Otherwise, I'm going to close out the day by eating/drinking whatever the hell I want! MEXICAN COKE AND AMARETTO CHEESECAKE! Yay!

The time of gluttony is upon us!

As it we Americans needed an excuse for conspicuous consumption, it's Thanksgiving; a day in which we go through great lengths to avoid too much family interaction by eating ourselves into a coma and enjoying distracting football games. I don't knock it, mind you, as I am ALL ABOUT food and football! (And occasionally family!)

Thanksgiving is a kick ass holiday and I intend to enjoy it to its fullest! I will WIN Thanksgiving! Think you will be able to go back for leftovers? THINK AGAIN! You will leave me alone with the turkey and all those delicious turkey accessories, thank you very much. And I will be taking the center spot for football watching, even if I hate all the home teams with a passion. It is still coma background, and that is a vital component of Thanksgiving.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a post up on Thanksgiving (and possible Friday) as I won't have access to a scanner, and probably little time for my useless and unenlightening blogging anyway.

It's fine art tomorrow - Today!

As threatened, here comes the fine art - full of tortured emotions, inner pain and twisted emotions. It's deep! It's dark! It's scary! Ok, fine, it's about my mouth.

For those in the audience who are not also outside my window stalking me (please stop that, those who are), you may not know that this pile of stress has TMJ as a result. That means I suffer from jaw pain periodically and it can flare up at times. This might be one of these times. There's so much wrong with my mouth on that side it's hard to tell. It's not very pleasant right now, and it gets worse if I eat on that side, but I'm putting my faith in ibuprofen. (It's kinda hard to think of the funny when in pain.) Anyway, that side is out. It should go away soon enough if I keep wearing my bite guard at night. (It's my fault for slacking on that in the first place.)

On top of that, as part of an ongoing restorative project, today I got a temporary crown on the *other* side of my mouth, which means staying clear of *that* side when eating for two weeks.

Ruh roh.

Well. I need to slenderize some anyway. Starvation is easier than exercise! (Oh, who am I kidding? I can still abuse noodles!)

Anyway, I'm taking a day of from making the comic (unless I can somehow script) to do some painting/napping. This start of a painting here is all about inability to choose sides. I actually flipped it over part of the way through and started playing anew. As always, I have no clue how the heck this will play out. I'm extemporaneous!

I need a new grill

To commemorate the holiday I totally did not remember was going on - as an unemployable person, things like holidays and weekends lose all meaning - I had a little "death of summer" cookout. I consider it a last hurrah for a grill that's done all it could for us.

If this grill was a dog, it would be put down. At this point, it's just a mess. The igniter is busted, so we have to use matches. The gas thingy is stuck open, so we have to shut off the propane at the tank.) The handle broke off, so it has to be opened and closed with an open mitt. The grill area is rusted from my idiot brother leaving it outside in the elements for some goddamn reason. It's old. It's busted. It barely works. It's dead, Jim.

We're going to replace it soon, once the end-of-season sales kick in, and I look forward to that day. This is a house that does get its grill on when the option is available. Sure, now that grilling has become a stupid Rube Goldberg-ish endeavor, we've cut down - but we're just waiting for the new hotness! (Of course, said idiot brother can't be allowed near it. He is why we can't have nice things.)

Feast-Sized Paintings!

I've been working small for so long, going big again is rather jarring. This ginormous bugger isn't going as fast as the other giants, and that does bug me. Ginormously.

Oh well, it's going someplace fun and I have faith we'll get there in style. The big question is whether I can get there during this current visit to DC, or if I'll need to finish it next time.

Artist's block (the good kind!)

Enjoy my block of 12 bite-sized paintings! Last night I put the finishing touches on this group, so now it's on to more! First I'll be working on Precocious paintings, and then it's back to fine art in an affordable size! Eat 'em up!

Consume my bite-sized paintings!

These little guys are kinda fun to make. I got so used to working large, that I needed the change in scale. Here we have a pile of bite-sized paintings (actually 9"x12") in various stages of completion. You know you want one. Gobble them up! OM NOM NOM! (Click the image to embiggen.)

I just bought a bulk box of canvasses, so I have lots to play with now. I have another box if 12"x12" canvases too, so I can branch out into the land of SQUARE. Oooooooh!

All these art supply purchases are putting a hurt on my wallet, so I've gotta start selling something. Anyone interested? Or are you all waiting for more Precocious paintings? I can do those too!

More bite-sized painting fun!

I hit a wall with the painting stuff. Lack of inspiration? Nah. Stupid hands not executing properly? Nope. FORGETTING TO BRING WARM COLORS TO DC!? *facepalm*

My reds are all too dark. My yellows are all too light. When combined, THEY DO NOT EQUAL ORANGE! This is what I get when stocking my paints with stuff I need for my giant abstract stuff. Naturally, I end up working teeny tiny!

None of these paintings are done, but all are at a place where you can see how it'll end up. I'd like to knock a few of 'em out and then pack up painting for a while so I can use my staging table for Precocious inking.

For those only interested in the Tiffany painting, I can probably mix the colors I need to finish the painting here. That being said, I may wait until I'm home again so I can finish all Precocious paintings at once.

Roman Culture to others: OM NOM NOM

Oh, those Etruscan blues...



Am I so petty that I take a casual in-joke reference as a dare? Do I really need to ask these questions?

Only an art student could think "Etruscan Blues" would be an awesome song title, and only an art student could capture it. I am no longer an art student, so allow me some leeway. (I still intend to do grad school, so the spirit remains within!)

The concept is these Etruscan folk are doing their thing, civilization and all, when these young upstart Romans strut up, and on, and over, and by... It's like the Italian Borg Collective! As a student of the archaic arts (not as ominous or mystical as it sounds) I see these young, modern upstarts swipe what the need and digitize the rest. I'm a traditional ink and paper cartoonist, who uses the computer as a took to process the work and (usually) preserve the initial quality. This has, it seems, become a rarity.

First digital coloring happened, and I said nothing, for I thought it a fun exercise. The Waccom tablets came, and I said nothing, for that was actually kinda cool. Then someone posted on The Webcomics List forums looking for hand-drawn and hand-lettered comics, and only a few of us remained... with and embarrassed me halfway out the door and quietly shuffling around.

For me, original strips are important in cartoon. It's a real example of what you've done. You can hang them on gallery walls! They are special, because they show the craft and effort the artist put forth with his or her hands! They are outdated? If every strip is in color, it often means the original is just some pencil. (VG Cats is like this, I think.) Waccom-drawn, clip-art and sprite comics all exist purely in digital forms. Even people who letter in Photoshop don't have a complete original to offer. That's sad. It's also what I'm doing now. For the Precocious parents arc I'm digitally coloring *and* digitally adding text. Yes, it's a font of my own handwriting, but anyone looking at my originals can see the decline. Dialog is hashed in, often incomplete or missing completely. I just need to write enough to figure out where to put the dialog balloons. After that, it's all in Photoshop. That's sorta sad, because the completeness of the original is gone. Progress has come through, taken what it wanted and discarded the rest. Etruscan blues.

Of course, unlike the Etruscans, I am free to switch back to hand-crafted comics as soon as the arc is done. Will I? Am I going to be seduced by the convenience? Am I going to head out and buy a Waccom tablet? Who knows.

As for the actual painting here, it's been a fun flashback experience. The Etruscan blues idea is 10 years old, and this painting looks like something I would have made 10 years ago. The idea was to have people or faces being assimilated into architecture. That's what this, even if my MASSIVE STYLIZATION has taken over to send most of that to an, "Uh, I'll take your word for it," level. Also, after working on all the large canvasses, my old canvas size seems positively tiny! The color here is probably far off (now with three monitors which don't agree, I've lost all perspective) so know it's a bit darker, and was done with periwinkle, white and a dark gray. Let your imagination color correct!

You've died of dysentery, Charlie Brown!

Ok, so I'm half-conscious and watching some Peanuts special about about the Mayflower... maybe I'm getting the wrong lesson here. I dunno. This thing is serious filler after the nostalgic bliss that is a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

I had never seen that before, as far I remember, and it was fascinating. The show played out as if it was a series of four-panel strips converted by brute force into animation. It totally didn't work, especially with kids doing the voices, but I could really appreciate the writing. This special obviously came around after Franklin, Woodstock and Marcie were new additions, which means I'll reach that era in the Peanuts archives in the next volume that comes out in six months. By the way, Woodstock was freaking HILARIOUS when he was introduced! I have newfound appreciation for that bird. Just so you know. Also, Woodstock, with extreme excitement, consumed a plate of turkey in the special. Does that make him a bird version of a racist cannibal?

I'll try to make a (happily) cranky post later with a sketch to share, but for now it's the food coma "glory be to conspicuous consumption" thing that dominates.

This Thanksgiving we went the "let someone ELSE do it!" route. Not only did we have a local grocer cook/order our meal, but we brought in a beloved family friend. She and my aunt's partner did ALL the work - and one hell of a job! - while the Paulsens sat around and joked. Lazy Thanksgiving = awesome! Store-bought Thanksgiving turned out to be pretty damn good. The only dish I found lacking was the stuffing, which everyone else adored - so maybe I'm just being persnickety. The mashed potatoes were all consumed, but whatevs - I FINALLY GET MY DAMN LEFTOVERS!

It's been a great day. Even running out to the store was very enjoyable. Everyone there was just beaming and pleasant. I guess when you know you're going home to stuff yourself with as much food as possible - and the biggest problem is, as the guy on a cell phone said: "Honey, they don't have any Neapolitan left - should I just get a bunch for an assortment?" - it's hard *not* to be happy. Don't worry, folks, I WILL FIND THE RAIN CLOUD ON THIS SUNNY DAY! Just... later. I have to return to the coma now.

Overheard from the Peanuts pilgrim special just now: "EVERYONE DIED!?" "Oh, yes!" Awww. This show is better when I don't pay attention.

Finally, a holiday I can support!

Thanksgiving time! This may be my favorite of all holidays. If I was on schedule with my strip and doing regular updates, this would have turned into a strip. Since I'm over four months behind at this point, the idea is reduced to a graphic novel-ish sketch. Tiffany is living the fantasy, even I prefer light meat over dark. Hey, cartoonists are legally obligated to draw feasting characters holding a drumstick. It's in the Constitution. Go check! The James Bond-ish joke here was stolen from a Fark headline. I wish I could claim it as my own, but alas...


Ok, so the whole being thankful thing is lost one me (in all likeliness, there will be a sad and bitter post tomorrow on this subject) but Thanksgiving has so much for me to love! Football all day? Check. Large quantities of my favorite foods? Check. Being able to tune out annoying family conversations due to football and/or food-induced coma? YEEHAW! Not *needing* to avoid conversation? 'Ello, we have a new twist!

Thanksgiving for me has traditionally been spent with my mother's side of the family. They are normals, which just seems wrong. Smart, well-adjusted and successful people in my family? WHERE ARE THE CRIPPLING MENTAL PROBLEMS AND TRAGICALLY COMPELLING STORIES? Conversation can be difficult.

Them: "I just ran a marathon and went to a big party."
Me: "I spent the last week hiding in the dark while clawing at the bugs underneath my skin."

In addition to showing me how live can be lived if a talented genius was sane, that side of the family is great because they are as obsessed with sports as I am. It doesn't matter if we have no rooting interest - although we will all unite to root against the fucking Cowboys - it opens the door for sports blather in all its delicious glory. Seriously, it's hard to find an intellectual peer who is not above rooting for morons playing games that focus on, ugh, PHYSICAL prowess. I love a chance to be a sports geek. (Note for nerds who hate athletes but want to love the game: Since football uniforms are so padded, you can imagine the players as robots instead of asshole jocks.)

So normally Thanksgiving with mom's folks works because it is the one time I can blend in. The problem is the TRAVEL. Three hours and an overnight stay? That's lost of *extra* conversation without the ability to hide behind food and sport. C'mon, family, let's admit it: We'd all be terrified to learn too much about each other. My brain would scare you, as my brother's metro brain would scare me.

Dad's side of the family is my side. We're all crazy jerks, but in the same zesty way! Our dinner conversation can be frank analysis of each other's psychological defects in between meandering stories of how we've confused others in the normal world. Only problem: They're not much for Thanksgiving and NONE of them like sports. I wanted to spend time with them, but I didn't want to sacrifice what I love about this holiday... so I made a deal! Give me Thanksgiving and I will come.

Since cooking is out of the question due to everyone here dying rapidly, they ordered a full meal from one of those stores. Maybe if might not be as good as home cooking, but it's perfect when preparation could lead to funerals. Also, after years and years of being DEVASTATED by minimal leftovers - THE BEST PART OF THE MEAL, DAMMIT - I have requested sole control of all remaining turkey. It's been years since we went home with enough turkey to last past two sandwiches. Mmmmm..... turkey sandwiches. Om nom nom!

With food covered, the focus turns to football. Thankfully, my aunt's partner is on my side. As long as we both enable each other, we get our football time! Also, when the games turn out to suck - I hate the Cowboys and Titans, and it's clear they will destroy the Lions and my beloved Seahawks - I can go chat with the family AND ENJOY IT!

On paper, this looks to be awesome. In practice... well, that will determine how depressing my "FUCK THIS GIVING OF THANKS SHIT!" post tomorrow will be.