What an adventure my love dove/co-writer and I had at Natural History on Monday! That place is the best. We were researching for Petrified Girlfriend locations, she with her camera and I with my sketchbook. Mostly we she took pictures. I offended Caitlin’s sensibilities by making her take pictures that look terrible as photographs but are useful for aiding a drawing. So there we were, making tasteless images with flash reflections on glass and blown out light areas that served no purpose but reproducing the displays placed in front of us. Like a couple of tourists. In the dim exhibition halls the camera’s flash was too weak to capture the room and we didn’t have a tripod for some long exposures, so I dashed off a couple drawings to get down the two best spaces while Cait drew plants and animals.

This isn’t to say that Caitlin didn’t get some really cool shots – hell, any of em that she really set up totally beat my drawings. Like check this out (in a Frog Blog first – photography):

I’ve gotta say, though, the dinosaurs have stopped doing it for me. I think ever since they remodeled that whole floor. Maybe it’s just a coincidence and I got old at the same time that happened, but I’m thinking maybe all the clinical, modern glass, and the layout built around evolutionary lineage rather than dramatic impact had an effect. I mean, I’m glad they have the T-Rex standing properly and they’re doing more to teach evolution and all. I just think the ocean life redesign works better because it retains the mysterious cavern atmosphere that the older mammal exhibits still have – plus it has those cool aquatic sounds!

Anyhow, I’m glad I’m not Craig Thompson, and I don’t consider taking reference photos to be cheating. Cause if I was, it would take me a really long time to make a comic that takes place anywhere specific. And I wouldn’t get this snapshot:

Or this cover for Caitlin’s 1978 solo album, Amethyst:

I realized I should let y’all know there have been a whole slew of updates at PB dot C recently. Not only is there the Abraham Lincoln comic, but there’s also one about a robot R&B star (which is also for applying to cartoon school), plus, like, three illustrations from The Big Money.

I’ve been thinking about doing one of those conception-to-finish blog posts that are so popular with illustrators these days. Would that be lame? Does anybody care what how some kid’s thought process/drawing process works? Is it really any different from anybody else’s? They only ever differ in the details. I guess I’m talking myself out of it. I dunno. I’m working on a wrap-around cover for the first issue of my comics anthology I’m calling Oak & Linden. And it’s pretty awesome. And it’s on much bigger paper than I’ve used since, like, sophomore year at Pratt. I was thinking maybe I’d post the process. Is that so lame???

Oy. Did I let another week slip by without posting anything? What kind of blog is this, anyhow? Lots has been going on. Buddy Colin and I are exquisite corpsing a comic for our table at MoCCA Fest (which is coming right up on June 6th, by the by). Oy vey ismir! Did I just say June 6th? I’ve got to print up my comics before then! To back up a thought, going back and forth on a comic is so much fun. I’d love to get a group of us passing things around in a circle some day and making up hilarious stories.

What else, what else? I sent in my application for cartoon school this past Saturday. But oy gevalt, I think I’ll have to wait a year even if they’re begging for me to come. Du-udes! I need to get some scholarships! They don’t have federal accreditation yet, so I’ll have to put the whole tuition on a private loan. I’ve got to try to lessen the burden a bit, nais pas? In the meantime I’m hoping to get laid off and live off the social safety net for a while – omg, jaykaying!…sort of. Odds are looking up since the copier is empty after 8:00 every night.

Leaf Boy!

It’s Passover and it’s Easter, and Easter includes my favorite exclamation of all, as seen above. I thought I’d switch things up a bit this week and do more showing and less telling. Maybe you’ll like this drawing some stoner kid did in his notebook in highschool…

OK, actually there was a guy on the L train platform playing the blues b’jesus out of Amazing Grace and had me literally on the verge of tears. I didn’t have any dollars, though! Only change! I emptied my pocket, but he totally deserved better. So I guess maybe I thought I could make it up to him by drawing him on the ride home? Annnnd, (that’s the Obama speaking delay) how about this? I don’t know if Cait’s melancholy is rubbing off on me, or maybe I’m just overwhelmingly frustrated right now. I’ve been fighting customers at work and generally going around moping. Anyhow, He is risen!

I’ve broken my covenant with the Internet! A whole week without a post! I’m into regimens and routines right now. At least one blog every week, doing ’shups even after my going clazy day. Also yesterday I got Wii Fit and the talking balance board told me to set goals for myself, with specific deadlines, so I can achieve! I’m a change agent! Speaking of which, I’m serious about the cartoon school thing, at least I think I am. At the very least I’m seriously sending off my materials next week. One of the application requirements is a comic featuring yourself, a robot, a snowman and a piece of fruit. It’s turning out pretty well; two out of three pages are done-zo. Not to brag or anything.

Golly, this might need to be scanned again, but on a real scanner. This green pen never scans well, I guess. Hell, it’s sorta hard to read on the actual paper. Nonetheless, I give you 2 Models: