Spring break is winding down, and various deadlines are looming. I’m having the trouble of trying to take it easy, and at the same time get things done. One major problem, as always, is to not hate myself for taking it easy. Or, on the other hand, to stop dragging me heels and freakin’ accomplish something already! Ah, me. I’ve been listening to Moby Dick while I get things done, and Ishmael says “Ah, me,” like, a lot. I’ve been reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Murakami) while I take it easy, and those sentences are so short and direct! Why can’t I ever write a short sentence? Perhaps its time that this train of self loathing left the station.
Here are some trees, which haven’t yet realized that its spring:
Well, I guess I slipped. If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to, it’s basically been this:
Yes, that’s right, it’s spring break time at the Center for Cartoon Studies! I’m waystid! Not too long ago, I wrote about my boy Steve Ditko and his Objectivist obsession, Mr. A. I’m afraid it’s a little, uh…verbose, but if you like Steve D, you might like it.
What else, what else? Gabby returned to the green mountains on my feast day, and wrote all about it, and it was too much fun. We all miss him very much in Vermont, especially Yours-Truly, as a quick troll through his comments will attest. Speaking of missing people, this delightful episode was immediately followed by my own return to the swamps of Connecticut. My co-writer-for-life, Caitlin, met me at my parents’ house, and we had delicious food and cookies and beers, and it was lovely. We rubbed elbows with my dear old friends Danielle and Chad, and spent most of the weekend just sitting on the porch. Danielle and her family were mourning her grandfather, Dick Shand, and we all went to his simple, sweet funeral, surrounded by his family and friends, in a church that must have been plucked from Western Ireland and plopped down in the Hudson Valley. I think maybe the whole town of Pearl River was transplanted from those emerald shores. And now I’m in good ol’ Brooklyn where spring showers are sprinkling the forsythia–forsooth! More friends and beers and fun times and celebrations of the return of Persephone from the Underworld are sure to follow.
Aaaaaanyhow, if this post hasn’t been vernal enough for you yet, what if we were to celebrate the return of sports I care about with this helmet decal I drew for my baby brother Jack, and for the Wooster Generals varsity LAX club.
Sometimes blogs have this funny, insidious spam that pretends to be a comment, but usually there’s something just…off. In the context, that is. Like this one from Linda: http://blog.patbarrett.com/2009/06/cover-girl-whole-shebangin/#comments
Folks, I’ve been having lots of fun in my sketchbook lately. I am feeling some small moments of clarity and putting them on paper. I’ll shut up about it, though, because I’m not even sure how many of these I’ll show you. That might also be what’s making them good, that they aren’t made for an audience. So, sorry, we’ll have to give some of these some time. I’ve been picking up my Microns again, to get ready to make chapter two of Petrified Girlfriend. Let’s hope that’s good!
Well, I’ve done it. I made an internety webstore. Right now I only have my comics available, but in the coming weeks I’ll be adding original art, prints, T-shirts and other curios for you to clutch in your rabid, stuff-deprived little paws. Tell your friends! The first one’s free! No Credit? No problem! Looking forward to serving you with an API CMYK RGB account structured to fit your needs. [ shop.patbarrett.com ]
Annnnnd, howda ya like this? A pitch for a kid’s book! About Ireland’s original badass, Finn MacCool! As you can see, I’m really into doing these watercolors right now, and I think that separate paper for the colors technique is really working wonders. Oo! Plus, for the black uncial (Celtic) lettering, I actually used a calligraphy pen, instead of faking it with different Rapidographs like I usually do. The upshot is that it not only looks better, but also is a lot faster to do! We’re making progress here, folks.
