Ad Astra Per Audentia

Hi, guys. I'm sorry there hasn't been much art or communication lately. I haven't been feeling much up to it. I haven't been feeling up to much of anything.

We've been experiencing such terrible air out here that it's seriously impeding quality of life. My place is not as airtight as I thought it was, and too much bad air is getting in and, of course, it's too late to try to find a purifier. In addition to the quarantine trap, now one can't even exercise without getting horribly sick. Some are still doing it, of course, but there are side effects. On my last day off, I was going to set up my old DDR set on my old PS2, but even just moving the furniture around to accommodate it was too much exertion in such crappy air and I was downed for a few hours. Mostly I just try to sleep it out. Caloric intake has not been suitably adjusted, so if the "quarantine 15" wasn't real before, it sure as hell is now. It makes concentration hard. Sometimes I throw on an an N95 around the house for a while - it's not comfortable, but it at least feels like it's helping. Who knows if it actually is, though.

Okay, this is getting bitchy. Here, I found something nice for you in my archives!

Since Rosh Hashanah is only a week away (l'shana tovah, y'all!), I thought it'd be nice to dust off an old piece of art I made for J Weekly back in the day. I don't know if I made it for the actual paper or a development office campaign, but I do recall it going over well. Anyway, give it a look, it hasn't seen the light of day since 2014. May a sweet new year be in store for us all! Starting with the air.

Oddly, I originally drafted this comic as sort of a general thing BEFORE the pandemic hit, but I guess it seems more appropriate than ever before.

Also, and incidentally, this is now my second strip featuring this character, who I've taken to calling Lonnie.

So, here’s a first - I’m posting while at work, from my phone! Feels different from doing it at home, less intimate, and I figured I owed folks an update. Additionally, I have some art to share with you that I can only do from my workplace break room!

So, there’s a guy here who had a bunch of Pikachu stickers all over his locker, and I thought I’d leave a drawing of one taped there for him. Unfortunately, my interpretations can be a little, uh, liberal, and in retrospect, I’m just grateful he didn’t take it as a threat. Anyway, inspired by my own recklessness, I added more and eventually they were moved from his locker to the wall of the break room, where they remain as a permanent installation to this very day. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you: The Murder-chu Collection!

Haven't seen acelightning around in a while, there's been no updates on her journal(s) and not only is she living in a place that's been suffering from severe power outages, there have also been fires almost as big and horrible as the ones in MY state!

Ace, wherever you are out there, hope you're keepin' healthy and safe.

Hope everyone has a good week coming up, and just to pack a little extra good fortune into the coming days, I brought you all a lucky foot rabbit!



 . . . I think a few wires got crossed back there.

Also, that thing is DEFINITELY not non-GMO.

Not my proudest moment, I'll admit. Also my production has absolutely nosedived. At present, I blame the heat. California is kind of on fire at the moment - literally and figuratively.

Well, I've managed to get a good head of steam going, and look forward to getting more work done tonight. In the meantime, since the comic I promised is not yet done, I thought I'd try to quickly drop a fruit of those labors and I think this is something that everyone in the world can find relatable!





Of course, between the riots, the power outages and the EXPLOSIONS happening this week, the idea that a flu virus being the worst thing that could happen has become practically quaint.

In any case, regardless of what threatens you, stay safe out there!

Well, since the last time I updated I was still struggling at getting artwork done consistently. But then I discovered the wonder of getting someone's secondhand iPad and propping it up in front of a lapdesk while I worked and I started going 7 for 7 with that thing. Break; has now been fully inked. Trouble is, now it's time to "paint" it. This means, setting up the India ink, clearing off my worktable, trying to find places to put all the junk currently on my work table, realizing in the meantime that there is also some junk on the floor near the table, realizing that some of that stuff goes into my utility drawer and I should probably organize that, also I haven't cleaned my bathroom in a while . . . and then that's about the point where the underdeveloped part of my brain looks up from its dopamine addiction, says "fuck it" and steers me back towards the limitless expanse of the Internet.

I will try to improve on that. I also have a couple of comics I've been trying to get together exclusively for the LJ. But I think being tired from work is starting to pile up cumulatively and affect my production. I get home from some of the harder days and fall asleep at 5, wake up at 11:30 or midnight, get out of bed, clean out the coffeepot, wash my face and brush my teeth . . . and then get right back into bed to go back to sleep to get up at 6, 7, whatever for the next shift. Even on the easier days I still pull this, which I blame on insufficient recovery the day before. On the plus side, I finally have an actual WEEKEND (two days off in a row) coming up, and at the very least I can use it to pull myself into better shape than I have lately. I haven't even had time to go grocery shopping. Today for breakfast, I'm having some bread heels with blackberry jam from a recently-unearthed jar that I made myself TWELVE YEARS AGO. So, if I do get sick, don't worry, it's not coronavirus, it's probably just botulism! ;)

We've come to the last of the Animal Crossing pieces! A blessing, I'm sure, for those of you who don't follow or care much for the game. Still, it helped me get my momentum up, and the style is not that different for what I'm doing for Project Circe, so it's all good practice. The style I'm using for Project Circe is something I'm calling "modified Cal-Arts," which looks very cutesy and a little generic, but the choice of style was deliberate to serve as a relatively sharp contrast to the, uh, content. I wouldn't say it gets dark but . . . bitter, maybe, is the better word? I have no idea. You'll tell me when you see it.

I shouldn't even be that worried about Project Circe. Break; will be finished first. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of "rural seclusion" days coming up next weekend that I can hopefully use to finish the project. With a little luck, Break; will be complete and up on the site by the end of the month!

Anyway, enough chatter - here's the last AC post, starring my homie Z! You might need to zoom in a bit - thank you, LJ.

My god, but I do have a new appreciation for night shifts. Not only do they 1) pay more and 2) entail nearly no managerial oversight, but in the last couple hours of the shift, when things get so slow that really they are only paying you to be a warm body in a chair, the atmosphere is just PERFECT for drawing. It's a potent combination of mandatory attendance, boring surroundings and insanely bright overhead lighting. It's just like being back in class, and lord knows I did enough doodling there! Anyway, I've only got two more Animal Crossing sketches left of my little four-set, and then it's on to something new. Here's the third:




In Animal Crossing, one of the tools you can get is a net. You use it to catch bugs, which you can either sell, give to neighbors, use to decorate your house or donate to the local museum. You can also use the net to attack other villagers. I mean, you don't have to, but you can.

. . . . and I do.