bravesailor

So, I have been negligent in my blogging. Sad story, let me tell you, a real tear jerker. So, here I am in Texas soaking up all the sunshine, taking the occasional jog and sitting in my little studio by a lake inking until my hands are fairly black. Okay, I guess this isn’t so much a sob story. More like a, “I’ve been enjoying home life, family and the wilderness, totally ignoring my weekly writing commitment So, I haven’t heard the siren song of the computer ( aka my fancy thinking box).

What have I been working on?

That’s a mighty good question. I’m glad you asked. I’m doing an internship with the amazing, kind, and deliciously design (ing) Michel Vrana of Blackeye Design. And what you’ll be seeing are spot illustrations for my latest project with him: Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. It thrills, it chills, it gives one the willies.

It’s typeset to perfection (mostly).

So, to those who bother keeping up with my foolishness (and flashes of unmitigated brilliance) stay tuned and I promise to be less neglectful of my duties.

I left Vermont on Thursday after a crazy drawing session with the fabulous Mr. Alec Longstreth who is working on BASEWOOD and I have a crush on his enthusiasm for his work and general love of life (and life is comics, yes?). Also, I want to start a fan club for his beard. I penciled a few more pages from One Thousand Lies. More majic in the works.

So, I spent the last couple of days fooling around. I’ve relaxed so completely that I cannot remember a time when I worked 12 hour days. I did yoga, lounged, watched a little TV. I went to Memphis and ate barbecue. And though I hate to admit it, Memphis barbecue is truly better than Texas barbecue. But don’t get all rilled up. I still love me some brisket. But all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow I get crackin’ on more good stuff.

Jeff Smith of Bone fame came to CCS for commencement!

He was really lovely. I was flustered. Hi Mr. Smith. I love you.

I’m heading out to Texas Wednesday. Yehaw! There I will draw comics like a rockstar . . . or something.

At a party, I like to sit with someone in a quiet corner as they confess too much. A glass of whiskey loosens the tongue. And while we sit very close breathing on each other, I get a window into their hidden life and I am in love with the world again.

Then, when I am tired of all the talk talk talk I fall in love with bodies. The curve of the lower lip as it dips down to meet the chin. A curl of hair that’s out of place. A wide thigh crossed by a slender ankle. Acne scars.

So . . . after weeks of grueling work, hallucinatory sleep deprivation and drawing blisters. I have finished my final project for my first year at the Center for Carton Studies. I drew three stories from a larger collection. The synopsis on the back of the book . . .

One Thousand Lies, is the story of Arnold, the Fonz as a modern day gay hobo. He’s come back to Los Angeles to meet with his former guardian, Victoria Mueller, a Napoleon obsessed ex-lawyer in the declining years of her power. Arnold tells the stories of Sunderland, Enoch, and Buffalo Gap. However, not everything is as it seems.

Oooooh . . . I wonder what this mysterious mystery is. How will it end? Will Arnold wear a leather jacket, give the thumbs up, and say “AAAyyyy”? Stay tuned!

Next week, inspiration . . .