First moment of peace since arriving in the UK some 2 weeks ago if you can believe it. For reasons I'd rather not really get into, the place we were meant to stay at upon arrival could no longer be stayed at, and we had to scramble to find a new place to crash. Not an ideal scenario in general but especially not ideal if you're also expected to quarantine for 10 days.
We found ourselves holed up in a tiny hotel room in High Wycombe, while trying to coordinate all kinds of NHS and test things over the phone. I gotta say, I'm thoroughly impressed by the NHS. They're so meticulous they had an NHS agent show up at our hotel and interrogate the front desk about our quarantine practices!
Also, I now realize that whatever “lockdown” we might've experienced in the U.S. at any point was so not lockdown at all!
Anyway, did our day 5 Test-To-Release thing (which is so worth it), tested negative, and moved to an excellent AirBnB in Acton (West London). Which, whenever I mention to anyone, the response is always “Why Acton?!”.
I don't get it, it's a great neighborhood, and it's on the Piccadilly line!!
In all seriousness, it's just a strategic enough location to be within reach of central London and easy to get to for family members living in High Wycombe. It is a little funny because as it turns out there's a big Arabic-speaking community in Acton, complete with a mosque and all the scrumptious food.
Truth be told though, wherever I go in London I always hear at least one person speaking in some form of Arabic. Not to mention other languages in general. I really like how multicultural the city is, a true cosmopolitan hub. And although it sometimes feels like I've made the trek across the ocean just to get tested a bajillion times (still one more test to do before boarding plane back to America), I'm really enjoying walking down its streets, and sheltering from the recurring rain in pubs and bookshops. This despite the jam-packed schedule that leaves little room for a care-free snooze.
Pencils down on the last page of THE SOLAR GRID, CH. 6 (issue #7) with just one day to spare for travel prep.
Couldda swore I wrote and posted this already but I may have just forgotten to hit the “publish” button. Anyway, chapter has clocked in at 34 pages, not including backmatter. Further work on the thing (inking, lettering, etc.) will have to be put on hold until I return (downside of doing everything yourself), with my time abroad better put towards things that can better be done on the move. Namely:
Thumbnailing next chapter.
Scripting a short comix thing (let's codename this one PROJECT ELLISON).
Sketching out ideas for a poster project (codenamed PROJECT MORROW).
Accounting, eugh.
As per the UK's requirements, had to get tested today and booked London-based tests for day 2 and 8 from arrival. I think I'm supposed to do another one before my return flight to the states. It feels like the entire trip will revolve around a bunch of lab tests.
Not complaining though! It's not like I've been anywhere in, oh I dunno, 12,000 years.
Question is: Do I bring my camera? Do I bring a book? Too ambitious? Clearly very rusty when it comes to this whole travel thing. First time with child too.
Pencils down on the last page of THE SOLAR GRID, CH. 6 (issue #7), which leaves me exactly one day to prep for travel. There was a time when I was a kind of superuser at this sort of thing, but after over a year of the plague I need to remember efficient packing again. And there's the addition of child into the equation and I have zero experience traveling with children.
Rest of work on this chapter will be put on hiatus for the next few weeks, during which I'll focus on a handful of tasks that lend themselves more easily to being done on the move. Namely:
Thumbnailing next chapter.
Scripting a short comix thing (Let's codename this one: PROJECT ELLISON)
Brainstorming/sketching for a poster project (Codename: PROJECT TOMORROW)
Accounting, eugh.
Webshop is closed in the meantime. One more thing I have to do tomorrow is give a virtual talk for a design class in Berlin.
Just arrived. My first order from directly from Fantagraphics who produce some of the finest made books in existence. They've certainly come a long way since publishing their very first comic in 1982: LOVE AND ROCKETS #1 by the Hernandez brothers. Certainly the best and—dare I say it—least likely success story in comix and independent book publishing in general.
I'm a great admirer of Barry Windsor-Smith's artistry and storytelling and have forever been saddened that his STORYTELLER magazine was so short lived. I have all those issues except two (#4 and #7).
Excited to sink my teeth in this beautiful tome, although... I won't really get a chance to do so until June when I return from my travels.
Just about finished penciling a page of THE SOLAR GRID, but will have to end there because today I am half dead and delirious.
Managed to pencil 2 pages today (rough-like as pictured), and spend time with wife and kid, including indulging in a little picnic concert thing (well, a small small part of it, had to get back home and put kid to bed).
Rough pencils are fine, I'm getting quite proficient at doing a lot of drawing in the inks phase. Part of why it's a bit difficult for me to imagine being inked by someone else. But I guess that's a scenario where I would intentionally want to pencil tighter in more detail.
Sketching out a page today while looking over notes for the next chapter of THE SOLAR GRID and realizing I've got my England circa 1818 scene coming up. A period of which I in fact know very little and will require ample visual reference to pull off, which I have no idea where to begin sourcing from.
Is it a cosmic coincidence that I'm off to the UK next week?
Enjoyed chatting with Rob and Taylor for OPPOSABLE THUMBS last night. It must be podcast season or something, because I'm apparently recording a couple more tomorrow. 🤪
I've been on a few podcasts in my day, but this is the first time I've been sent a mic by the podcasters I'm recording with. Rob Ray and Taylor Hokanson clearly care about sound, which makes sense given how excellent their OPPOSABLE THUMBS podcast is at everything in general.
And done (if it's not clear btw, this is a crop, because this cover art isn't actually supposed to be revealed till 4-5 months from now and I'm a big tease that way).
Good day today. Managed to get a bit of inking done, spent time with the wife and kid, and even ventured out to the Moody Center for the Arts where there was an event attended by more people. People! Getting together! In Public! With proper social distancing measures in place and all, but it was so refreshing to be in a space with so many people (I mean, not more than 20, but still!), both familiar and strange.
Forgot how nice it is to speak and make eye contact with strangers.
Cooked up some salmon for dinner, marinated in ginger, sesame oil, and fake soy (coconut aminos), and asparagus roasted to a delicious crisp, with a side of quinoa. Haven't had time to properly cook for quite some time now, and it's always therapeutic to cook, and of utmost satisfaction when it all turns out so perfectly.
Not working tomorrow, but a big day ahead nonetheless; serious house cleanup, important zoom call, and our first dinner party in a year!
Almost midnight and still quite a bit of work on my plate, but I embark on it with joy.
