Redrawing a few panels that need redrawing. I hate backtracking, but certain things are just gonna haunt you too much. I think I'm pretty good at letting go and moving on most of the time. You have to pick and choose your “battles”, and it's like that everyday, regardless of what the task at hand is.

Generally speaking, when it comes to comix, I'm a big believer in the overall page being far more important than each individual panel, because it is the overall page that is “the piece” really. It's okay for there to be a panel on that page that won't blow the viewers' eyeballs out of their skulls, just so long as it doesn't ruin the overall page for you. And it can take looking at a thing more than once to know if it's worth redoing.

Too much time lost today figuring out some technical video/sound stuff. Have it down now, so might get to shooting some video content already. Maybe next week.

#Journal #Work #Comix #TheSolarGrid

Jellyfish washing up the shore of Surfside Beach yesterday, which made it less than an ideal beach day, but neither that nor Coronovirus could keep the crowds away. To be fair though, the threat of infection isn't something to worry about at Surfside, not even on the most crowded of days, because the beach-going experience is quite different from any beach I've ever been to anywhere else on Earth. At Surfside, you drive up to the shore—directly up to the shore—in your car. You just park it right there on the beach, and create a little setup right against your car. A setup that could include a few chairs, a foldout table, a canopy, and a grill to name a few. Which is to say, you have a significant amount of territory marked out for you, and virus or not, social distancing is already very much practiced.

It was great to be among so many humans though, even with the aforementioned distances in place. Just the awareness of other peoples' presence, theirs sounds, playful chatter, and competing music... almost forgot what that was like.

It's also got to be one of the most diverse beach-going experiences I've ever had. And I've been to beaches in California, New York, the Netherlands, Egypt, and Vietnam, and absolutely nowhere I've seen is as diverse as Surfside. Walking along the beach, you would cross paths with whites, blacks, Latinos, and fully veiled Muslim women. Music would transition from country rock to hip hop to regaeton and the smells would shift from grilled meats to pizza to apple and grape-tinged shisha.

This, as far as I'm concerned, is exactly how it should be (although, a touch of Netherlands-style nudism wouldn't be a terrible addition).

#journal

When I started this blog, I was sincerely hoping I'd treat it more like a journal. The kind of thing you scribble daily thoughts in with complete disregard to whether or not it's being read, whether or not there is an audience for it.

Not that I mind it being read, but I wanted the mindset writing it to be more inward that outward. It's entirely possible though that over a decade of social media has corrupted our ability to write that way, or worse... think that way even.

Inbox zero. Feed-catcher at 99+ though.

Might have to obliterate and start fresh. Need to feel lighter.

#Journal

Skipping tomorrow's newsletter again.

Needless to say, a wrench has been thrown in my productivity and any methodology I might have had for going about things has been agitated to say the least.

Working to get back on track despite a rush of thoughts, feels, and ideas.

#journal

Helicopters hovering overhead tonight.

Last night however was beautiful. A light but constant drizzle, and the symphony of frogsong. No, really.

I dragged my trash cans out to the curb, and the frogs were everywhere. Just hopping around in the middle of the street. Hundreds of them.

It must be mating season. Or some ancient plague bullshit.

Either way, it was kind of magical.

#journal

Just about wrapping up my, uh, my hand job, and don't think I can look at another hand again for a while.

Skipping tomorrow's newsletter. Not much to report this week other than work-in-progress stuff. Will try to spend the weekend tidying up, reading, and thinking.

#journal

Keto diet out the window with today's lox, arugula, and cream cheese on bread, because if you're gonna have lox and cream cheese, well then you gotta have it on some form of bread.

Inbox has climbed up to 20, but I should have that taken care of by the weekend.

Wrapped up this week's worth of inking, and reminded myself why inking supplies should never be left anywhere near computer stuff.

#journal

First time out last night since... I dunno, March? (Well, if you don't include weekly grocery runs, which I think is very fair to disinclude.)

Is it safe to assume that drive-in movie theaters are in for a comeback? If the full lot at the SHOWBOAT last night is any indication, maybe. A bit out of the way, but if inner city drive-ins were to spring up anytime soon, I don't see why that would be a bad business model (especially in car-oriented cities like Houston or, say, Los Angeles). Oh and by the by, JURASSIC PARK, 27 years later(!)... still totally holds up (okay, so they glaze over some of the science stuff, but still a damn fantastic movie).

Set out this week's worth of mail out front for pick-up and winding myself up for a long day of inking.

A couple newer additions to the webshop too.

Inboxes at (gulp) 19.

#journal

Doing a bit of a conceptual thing for a local art space that involves drawing lots and lots of hands. Done for the day (it's still a struggle to be okay with a pre-allotted workload and not carry on until collapse), will carry on tomorrow. I should be back on TSG duty come Thursday.

Will attempt exercise now (it's been a few weeks), and follow that up checking out a screenplay a couple friends of mine wrote.

Inbox(es) at 8. Mostly newsletters, and one “negotiation” thing, which I must admit I'm still not entirely used to doing over email.

On another note, crib-assembly successful. 💪

#Journal

Another spell of insomnia, triggered this time by a terrible migraine. Up for over 3 hours now, lying in bed idly, foolishly attempting to fall back asleep when there is clearly no use.

I never went to school for art or design. The latter I learned a great deal of while working at a pre-press and design firm. The former, from messing around mostly alongside artist residencies, meeting other artists, and much, much reading. Several “how-to” books helped develop my comix-making. Beginning with HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE MARVEL WAY, Will Eisner's COMICS AND SEQUENTIAL ART, Scott McCloud's UNDERSTANDING COMICS, and Warren Ellis' old COME IN ALONE columns.

I don't regret not going to art school because there is a tremendous amount of resources out there on all manner of craft and making of things. I do wish I'd gotten a few apprentices under my belt though. A stint with an independent fine artist, one with a comix maker, one with a writer, one with an indy publisher, heck even one with a podcaster or somesuch. All things that I'm sure would've helped steer the way for the weird conglomeration of practices that I've somehow managed to fall into and find myself struggling to perfect the ideal working model for.

It's not so much the craft that there's a deficiency of info on. It's more the “systems of operation” and the like.

#journal