Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The One Storey Universe

This is a series of theological cartoons (not my regular daily comic, I suppose) based on the writing of Fr. Stephen Freeman about Christianity in a One-Storey Universe.

I grew up, happily, in a fundamentalist Christian denomination until about a decade ago when I experienced a crisis of faith. Fr. Stephen's writing has played a crucial role in my conversion and continued faith in God, by holding my hand through a major paradigm shift. His writing about the comparison of a two-storey universe and the one-storey universe most clearly explain this paradigm shift, and I return to re-read these articles frequently. This is about a faith that is not abstract or at odds with the natural world, but the reality that God is with us and fully integrated into our life and world.

Since I first began reading about this metaphor I have pictured it in little cartoons, but I only sat down to draw them this last week. Forgive me, I can't promise they illustrate the concept perfectly, and they have a little humor infused (at least, I think they do). Most of these cartoons come out of the writing at the link above, but he has written many more articles to expand this topic; see also these discussions on the church and unbelief.








A House Blessing

Orthodox bless their homes each year between Theophany and the beginning of Lent. Our house blessing was yesterday, and so today's comic reflects on the sacredness of all things. "Nothing is profane except that which you profane." 




Monday, February 15, 2016

Feelin' Groovy

I really am groovy like Paul Simon, guys. 
I rushed through this comic a bit because I just got a new Wacom tablet (!) and I'm trying to figure out how to use it. So I figure its okay if things get a little worse for a few days, because soon they'll get better, right? Let's find out!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Love Happens

I had a request for a Valentine's comic (and apparently I take requests now), so I'm putting together a few comics about love. Here's where it begins.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Let's talk about horses.

Watching the conversations of kids, especially the girls, and their social dynamics is entertaining.


Monday, February 8, 2016

Don't forget my mouth.

This week I'm focusing on drawing figures from life. Watching other illustrators last week, I can more readily understand how each component of a comic book is often done by a different professional: writing, drawing, coloring, lettering. I'm especially impressed by the skill it takes to make the comic figures look clean and simple but still with correct proportions. I'm out of practice, so I think I will worry less about narrative for now. Spending some time just drawing the figure is in order.

Expect lots of kids this week, since that's who I'm surrounded by most of the time. And like this one, they give great advice while you're drawing. :)

the original drawing

and the comic version

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Falling Asleep Very Quickly

I take the weekends off, so today is a guest post by my 6 year old (colored by me). The kids have caught on to my little project, and keep saying, "Was that funny? Will you put it in the news?"

Friday, February 5, 2016

Comic Convention: Part 4

Wrapping it up! This has been a big learning week, and I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend with plenty of reading.