Happy Leap Day!

And now I have to make fudge...

Cheerful Giver

Taking Charge

I'm not sure there's anything actually funny about today's comic, but I think this was the first time I wasn't asked to deal with the bug, and I was pretty happy about that. 

Just Keep Going

A Little Grace

Sisters

It's Monday. Thank God for sisters who send surprises. :)

Minecraft Conversations

I had food poisoning yesterday, which meant the kids got unlimited app time, and I had plenty of time to reflect on the absurd things they had to say. Catching up on my comic today!

Fishing

I ran out of planned material, so I'm a little late today, and maybe fishing a little for ideas. 

Attention Span

It takes 8 minutes to boil pasta, y'all.

When I want more...

I bang my hand on the table with a smile. This is another of last week's figure drawings, colored with some photoshop brushes. 

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." 

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!

A Valentine's Story

What Love is...

More on love as action (and struggle).

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.

I'll be Rocky...

...you be the 8' tall Soviet

.

Let's talk about horses.

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

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

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?"

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.

Comic Convention: Part 3

The awkward goes on...

Open Doors

Baby interlude. I can't do this kind of comic daily (I spent about 7 hours on this one today!), but I'm working hard on developing some new skills and was feeling pretty pleased with this. Enjoy!]

Comic Convention: Part 2

 [With apologies to Connie Sun!]

Comic Con: Part 1

A newbie's experience at Southern Fried [Pop Culture] and Comic Con!  [1/4]

Hourly Comic Day

Whew, this was harder than I expected! I think I learned a lot about what is really necessary, and what is beautiful and communicative. I still have a lot to learn about media, and need to practice working with the figure more. This was a great exercise.

Friday Night

Apparently, this is what grown ups do on Friday night.

Clearly, I'm a little off since this was drawn late Friday night, and I'm posting it on Monday morning - but today is hourly comic day, so today's post won't come until late, or tomorrow morning. I'm not sure yet. I've got a busy day ahead, so I'm hoping I can keep up with the hourlies! I'll give it my best shot - anyway, enjoy this (scheduled) post for this morning.