The one thing I'll say about this track of "The City Silent," when I sit down to do a page, I can generally get it all done from start to finish in only a few hours. This is very much a stage show part of the comic and backgrounds wouldn't add a thing. They're meant to be 'on stage,' 'in the spotlight,' and definitely showing off. They're rotten little mice but they're fun to draw.

 This is a very private piece, one I really can't post anywhere else. I started this one over 25 years ago. I made a sketch, transferred it to masonite and then was afraid that I wasn't good enough to paint it without ruining the drawing. So there it sat, in the closet. I did a digital version of it, I think, a few years ago and not only can't remember if I posted it, but don't remember what I called it and can't find it. This comes from the first year my husband and I started living together. It's an extremely rare moment of vulnerability from him. I felt terrible as we were having something of an argument in the shower and he adopted this pose and I couldn't help but think of his condition as something to paint. To his credit, awhile after this happened, I told him what I'd been thinking and he was good enough to pose for some Polaroids so I could make the drawing. That was so long ago now that I don't think he'd really want to revisit either the moment or my having finished it. So, it exists here. "One Moment" is what I'm calling it now.

 Something that's been poking about in my head was to take a detailed drawing and really pare down the final result using as little as possible for color and actual detail to see if I could still make it work as a portrait. This was my first attempt. Might try to push it even further, if I get the chance.

 Ended up redrawing Smatt for this and then getting all the little bastard mice together so they could scream that word together. I've often thought of them as the Beastie Boys and it occurred to me, putting this page together that 'cannonball' and 'sabotage' have the same scanning and syllables. Totally did not think about that 10 years ago when I wrote the track. But there you go.

 Not a lot drawn in the last couple days. Working on the next page of the comic. Trying to get the facial expression down as well as the energy and in your face-ness of Smatt. There will be only one word on this page and it needs to be 'sold.' This is just a start. Don't think I'm there yet.

 This is Kevin, my longest running RPG character. I don't know why, but I pretty much never draw my RPG characters. Maybe I like them living in my head better than making them concrete. Yes, there's a bit of likeness from me in him, not that there's meant to be but with no reference, things tend to just end up looking like me. He's very important to me. Max, his world's creator, has said that he knows he can't kill him because he knows it would be devastating. Kevin once had his own LiveJournal. And his stories go back around 40 years. He feels very real to me. This isn't a perfect representation but for now, it'll do.

 City Silent page 262. This has been a good week. For some reason, I wasn't scheduled monday through thursday. I am not going to complain about that. At all. I've needed it. I'm not pushing things, trying to rest up from the damned holidays but I'm still getting some things done. Monday, I went to the record store, which is a 45 minute drive (everything is). Besides getting a couple records, I found a place to maybe get my receiver fixed. Had podcast night. Tuesday, went to the grocery store to get stuff to cook my husband something for dinner, something I almost never do. And I worked on the comic. Today, finished page 261, watched this week's movie for the other podcast and did this page. Sure, it's simple but so what? Also listened to a few records which always puts me in a better mood. Dear gods, I wish life could just be like this. 

 First page of the new year, #261. Been way too slow with this comic. Even though I got 54 pages done last year, that's not enough. I hope to go more quickly this year. Also, if it wasn't obvious, the mice are basically The Beastie Boys. That's who I hear when I see them and draw them. Just without the humor.

 Haven't had time to draw anything in awhile. But I have decided that I want to try and do more with less reference this year. I think it's been making things too stiff and I haven't had a chance to experiment really all that much. So, last night, I managed this in the half hour I had. The brush I used is doing most of the work, which I don't like, though I do think the messy color is interesting.