Life Imitates Art

When my aunt and uncle saw Sunday's blog post, they immediately realized that the drawing I had done of my father, dog, and grandfather was strikingly reminiscent of a photograph my uncle had taken of the same subject. But believe it or not, I had not seen this photo at all when I drew that picture. I wish I had drawn my dad's hand on the back of the chair - it would be a better composition.

Also: I realize that a lot of people who read this blog also read my webcomic, but I figured I might as well post this pin-up here as well. It's a SNitLoE tribute to Roy Lichtenstein!

My dad, his dad, and my dog.

Though my dog Scallywag is now almost 13 years old and is suffering from arthritis, she is still capable of being immensely comfortable. When she lay at the feet of her beloved, my grandfather "Grandpat," sunken into the armchair, the two were the picture of contented senectitude.

Next to them was my dad, slightly impaired in the comfort department by his long legs. He can only cross his right leg over his left knee, not the reverse, and even then, his right knee sticks way up in the air.

Sketching in Church

Though I'm normally a pretty attentive churchgoer, two things get in the way on Christmas Eve:

1.) You've already heard this story, this sermon, and these songs a zillion times before. And even though it's very important to hear the message yet again, it's not easy.

2.) The pews are generally packed, often with people you have never seen before, or, even more distractingly, people you haven't seen in years.

The guy at the bottom is Rev. Gene Finnel. I had really wanted to do a full-portrait. Both of Gene's hands freeze into an emphatic gesture, fingers spread stiffly wide, and they float around like that for the whole sermon, seemingly unconnected to his body by any arms beneath his voluminous black robe. I would describe the effect as "muppetesque."

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all, and be sure to check out my Savage Nobles/Three Wise Men crossover pin-up over at Savage Nobles in the Land of Enchantment!

Greg Punches a Scientist (mild spoilers)

I find myself kind of drowning in SNitLoE these days, mainly because I'm trying to complete the whole project on a deadline, and instead of getting faster, I'm getting slower. This is mostly a good thing, as it means I am finally constructing my figures thoroughly and overall pencilling in a much more diligent manner than I used to, as per the advice of Steve Lieber. I'm mostly pleased with results, though my newly discerning eye also spies a lot to complain about - I guess my standards are rising. Three or four months ago I would have been thrilled to bits to have drawn any of the four hands in the above panel (from page 115), but today I immediately notice something wrong with all of them.

I have a New Yorker-style one-panel cartoon in mind which I hope to draw in the next week and which I will post here.