drawing #35: the mysterious powers of mary.

Just a doodle today. Is it too obvious that I was raised Catholic?

drawing #34: trip to the zoo.

I'm spending all my time drawing, leaving no time for writing. I think that's okay.

drawing #33: costume day.

WHEN: At the end of a stupid day. I had been grumpy (even churlish) all day, tired and baggy-eyed and sick of being asked to feign interest in things I didn't care about and kids I found unpleasant.

There, I said it.

Sometimes I hate kids.

WHAT IT MEANS: I'm really hoping this isn't some sublimated humiliation fantasy - making kids wear ridiculous costumes in retaliation for being a pain in the ass. It looks too cute for that. Maybe it's the non-depressive side of my brain attempting to lighten my day through a dose of adorable levity. Or maybe I was secretly hoping the costume would eat the kid.

drawing #32: field trip.

Holy crap! My friend was in town for the weekend and I got absolutely nothing done but eating a lot and catching up. This was drawn yesterday. I had a particularly grumpy day yesterday.

drawing #31: we've always been good friends.

drawing #30: now I'm doing this for real.

drawing #29: up against the wall.

WHEN: Last night, I was looking at this old loteria set, which had a "soldado" card, and I wanted to try to draw a soldier. So this is what I ended up with - and the soldier looks like he was in the Mexican Army, circa World War II. This was also my first attempt at shading with Illustrator - you can judge the results yrself.

WHAT IT MEANS: If I am ever captured by enemy forces (identity of enemy forces to be determined later), I will apparently take up smoking again - which, all in all, seems like a reasonable idea.

drawing #28: big head in reverse.

WHEN: during work, Ben showed me how to use masking tape to lay out a "stencil" - then you scribble over it and remove the tape & huzzah! An instant monotype-reverse-print-kind-of-thing!

WHAT IT MEANS: Ben is awesome.

drawing #27: kick ass!

Happy Father's Day? The character holding the leash was inspired by 3-year-old cousin, who drew a similar cartoon with me this weekend. I've been doodling the cat all week. At least no one's talking to birds in this one...

drawing #26: discuss amongst yrselves.

WHEN: Drawn at work while helping Ben draw a mummy wrapped with toliet paper. Colored while watching old episodes of ER with my wife.

WHAT IT MEANS: This whole "talking with birds" thing has been a reoccurring motif this week, and I have no idea where it came from. The birds have been singing earlier and earlier in my neighborhood, sometimes sounding like entire flocks or choruses - they're getting up with the sun, at least - but it's not like I've been harboring any particular love (or animosity) towards them. Maybe it means I'm trying to explain the inexplicable - to talk to people who I share no language with.

Hmm.

drawing #25: i read it in a book.

drawing #24: build a house.

WHEN: Last night, watching Mexico beat Panama in the Gold Cup. Talking to my sister on the phone about Father's Day and her crappy, crappy job.

drawing #23: color! okay!

WHEN: Yesterday and this morning. I was looking at some fine posts by Hiel, a fellow Blogger, and he got me stoked to try some color - though I fear his style is better than mine. I also mussed around with some text in Photoshop. All in all, a mixed bag.

WHAT IT MEANS: I ain't sleeping much. I feel like everything should be okay, and, objectively speaking, things are awesome. That, however, doesn't stop me from waking up in the middle of the night. In fact, here is a song I made about that very fact:

drawing #22: just think about it.

WHEN: Helping kids use RPG Maker, a program that makes customized Zelda-style roleplaying video games - a program which has become the new hotness at work. I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with the drawing.

WHAT IT MEANS: I was looking through Flickr groups of cartoons and characters yesterday (I especially like this one and this one) and got inspired. Now, apparently, I have monsters on the brain. And I'm amazed at the amount of talent that's just floating around in the internet.

drawings #20 & #21: bang! bang!

Arrgh. My scanner broke, and I was thus forced to wait until today (availing myself of the scanner at work) to present you with these (representing Friday and Saturday last):

twenty!

twenty-one!

Thematically linked? Essentially the same picture with different costumes? YOU make the call!

drawing #19: speaking of the moon speaking of death.

WHEN: Right after work, waiting about for dinner and drinking a beer.

WHAT IT MEANS: Today was an amazing day - I got to work with a new kid who is adorably excited about everything AND who I got to practice my Spanish with, which was fun and magic like monsters and moonbeams. However, I may have to saw off my own thumb, which I injured while skating with another group of kids who came in today, thus reminding me of my own mortality and the creeping onset of death.

That, or I just like drawing skulls when I run out of things to draw. That's what punk rock will do to you.

drawing #18: write about what you know.

WHERE: at! the! bar!

drawing #17: top hat shag.

WHEN: Whilst ostensibly planning events for summer for work, I ran out of empty brainpan in which to store information. This is the result.

WHAT IT MEANS: As is well-established, the Victorian man awkwardly clutching his cane is an arcane symbol representing the fall of Western Civilization at the hands of bored, hormone-addled adolescents.

drawing #16: t.v. eye, no stooges.

WHEN: I just spent all day working on a grant report - I don't know if you've ever worked on a grant report (I'm not even sure who I'm rhetorically addressing with this "you", either, but let's not belabor the point), but it can be akin to lightly toasting one's eyeballs in a fruity sauté of nails and walnuts. But with graphs.

Anyway, I had been making willfully misleading charts all day and coming up with more reasons why people should pay me to do what I do, which is always hard, as I have difficulty making it past "because I am awesome and tired of working," but I finished, and we're on a new summer schedule at work, which means that no kids come in for the first hour or so, and I drew this.

So there you go.

drawing #15: speaking of pirates.

drawing #14: in space.

WHEN: Today. Playing Tank Wars with Alex.