page 31

as babies scream & cling to me…as rambunctious attention-starved children bounce dangerously close to my drawing arm…i finish page 31.

i am assuming it is a universal theme. that phenomenon where once a person leaves a community room–be it family or housemates, friends or co-workers–the first person to leave is the one everyone else then talks about. either it is a universal theme, or i just know a lot of snarky people.

moses & her brood head off on a foraging expedition, and the housemates watching her leave morph into a pack of hyenas (no offense to hyenas; they are actually very cool animals.)

i messed up a few times and used cover up. it kinda works. maybe i should just start penciling first…ack! i just don’t like pencils. ink is so much more satisfying.

i just opened up austin kleon’s book, steal like an artist. it is spectacular so far. to create moses jones, i studied some of my favorite comics–love and rockets and tank girl. i also studied raulf steadman and shel silverstein to find inspiration for my technique. now, when i find something i like, i note it, and when i get a chance, i study it. my favorite quote in the book, so far, is david bowie’s: “The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.” it’s what my instincts have been telling me to do. thanks, austin kleon! i like knowing i am going in the right direction.