Hi. I'm Sandy. And I'm a Pessimist.

I don't actually think that's true. I think a Pessimist is someone who always assumes everything will go wrong.

I assume things will be fine... and then... they always go wrong.

At the very least, that's an Optimistic-Pessimist, right?

The Optimist says: "Hey, I finally drew a comic! Yeah!"

The Optimistic-Pessimist is saying: "Hello? Can anyone hear me? There must be someone who can help!?"

The Pessimist: "I'm cracking. These aren't the Cracks-That-Let-In-The-Light. These are the ones where parts of you fall off."

Let's Go With Plan... J?

I've got a bit of a mess that I need help sorting out. I apologize for the long post, and I understand if you don't read it - but if you do make it through - I would really appreciate any ideas, encouragement, suggestions, or large checks. ;-)

I'll try to break it down into the major issues.

WINGDOODLE

The Great Idea:

Wingdoodle was a "Creativity General Store" that my mom and I ran for about 10 years, and then I used the space as my studio (The BeeHive) for a year until I went to grad school. There's an apartment upstairs that I rent to a couple of really nice guys, but the store had been empty while I was away. When I moved back from VT last summer, I realized I didn't want to open a store again and I really needed the money... So I decided to sell the building and start a new business in Concord.

It took quite a while, but I found a group of farmers/artists who wanted to open a Co-op Farmer's Market and Gallery. After months and months - they formed their business and we were able to work out owner financing. That would give me a small chunk of money to start my new studio and publishing company ("Bumblebat Books") and a little monthly income too.

By April, it seemed like we'd figured out all the necessary details - we signed a purchase and sale agreement...

...and the nightmare began.

The Problem:

The title company said I didn't have a clear title - the neighbors were claiming they owned part of the store's property. Turned out, when the piece of land that serves as the apartment's off-street parking, was transferred from the neighboring house to Wingdoodle, the town had not filed the paperwork with the title office - until more than 3 years later. Unfortunately, by the time the land lot line adjustment was correctly registered, the house had been sold, with an incorrect Deed.

By May, there was a corrected Deed and Title for the house and it looked like we could go ahead with the sale of the Wingdoodle building - but then the neighbors decided not to sign unless we gave them a Right of Way across the land in question. Then they wanted a permanent Right of Way. Then they said it was actually their land. Then they claimed the shared driveway was theirs. And the tenants were trespassing by parking their car there... and then... and then...

The Options:

Now it's August. No one can accept the "blame" and there's no compromise in sight. The escalation already has had serious financial consequences and now, legal consequences. I have no idea where this is headed, but the only thing my brain is thinking, besides "WTF?!" is "I don't want to PLAY!"

The options are - try to find a way to compromise about the Right of Way and the Easement, go to court for a quiet title (a LOT of money and time), or start suing everyone even remotely involved.


THE BEEHIVE

The Great Idea:

Last August, I rented a tiny studio space at the Concord Community Arts Center so I could work on a few comic and picture book ideas. The space was 5x14 feet! So - classes, meetings... were all out of the question. This April, I had a chance to move up to a HUGE (850 square feet) studio space in the same building - at the same time that I needed to clear out the Wingdoodle building for the new buyers. The Universe sent me a very clear message to jump on the chance.

I set up the new space, The BeeHive, with a gallery/shop space, a meeting space, a classroom, chalkboards, a reference library, a more private work area, a stocked supply area and a large die cutter. I put up the trees from my store, and started on new murals. There are huge windows and enough space to hula hoop.

The Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) Meetup group and the SCBWI Book Dummies now call the space home and there are some exciting programs in the works for this fall.

My Great Idea had been to create a place for my art tribes - building interactions in the real world. We're all so consumed by social media and I know that I disappear into my introversion without an actual public Studio to go to.

I imagined a space for CZTs to teach classes, and learn HOW to teach classes. Authors and illustrators could have shows and book signings and workshops. Groups could have meetings, meet ups, gatherings, retreats... all that good stuff!

The Problem:

The BeeHive space is leased by Wingdoodle LLC and is/was dependent on the sale of the Wingdoodle building. (See Above) That means that  - not only is the monthly rent and business insurance not being covered by the sale of the store building, but I haven't had the time or attention span to focus on getting the new studio rolling.

The Options:

The responsible thing... would probably be to break the lease, rent a storage unit and just put the whole idea on ice.

I'm not inclined towards being responsible.

I'd like to find someone, or a few people to run the studio - organize, schedule, maintain - get the teachers in, get it all rolling, earning money, making a difference in the world. I did look into hiring an assistant to run it - but as it is, there's no way to pay them to begin. Catch-22.

I'd like to find some sponsors to help pay for the space in exchange for.... ?

IF we can get this working, we could turn it into a non-profit, get donations and sponsorships (tax-deductible) and include workshops to provide artists with financial, legal, marketing, etc. information.

I don't want to run another business, I want to be a part of a cooperative studio space.

BEEZ INK STUDIO : BUMBLEBAT BOOKS

The Great Idea:
Beez Ink Studio is my own business - I've been doing freelance illustration and recently, more sketch note type work. I'd like to develop that more - an illustration-comics-sketchnote-zentangle fusion. Graphic Medicine, Science Comics, Picture Books, Online classes... and I wanted to publish more of my own books through Bumblebat Books.




OK, I admit it - when I start talking about these projects I get SO EXCITED!!! I truly LOVE creating these kinds of weird projects whether they are books, comics or stand alone pieces. The research, sketching, brainstorming, design... I get to use almost all my superpowers and different techniques. I LOVE DOING THIS!!!!!

The Problem:
The money for printing the books and running all the online pieces of the biz (Mailchimp, Teachable, Photoshop, etc .)... was going to come from the downpayment on the sale of the Wingdoodle building. So it's all on hold for the present. Also, I'm still trying to work out getting some of my rights back to my Zentangle books. The BeeHive was going to be the home base for Bumblebat Books as well as the place to sell and promote the books.

The Options:

If I let go of the BeeHive Studio, some of the money going towards running it might be used for printing books, etc - but printing is in the thousands. I could do Kickstarters too. Or take a home equity loan.

These three Ideas were all intertwined - the sale of the Wingdoodle building would fund the Bumblebat publishing and the BeeHive Studio. The BeeHive Studio provides the support (mentally and creatively) and the marketing venue for the books I want to create with Bumblebat...

...And it Got Worse

"Cheer up," she said, "things could always be worse."
So I cheered up... and sure enough... things got worse.

I'm not going to whine about stress and panic attacks (at least not in this post), but I do keep working myself into a tither trying to "figure stuff out" and "make everything work". But when it all shakes down, I never seem to pick the right thing to worry about.

I've been distracted these last two days from my plans to get the new Studio open - by two new really big opportunities - which will have to go in another post. So - distraction upon distraction and I can't seem to focus, make any decisions, or get people to respond to me.

My daughter kept coming up to my studio to see if I would come watch tv with her and she started to lay in the guilt "Can't we do something interesting together?"

Eventually, we're relaxing on the couch, watching the Flash on TV (my mind is still doing research on my computer and trying to work stuff out...) and the bad guy, on TV, is releasing deadly gas into the police station... my Mom says "Do you guys smell something? Is something burning? The toaster? What is that?"

And then we are all running around sniffing... the basement, the attic, every single room... and suddenly my head is throbbing and I have to get out! Mom said she was having trouble breathing and she was going to call 911. My kid and I threw on our sneakers and went to take a walk and clear our heads.

The fresh air felt good, but I couldn't think straight. As we came around the first corner, we saw the lights of an ambulance go by. As we rounded the second corner we saw two fire trucks with the ambulance, and then a few more in front of my house:

It was really weird and disturbing to walk home past all our neighbors and the big, glowing trucks.
This was as close as they'd let us go:

They made me go to the ambulance to be checked because of the pain in my head. I remember thinking how strange that was. I've spent so much time in hospitals and yet this was the first time I'd been in an ambulance. Then they brought my mom in and things took their usual turn. She's a retired medical examiner and particularly chatty with firemen and police. By the time Lilah joined us (she was fine, just wondering what happened to us), we were all laughing hysterically.

They scoured the house and suggested I have all the electrical work and the heating system checked out... damnit... that's bad timing... (but I promised not to whine). They did find some very scary, melted lightbulbs, but I still have no idea what actually happened. My mom started to suggest some terrifying scenarios.

I preferred the hysterical laughter. I commented to Laurie, "If I'd known we'd be surrounded by 50 good looking firemen - I'd have taken a shower and put on some real clothes!"

Bumpity Bump-Bump, Look-it Frosty Go!

This is me lately...

You just KNOW that when it warms up around here, for real, that is going to be one truly disgusting pumpkin!

Sunday... I was walking through my house and stopped to give Minou a snuffle. When - WHA!!!! I saw The Fireman building a Snowman outside my window!!?

Yes, yes, I AM still mad at him... but, that's kind of sweet, right? I don't think anyone's ever given me a snowman before...?

It was a Classic, Standard Model Snowman, with carrot and pipe, etc. Not bad. I would have given extra points if it had looked more like The Fireman - with a baseball cap or - EXTRA points - a flaming head!!

Lilah knows me well - and she gets the creativity points. SHE made a SnowRhino! That's my girl! 

I was a little surprised that she had gone to the Dark Side (playing in the snow with The Fireman when we had all voted him off the island...) but it was a beautiful snowy day, so I Let It Go.

A beautiful... warm-ish day. When Lilah and I returned from the Studio that evening, The Snowman was looking a bit tired.

My sister, Mom, Laurie, Lilah and I were all sitting around the kitchen table watching The Snowman desperately trying to hang in there bathed in the unforgiving streetlight.

We saw The Fireman sneak over and push him back upright.

But Monday was an even lovelier day and by this morning, The Snowman had lost it. His head, his carrot, pipe, and his buttons! So sad. He didn't even last two days.

The Fireman came and collected his parts.
I put him out of his misery.

The Snowman.
Not The Fireman.
I think He is still in Misery.

This whole incident reminded me of a greeting card I made (available with a tattoo inside!) It's done in watercolor and the poem is written by my sister, Jenn, although she won't admit it.

So tomorrow is going to be in the 70's. A nice day for the beach! Which is ironic, since The Fireman and I had originally been planning a mini-vacation to the seacoast tomorrow. But Irony is my middle name lately. There will be another snowstorm on Thursday.

Catharsis

I'm going to whine a little, admit to being an idiot, and tell you how I humiliated myself....again. Then, I will wash my face and tell you some of the cool things I need to get back to work on.

I mentioned in the last post that Things have been Crazy. I should be used to that by now - but Big Disappointments, Family Dramas, and Financial Crisis - are only made worse by Depression, Anxiety Attacks and... let's just call it Lack of Support, for now.

I admit - I've been a mess.

I've never been good at multi-tasking or solving multiple emergencies at once. I tried to prioritize the emergencies...

I'm trying to sell the Wingdoodle Building, so I wanted to get all the yard sale junk from my mom's indoor sale (from last summer!) OUT of the building. Anywhere, but here.

I wanted the potential buyers to walk in on Tuesday and go, "Whoa! It's bigger and better than I remembered!? Wow - I can't WAIT to buy it!"

The Fireman said it was too big a project for one person to do - so he didn't want to help. On Monday - I started lugging stuff to my mom's barn (That's a second problem - to be dealt with at a later date). Laurie joined in. Then, I guess The Fireman must have felt bad so he helped too.

I went back the next morning and Laurie and I dragged more stuff to the barn. The Fireman watched me load the car up, arguing the whole time that I couldn't do it. (wtf?) After a few loads, he started tossing stuff into his truck. After that, it was pretty quick to get it cleaned out.

It looked so nice and clean (I vacuumed too) - I started thinking "maybe... I should keep it...?"

I've been so obsessed with selling the building and solving my Mom's crisis, that I've put my illustration projects on hold. I am WAY behind schedule. But I can't seem to focus on anything - ideas are all too ethereal and I just end up crying and with a migraine.
And Angry.
I feel very Angry.

Wednesday was a total wash. A blizzard. I had no way of getting into Concord to work at the studio. Which was fine. I was in such a deep Depression - I spent most of the day just staring at the wall and crying. I tried calling the Fireman, but he was busy. I remember my daughter asking me the next day if he was in Ice-head or Cricket mode? We couldn't figure it out, but it obviously wasn't On Fire for You mode.

https://glyphsglitchescomic.blogspot.com/2016/06/5-my-fireman-relationship-clock.html

Thursday, I got up early to dig myself out of the heavy, wet snow. I broke a shovel trying to get through the mountain the plow had made at the end of my driveway. As I stood there crying, I was cursing the boyfriend/neighbor with a snowblower, who no longer felt the need to help me.

I pulled myself together and went to a fantastic Women Inspiring Women luncheon at the Centennial Inn. Ironically - it was about Relationships. (As if I needed help?! ha ha ha!)
I sketch-noted the talk:

I met some VERY cool, fascinating ladies - and by the time I left there, I was actually feeling a lot more like my real-self. It was sunny out and I was excited to get to my Studio and start working on Work! Finally! Maybe things would be ok. And maybe The Fireman would calm down again and remember his promises. Maybe...

...crud. He had left a whole bunch of increasingly angry text messages assuming I was ignoring him on purpose. It was obvious he was still in Bad Boyfriend mode. I crashed down again. Eventually gave up on Work, and went home.

Friday, I stared at walls and felt sad. At one point, Laurie, her son, and I went out to try and clear more of the snow - and the Fireman yelled at all of us. No. He hadn't snowblowed. No, he didn't come over with a shovel and help. Just yelled.

My daughter saved the day for me. We got into a very silly discussion about Taylor Swift's Goat Song (Trouble) and that somehow led to the song "We Go Together" (from Grease) and we tried to memorize all the crazy lyrics and sing it really loud.
ShooDop Sha wadda wadda - dippity dipda DO!
Then we watched the movie GREASE - all the way to "Beauty School Dropout" when her Dad came to pick her up.
And then the house was really empty.
And quiet.
Again.

I looked out the window and noticed the Fireman had turned off all the lights in his house. Even the red heart he said was for me.

I crawled into bed with the cat.

Saturday, Got up early to take my Mom to Portsmouth to catch a Greyhound bus to Bangor, ME. She's going to visit my sister in Bar Harbor and organize her move up there next month. Laurie offered to come with me for company.

The bus stop was outside...

It was very cold. The bus was more than three hours late!

Turns out, back in Boston, they couldn't find the driver... how do you lose a driver!? So they took a lady driver from a NY route and sent her to do this run. She had to ask my MOM for directions!!??

Laurie and I were so cold and bored and discouraged by the time we headed home - late afternoon. But we cheered up again when we stopped at the Lindt chocolate shop off of 101!

I think I am in love with THIS man       -----------------------v

We walked in and
He said: "would you like to try a free sample of our new flavor?"
Us: "Oh, YES, please!!?"
Him: "It's red velvet!"
Me: "Oh, no thank you... (sad)... I only like dark chocolate. sigh"
Him: "Then I will get you one of our new 70% dark chocolates!"
Me: "oooooooooooooo...... !"

It was fabulous.

 Laurie and I soaked in Lindt balls!

Then we bought ourselves TONS of (our own durn) Valentines chocolates!!

I was exhausted when we finally got back home. But, in a better mood.

Until I saw the Fireman's texts.
And emails.
CRASH.

He was angry that I was angry about him having been angry about.... ?

He wanted his key back.

And then... and this one I am still puzzling over... he wanted me to know that he had bought me the LEGO Diner that I desperately wanted. He had been planning on giving it to me for Valentine's Day. But he was going to return it or give it to his little nephew. What?!

WHAT?!

SO... if I wanted the Diner... I was supposed to ... what?
Or was he just trying to hurt me by saying he was going to lick all the donuts so I couldn't eat them?
I don't understand? Hurt me all week... then instead of trying to make things right... hurt me all weekend too? Seriously. I have no response.

Once again, I crawled into bed. But this time, I binge watched "Continuum" while building my LEGO Bank!! And I had bought this set MYSELF!
It was actually my gift to myself for graduation from Cartoon School!

Isn't it gorgeous? I attached it to the Detective Agency I finished a few weeks ago.

On the roof, there's a huge skylight! And a bank robber - the chimney has a secret opening right into the bank vault! OMG! It's too cool. :-)

Today I was determined to get to Work! But the Depression slammed me again. At a very low point, I tried calling - Him - I make poor decisions when I feel that Bad. Of course, he didn't answer. He's blocked me. Probably that's for the best. In my mind, I have this image of him that he's this loving, wonderful person who can pick me up when I'm down. Always there for me. Helpful. Trustworthy. Whatever.

In reality - we are truly ill-suited to each other. My humiliation comes from allowing myself to be treated badly... over and over again. And again. Each time, he thinks he has convinced me that nothing actually happened. I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I was at fault. He's the perfect boyfriend. I'm crazy.

I argue with him in my head. But there's no point in answering his texts or whatever he's yelling from his window. I just feel so embarrassed. So humiliated. What was I thinking? How can this be happening - again? Why am I such an idiot? How can I get him out of my head so I can get to WORK!?

That's what I've been thinking all afternoon. Cry, cry, cry. Kick things. Cry some more. Then all the anger shifts completely towards myself. I think terrible thoughts. And then I realize - I don't actually believe them.
Maybe he's wrong?

Eventually... I get... bored... I need to DO something with the anger and disappointment. I haven't drawn comics about this stuff in - 6 months (???!!!) - because it's the same old crap. Just read the old comics. I need new material. Different characters. I need to get back to WORK!

My compromise was to do a brain drain. I figured, if I write it all down here... [As Anna Nalick sings in "Breathe"]

...If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
'Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud...

You all are used to my messing up, so I thank you for reading all of that and bearing with me. 
I will get my act together.
I WILL get my act together.
(rinse and repeat).

Here are the main things I have been (trying) to work on recently - I will write more about them soon.

• I'm working on the illustrations for a picture book for Clear Fork Publishing, called "Ready, Set, Gorilla!" by Melissa Stoller. (click here to read article)

• Montshire Science Museum teamed up with Dartmouth College to produce more science kits - and I'm doing the comics/illustrations again. (click here to read the newspaper article)

• There's a large studio space available in the basement of the Concord Community Arts Center and I want to turn it into a Creative Collaboration Art Space.

• I finished the dummy for my own picture book "Blue Roo" and need to find it a publisher.

• The Quo Vadis, calendar comics were updated to include a full 12 months and I need to find a way to get them printed.

• Sketchnotes. I have drawn A LOT of sketchnotes and want to make a website for them.

Alright. That seems to have worked. Now I am accountable to you all and I feel like I want to go and work on stuff! THANKS!

Riding the Rails

Today we did nothing - it seemed - but stand in line and wait. Compared to yesterday - where we never stopped moving and stuffed our heads with information - today was infinitely more exhausting. 

Some days, burying your head in a drawer really is the best option. 

Cool pattern on the rug, though, eh?

And the ceilings had amazing patterns. And the lobby rugs. And lamps. 

Anyway - we checked out of the Palmer House Hotel and had an adventure finding a locker at Union Station to stow our suitcases in. (Did you know they use fingerprints instead of keys now?!) We figured two hours would be plenty... Then we walked back to the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) to see the views from the SkyDeck.

I wish we had skipped the experience. It sucked. Well, the view is probably astounding, but getting there is not half the fun. We waited in lines for a down elevator, to get through security, to buy tickets, to go through a hallway, to wait to get in to a theatre... Each room got successively darker. The kids lost their patience. All the kids in the room lost their patience...  When I realized we were no closer to getting on the Up elevator and that our two hour locker rental was almost up... I lost my patience. We backtracked through the maze and fled the building. The bustling city felt wide open and we sucked in the bright, fresh air! We now had a whole new perspective on the city and we didn't even need to see it from above. 

Waiting to board the train seemed like a piece of cake in comparison. And it was with mixed emotions that we watched the tower fade into the distance.

  

It is fascinating to see the landscape change from farms and corn fields to the swampy Mississippi River. And a beaver dam! Charming little brick towns in the middle of nowhere to Kansas City (which we just left now). As an aside, Lilah is reading through all the Oz books. Yesterday we learned all about cyclones at the science museum and today we rode through Dorothy's backyard on this train. By the end of this trip, with the Grand Canyon and all, we will have topped Lilah's impending second grade curriculum. Maybe she can test out and move on to third grade? ;-)

Dinner in the dining car was a blast. The tables have layers of paper and a cup with pens. Lilah asked if it was ok to draw on the table and the steward said "but of course!"  Yeah! So... We did. 

Kids menu offered hot dogs or Mac and cheese. I convinced Lilah that the tilapia and green beans was a much yummier choice. And she convinced me (no argument here) to substitute ranch dressing for the herby pesto sauce.

And we dined and drew and argued about "Croc Pox" - whether it's a disease or a fever hot enough to slow cook a meal. If there are alligators in that swamp? Lilah explained how beaver build their dams. We very slowly ate our desserts as we crossed over the Mississippi River. Then, we looked around to see we were the only ones left in the car!

After our rooms were converted for the night, and the kids had climbed up into their shelves... Umm... Beds... There was some concern that the bed was about six inches shorter than Alex... I explained how these rooms are actually considered to be a great luxury! Most people on this train are sleeping upright in airplane type seats. We can lie down. We have our own bathroom with shower. (Granted, you can't move your arms even to reach the toilet paper, but that also means you can't fall when the train rocks.) we have a sink and a box of tissues and, as Lilah noted, a door that locks. We also have an awesome room steward. She left a present for my mom - since this trip is to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday (she adores train travel). 

I tried to do some journal stuff, but the train shakes in 5 dimensions. I wanted to make a map to show our progress...

Maybe some of the states are recognizable? What's really cool is tracking it using the iPhone's Map App! Yes, it has a use!  When the kids ask "where are we?" I can say with all authority, "this is Galesville, Illinois. Oops, you missed it!"

Pop-Pop-BLAM! - Comic Camp

The teachers here are either wind-up toys or highly caffeinated! They have so much energy and enthusiasm, even at 9:30 in the morning! Me, I'm exhausted just typing the exclamation marks! ;-)

Seriously, they are great. Very dramatic and funny... hmmmm... just like cartoon characters?

Today we started off with a very hyper, nerve-wracking, exercise. Kind of like a cartoon version of a cross between the game "Telephone" and "Exquisite Corpse". If you aren't familiar with them, you will have to look them up. It's almost midnight and I'm anxious to get some sleep so I can go back to class tomorrow morning. (My mom is probably reading this thinking "Wait! Excited for school?! Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!") Tomorrow we are learning INKING! And that's, like, you know, with a brush and pen nibs, and... INK! Terrifying for sure. But we have been doing so much "penciling" the sides of our hands are all smudgey and gray and there are streaks across our faces. We are ready for some new marks on our bodies. And I'm hoping the photos will look more exciting - or at least show up better than the pencil.

Ah, back to the Exercise.... The first person was given a phrase and they drew a picture of it in the first box, folded over the phrase, so it couldn't be seen, and passed it on. The second person looked at the picture and had to write a phrase describing it. Then they folded over the picture so the third person only saw the new phrase - and they had to draw a picture of it. Repeat.

It's a lot harder than it sounds. But, in case it doesn't sound hard, each person only had a minute. The second time we played, we had 45 seconds, then 20... by the time we ended, there was barely enough time to pass the paper! Eeeek! Nevertheless, we were WIDE awake by 10am!!

Here are a few examples. Some were hysterically funny.

In the afternoon, we played another game. That one was like Pictionary on speed!

We also learned about gestures, layout, pacing, expressions, all kinds of serious stuff.

Here's my unreadable photo of some of what I worked on today.

I particularly love lettering. No surprise there. It was fascinating to see how much can be told about the character and story just through the way the letters of the dialog - and the speech balloons - are rendered. We also penciled another comic page (the pale sheet in the background) that will be inked tomorrow. My story is about a Lilah Bean who almost gets arrested for laughing in a cave, but is saved by a happy cat.... oh, did I not mention we also played Mad Libs and used them to design a comic page? There's another great idea if you have trouble with "what should I draw?"

This evening we had a lecture by Steve Bissette, who is wicked famous. He is even on Wikipedia! Alright, who am I kidding, "lecture" isn't the right word. We laughed hysterically while watching nuclear bomb propaganda films and an episode of Ultraman. (Who also has his own Wikipedia page, but is not nearly as clever as Steve Bissette).

Steve told us the history of post-apocalyptic film, illustrated with previews from the films he mentioned. Then we ate popcorn and watched "The Road Warrior" - also, unofficially known as "Mad Max 2" which changed the world (of sci-fi) forever. This was before movie ratings, so there are some really gross, though engrossing, yicky bits. And - women are treated... badly, and the bad guys look like they belong in a porn flick. Or maybe "50 Shades of Mad Max." But it actually has a great plot. Who knew? Then you can move on to Thunderdome. There was another movie shown after, but I could no longer feel my lower half so I headed out.

Mad Max also has great learning experiences for cartoonists - like character development. And I learned a rule I had not known, yet had actually recognized from years of reading X-Men - once a character has been tagged in some recognizable way, they must not EVER change their clothes. That works well in Mad Max. Where would they get clean clothes anyway? And some of those guys... well, I'm sure they lost the instruction manual for their harnesses years ago.

Tune in tomorrow to learn the secrets to quick and easy, do-it-yourself INKING!

Pow! Zing! Comic Camp!

My hotel room smells like feet.
So does the hallway. And the lobby...
This place - the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vermont - is an intriguing mix of blast from the past, mysterious - and "well, that's what you get for the price."
I have definitely stayed in much worse conditions. And there are some things here that are better than some of the expensive suite hotels I've stayed in too.

For one, I actually have TWO rooms. Granted, they are divided by the bathroom...

...and I have a fridge so I don't have to eat at a restaurant three meals a day...

The hallways are literally endless! And they are wider than the actual rooms.
There's free internet and the latest of other technological advances...

And there are some really lovely Zentangle worthy tangles - like this hall rug...

...such lovely depth, don't you think? And this Crescent Moon relative on the curtain...

The whole town feels like it is trapped in time. It's actually rather creepy. There are all sorts of interesting shops and restaurants and theater and paint-your-own-pottery - but there's no one here and everything feels closed. Or rather, like the people have just stepped away...

And every once in a while a train whistle blows as it pulls into the station across the street.

Meanwhile, 7 miles up the street, there is a big crack in the earth and it is hopping with people! Quechee Gorge is mobbed with tourists, hikers, and shoppers. Go figure.

I got really queasy looking over the railing - and every time a car passed behind me on the bridge, the whole thing bounced. blurgh. There are nice hiking trails that go along the side of the gorge and UNDER the bridge.

From under here, there is a creepy, cracking sound when the cars pass over. But I think I prefer having my feet on the solid ground!

• • • • •

I'm only in White River Junction for the week, but already I have asked myself a thousand times - "Could I survive here for a whole year? Maybe two?" I really love the idea of getting my Masters in Cartooning. How cool would that be?! Yes, there are plenty of obstacles to that goal, but for now, I should just enjoy this one week.

Poster in the window of the school.

I am here at the Center for Cartoon Studies for Create Comics - or as I call it - "Cartoon Camp." We have an eclectic mix of people over forty (a couple "way" over 40), a couple of teenagers, and a big group of 20-somethings. I can't say that I feel like I fit in, but then I think that every one here is a bit of a... misfit. ;-)

Sign from the original occupant of the school's building.

In keeping with my "I just can't escape from work" plight... remember last summer where I ran away from my over-scheduled illustration classes, to an art camp on a remote island in the middle of a lake, in the middle of nowhere - and my cabin-mate was the very teacher from that illustration class!?... this is not quite so bad, but I had kind of been hoping to pretend to just be like everyone else and focus on comics. I wanted to think like a beginner and see it all anew. Get rejuvenated.

I wasn't in the classroom for more than 10 minutes before a man turned around and introduced himself saying that we had met at CZT training number 12 and he was so excited that I was here! He has my books and my App. My cover is blown. But, actually, it was kind of a relief. I'm no good at small talk with strangers and talking about Zentangle made us instant friends. I am curious to see his abstract cartoons tomorrow. He also has a web comic with a penguin.

Tomorrow, I have a "portfolio review" during lunch. Of course, I haven't had a "portfolio" since I graduated from art school. And, yes, I am weirdly nervous!

Today was a blast! We learned about character design, environments, thumbnails... and we drew... FAST! (I always draw slow!) I was remembering how my son's summer studies teacher said the kids would learn as much Arabic, in five weeks, as college kids learn in TWO YEARS. Whoa. Now I see how that is possible. When you are packing in just one subject - and your teacher talks really fast and times you - you get a lot done! I love seeing how "WTF!?" (when the challenge is given) can turn into "Maybe if I..." (when you are forced to draw something. Anything. NOW!) then turns into "Hmmm... best idea ever!"

 

My character, Amret, started out as a slightly evil dog type creature, but then changed into a slightly mischievous little sister. Then she grew batwings. Then a black dress with a skull... and poofy sleeves...

... and pink lace...

...and she lives in a cave. And likes to draw...

Tune in tomorrow, when Amret will learn to make bold gestures!