Uncle Jameson and Aunt Dira

This is the first image of the lil' baby Holst:


James' sister Sarah and her husband Joe are expecting. I've mentioned them before.

This will be the first grandbaby on his families side. My family has a boatload of them. I'm very excited, none of my neices or nephews are very lil anymore.

lil kitty

I might have to steal a kitty.


This is Isadora.

Or Eee-izz (said in a very highpitched voice), Izza-muffin, Chicken, Izza-dorable, Bah-bee, or even Fat-head (meant in the sweetest of ways). Half of those nicknames came with her, from her real and loving owners who miss their lil'kitty.

We absolutly love having her around. She is the kitten-iest of cats ever.

Jameson says she is a person pretending to be a cat, which would make sense as she is almost too perfectly kitty-cat. She purrs in any position, bumps our chins with her head (one of the best catnesses), follows me around, sleeps in our bed and, every now and then, cocks her head a bit to one side and asks, "Merow?"

I'm in kitty bliss.

It's been soooo long.

There's been cleaning, coughing, a successful staff party, hirings and firings, wars fought with managers from other staffs, busy shifts and dead ones, new emails sent out to Image, new ideas for comics, and on and on.

I'm sorry I've been away.

Next Saturday is "Loop in Motion", which you find out about here. I blogged about it last year. This year I haven't found time to get anything made for it. With less than a week to go I'm gonna try to throw something together.

And for no reason at all here's this:


I painted this a long time ago and found it when we cleaned. Just thought it would add some color to this silly post.

I promise to try to be better about blogging in the future.

Coughing and Cleaning

This cold is sloooowing me down. There was a lot of laying on the couch yesterday. I did manage to hang the new shower curtain - but that's not much of an accomplishment.

Today will be more like this:

Dust rag in hand, sorting through massive amounts of books, mags, and comics - all while coughing and hacking my lungs out.

Tra-Lah!

Summer Cold

I have a cold. It's always worse to have a cold in summer, in my opinion. I seem to have one every summer. The plan was to do an extremely late spring cleaning this week, while I actually have a couple days off in a row. This cold is trying to slow me down, but this will be our only chance to catch up on the cleaning. Jameson started the cleaning off last night, while I was at work. He did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom! I HATE cleaning the bathroom, so it was the best surprise when I got home last night!

Summer cold be darned - I've got spring/fall cleaning to do!

We are also going to go through our magazines. So, if anyone wants a lot of old New Type, Bust, or Giant Robot mags - let me know!

Cough, cough, hack, sneeze, sniff. I godda gedda tissue.

Cosmic Cherry #2

- is in the works!

Just because we haven't heard anything about being accepted doesn't mean we can't keep pushing forward. So here is my boy hard at work laying out a new page to pencil:


If you think you spy a mustache on that fine asian fella' you'd be right. It started as a bet. I believe the bet was a bit fake as he's been threatening to grow one for some time now.

And because he's so cute (I mean tough) when he is hard at work, here's another shot:


It's kinda strange to be working on the 2nd story arc (issues 7-12) while he is working on the 2nd issue. It would seem unfair that I can get done so much faster if it didn't also mean I have to do all the scanning. Me and my Mustek don't always see eye to eye.

"What, What, What?" A quickie.

If you read Jared's blog (or JJ or Fry or whatever you know him as) then you already know. If not you must click here.

Yo Gabba Gabb is a kids show that is being made by an enormous amount of talented and strange people. I really can't describe it without rewriting all that Jared has already faithfully compiled. Go read skablahblah!

Be warned - it might just break TV.

Books are good.

Today I interviewed and hired a new employee. Then I came home and cleaned, did the dishes with my boy, put away laundry from two weeks ago, answered some (but not all) emails, and checked on my American Apparel order's status (it seems to be in stand still at the LA Fedex).

In-between all of this I read.

I have been running out of books lately, rereading all of mine far too many times. I even accidentally read one of my favorites far too soon, you have to leave a really good book alone for a certain amount of time. I used to have a roommate (Boz) who had a collection to rival my own (she also worked at Barnes and Noble and kept us both stocked with the finest of new titles). Before that I had my sisters who also had large quantities of books. Lately it's been sad. I'm very lazy about walking the few blocks to the library in 100+ weather and I get scared at the vast amount of shiny new top sellers at Borders.

I much prefer, I've found, friends just handing me books and telling me, "You should read this." Enter my roommate Jared. He walked into our "hang out" room in the mid-afternoon with a stack of five books. He'd dug around to find me something to read. One of them was:



I started it immediately. Jonathan Lethem is great. "Girl In Landscape" is my favorite but this was very good. Yes, I can say it "was" good because I finished it. Jameson seems to think it is very impressive that I can finish an entire book in less than a day, especially considering I was taking breaks from the book to accomplish actual tasks. It doesn't seem amazing to me, I'm pretty sure all the females (and I think my young nephew) in my family devour books just as fast.

Now I will get to the point: if any of you folks have any books you think I should read - please tell me!

ps- Jameson is reading "The Omnivores Dilemma" and he kept reading snippets to me. So, my reading was interspersed with lovely little nuggets about how everything we eat is made of corn and how we are, essentially, people made of corn. Awesomeness.

Sweet Sister

Work is overwhelming. We are training two new assistant managers right now and that will be great eventually, but at this point it's just extra work. I feel beat and exhausted all the time. My house is a mess, I'm not staying on my schedule with the comic (or blog), and everytime I think I have time to get some of that done something comes up at work. I think my job is trying to kill me.

I was feeling sad and tired and had just finished manager stuff at work (I'm about to go back in now to wait tables) - just feeling down in general when I checked my mail and found this:



A lovely, happy, birdy card that also had a very sweet note:



It was just what I needed and made me feel better. Thank you, Julie, for brightening my day!

I have a problem...

I have always doodled too much. Many angry teachers have made this clear to me. Also there is evidence everywhere, on any scrap of paper or paper-like surface anywhere near me and a writing utensil (this includes almost anything - even sauce on an almost empty plate). Lately it has taken on a life of it's own. This same shape (pattern?) pops up over and over and covers whole surfaces of everything. Sometimes I'll pretend I can make just one loopy shape to "decorate" a corner but by the end it has consumed the entire area. I have many examples (in my trashcan) but here is a Cosmic Cherry related fun one:



This is page #1 of the script for Cosmic Cherry #2. Jameson and I were editing, not too long ago, and then the doodle monster took over. I'm going to blame the hot pink sharpie. It is clearly to blame.

Blogging About Blogs (and stuff)

We went to lunch yesterday with Jameson's sister and brother in-law. They are amazingly talented and fun. Joe kindly mentioned Cosmic Cherry on his blog. They have recently started their own media company: Fresh Blend Media. They are going to help us get our Cosmic Cherry website up and going soon.

Ashley G also posted fun photos of our Sunday night routine here. I'm not in the photos because A. I hate photos of myself and B. was at the other table. The managers have a mini meeting every Sunday and don't get to join in the fun until later.

Photos and Chicago Bits

This is only a few but there are more on my flicker (see fancy banner thing):

Here's me with my good friend Rorschach. It is a strange and awkward pose we've got goin' on. After the photo shoot he told me to, "Have a good convention." Such words of wisdom I will treasure forever.


Here is the adorable duo who have shirts made from sheets my little brother and I use to fight over. We also used to draw on them with markers at night and, magically, after they got washed the marks would all be gone. The sheets where passed down from older siblings and where very faded. We used the markers to draw everyone back in. I also loved to give Luke fancy lips and eyelashes. These gentlemen here obviously took better care of their sheet set.


This is Dan and Rachel (me too) waiting to eat. This is where the, now infamous, spider bite will occur. Rachel and Dan are good friends from the BBH who recently moved to Chicago and opened up their apartment and futon for us. It was lovely. Here we are all sweating, a lot.


Jameson plays with the camera while we wait and sweat.


Here is my April. Her and her man Ryan drove down from Columbus to spend Saturday with us. She looks dreamy and sweet but I know for a fact both she and her man can throw me across a hotel room using only their hips. This is from Roller Derby. She can break you in half all while on skates! No, Ryan doesn't derby - but he packs one mean hip check.


All in all an enjoyable trip. We both came back exhausted but refreshed and ready to buckle right back into our crazy work/comic book schedule. I have new assistant managers to train and Cosmic Cherry #2 is underway!

Quick because I'm sleepy

I worked, worked, worked yesterday and today.

Chicago was awesome. I have a ton of blisters due to poor shoe choice. We talked to B. Clay Moore at Wizard World. There was a father and son wearing button down shirts made from the same Star Wars sheets I had as a child. Jameson took my picture with a really good Rorachach. I had yummy cupcakes with April (Boz) and Ryan. Rachel and Dan and kitties where loverly. I got bit by a spider and a gunfight (in which a gun was fired) happened right out the door at American Apparel as we watched from inside.

I will post pictures tomorrow. I have to be up in 6 hours.

g'nite

Runaways

We ran away to Chicago!

I haven't had a day off in over a month. So Jameson decided that the only way to ensure I didn't work was to leave town. He was, of course, correct.

We are staying with our good friends Rachel and Dan (who recently moved to Chi Town). We are also going to Wizard World on Friday (yeah for geeky time). And then... we are hanging out with Boz and her man Ryan. They decided to run away for a day (from Columbus, OH) to see us!!

Spending time with two great couples all in the same week, all in the same lovely town and having time away from the BBH is AMAZING!

So far we've spent 8 hours walking and shopping all over and I managed to get about 5 to 6 blisters on both heels - yeah vacation!!!

Also, we listened to most of the book on tape (CD) of World War Z on the drive up - it is amazing.

Now if we can only hear back from Image things will be perfect!

My niece and nephew are too cute.

Ashley G of Kitty Genius is having a sale on her t-shirts and the adorable models are my sweet neice and nephew.

Please check out their cuteness here.

We bought my nephew this book (and the second one) for his birthday:



He's been racing through them all and has him Mom (my sis) and Aunt (my other sis) reading them as well. It was smart on his part b/c they buy the next book for him knowing they'll want to read it. It's fun, fun to discuss rat creatures and quiche with him. His favorite character is Smiley Bone.

No news is good news?

Still playing the waiting game, the one where I check my email a gazillion times a day, or hour. No news yet from the folks at Image but here is a taste for you:

This is page #17 (of 24) from Cosmic Cherry issue #1

(I tried to change the sizes of these images twice and blogger refuses to understand me. I think they are bigger if you click them but they might end up really big, whatever.)

This next one is one of my favorites, mainly because of the teddy.

This is page #22 (of 24) from Cosmic Cherry issue #1

I'm working on compiling all of the usefull links and info we found while spending our lives online trying to learn about scanning, sizing, and coloring this comic (coloring the cover, it's a b&w comic). If it's all together maybe we can save some time for other folks.

I really like the asian-cart scene because you almost never see people eating in comics. I also love the way Jameson does nuanced facial expressions. But, seriously, I love Daphne's teddy.

Anyway, back to the waiting game.

Bye-Bye Blue Lines: scan comic art and get rid of blue lines

Here is the best method I've found for getting those blue lines out after you scan your comic art/pages...

After spending hours and days online, along with hours and days of fighting with photoshop and my computer, my super friend Droob sent me a link to what I now refer to as "The Dave Gibbons Method".

I was so happy when it worked that I swore on the spot I would marry Dave Gibbons (Watchmen artist, if you don't know what I'm talking about - shame). He may already be married and I'm pretty attached to my boy Jameson - but when you try it you'll probably swear to marry him as well.

Also, we scanned in color at 300 dpi and at the end (where he changes image size) we made it 450. You might need/want to make slight changes as well. Other than that it's step by step and record it as an action while you do it - that way it's just a keystroke and you get to watch the magic happen. Dave Gibbons...swoon.



Here's the page Droob originally sent me, although I think you have to go to the next page to read what I've posted here. Hope this helps anyone who finds my blog - it made my brain so happy.

Tired and some fun...

It has been crazy at work and I feel like this:

But in fun news we sent out the Cosmic Cherry Sumission by post and by email!!!

Sound the drums and horns!

Too bad it's comic-con week and we prob'ly won't hear back for a bit.

Cosmic Cherry #1 Cover Mock Up

Doesn't it look real?!?!?!

I want to walk into Star Clipper right now and buy it!

At last...

Stay tuned for updates and fun crabbing by me on all the joys of scanning, sizing and coloring a comic.

all work and no play makes me lazy

it has been a month and a half since i've had a "real" day off. "real" days off consist of days where i spent less than 2 hours at work. i won't/can't even go into all the multitude of reasons that caused ths horrible achievement.

my clean laundry has spent two weeks on my bedroom floor (getting walked on - of course), the house looks like a paper-mail-trash-dish-clothes monster vomitted everywhere, and i normally have my taxes done by now.

i'm crabby and seem to spend any moment not at work on my cheap brown couch watching t.v. and t.v. on dvd. we have rewatched all of firefly (including serenity) and the series is much sadder when you know the outcome - but still fun, fun stuff. I have also watched the entire game of okami (it's so pretty) and 4/5 of zelda twighlight princess (i love helping to solve the puzzles). on a slightly less lame note i have almost finished reading war and peace. it was a christmas present and most people thought it was a joke. it was actually given to me by my roomate b/c he knows i read too fast and get very sad when a book is over. i also love historical books so it's been awesome although most of my favorite characters are dead or dying at this point and -spoiler alert- moscow has been deserted by the russians and taken by the french.

my goal today is to kinda straighten things around the house - a task that i might get done. tomorrow should be my first real day off in forever - so wish me luck!

dirunk

i'm a tad bits drunk.

i was hanging out wsith my russian friend misha - he's a fun guy...

where is the bozaphra - or danger- hat as you know her?

I miss and love that silly girl.

we rearranged our "artroom". For making space and art from the space, yes?

i love people and things right now - so you know i'm a drunk baby!

ciao!

geek and boz and yi and jameson (you knos who you are) = i love y'all!