The Hills Gets a New Cast Member

this is the next cartoon i sketched and inked and then colored using my digital tablet. i was still testing out what other kinds of features i could use in the background department and i thought this one was fun. anyways i've turned it into a greeting card you can see on PigSpigot.

an update on my novel, I'm excited that i've been able keep adding to it a bit each day and i'm not getting a clear idea of how it's all going to wrap up. as of now i'm a touch over 44,000 words and have crested the point in which the 'end is in sight!' i'm excited to get the whole plot woven together; i'll give you all the details soon and once i've finished i will probably post a few excerpts too.

that's all for now and remember, proceed forward with plastic surgery at your own risk!

If you're feeling sunk drop me a line!

i'm very excited that i got a new Wacom tablet and have been playing around with it to color in my cartoons. i'm still learning all of the features and getting better control with the pen and such, but so far i'm liking it. here is one of the first few cartoons i've colored using it, but i'm not really completely happy with the finished product as it is now. i want to learn how to do a better job with the shading and highlighting; like i said it's sort of been me bumbling through the program so i hope over time i'll get a better hold of it. in the mean time i do like that it gives the drawings a more polished look. and you can see this in its card form at PigSpigot.

on the writing front i'm still plowing forward with my latest novel idea and am sort of mapping out the rest of the plot in my head. i'm liking how it's turning out thus far but want to add in some unexpected twists; but they are going to require a little research so i'm putting my thinking cap on and hopefully i'll reach the end soon. :) that's all for now...you all are having a great weekend!

The Little Brother Conquers

Being laid up with a gimp leg is no fun, and i've been trying to get in some quality drawing time but it's been so tough to deal with this clipboard...i miss tables! But i've been doing my best and here's a little cartoon i made for one of my friends; it depicts the ongoing saga of sibling rivalry and we can all appreciate the joy that comes when the younger brother at last is able to stand up to his older bro!

I've also been able to work on my latest novel idea, which i'm actually beginning to like more an more. I had started without a real clear picture of where the plot would eventually lead and the ending, but i had the premise in mind. this is the first time where i just kind of plunk down and start writing what comes to mind; a little experiment i guess. we'll see how this ends up.

Anyways, my dad is visiting (actually more like working like crazy!) to help me out around her. he's been AMAZING; cleaning, arranging, and doing everything for me; i feel like a spoiled little brat watching him doing all this work while i lie here and watch tv and type on the computer. gotta love the man! :)

Well, that's it for now, so until next time...

Getting back to a bit of the toons

Just a quickie post today so this blog doesn't go completely ignored while I keep trying to heal up from my leg injury. I'm pretty pleased I was able to do a little SOMETHING over the past week and a half, even though in perspective I feel like a slacker. First it was really tough to concentrate with the med's and I was just so tired from the surgeries, but slowly I'm starting to be able to concentrate better and I was able to get some writing done. Still I'm taking a break from projects for clients and taking the time to start working on a new novel idea I've had. I don't want to put too much stress on myself with having to meet strict deadlines because I still get really tired and don't want to make promises I couldn't keep.

I've been wanting to do more art, but since I'm literally laying down on my back the whole day it's tough to get the right angle and control with a clipboard on my lap. I'm hoping soon I'll either get a little better at that or find a way to set up a better working condition. So until then I'm just doing some cartoons and I've just finished two outline sketches for a couple projects. One is an idea for a Pink Hair for Cancer campaign at a hair salon where women are encouraged to put pink streaks in their hair to help the cause. That actually sounds really fun and I wish I could do that. The other is an idea for a font that one awesome musician, Ali Heyer, came up with and she wanted a memorable cartoon character to go with it. The font is called Presto Magic, hence the title there. :)

So verrrry slowly but surely I'm trying to get some stuff done and I've been working on some other sketches for one of my art buds who I was joking around with while in the hospital and I owe him some drawings, and I'm doing some thank you cards for all of the wonderful doctors and nurses who helped me insurmountably these past weeks and are continuing to do so in the upcoming months. Hope all is well with you and do what makes you happy!

Sorry for the lapse, life decided to issue me a big kick in the gut...

hey guys, sorry to leave this blog a bit in the dust but some crazy other drama is going on right now in my running related world. i was hit by a car last Thursday and it was pretty nasty, i literally thought i would lose the leg; and i have been laid up in the hospital since then. needless to say i've had to step back from doing much of anything now, so nothing new to really report in regards to writing and art. i'm trying to get some sketches done, but it's slow going between all that's going on and the medicine. you can read more about what's going on at my Fitness Stop blog if you're interested. i'll try to get some new stuff up soon, but right now most of my focus is on getting better and holding onto the hope that one day i will be able to run again.
Cait*

Celebrity Inspired Cartoon to Offer You Some Laughs and Inspiration

Today's little cartoon may look like I'm only taking a shallow jab at poor Briney Spears, but if you take a look at the full card found at PigSpigot you will see I actually turned it into a little motivational, inspirational type of greeting to be passed along to get you through a tough time...so that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Yes, it is hard not to fall into the whole media frenzy around juicy celebrity gossip, and Britney Spears sure gave us plenty to talk about...and it is still ongoing; but one can't help but root for the poor girl. She sure has come a long way and does deserve respect for the comeback that she has had and is still currently in progress; hopefully her days of odd and bizarre behavior are behind her, but if not I'm sure there will be plenty more cartoons making the rounds! Hope you all are doing well, but if you need a pick me up, go ahead and send yourself this very card and remember things could in fact be worse. ;)

Burlesque Show in Pencils

Here's the pencil drawing I've been working on yesterday and today; I've been on a bit of a pencil kick I suppose. I really like doing cartoon type designs with the pens and markers but sometimes I have fun trying my had at something a little more realistic. I get a bit more stressed out when I do these, so I like to mix it up with the cartoons where I'm not so uptight about getting everything 'just right.' I don't know about other artists but I get going and then reach a certain point in the piece where I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out and then get afraid that I'm going to mess it all up! For this one I am pleased with the face, that's always the hardest part, but I need to still work on better shading/blending...ugh. And upon further inspection I'm not all that jazzed about the eyes; they don't quite pop...but oh well. It is what it is...and one more thing I would like to add, "I hate blasted theater curtains!" Those were annoying with all the wrinkles and such...hehe. Well, back to work for me. :)