We’ve got a rhythm. Up at 3 am, get Sarah settled with whatever she needs to manage pain, then I have coffee and update my socials. Breakfast. Art. A chore or three. I’m off to the post office at 7:08 so I can clock in at 7:30. Eight and a half hours later I head home. Dinner while watching some show. Conversation. Maybe some art. Maybe a chore. Bed. I read a few pages aloud of a book. Sleep.
It varies of course. On my days off we like taking a morning nap on the couch. Sarah has a bunch of different projects and obsessions that she wrangles daily (hourly) depending on her energy and pain levels. Which project I work on depends on what my brain is willing to focus on and what I have a deadline for. This week, for instance, I made progress on Daughter of Spiders illustrations, did one illustration for fun (another version of the Milpitas Monster – that’s the one that opens this newsletter), printed out some illustrations for our next day at the market and updated an illustration for my Redbubble store.
We’ve participated in two Fremont Sunday Markets now. Our first time was, to me, mostly a learning experience – figuring out what we were doing wrong more than what we were doing right. We had a few interested folks but they were just a tiny portion of the crowd and our conversations were pretty short. Our second time was much more engaging. Longer conversations. People who stopped and looked at the art and gave positive opinions even when they weren’t making purchases. We got clues as to what people might want more of. It’s both gratifying and weird when someone thinks highly of my work. I don’t suffer from imposter syndrome. Maybe I will if we become rich and famous but currently I just do what I do and appreciate it when someone else appreciates it. I was surprised by the variety of folks who were attracted by the art. It’s not that I had a picture of who our audience might be. It’s more that I didn’t expect a range maybe? It wasn’t the entire range of the Seattle population but it was more than just moms with kids (for Nizz) or male nerds (for other stuff).
Below is my original Werewolf vs Bigfoot illustration. I did it in 2024 while learning Clip Studio. I did 365 pieces and it’s one of my favorites.
Below is the color version that I worked up this week. The color one is available on schtuff in Redbubble.
I’d originally imagined doing the Milpitas Monster illustration in color but, for now at least, I really like the black and white version.
That’s it for this week. Be good. Be kind. See you in seven!
