Why, yes, I have dropped off the face of the planet. I’ve been swept up in a fog of … work. And not the artistic kind. I can’t promise when I’ll be posting regularly again. It might be tomorrow. It might be 2011.

I hope all is well for you in the real world.

(The graphic above is from a flyer we (Labor of Love Studios) put together to advertise the GLYPH comics newspaper in 1998. Zazkwatch was a four page comic strip that I wrote and drew in each issue.)

My stepmother passed away about an hour ago. It’s not unexpected. She’s been fighting cancer for the last few months.

I supposed there are wicked stepmothers out there, that cliche must have started somewhere, but Jan wasn’t one of them. She always made me feel welcome. She brought me two brothers and gave me a little sister.

She took so many photographs. We were seen even when we thought we didn’t want to be.

She’s gone to join my father. They were a good match and she’s been waiting for this reunion. She’s at peace.

Update 10/20/2010 – Anchorage Daily News Obit

I spent yesterday getting readjusted to home and work and thus missed posting. My apologies.

This illustration was the last piece in the watercolor sketchbook that held the figure drawings and the previous post’s Black Molly illustration. As I think I written previously, most horror writers and fans have a vampire story they want to tell. This is a glimpse of what mine might have looked like if I’d started drawing it in 1992.

So, new template, new post.

I’m somewhat reluctant to spend time writing this post when I could be working on one of the projects that I’m about to mention. Still, if this works out I’ll be making more progress on said projects. I seem to be a loner by nature. I enjoy my own company and rarely feel lonely either when I’m alone or when I’m in a crowd. I did notice fairly early on that I’m healthier and happier when I get regular interaction with friends and relatives and I get more done if I have a busy schedule that I have pay attention to. So I’m back to posting even if I haven’t yet got any art scanned to discuss.

I’ve got a number of illustration projects on my table in various states of completion. As the day job has gotten less predictable (I work seven days a week – sometimes for an hour or two, sometimes for 12 or more hours) I’ve been having to pay more attention to scheduling the illustration projects to be sure that they happen.

I’ve got five main illustration projects. In order of importance they are:
1. Oz Squad – the Comic
2. Oz Squad – the Novel
3. Short Comic for the Black Seal
4. Stumptown Minicomic
5. Oziana Submission
6. 2011 Blog Fiction Project
7. DavidLeeIngersoll.com
8. Skook Sketchblog

Starting tomorrow I’ll be posting daily reports on each project. I hate to admit it but one of the best ways for me to get me to do something is to regularly tell people what I’m doing. I get embarrassed if I don’t have anything new to report.

See you tomorrow!

I’ve come to the end of my latest set of scans and haven’t had a chance to get any others into the computer yet so it must be time for a breather. I’m not sure when I’ll start posting again. I doubt if this will be a long break, probably no longer than a couple of weeks; definitely not a month. I’ve got a half dozen projects that I’m in the middle of (seriously) and the day job is keeping me well occupied but it shouldn’t be too long before I’m back with more random sketches and illustrations. Until then I’m sure you’ll find other things to keep you amused. I hear it’s summer out in the real world.

Cheers!

Yesterday’s version of Jack was the immediate scan of the watercolor painting. Today’s version is the same image after some Photoshopping to make the colors more vivid.

Another recent watercolor painting. I’m planning to keep practicing with the medium until I either get bored or need to buy more watercolor paper. This was going to be an illustration of Springheel Jack but I got a little carried away and gave him a blazing head instead of just glowing eyes.

I’m not sure what’s up with this page. My sidebar seems to have disappeared and part of my post from Sunday didn’t show up. I’m going to need to check and see if the problem appears in more than one browser.

This a pinup I did in 2003 or 2004 for Greyduck a graphic novel about giant monsters done in unique art style. Until this morning, when I went a-googling, I didn’t realize that this book had seen print. I don’t know if my illustration actually made it into the book. I’m going to have to write to Mr. Dang and see. Or buy the book.

Greyduck is the long necked thing. The other beast got invented for the illustration.

We’re in the new apartment. We’re done with the old apartment. I’ve got wireless hooked up on my computer. Most of the books are still in boxes and probably will be for months. There’s all kinds of recycling that needs to be gotten rid of as well as a table and a dresser that died in the truck on the way over from the old apartment.

The business for which I’ve had a day job for the last few years was officially sold today. I’ll be helping the new owners figure out how things work throughout January but mostly I’ll be doing my new job. Which is a lot like the old job only more chaotic. I’ll probably go into it a bit as time goes on and I get more organized.

I also got a cover done for Sixtystone Press. It was a rush job that turned out much better than I expected. I’ll post that tomorrow. Over Christmas Nizzibet mentioned to someone that I would have 3 books coming out next year. There will be at least that. I expect to be pretty busy at the drawing board.

And, sooner or later, I’ll start posting here again regularly.

See you all in 2010!