An announcement

To all my followers - I have decided that I will no longer be updating this blog. There are a few reasons as to why:

• Time, or rather lack of - My hours at work have increased so I have less time to be able to fit everything in. I need to make better use of the time I do have, and it would be better spent on creating artworks.
• Privacy - ultimately I've decided that it's better if I keep my blogs private so that only my family and closest friends can see them. Back when I first started using social media, I was one of those people who got into the habit of posting every detail of my life publicly, and the older I get I realise that doing so wasn't the best decision.
• Focus - when I started this blog, it was to pretty much vent about my life, and not strictly for art as it really should've been. This ties into the privacy as well.
• Interest - in all honesty, I don't enjoy making this blog as much as I used to. Most of the time I'm talking about the same things over and over, and that's not exciting for either me or anyone reading this.
• Video blog - why do two blogs when I can just save time and have one? Plus, it's more personable when you can actually put the face to the words?

So after 7 years, I'm calling time on the BluebottleFlyer blog - I just want to say a huge thanks to anyone who stopped by to read my random ramblings, or who followed me all the way, I really appreciate it.

This does not mean I will stop doing blogs altogether though, I am still making my video blogs, however as I mentioned they are private. If you would like to see them, please drop me a message and I'll link you to the playlist.

You can still follow me at the following links:

• DeviantArt
• Tapas
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram

December 2018

So, another year has come to an end, and it goes without saying that as with every other year, a lot has happened - I'll try and keep it brief.

Negatives:
- Changes in my job
- Disillusion with social media
- Our pet ferrets Apollo and Luna both diagnosed with cancer
- Passing of our pet turtle Chief (RIP)
- Recent events around the world
- Personal matters (will not disclose those here)

Positives:
+ Still producing artwork - first Fyfe & Sparkplug comic completed
+ Opened a Twitter account
+ Began creating my own website
+ First full year working in a permanent job
+ Started getting help with my personal issues
+ 2 years married to my lovely wife
+ Lots of beach time and photography
+ Various getaways (mostly Rhode Island but a few detours here and there)
+ Flew back to the UK for the first time since my move to the US, via setting foot in Ireland for the first time

The past month was mostly busy, due to the festive season, with getting the house ready as well as it being one if the busiest times of year work-wise. However me and my wife did find time for celebration - two very close friends of ours, who had been engaged for quite some time, finally tied the knot this month, and we were present for the occasion - many congrats to the happy couple.
I ended up having both Christmas Eve and Day off, and it was mostly a nice relaxed couple of days - we spent it with the in laws, and needless to say presents, food, a board game, driving to see Christmas lights and deer, as well as some classic holiday films were involved. I also got the chance to wish my family back home in the UK well via Skype, which was wonderful.

To end this final blog of 2018, I'll leave you with this year's festive group shot for my close DeviantArt followers. All the best for 2019.

P.S. Here's a recent tune I came up with: https://youtu.be/-wXTZHLlL54

November 2018

I didn't really have a lot to say in last month's blog, and the same is true for November too, but here's what I have, anyway.
With the festive season approaching, my job has been crazy busy (especially the madness that was Black Friday) and in all honesty I've had a bit of a tough time with it lately. However, I am still on the hunt for another job, just got to keep on with that, as always.
This month also marked my third year celebrating Thanksgiving - it was a very relaxed and mostly quiet one, me and my wife spent time watching the parade on telly, followed by a meal and a good game of 500 rummy at the in-laws'.
Something I've done rarely with this blog is to pass on music, old or new, that I'm really into at the moment, usually because it doesn't occur to me. However this month there is one song I've been listening to a lot, "Love It If We Made It" by The 1975 - it's rare to hear a current sounding song that actually addresses subjects that really matter, as well as being not too shabby musically, either. Give it a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnLxhG3pD10 (WARNING: explicit lyrics.)
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - this one being a reminder that just because I don't live in the UK anymore, it doesn't mean I can't still celebrate Bonfire Night.
I hope my American followers enjoyed their Thanksgiving - it's almost hard to believe that when my next blog comes around, it will be Christmas, not to mention the end of 2018. See you then.

October 2018

If it wasn't autumnal enough in September, those leaves and temperatures certainly started falling this month. And that's before all the time change too. However it has still been nice enough to go chill at the park, which I'm sure I wouldn't be saying if I was in the UK.
What can I really say? Work has been work (busiest time this months and it's been crazy some days). No luck with job search, but I'm still looking.
On the art front I've been making more progress with the Fyfe & Sparkplug comic, as well as making a few Halloween themed pics of course - including this spooky Bob & Flyer comic.

See you in November.

September 2018

I can't really say too much about September that wasn't already said in August, apart from the weather gradually starting to get cooler, not to mention a lot wetter too. Here in Connecticut, we got the remnants of what was Hurricane Florence, and to say that we got lucky is an understatement. Wishing all the best for those in North and South Carolina, and the Bahamas, that were affected by the storm.
Still no luck with the job search, I'm afraid. Work is work, as always - and this month marked a year since I started my job, and having a permanent job has been quite the adjustment in a lot of ways. I've certainly had to change quite a lot of my habits, that's for sure. However I think the biggest change to come out of this job is becoming confident enough to be able to stand behind a counter and interact with people, I certainly never thought I would ever be able to pull that off, and I still don't think I'm perfect at it, but it's safe to say that I surprised myself there.
This month wasn't all about work though, and in my opinion no month should be. Or year, even. How about your entire life? You have to be able to play too, otherwise what's it all for?
September 28 marked 6 years of me and my lovely wife as a couple, and every year it's always strange yet humbling to look back on all that we did in the years past, especially all the hoops we had to jump through to get to this point in time. We celebrated it with a trip to Bridgeport, mainly to visit the many animals at Beardsley Zoo, but also for a walk down the beach at Seaside Park. (I recommend it for the view of Long Island Sound.)
While we're on the them of anniversaries, I also want to give a very special birthday shoutout to my dear grandma, she turned 80 on September 25, and I am happy to say that she is still going strong. (Love you and miss you very, very much.)
On the artwork front, I've completed a couple more Fyfe & Sparkplug comic pages, as well as some of my regular short comics. I'm still having trouble getting back to working on my website, so I really need to get cracking on that one.
I'll leave you with an example of one of my scenery pictures - doesn't looking at this waterfall make you want to dive in for a dip? See you at the end of spooky season.

August 2018

It would be very easy for me to say that August was more or less a carbon copy of July...because it was, bar a couple of things.

My work situation is pretty much the same as before. I've still been looking for another job, but so far no luck on that front. As always, just got to keep at both of those.

The weather on the whole was still very warm this month, although a couple of thunderstorms towards the middle did cool things down just a little. It sounds like my area got off lightly compared to others though, from what little pieces of news I heard.

What made August a little different was that I actually got a whole weekend off towards the end of the month - it meant that me and my wife were able to take a much needed getaway. I'll give you two clues as to where we went, it begins with "Rhode" and ends with "Island".

Artwork has been...lacking lately. I've been spending whatever downtime I have chilling at the beach, with all the warm weather, think I might be turning into a beach bum (until the weather gets colder that is). As nice as that has been, it has made me less productive, especially in regards to the F&S comic, plus a certain website that should really have been live by now. I've never been the best self-starter, to be honest.

I did recently complete the latest feature length Bob & Flyer comic however - the entirety of "Operation: N.E.C.T.A.R" is now available over on my Tapas page for you to check out.

August 30 also marked a milestone for one of my comic series - "The Surf Club" has now been going for 10 years, and to mark the occasion, I will be posting all the comics to my Tapas page, starting right from the beginning. I also put together this comic to mark the milestone also.

Enjoy what's left of the summer, see you same time next month.

July 2018

I can safely say that this July was a very mixed bag.

It was inevitable that July would be somewhat of a comedown after the high of June's travelling. Doesn't it always seem that your job is worse than it was a
before you went away on holiday? Unfortunately that's how it's been for me on the work front, still getting used to the management change, and the job just seems more stressful than ever. I have started to look for another job, however as anyone will know, that search could take months, if not years, so in the meantime I'll just have to try and carry on, like we all do.
The weather's been kind this month though, feel free to agree to disagree with me depending on how you feel about humidity though! I've been enjoying bike and beach time when I've been able to. Me and my wife also had a fun theme park trip on the 29th, to Lake Compounce (my first visit there), and I definitely recommend it, especially the Boulder Dash rollercoaster, which may be the fastest and my most favourite coaster I've ridden to date.
This month also marked a significant anniversary for me - a decade ago on July 21, I flew on a plane, travelled abroad, travelled to the US and attended the San Diego Comic Con for the very first time - you can watch my video blog about it right here.
On the art front, the F&S comic is still very much a work in progress, although I think I've recovered my art groove since the fun of the England trip. I do have some potentially exciting news regarding art as well, as I have been approached to possibly illustrate for a book - however that's all I can say about it right now.
I'll leave you with this Surf Club comic. Let's see what sort of weather August brings - hopefully not storms.

June 2018

To say that I'd been waiting for June to come along is probably the understatement of the year for me, and not just because of the start of summer. There was one occasion that happened this June that I'd been looking forward to for months.

Before that however, I have to get the bad stuff out of the way, most of which was the issues that I mentioned in last month's blog, stress at work and feeling disillusioned/frustrated with social media. However me and my wife also lost a member of our family - our pet turtle Chief, who had been with my wife and her family for 22 years. It was very unexpected, and while we're sad that he's gone, he did have a good long life, and he will be missed.

Now onto the absolute highlight of June - from the 18th to the 26th, myself and my wife flew across the Atlantic to visit my family back in the UK. While we were there, we revisited many of the places I remember, including my hometown of Crook, plus Durham, Newcastle, Tynemouth, Scarborough and Whitby. Getting to see my family in person again after 2 years was what it was all about though - I can't put into words just how good it was to see them all again and hang out just like old times. Just like it was 2 and a half years ago, leaving them behind again was hard, but knowing that we'd had the chance to get together again and make new memories helped to soften the blow. I really hope I don't have to wait too long to see them again in the not too distant future.

My artwork took a bit of a backseat this month, especially during the trip, however I did come up with this camping themed pic as part of an art jam, hosted by LaptopGeek92, over on DeviantArt. I highly doubt that there'll be camping involved in July, but hopefully there'll be some warmer days to enjoy. I'l let you know if there is, of course.

May 2018

I think the best way to describe my May is that it was equal parts frustrating, equal parts promising.
On the downside, I wish I could say that those frustrations with my job have gone away, but they're still very much all present and correct. There have been some changes and it's taking me some time to get my head around them, and that's all I'm going to say on that. I just keep telling myself that it could be worse.

Social media in general is just draining me, and I don't just mean DeviantArt. I feel like it's getting more difficult to keep up, and I keep seeing a lot of posts, trends and whatnot that I'd really rather not, and part of that may be related to a decision I made this month (more on that below). To quote a saying I read a while back (can't remember who coined it or where i read it) but it seems like we're all so much more connected these days, yet we're all disconnected too.

That's one of the reasons that on these warmer days, I'd rather be out bike riding to the beach and enjoying the sun instead of being stuck behind a computer screen waiting for the next notification (says the person who brings his phone everywhere with him). We all just need to take time to disconnect, because staying in cyberspace for too long is never a good thing. I have certainly been doing a lot of the the former on my downtime, and I honestly feel more inspired to work on artworks when I'm outdoors too, because when I'm outside at a park or at the beach, I feel there's less distractions than at home.

Being connected isn't always a bad thing though - which brings me onto more of the upside of this month, with a couple of announcements. Firstly, after many years of resisting the idea, I decided to open a Twitter account. I always swore off doing so because I didn't think there was any point of having another social media profile to annoy people withwhen I already had Facebook, but the reason I finally decided to join was simple - it's another way to get my artwork out there, and because a few of my DeviantArt friends use it too, so it's another way to keep in touch with them. Admittedly I am having a bit of "buyer's remorse" because of the aforementioned "social media drain", however I am going to give it a chance.

I haven't stopped there though - earlier this month I participated in the Fair Haven Family Stroll in New Haven for the third year running, drawing cariactures for people. This year I also handed out business cards to those who visited my table, once again, staying connected. I also had the seal of approval from two good friends of me and my wife, no less than the couple who were the photographers at our wedding. Please go and check them out, they are awesome photographers and great people, cannot recommend them enough: https://www.facebook.com/WillandKatePhotography/

Bringing this theme of connection to a close, I also decided this month that it was about time I had my own website, centred on my artworks. DeviantArt works well, but I have wanted a website with my own personal touch for a while. It is currently still under construction, but I will be sure to let you know once it is live.

As for artwork itself, I've gotten back in the groove with the Fyfe & Sparkplug comic, I really need to research how to get that properly published, so can someone please give me a gentle nudge in that direction? I'll leave you with this Surf Club short.

 

April 2018

The old saying goes that "April showers bring May flowers" - there were definitely a lot of showers this month, but that warmer weather has finally started to show up. I was wondering if we were even going to have a Spring this year.
Somehow I feel that above saying is true for how things are with me right now, namely in terms of my job. Like I said last month, who doesn't complain about their job? I just find myself wishing I was spending my time doing what I enjoy, and I find myself wondering if I will ever get to that point in life. Maybe this is my mid-life crisis happening, I don't know.
My frustrations with online social media are still very much a problem too. I still feel like I'm getting  a lot of unwanted attention, and that I get little reward for putting 100% effort into my artworks. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother, why I stress myself out so much trying to make quality comics and cartoons when all everybody seems to be interested in is the latest trend or the latest fetish. Am I wasting my artwork and time on people who couldn't care less when I should be using it to make a career that I enjoy? I have seriously considered just giving up on it all.
That's why I have to remember all the good people, fellow artists I've met through doing this, and their words of support. They give me the moitvation to keep at it, to keep doing what I love. I try my best to give some of that back too.
All of that doesn't seem important when you know a loved one is sick, however - unfortunately, Luna had to be taken to the vet again this month after she suffered a seizure. The cause was low blood sugar, which she is now on meds for, and probably will be for the rest of her life. However since then, despite her blood sugar still being under a safe level, she's recovered very well, being much more active than before, very similar to how Apollo got back to his old self after his scare back in January. Hopefully both ferrets still have a lot of time left for them.
On a brighter note, the warmer weather has been a much needed boost for me. I've been getting out for walks and bike rides, as well as taking trips with my wife when we're able to. Admittedly when it's nice out it also makes it harder for me to want to stay inside and work on arts, but honestly I would rather be outside enjoying the sun, while I have the chance.
April was also a special month for my wife - on the 23rd, she hit the big 3-0 (she doesn't look it!), and we marked it with a get-together at the in-laws' for some cake and presents. We're also hoping to have a quick getaway at the start of May as a late birthday treat too.
On the art front, I finally resumed Fyfe & Sparkplug comic #2 after fleshing out those character designs, trying to press on with that now. On that same token, with April being the month of St George's Day, I couldn't pass up another pic of Fyfe & Sparkplug giving St George a good roasting.

Hopefully those May flowers will be blooming by the time next month comes around.

P.S. We unfortunately had to have our squirrel housemate removed from our AC, because of needing to use the AC and there being a potential fire hazard. It also turns out that the squirrel gave birth to a baby, who was also living in the nest. Really didn't want to have to drive them out, but it was better for everyone's safety.

March 2018

Spring is finally here, although for most of this month it certainly didn't feel like it, what with not one bit three snowstorm hitting my area three weeks in succession. Thankfully the weather is showing signs of warmer days to come.
For the most part, March was the same as the last month or two, been busy with work mostly, and to be honest I've been feeling a little frustrated with it, partly because I've been working mostly closing shifts this month, but also just the general "wish I could be doing something I enjoy instead of this" blues. I'm sure you know what I mean. Who doesn't get frustrated with their job every now and again? This month did also mark 6 months of me working at my job, and that also means it's now officially the longest job I've ever had. This time last year I had no job, so it's still good to be able to say that I have one.

I've been feeling frustrated with social media again lately, most of all DeviantArt. I feel like lately I've been getting a lot of attention from people who just want free art from me, and unfortunately a couple of trolls too. I mentioned having to cut ties with a certain person last month too, and withc ertain things having come to light, it seems I was right to cut those ties. I apologise if this is a bit heavy-handed, but I will not hesitate to throw down the banhammer on anyone who abuses me or my friends in any way. I cannot stress that enough. I'm 32, I'm trying to get on with my life, and I don't need drama like that going on.

Admittedly I've had thoughts about just leaving DA again, just because of all the attention seekers who seem to plague it - but I've been on there 13 years now and I've met great people through it, and that's what keeps me there. That and because there's no other website like it.

On the plus side of things, the weather has been starting to improve, as I mentioned, so that means getting out for more walks and bike rides, and it's so good to live only 10 minutes away from a beach now. It will soon be time to turn the AC on, although me and my wife might have some difficulty with that - for the last couple of months, we've noticed a squirrel hanging around our AC unit. We believe it's a girl, and she's been stashing leaves and other debris inside our AC unit, making it her nest, with the possibility that there may be baby squirrels on the way. It's a bit of a dilemma, but it's also really sweet that we have our own pet squirrel in a way. 

I managed to snap a couple of pics of our furry friend:

Now that you've all gone nuts over that, here's something else that me and Nicole went nuts about - after asking for the time off, we officially booked this year's big holiday. For a week in June, we will be flying back to the UK to visit my family. I can't tell you how stoked we both are about this, already looking forward to it. It's been 2 years since I last saw my family, and it's been far too long.

On the artwork front, the Fyfe & Sparkplug has ground to a halt, because I need to come up with some character designs, however in the meantime I have started work on the next chapter of the "A Monster Thing" comic, along with new model sheets for the cast, keep your eyes peeled for those. I am also now uploading "Operation: N.E.C.T.A.R." to my Tapas page, click here to check it out: https://tapas.io/bluebottleflyer

Hope everyone who celebrated St Patrick's Day had a good one, and hope you all have a great Easter too - and while this isn't Easter related, here's the cover of "Operation: N.E.C.T.A.R." to whet your appetite.0

February 2018

I can safely say that the clouds parted this February. While it wasn't perfect, this month was on the whole a little brighter than January.
Work has been as busy as ever. I think I will always be "getting used to it", and you don't need me to tell you that some days are better than others. Ultimately the job I have right now will never be mine or anyone's dream job, but it keeps me busy and gives me a sense of purpose I guess.
As much as I don't really like to talk about world events in my blog, I just feel that there's a lot going on right now. Certain events have happened that just make me wonder what kind of world we all live in. It seems like humanity and common sense gets a minus point by the day.
I guess that's why we have to try and be thankful for what we have. I know that I am lucky to be married to a lovely lass - February 20 was our second wedding anniversary, and we celebrated with a nice romantic meal out, plus a much-needed getaway to Rhode Island a few days later. It was much-needed because after everything that happened in January, we really just needed that time to be able to reconnect and just take a breather from it all - because what is life if you can't do that?
On the artwork front, I have completed the second Fyfe & Sparkplug comic script and have started illustrating, and while it's  hit a brick wall because of figuring out locations and character designs, it is still very much in progress. However I have fully completed the next Bob & Flyer feature length comic, "Operation: N.E.C.T.A.R", so keep your eyes peeled for that in March.
I'll leave you with a picture of some "lost" characters that I hadn't drawn for a while - a group of heroic elemental creatures known as the "Forces of Nature".
Until next time, when hopefully it will be warmer and lighter out.

January 2018

LoNot really sure how to begin talking about this month. I really wanted to say that 2018 got off to a great start, but for me personally, this past month has been canny rough to say the least.
Me and my wife had some upsetting news regarding one of our pets. If I haven't mentioned before, we have three pets - a turtle named Chief, and two ferrets named Apollo and Luna. Early on in January, Luna had some trouble with her walking, which turned out to have been caused by a back injury. She is doing better now thanks to medication, but around the same time she got sick, Apollo also became very ill. We got him checked out at the vet, and they found that he had a mass on his spleen, which was then found to be cancerous. Both me and my wife were understandably shocked by this, and since then we have been trying to keep Apollo as comfortable as possible, feeding him liquid foods and giving him medication.
It has been really difficult adjusting to this news. When I first moved to the US, I never thought I would be able to look after any type of animal, let alone ferrets, but in the time I have known them I have gotten used to looking after Apollo and Luna, and I have grown to love them. To see Apollo looking weak and almost lifeless has been horrible, and even more so for my wife, who loves both ferrets as if they were our kids.
This situation was just one of a few reasons why this month, in all honesty, I haven't been myself. A lot of things had been brewing up for some time, and I was generally feeling overwhelmed. There was one day where I just felt like giving up on everything, I ended up doing something very stupid, and my thoughts travelled to a really dark place. It was a moment of madness, but my wife helped me pull out of the nosedive. I just need to get better at speaking up instead of bottling everything up.

There has been some light through the clouds however. Apollo has begun to recover somewhat, he is eating solid foods again and is a little more energetic. Despite what he is going through, he isn't giving up, and we are hoping that he will be with us for a lot longer than we originally thought.

I am also feeling better about things. I will never be perfect and will always have my moments of doubt, but I just need to handle those moments better. Me and my wife have also begun planning our next holiday - for a week in June, we are planning to fly back over to England to see my family. It has been too long since either of us saw them last, and seeing them again would mean the world to me, so needless to say, neither of us can't wait.

This month was also my birthday - I can't say I was able to enjoy it as much as I would have liked, because I was working for most of it, and I can't say that I was thrilled about the idea of turning 32. However my wife and her family threw a small party for me, and I really appreciated it. 

As always, I will leave you with some artwork, and I'll keep it winter themed, what with all the snow we've had this month. Hoping that February will be a better month for us all.

December 2017

Another year has come and gone, and as I seem to say every year, where did that time go?

This month became very wintry weather-wise, but it certainly didn't dampen Christmas one bit. In fact, we actually got some snow on Christmas Day (it's been a long time since that's happened), which just added to the spirit. Me and my wife spent this Christmas much like we did last year, opening presents, watching Christmas films and building gingerbread sculptures with the in laws. I was also able to Skype with my family while they were having their Christmas get-together too. Hopefully one day me and my wife will be able to celebrate Christmas with my family again - I miss them always, but this time of year makes it all the more poignant, especially this year, as December 3 2017 was the 10th anniversary of my grandad's passing - I still miss him very much, and while I'm also sad that my wife never got the chance to meet him, I like to think that he's with us in spirit, always.
There were also two other anniversaries this month - December 28 marked 2 years since I swapped County Durham for Connecticut, and it goes without saying that a lot has happened in that time (more on that in a bit). Also, December 30 marked 3 years since I popped the question to my lovely wife, it almost feels like that moment was a lifetime ago.


Looking back, this year has been very eventful, much like 2016 was, and not always for the right reasons. However for me personally there were a lot more highs than lows, and a couple of really important events happened this year - in September I finally landed a permanent job, which is still keeping me busy despite a bump in the road. And just last month, me and my wife moved to our new house, which we are now pretty much adjusted to do, and it's safe to say that we love it so much better than our first place. Hopefully 2018 will see lots of memories being made in this house.
My personal highlight of 2017, however, was back in May, when me and my wife flew down to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL for our honeymoon. For a few days we got to explore the parks, go on rides, be kids again, and celebrate our marriage. I can only wonder highlights 2018 will bring.

I'll leave you with some festive artwork - carrying on my tradition of festive group shots over on DeviantArt, here is this year's edition.
I also have some potentially exciting news regarding artwork - but I'm going to save it until I get the green light. It'll be a great way to start off 2018 though.

I would just like to end this by saying thanks to everyone who's read this blog, checked out my artworks or just supported me in any way this past year - wishing you all the best for the New Year. See you in 2018. :)

November 2017

To say that this November has been nowt short of busy is an understatement.
I've been working at my job for two months now, and even in that time I still haven't got every single thing figured out, as with any job there are days that I wish I wasn't there (and don't feel like I'm all there!) and as I said last month, I'm not a fan of the constantly changing schedule, and I never will be. However, it's keeping me busy, and I still find myself surprised how decent I seem to manage dealing with customers at the cashier. It's helping me a bit, that's for sure.
The main reason this month has been so busy for me and my wife is because of the move. With lots of back and forth between our old place in North Haven and the new place, much packing up, and tons of help from the family (cannot thank you all enough!), it's taken some doing, and while it's been stressful at certain times (what move isn't?), the new house is really looking like home now, and needless to say we both love it. We started living at the house officially on November 24. I also want to mention that getting to work from the new place is much quicker for both of us, and in my case, I get to ride my bike there instead of waiting for a bus. It certainly makes a difference.
I can't talk about November and not mention Thanksgiving - this year was only my second time celebrating it. I still find it funny that a couple of years ago it was just a regular day for me, but that's how it was in the UK of course. To be honest, this Thanksgiving wasn't so great, because most of it was spent working on organising stuff at the new house (it was the only day off we had together however, so it was the only real chance to get the bulk of the work done), and both me and my wife felt that we didn't really spend a lot of time with the family that day, which is what it's all about for us. However, we got to watch the parade, and we still got to eat dinner as a family, and as little time as it was, it was still good to be there.
I admit, on a partly lower note, that lately because of everything going on, my motivation to make artwork has been very low. Writing the next F&S comic has ground to a halt, and when I do sit down to work on something, it feels like a chore. I also keep worrying that I simply just might not have the time to make arts anymore, which I know is total rubbish. I have wondered now and in the past if I should take a hiatus from making any arts, but then I remind myself that I should make art while I still have the ability too (and I mean that as in physically able to - not getting any younger!), as well as the fact that people enjoy it, and I really appreciate that those of you do, do. You know who you all are.
I'll sign off with some Thanksgiving themed artwork - to my American followers, hope yours was a good one, and to everyone else, ditto. Let's see what the festive season brings.

October 2017

September was a month of changes, and this month was no different. I've been feeling the change weather-wise, as It's started to feel a lot more autumnal lately. In other words, getting colder and a little more rain too.
I've been working at my job for a month now, and as I said, it's been an adjustment, but that's part and parcel of anyone starting a new job, as is having work days that go better than others, but on the whole I'm pretty much used to it now. Admittedly I do wish I had a more consistent schedule, but that's retail for you.
The biggest change this month - big announcement in 3...2...1... - is that me and my wife have landed a new apartment (flat in Brit-speak)! It's been in the pipeline for a while now, and it was just at the end of September that we started looking for a new place. The first couple of places we saw didn't tick all the boxes, but the last house that we saw, a second floor apartment in a quiet suburb with two bedrooms, two main rooms, a garage and an outside deck, was the one we instantly said yes to. The real plus point about the place is that it's close to my job, and also close to the in laws' place, as well as two parks (including a certain park/beach I enjoy visiting a lot). That's not all though - we could have the keys by the start of November, so we could start moving in within a matter of days. Speaking of which, we've been packing up our stuff a bit at a time to try to make the move easier. I can't say I'm looking forward to that part, but as with any move, it will be worth it in the end - and to put it into perspective, it's certainly not as daunting as uprooting your entire life and moving to another country.
I couldn't end this blog without mentioning Halloween of course - so here's some Halloween themed artwork to see out this month. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, hope you have a good one. Until November.

September 2017

Well, it was about 15-16 years later than it should've been, but I had a major development this month, a bit of good news that I can now finally tell you...I got a job!
I say good news, though it's also bad news in some respects too. Admittedly in all the years I haven't had a permanent job, I've gotten set in my ways - having lots of free time to be able to do artwork, music and travelling. There are a lot of things I've been able to do which I probably wouldn't have if I'd been in continuous employment since school - some might say I've had it too good. I also have to admit that I will miss having all that time, and I worry that having a job means that I won't be able to do the things I enjoy anymore - including spending time with my wife. It's a huge adjustment for both of us.
This needed to happen though. I've had jobs before, but none of them were permanent, and they were all through temporary government schemes, which didn't make me very fulfilled at all. This job is my first permanent job, and while any new job is nerve-wracking at first, I'm slowly getting used to it. All I will say about the job is that it's retail, and it's hectic, but productive. I've also had to come out of my shell quite a bit for this, as part of the job involves working on the till/cashier and dealing with customers. I'm not perfect at it, but I seem to be getting the hang of it - so I must be doing something right.
My new job wasn't the only cause for celebration however - September 28 marked me and Nicole's 5th anniversary of being a couple, and it goes without saying that a lot has happened in those 5 years. I still look back and recall how I had no idea back in 2012 that circumstances would change the way they did - but as we all know, life has no script, you have to take it as it comes.
Aside from working, I've been enjoying the  spell of unseasonably warm weather this month, getting as much of my outdoor/beach fix before the colder weather starts to kick in. And despite working now, I am still pressing on with my artwork when I'm able to, most notably the Fyfe & Sparkplug comic (21 pages complete as of this blog). I've also been working on a feature length Bob & Flyer comic, which I'm aiming to have ready by next Spring, so watch this space.
Speaking of artwork, I'll leave you with something a little different - a conceptual piece inspired by a recent Jamiroquai song. Until October, everyone.

August 2017

Another summer has come to an end. I always feel down whenever summer's over, as it's my favourite time of the year. Onwards we go, though.

I've mentioned many times about the news - as much as I try to avoid it, I somehow always end up hearing about everything that's going wrong in this world, from horrible tragedies to political madness. Then I just have to remind myself that 95% of what I hear, what we all hear is blown out of proportion, sensationalised to get ratings. To quote a famous saying, and also the title of a canny good Jamie Lenman song, "No News Is Good News" - I choose to put the mute button on, avert my eyes from all the dread, and to just live my life.
In my July blog I mentioned the passing of Chester Bennington, the singer of Linkin Park - I say this as a reminder that depression is a sickness, and not something to be taken lightly, regardless of what the media might want you to believe. I'm not going to name any names, but there was a time this month that someone close to me was swallowed up by that depression, and myself, friends and family found ourselves unable to reach that person. This isn't the first time that it's taken hold of that person, and I fear that it won't be the last, but this is why it's important to reach out. I can't stress it enough - if you're feeling depressed, talk to someone. Shutting people out is too easy to do, and while it may feel like it makes it all better, it really doesn't. Aye, it's hard to see the light when you're in that hole, but just remember - you're not alone. We all have times where a dark cloud hangs over us, but that cloud always eventually passes.

To better news now - things could be looking up on the job front. As I type this, I have a job interview lined up for September 1, I will let you know how that went in next month's blog. I also helped out my wife Nicole at her workplace on  a couple of days towards the end of this month, setting up meals for the staff on their morning training sessions. It was very busy but it felt good to help out.
One of those days was August 21, which as most of you know was the day of the solar eclipse. One of Nicole's co-workers was kind enough to lend me a pair of special glasses to check it out, and while the full total eclipse wasn't visible in my area, I was still able to see a partial eclipse, it was quite a sight, but you don't need me to tell you that.
We also made the most of the warm weather this month by hitting a few beaches, including a couple we'd never visited before. Probably the most notable trip of this month was to the Roger Williams Park & Zoo in Providence RI - definitely a great place to visit with a wide variety of animals to see, and the park was very relaxing too.
We were also at Foxwoods Casino on August 4th to see Dashboard Confessional and The All-American Rejects play, both bands put on a good show, and Nicole was singing along to every Dashboard song, as she is a huge fan of them.
On the artwork front, I've been busy working on the first Fyfe & Sparkplug comic, as of this blog I have 7 pages ready to go. It's certainly a challenge and as I am planning to try and get this comic published, I really want it to be as good as it possibly can be.
I'll leave you with a bit of summer themed artwork, my Surf Club characters enjoying some waterslide action. See you in Autumn.

July 2017

Another July has come and gone once again - and something happened this month which wasn't something that personally happened to me, it was to a famous rockstar. Most of you reading this will know that I'm talking about what happened to Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park - his death was tragic and shocking to hear about.
You might be wondering why I'm dwelling on the death of a celebrity, because I usually don't like to focus on the news, especially when it's about people dying, famous or not. The reason I am is because Linkin Park were one of my favourite bands as a teenager, and were one of the bands that got me into heavy rock music, along with Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. A lot of Linkin Park's music helped me get through my teenage and secondary school years, because I could relate to the lyrics and the heavy music. It's just a tragic irony that those same lyrics couldn't help the man who sang them with the passion and the fury that he had. RIP, Chester - I hope you're in a better place now.
On more personal matters, I've still had no luck on the job front, and as always I'm still looking. Helping around the house and doing the twice monthly side job has been keeping me busy though, as well as my artwork of course. I recently completed illustrating the second of the children's book series for our close friends, admittedly it took far longer than it should've because of my procrastination on it. I'll try and do better with the next book - it's just that circumstances get in the way.
A few blogs back, I mentioned how I was getting disillusioned with DeviantArt too - that's been the case again lately. I feel like there's been a lot of immature people trying to take advantage of me in order to get free art of their characters, or just posting stupid stuff on my pictures or profile just for the sake of attention. I have no time for people like that, and I'm sending out a warning now, anyone who continues to harrass me, or any of my friends that way, will receive an instant ban-hammer to the face. I'm not playing nice anymore.
On a brighter note, me and my wife have been making the most of the nice weather this month - as well as my bike rides, we took a few trips to state parks and beaches, and not surprisingly each place was canny packed. Also not surprisingly, we spent the 4th July week in Newport, the highlights of which were a play on a mini golf course with the in laws, and a sunset cruise around Narragansett Bay onboard the MV Gansett. We also went to a music gig at Mohegan Sun on the 29th, which was our first gig since the Deftones last August - the headline act this time was Kings of Leon, and they were absolutely spot on. The opening act, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, were canny tight too.

That's pretty much it for July. As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - this surfing scene, which was an entry for a summer themed art jam that I hosted this month. See you in August.

June 2017

From highs to lows this month - I think that may as well be the tagline for all of my blog posts, as that seems to happen every month.

I think June was a bit of a comedown from the high of the honeymoon in May. Unfortunately I still don't have a regular job, though I did manage to get a couple of interviews. Still waiting on the second one, but the first one I obviously didn't get, and it may have been because of my location (it would've been a 2 hour commute). Back to the job search.
As many of you will know, there were some horrible events that happened this month. Such events seem to happen every day unfortunately, but these two hit home on a personal level because they both happened in my home country. What kind of monster walks into a packed arena and causes so much destruction and cold-blooded murder? The same for those who walked into a London street and started knifing people to death.
My family live nowhere near where those attacks happened - but it chills my blood to think that it could easily have been their lives lost. And I can't begin to imagine what must be going through the minds of those who did lose a loved one in those tragedies. I find myself thinking, "where does all this madness end?" I just hope that those who lost their lives can find some peace now.

Life goes on though - on a brighter note, the warmer weather has meant that I've been biking more, as well as getting some beach time too. I've also been busy on the art front, scripting a new Bob & Flyer story comic as well as starting colouring Fyfe & Sparkplug #1. I've also had an influx of commissions this month thanks to holding a half price sale, I've been pleasantly surprised by that, and I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who commissioned me, it really does mean a lot.
There was also a very important milestone for me and my wife this month - while our legal wedding anniversary is February 20, our wedding ceremony anniversary is June 12, and this month it was a year since that special day. We marked the occasion with a romantic meal and a revisit of the place where it all happened, the indoor carousel at Lighthouse Park in East Haven. It was bittersweet to go there and see the hall empty and lifeless instead of bustling and lively as it was on June 12, 2016, but we were able to relive it through all the videos and photos from that day.
It meant so much to us both, even more so because of my family flying over from the UK just to be there. It's now been a whole year since I last saw them in person, and I really hope it won't be much longer until I'm able to see them again.

As always, I'll leave you with some artwork, and what may be a future scene from the Fyfe & Sparkplug story, the dragon duo taking on a troll (no, not that sort of troll). 

Wishing everyone a safe and sunny July.