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.
Showing posts with label February. Show all posts
Showing posts with label February. Show all posts
28/02/2018
February 2018
28/02/2017
February 2017
Well, this February was definitely not uneventful, I can say that for sure.
You already know my thoughts on the political side of things, as I discussed in last month's blog, so we'll just move swiftly on.
I have a bit of news that I've been hoping to say for quite a while - I finally got a job. The school where my wife Nicole works, they needed someone to help set up the tables, chairs and food for their monthly staff and board meetings, and my name came up, so I agreed to do it. The twist is, it's only twice a month, but I am getting paid for it, and it's experience too. Like any job, I was a little overwhelmed on my first night, but hopefully over time I'll get used to it. Nicole is also helping me out with the job initially, I can't thank her enough.
Obviously, February saw another Valentine's Day come around - in the past, it hasn't really been that much of a special day for me, but of course this year, much like last year, was different, as I got to spend it with my lovely Nicole. Have a guess where we went for our romantic weekend - a certain seaside town in Rhode Island that I keep mentioning a lot - and needless to say we had a great time.
That's not all though - on February 20, we celebrated a very special milestone, the anniversary of our marriage, I can't believe that it's already been a year. It's been quite a transition, getting used to married life and all the responsibilites it brings, but it's also already provided lots of memories too. We marked the anniversary by revisiting some of the places that we visited on our wedding day, most notably Branford Point, where we got married in front of our family and friends. I certainly won't forget the sight of Nicole walking up the hill in her wedding dress.
Last but not least, on the artwork front, I've recently made some changes, that I mentioned about making in my last blog - my good DeviantArt friends Granitoons and TopperHay directed me to a website called Tapastic, which is a place for hosting webcomics, with the added incentive of possibly making money from ad revenue. I've taken the plunge, and from now on I will be hosting my comics there instead of DeviantArt. Don't worry though, as I said before, I'm not leaving DeviantArt, I will post links to the comics there, as well as my non-comic art as always.
That's not all - back in December, I started writing a script for the first in what will hopefully be a series of comics for my dragon characters Fyfe & Sparkplug. I finished writing the script this month, and I have started illustrating it. It will be quite an undertaking, but I really want to make it happen.
That's that for February - as always, I'll leave you with some artwork, a special sketch to mark me and Nicole's wedding anniversary. Peace out, and remember, show your significant other your love and respect every day, not just Valentine's Day.
P.S. Check out my Tapastic page here: https://tapastic.com/BluebottleFlyer
Check out Granitoons and TopperHay's Tapastic page: https://tapastic.com/HRAM
You already know my thoughts on the political side of things, as I discussed in last month's blog, so we'll just move swiftly on.
I have a bit of news that I've been hoping to say for quite a while - I finally got a job. The school where my wife Nicole works, they needed someone to help set up the tables, chairs and food for their monthly staff and board meetings, and my name came up, so I agreed to do it. The twist is, it's only twice a month, but I am getting paid for it, and it's experience too. Like any job, I was a little overwhelmed on my first night, but hopefully over time I'll get used to it. Nicole is also helping me out with the job initially, I can't thank her enough.
Obviously, February saw another Valentine's Day come around - in the past, it hasn't really been that much of a special day for me, but of course this year, much like last year, was different, as I got to spend it with my lovely Nicole. Have a guess where we went for our romantic weekend - a certain seaside town in Rhode Island that I keep mentioning a lot - and needless to say we had a great time.
That's not all though - on February 20, we celebrated a very special milestone, the anniversary of our marriage, I can't believe that it's already been a year. It's been quite a transition, getting used to married life and all the responsibilites it brings, but it's also already provided lots of memories too. We marked the anniversary by revisiting some of the places that we visited on our wedding day, most notably Branford Point, where we got married in front of our family and friends. I certainly won't forget the sight of Nicole walking up the hill in her wedding dress.
Last but not least, on the artwork front, I've recently made some changes, that I mentioned about making in my last blog - my good DeviantArt friends Granitoons and TopperHay directed me to a website called Tapastic, which is a place for hosting webcomics, with the added incentive of possibly making money from ad revenue. I've taken the plunge, and from now on I will be hosting my comics there instead of DeviantArt. Don't worry though, as I said before, I'm not leaving DeviantArt, I will post links to the comics there, as well as my non-comic art as always.
That's not all - back in December, I started writing a script for the first in what will hopefully be a series of comics for my dragon characters Fyfe & Sparkplug. I finished writing the script this month, and I have started illustrating it. It will be quite an undertaking, but I really want to make it happen.
That's that for February - as always, I'll leave you with some artwork, a special sketch to mark me and Nicole's wedding anniversary. Peace out, and remember, show your significant other your love and respect every day, not just Valentine's Day.
P.S. Check out my Tapastic page here: https://tapastic.com/BluebottleFlyer
Check out Granitoons and TopperHay's Tapastic page: https://tapastic.com/HRAM
29/02/2016
February 2016
Well, January certainly was eventful, with it being my first full month living in the US - but this month was also very eventful, and I don't just mean because of experiencing the crazy New England weather of snow followed by pretty much everything else.
I thought things had already come full circle when I made the big move from the UK to the US, however there was one more very important part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place, and it was something that me and my fiancee Nicole had been waiting for for well over a year.
On February 20, at Branford Point - a place that holds so much memories for us both, not least because it was also the place where I proposed to Nicole back in 2014 - in front of Nicole's family and friends (plus my grandma, who was able to tune in from back in the UK, thanks to the wonders of modern technology), me and Nicole became husband and wife. I can't put into words how it felt, but every minute was special, and I am so over the moon to now be able to call that lovely American lass, who I first met in an internet group over 15 years ago, my wife. It also won't be the first time we get married, either, because this was a legal wedding (my visa required us to be married within 90 days of my move), so it was very low-key, however we plan to hold a second ceremony in the summer, with the traditional ceremony and reception - but our wedding this month was the official joining together, and in no way will we ever forget it. It was one of those moments that you just don't forget.
On another note, I got to experience one of the American traditions for the first time this month - the Super Bowl. Aye, I'm talking about the big American football final which is basically the American equivalent of the FA Cup Final back in the UK, which is famous for its half-time musical number (it was Coldplay this year, which was great since I'm a fan of their music) and the special adverts that air during the game. To be brutally honest, American football is not a sport I really have any interest in, and the whole pomp and circumstance of the game just grated on me, much like most similar events. For me, the best part about watching the Super Bowl was getting to spend time with my lovely wife and our friends, chatting the night away. Forget the game, that's what it's all about, in my opinion.
Just before I get onto my usual slice of artwork for this month, I want to give a shoutout to one of my artist friends on DeviantArt, Josh aka Jowybean - I've been following his work since 2008 and I can't put into words how amazingly talented he is, he is a master of many different art styles and frequently puts insane amounts of detail in his work too, both in his fanart and his original works - please go and check his artworks out right here: Jowybean on DeviantArt
I'll leave you with this picture I made to commemmorate my wedding to my lovely Nicole - and I should also mention that this Valentine's Day was the very first one that we got to spend together, which pretty much made it the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. Just remember that love is for every day, not just for Valentine's, and that applies even if you're single - and on that note, it's ciao for now.
P.S. I can't believe one of my favourite metal songs is 20 years old: "Roots Bloody Roots" - Sepultura
I thought things had already come full circle when I made the big move from the UK to the US, however there was one more very important part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place, and it was something that me and my fiancee Nicole had been waiting for for well over a year.
On February 20, at Branford Point - a place that holds so much memories for us both, not least because it was also the place where I proposed to Nicole back in 2014 - in front of Nicole's family and friends (plus my grandma, who was able to tune in from back in the UK, thanks to the wonders of modern technology), me and Nicole became husband and wife. I can't put into words how it felt, but every minute was special, and I am so over the moon to now be able to call that lovely American lass, who I first met in an internet group over 15 years ago, my wife. It also won't be the first time we get married, either, because this was a legal wedding (my visa required us to be married within 90 days of my move), so it was very low-key, however we plan to hold a second ceremony in the summer, with the traditional ceremony and reception - but our wedding this month was the official joining together, and in no way will we ever forget it. It was one of those moments that you just don't forget.
On another note, I got to experience one of the American traditions for the first time this month - the Super Bowl. Aye, I'm talking about the big American football final which is basically the American equivalent of the FA Cup Final back in the UK, which is famous for its half-time musical number (it was Coldplay this year, which was great since I'm a fan of their music) and the special adverts that air during the game. To be brutally honest, American football is not a sport I really have any interest in, and the whole pomp and circumstance of the game just grated on me, much like most similar events. For me, the best part about watching the Super Bowl was getting to spend time with my lovely wife and our friends, chatting the night away. Forget the game, that's what it's all about, in my opinion.
Just before I get onto my usual slice of artwork for this month, I want to give a shoutout to one of my artist friends on DeviantArt, Josh aka Jowybean - I've been following his work since 2008 and I can't put into words how amazingly talented he is, he is a master of many different art styles and frequently puts insane amounts of detail in his work too, both in his fanart and his original works - please go and check his artworks out right here: Jowybean on DeviantArt
I'll leave you with this picture I made to commemmorate my wedding to my lovely Nicole - and I should also mention that this Valentine's Day was the very first one that we got to spend together, which pretty much made it the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. Just remember that love is for every day, not just for Valentine's, and that applies even if you're single - and on that note, it's ciao for now.
P.S. I can't believe one of my favourite metal songs is 20 years old: "Roots Bloody Roots" - Sepultura
28/02/2015
February 2015
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters once sang about "February Stars" - I think for the best part of this month I felt like I was seeing stars, and not in a good way - so I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first.
I feel like my work placement has been starting to grate on me a lot more, and it's ever since I got back from my US trip back in January - I've had too many moments where I've been stood in the shop thinking to myself, "Why am I here? I wish I was doing something more worthwhile than this." The feeling that I'm constantly being reminded of "my place" in society by stuff in the news or what some have said, as it were, hasn't helped.
I've been having issues online as well - and I've talked about this before, the whole group situation, feeling like I'm invisible to people, that reared its ugly head again this month, to the point where I was doing my weekly livestreams and pretty much taking it out on everyone who attended those stream, in my own way. I wish I could handle this stuff better than I do, but it's the way I am, and I can't help that.
On the plus side, things are moving along with me and Nicole's immigration process - the first payment to the lawyer has been made, I've posted off my birth certificate, and we're in the process of getting personal statements from ourselves, our friends and family, so the ball is well and truly rolling now. I say this as a plus point, because it's exciting, but at the same time it hasn't truly sunk in for me yet, and I don't believe it will until the day that I actually take that flight over there to start this new life - and it's still both exciting and scaring me in equal measure.
Another thing I've been doing a lot recently is looking back to what I was doing a decade ago - where I was, the music I was listening to, the people I knew, and it's crazy to see how much hasn't changed (still having to go to a jobsearch session once a week, still in my hometown) and how much has changed (technology, my artwork, and of course the fact that I'm engaged). A lot can change in a decade.
Speaking of looking back, me and Nicole celebrated Valentine's Day via Skype, and one of the presents that she sent me was a scrapbook she made herself, containing pictures of us and memories of how we met, places we've been and when we finally declared our love for each other - and it's the sweetest gift anyone's ever made for me, so thank you again, lovely. <3
I'll leave you on that mushy note with my Valentine's Day artwork for this year - and even though I'm glad to see the back of this month on the whole, it wasn't without its good moments.
I feel like my work placement has been starting to grate on me a lot more, and it's ever since I got back from my US trip back in January - I've had too many moments where I've been stood in the shop thinking to myself, "Why am I here? I wish I was doing something more worthwhile than this." The feeling that I'm constantly being reminded of "my place" in society by stuff in the news or what some have said, as it were, hasn't helped.
I've been having issues online as well - and I've talked about this before, the whole group situation, feeling like I'm invisible to people, that reared its ugly head again this month, to the point where I was doing my weekly livestreams and pretty much taking it out on everyone who attended those stream, in my own way. I wish I could handle this stuff better than I do, but it's the way I am, and I can't help that.
On the plus side, things are moving along with me and Nicole's immigration process - the first payment to the lawyer has been made, I've posted off my birth certificate, and we're in the process of getting personal statements from ourselves, our friends and family, so the ball is well and truly rolling now. I say this as a plus point, because it's exciting, but at the same time it hasn't truly sunk in for me yet, and I don't believe it will until the day that I actually take that flight over there to start this new life - and it's still both exciting and scaring me in equal measure.
Another thing I've been doing a lot recently is looking back to what I was doing a decade ago - where I was, the music I was listening to, the people I knew, and it's crazy to see how much hasn't changed (still having to go to a jobsearch session once a week, still in my hometown) and how much has changed (technology, my artwork, and of course the fact that I'm engaged). A lot can change in a decade.
Speaking of looking back, me and Nicole celebrated Valentine's Day via Skype, and one of the presents that she sent me was a scrapbook she made herself, containing pictures of us and memories of how we met, places we've been and when we finally declared our love for each other - and it's the sweetest gift anyone's ever made for me, so thank you again, lovely. <3
I'll leave you on that mushy note with my Valentine's Day artwork for this year - and even though I'm glad to see the back of this month on the whole, it wasn't without its good moments.
28/02/2014
February 2014
Just as quick as January flew by, February has pretty much done the same. (This is going to be a recurring theme throughout this year, I'm sure you'll agree.) However, apart from one night of snow, which quickly cleared away, the weather this month, much like January, has still been very mild compared to past winters - at least, that's the case in my part of the country, I've been very lucky considering what's been happening elsewhere in the UK with the storms that battered the country this month, and caused widespread flooding. I hope those who've been affected by the flooding will be able to get their lives back in order as quickly as possible, it must be awful to watch your home and the place you know so well get taken over by a deluge.
February also meant a certain day - the day which I now prefer to call "Slushy Day", but what everyone else knows as Valentine's Day. Even though I'm not single, I still have my views on it, which are all very well covered here.
Either way, I got to see my lovely Nicole via Skype, and we exchanged gifts - before you ask, "How were you able to give each other Valentine's gifts via video chat?", she gave me her gift during her stay here 2 months ago, while I sent my gift for her through the post. It'll also be just under 2 months until we're hopefully together for real again, too.
Now, I don't normally watch much sport, however there are exceptions: Formula 1, the Wimbledon tennis, and both the Summer and Winter Olympics. This month was the turn of the Winter Olympics, last held in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, and was this time held in Sochi in Russia. It enjoyed watching all the different events, namely the skiing, bobsleigh, luge and the snowboarding events, including my favourite event, the snowboard cross, and the events weren't short of drama and action. Great Britain don't usually do very well in terms of medals at the Winter Olympics, but I don't really care about that - for me, the Olympics is all about the action, the coming together of countries, and the taking part, because just getting to compete at the Olympics is an achievement in itself, and it's just a shame that a lot of people, especially the media, tend to forget that. I also don't care much for the political and financial sides of the Olympics, either.
A bit of closure now - I mentioned back in November that I had been considering trying to go self-employed doing artwork, I never mentioned how that all panned out. Well, I had an appointment about it back in December, and the impression I got was that it would be too much of an undertaking, financially. It's a shame, but I need to be able to have a stable income at the end of the day, and that line of work will not give me that.
However, I know two friends who are attempting to go down the same route - Andy and Hayley, aka Granitoons and TopperHay from deviantART, and I wish them the very best of luck with that. Please go and check out their galleries and give them a commission if you can, because they are simply brilliant cartoonists.
I'll leave you with a bit of artwork, as always - my bug characters Bob & Flyer as cowboys.
February also meant a certain day - the day which I now prefer to call "Slushy Day", but what everyone else knows as Valentine's Day. Even though I'm not single, I still have my views on it, which are all very well covered here.
Either way, I got to see my lovely Nicole via Skype, and we exchanged gifts - before you ask, "How were you able to give each other Valentine's gifts via video chat?", she gave me her gift during her stay here 2 months ago, while I sent my gift for her through the post. It'll also be just under 2 months until we're hopefully together for real again, too.
Now, I don't normally watch much sport, however there are exceptions: Formula 1, the Wimbledon tennis, and both the Summer and Winter Olympics. This month was the turn of the Winter Olympics, last held in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, and was this time held in Sochi in Russia. It enjoyed watching all the different events, namely the skiing, bobsleigh, luge and the snowboarding events, including my favourite event, the snowboard cross, and the events weren't short of drama and action. Great Britain don't usually do very well in terms of medals at the Winter Olympics, but I don't really care about that - for me, the Olympics is all about the action, the coming together of countries, and the taking part, because just getting to compete at the Olympics is an achievement in itself, and it's just a shame that a lot of people, especially the media, tend to forget that. I also don't care much for the political and financial sides of the Olympics, either.
A bit of closure now - I mentioned back in November that I had been considering trying to go self-employed doing artwork, I never mentioned how that all panned out. Well, I had an appointment about it back in December, and the impression I got was that it would be too much of an undertaking, financially. It's a shame, but I need to be able to have a stable income at the end of the day, and that line of work will not give me that.
However, I know two friends who are attempting to go down the same route - Andy and Hayley, aka Granitoons and TopperHay from deviantART, and I wish them the very best of luck with that. Please go and check out their galleries and give them a commission if you can, because they are simply brilliant cartoonists.
I'll leave you with a bit of artwork, as always - my bug characters Bob & Flyer as cowboys.
28/02/2013
February 2013
For me, February means two things for me: cold winter weather, and the yuck-fest that is Valentine's Day, which I've made my feelings very clear about in the past - however this year's Valentine's was ever so slightly different due to the fact that I actually had a Valentine for the first time in 4 years, the lovely Nicky of course. We both sent each other a box full of slushy romantic stuff, as you do. The dinner date will have to wait though. :P
My feelings on Valentine's are still the same though - it's all commercialised. You have all year to show someone you love them, why does it have to be that one day?
Aside from the slushy stuff, I also did something I normally don't do this month, I took a trip to the cinema, only my third time in total - the first time was in summer 2006, when I went to see "Cars", followed by summer 2011 when I went to see "Cars 2". (See a pattern here?) I think it's canny obvious that the only kind of films I'm interested in seeing at the flicks are those of the animated sort.
On this occasion it was "Wreck-It Ralph" I saw, just didn't want to wait for it to come out on DVD, and I'm glad I didn't, because it was a blast. If you get the chance, please go see it, especially if you like your gaming. My brother also saw it, and being a gamer himself, he loved it.
And now for the bad news - I mentioned that as part of my US trip this summer I was going to try and get Comic Con passes for myself and Nicky. Mission failure I'm afraid - I was in the right place at the right time on the sale day, but it seems the Comic Con site couldn't cope with the amount of people logging in to get passes, and loads of people got locked out of the queue, myself included, so I was unable to get passes. There will be a resale of returned passes at some point, but I've decided not to bother taking part, which means me and Nicky will not be going to Comic Con this summer. There is a reason for this, though - may be going somewhere else instead.
And now, time to leave you with some artwork - and it's a slushy one.
My feelings on Valentine's are still the same though - it's all commercialised. You have all year to show someone you love them, why does it have to be that one day?
Aside from the slushy stuff, I also did something I normally don't do this month, I took a trip to the cinema, only my third time in total - the first time was in summer 2006, when I went to see "Cars", followed by summer 2011 when I went to see "Cars 2". (See a pattern here?) I think it's canny obvious that the only kind of films I'm interested in seeing at the flicks are those of the animated sort.
On this occasion it was "Wreck-It Ralph" I saw, just didn't want to wait for it to come out on DVD, and I'm glad I didn't, because it was a blast. If you get the chance, please go see it, especially if you like your gaming. My brother also saw it, and being a gamer himself, he loved it.
And now for the bad news - I mentioned that as part of my US trip this summer I was going to try and get Comic Con passes for myself and Nicky. Mission failure I'm afraid - I was in the right place at the right time on the sale day, but it seems the Comic Con site couldn't cope with the amount of people logging in to get passes, and loads of people got locked out of the queue, myself included, so I was unable to get passes. There will be a resale of returned passes at some point, but I've decided not to bother taking part, which means me and Nicky will not be going to Comic Con this summer. There is a reason for this, though - may be going somewhere else instead.
And now, time to leave you with some artwork - and it's a slushy one.
My Valentine's pic for this year - dedicated to Nicky.
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