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.