Category: Blogposts

Posts not connected to a comic… sometimes information, sometimes just ranting, it’s a bit of a gamble when you read these.

I took Ookio’s ‘My Geek Odyssey’ personality quiz and got Minion #4238! Who are you?

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Bruce

Day30-28

From Minion #261 to Minion #9823452 find out which Minion best matches your personality!

 

 

 

 

 

So are you as tired of these facebook “personality quizzes” as I am.  I admit I’ve done a few, but the pessimist in me is trying to figure out what the companies are getting out it except for website hits.   For the record let’s see:  I’m Princess Leia (or Han Solo if I really think about how to answer), Scotty from Star Trek, The Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons in one quiz, in another I was Sideshow Bob, Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, and Walter White is my TV dad.  Am I really like any of these fictional characters?  Maybe a bit… but I like to think I’m myself- something that has taken me a few years to get to, and I’m not done yet.

On a daily basis- as a public school teacher I do feel like Minion #4238.  For the record-  The description works for any of the Minions so you don’t have to worry about taking the quiz.

Unless something changes- let’s call this drawing # 28 for my 30 days of drawing challenge…

30 Days of Drawing… day 27

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Bruce

30days-27

Welcome to the 27th Century!  All right, maybe the 27th drawing…nothing too fancy here.  I decided to play around in greyscale and add just a touch of color.  I started off My Geek Odyssey this way and realized that adding grey took almost as much time as color so why not just do the comic in color? Tomorrow Mother Nature has thrown some more extreme temperatures our way so I’ll be home catching up on some things included in that list are drawings so as long as Hemi doesn’t decide he needs my undivided attention I hope to be productive.

30 days of Drawing… day 26

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Bruce


30days-26

As we prepare for another wonderful winter week, probably filled with 2 hour delays or a snow day or two, I started working on some ideas for a banner for my upcoming convention appearances…  I began with a few ideas and went instead with this one.  I call this “Cecil’s version of armchair caching”.

For those who do not geocache, armchair caching is basically like being an armchair quarterback.  You sit around and instead of actually caching, you find a geocache somewhere in the world and log it as if you actually found it.  Cecil doesn’t believe in armchair caching… he must see the cache and sign the log or he doesn’t claim it.

30 Days of Drawing… day 25

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Bruce

30days-25

This is getting harder and harder, not just because of time but other commitments.  Today I finished up the comic strip for FTF Geocacher and sent that off and really just wanted to sit back and relax… but I knew I needed to to get a drawing done.  SO after dinner tonight a sat at my drafting table and decided to dredge up an old drawing I had done years and years ago Harry Potter chasing a a golden snitch.  The crazy thing these entries take more time to write than the drawing do.

The story for this drawing is one of opposing authority or at least openly disregarding it.  As you know I’m a school teacher and over the years certain  “Educational Decrees” have been issued some make sense and others show that whoever is writing these things isn’t all there.  Unfortunately once a decree has been made the people in charge tend to just send out reminders without really looking at what the decree said.  So years ago a school I was at sent out to all teachers requirements for classroom holiday decorations.  basically a list of stuff that you could have on bulletin boards, on worksheets, and newsletters.  When I first scanned the list I thought, “Hey, it’s nice to know so I don’t get in trouble.”  Then I took a look at the list and since it was getting close to Halloween I started there.  It was the typical – no monsters, or witches- you could however have harvest themed decorations including jack-o-lanterns.  I stopped… I did a double take- you couldn’t have anything related to Halloween, but you could have jack-o-lanterns?  I was confused and decided at that point I was going to see how far I could bend the rules.  Outside of each room was a floor to ceiling bulletin board.  It was a monster to deal with.  I decided starting in October to create a Harry Potter bulletin board.  Today’s image is pretty close to what I drew except Harry was pretty much life size.  So there in the middle of the school was a bulletin board with a guy in a black robe riding a broomstick.  That bulletin board stayed up for a year.  No one said anything.  I updated it with information about (at that time) the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film.  Oh, that same educational decree still get’s sent out every year- and I’m still allowed to put jack-o-lanterns in my classroom to ward off evil spirits during All Hallow’s Eve.

30 Days of Drawing… day 24

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Bruce


30days-24

As we reach the end of this challenge, it is getting a little more difficult.  Mostly it’s about just finding the time to draw.  I’m behind on things like this comic, or finishing the comic for FTF Geocacher.  Fortunately for me,  the weather looks horrible for the weekend so I should be able to take the next two days and get those done.

As for today’s drawing- a while ago (not sure, a few years maybe) I thought about doing a comic about fairy tale characters attending a school.  I liked the idea but with “Fables,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Grimm” and other fairy tale based properties I figured someone had already done it.  Then I started reading things like JL8, so I moved on.  I still might try it sometime, but tonight (with “Grimm” playing in the background) had the desire to draw the red hood… Fine, Little Red Riding Hood- I thought about having her wearing a Joker t-shirt, and jeans.  Maybe next time.

30 days of Drawing… day 23

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Bruce

30days-23

I wear an number of hats at work… today one of my co-workers came up with an idea to engage teachers in some technology training.  We’ve done this before, “Tech Trick or Treat”, “Tech the Halls”  Basically anything to get someone to read our email and pay attention to us.  So the idea of “Tech Things I Love” was presented.  Like I said anything to help get people better use the technology they have.  I doodled a quick robot cupid… an decided if I finished it it could be today’s drawing.  As with any graphic design project I’m sure it will need to be revised 12 times before the committee likes it.

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update: January 29 (so 30 days of Drawing … day 29) I actually worked on a different version that I kind of like better due to the simplicity.  I also took the black outline and made it grey, just to see how it changed the look.

robot4

30 days of drawing… day 22

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Bruce

30days-22

30 years ago Apple Computer announced that the Macintosh would be introduced to the public during the Super Bowl… I was a senior in high school.  My parents were big into supporting us educationally with the latest fad… We had an Apple II+ I shared it with my brother and my mom (she loved playing games and would get rather obsessed over some of them).  My parents decided since I was going to college that I might need a computer- this was very forward thinking.  We went into a computer store and I figured I would get an IBM PC jr.  I was mistaken…  The salesman asked me what I knew about computers (not much) and what I didn’t like about computers.  I replied I didn’t like having to type in “load” or “run” or “brun”  That I just wanted something easy that worked.  He sat me down at this taupe box put some headphones on me and proceeded to sell my father an IBM PC while I went through the tutorial for “MacPaint.”  I was sold.  I don’t really know how my life would have been different if I hadn’t ended up with a Mac.  I don’t know if I would have done as much with art, or even technology.  It’s silly to say a computer could have that much influence on your life, but I know this is one of those things that made me the person I am today.  Oh, and I still own my first Macintosh from 1984.

30 Days of Drawing… day 20

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Bruce

30days-202/3 of the way done with the challenge and today gave me some time to catch up on a few things… including getting some neglected stuff together for some conventions I’ll have a table at – The INDYpendent Show and Indy Pop Con. Both look like they should be fun and educational (especially for me).

Today’s drawing is actually roughing out some ideas for the Circle City Aerodrome art show I have been asked to be a part of- another thing on my to do list that I need to take care of (deadline in 7 days).  I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetic of Steampunk, even going to the Lego Steampunk session at Brickworld Chicago last year.  I just need to decide what I’m actually going to do.  To use one of my favorite quotes “One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.”  So what do I give up to start delving into the realm of steampunk or cosplay?

This is, of course, a portrait of Sir Cecil. E. M. Ookington-Smythe KBE DFC on his faithful steed “Bernice” after returning from “abroad” (Sir Cecil never did explain whether it was forward or backward through his chronovortex.)  The original artist is unknown and presumed eaten.