Inking

I started inking the OilCan Drive sketch I penciled a few days ago this morning. It felt good, as always, to move some ink around the page but something didn't quite feel right.

I think it's because this piece has no real reason behind it other than to give me something to do. Honestly, I like it, but it feels like I am spinning my wheels while I try and figure out what to do next.

So, I stopped inking.

I think it's time to take a step back, rethink the direction I want to go in, and then go from there.

Or maybe it's just that it's been so hot this week and I work in a third floor studio with no air conditioning. That might have something to do with it.

Actually, I know the direction I want to go in. But, I need to build myself a map. And I can't build myself the map while I am pretending to do other work just to look busy.

So, I'm off to build myself a map. Wish me luck!

Have a great day.

OilCan Drive T-Shirts!

So I finally got the designs done, configured the artwork, and teamed up with Zazzle.com to make a new line of OilCan Drive t-shirts.

You can get them in a variety of styles, colors, and sizes, in men's, women's, and even kid's sizes. I made sure I didn't leave anyone out (unless you have a dog that needs a new t-shirt...then you just might be out of luck.)

You can check out all the new OilCan Drive t-shirts HERE.

Personally, I think they look really great and I'm hoping you like them too.

I liked them so much I even made a special advertisement that will live within this blog page so, even once this post is long gone, it will still remind you that these things are out there. Look, it's right there above this post as we speak.

I've always been hesitant to try and monetize this blog and clutter it up with various ads that people train themselves not to look at. But, I figure, if you like my blog, you must like my art, so maybe you won't mind an ad or two for stuff that I actually do. In the future, I plan to put new products I put out in the top ad while old ads will find their way into smaller links on the right side of the page. I hope it works out and doesn't clutter up the page too much.

But, for now, click the link and check out the new OilCan Drive shirt designs. Play around with the styles and see what's out there. You might even find something you like.

Have a great day.

OilCan Drive Sketches

Here's a new pencil sketch for the OilCan Drive project that I did a few days ago to fulfill my "sit at the drawing board and do something everyday."

I like the way the piece looks but it's not really for anything specific. So, I think I need to take a step back and figure out a new project where I need to be at the drawing board on a daily basis.

Once I get that figured out I'll get back to ya.

Have a great day!

Finished Pin-Up

All right, here is the finished black and white and color illustration of the pin-up piece I've been working on the last couple of days.

I've put the censored versions here on the blog so no one who doesn't want to see the completed versions will have their delicate sensibilities offended (of course, if this is the worst thing you've seen on the internet then you probably haven't ever left your email browser.)

But, for those of you who are bit more daring you can see the full black and white image HERE and the full color image HERE.

I hope you enjoy this little detour in my creative life and I hope you have a great day.

Color!

Alright, the black and white illustration has been scanned into the computer and the color is almost done on the newest pin-up piece.

I just need to add a few more touches and I'll be ready to call this one complete. The question now is what I plan to work on next. With the new schedule I can really get a lot of stuff done but now it's just a matter of figuring out what to do. I feel like I've created a loaded gun and now I just need to figure out where to point it.

I have a few ideas but I really need to nail down something soon.

But, as for this pin-up, she's almost there!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Inking Away

So the new schedule I set up for myself seems to be working well. I jump out of bed every morning ready to tackle everything on my list and I am really enjoying putting little x's into boxes once I get each daily task done.

This week I got all of my client work done and turned in, wrote four new chapters in the Exit 6 collected book, recorded the bass parts for five of the six songs for the OilCan Drive EP album, kept the blog going daily, penciled, inked and am in the middle of coloring the new pin-up, sketched out a new OilCan Drive piece, and even found enough extra free time to go and see the movie Super 8 (loved it, by the way.)

I'm tired but it's a good kind of tired. It's the kind of tired you have when you know you've done a productive day of work and it feels great. It makes laying my head down on the pillow every night that much easier and my mind doesn't race anymore with thoughts of what I should have done or need to get done. I feel fulfilled.

Or maybe I'm so exhausted I just pass out.

But, with the way I'm producing work now I shouldn't ever be at a loss for something to show off on the blog. Here is a photo of me inking the newest pin-up. With the way I've been working the color will be done soon enough.

But, for now, back to work. I have little boxes that need some x's in them.

Have a great weekend!

From The Vault - Exit 6 Website 1998

A few friends of mine from college have teamed up to create a super top secret art project together and, from what I have seen so far, it looks really great. I talked to one of them the other day and he said he is kicking himself now for being scared in the past to collaborate with anyone on any kind of project because this one is turning out so well.

So, it got me thinking about why I feel the need to do everything on every project I do all by myself. Why did I feel the need to be a penciler, an inker, a colorist, a painter, and figure out how to letter my own comic books when most people seem to stick to one discipline and be the best they can be at it? And why, instead of just playing guitar did I feel the need to figure out how to play guitar, bass, drums, sing, record, engineer, master, and even dabble a bit with piano and harmonica? Why didn't I just join a band and be a simple rhythm guitar player?

Maybe it's because some of my own past projects that I have tried to do with other people never seem to work out quite right. Whether it's comic book projects with Hollywood screenwriters or big name independent comic book artists or even simply trying to do music with Lou, it never goes much of anywhere.

When I was doing the self published comic book Exit 6 the internet was starting to become a viable place to market yourself. At the time I was using the web to email and maybe chat in a room or two. But the idea of creating a web page and finding a server to host it were way beyond my means at the time.

So, luckily, a friend of mine said he would take care of the web side, design me a page, and find a place to host it for free.

That sounded great to me so I gave him free reign to bring Exit 6 to the world through the web.

You can still see how far that page got to completion by going to http://exit6.8m.com/

Sigh...

And, yes, you read that right, to add insult to injury, it says UNDER CONTRUCTION!

One of my friends here still gets a kick out of that. To him, that is the epitome of everything that was going wrong in my life at the time with art, potential clients, and friends.

UNDER CONTRUCTION

So, when I wonder why I do everything from art, to music, to web design all by myself I simply type that web address into my browser it helps me remember.

I may not be the best at anything I do but at least I can get it done.

Have a great weekend.

Pencil Sketch

Like I said yesterday, I'm trying to fill my days with plenty of stuff to do and one of those things is, no matter what else I have on my plate, is to sit down at the art table and draw or ink a little bit each day.

Since I don't have any personal OilCan Drive work that needed to be penciled this week I thought it might be fun to do another pin-up of a friend. So, I printed off a copy of a photo, sat down, and started penciling away.

Note: I changed the photo to black and white because it helped focus on the pencils more...but, looking at it now, I really like it...

So far, so good. I've always love drawing friends from photos. It's usually totally different from how I would normally draw in my cartoony comic book style but, while it's a bit more realistic, it still retains that cartoony flavor. So, I love doing these and I hope, once it's done, that everyone will like it.

But, of course, I have a few new OilCan Drive pieces in mind so, once this piece is done, it's a safe bet that you'll be seeing some new OilCan Drive pieces that you might never have seen if I didn't implement this new schedule of mine. It's day three of the schedule and it still feels great. I wake up every morning and the first thing I open up on the computer is my little daily checklist of things to do. It's really been energizing me and it feels like I am putting all of my time into proper use.

Of course, it's only day three so we'll see where it goes from here. But, so far, so good.

Have a great day.

New Schedule

Usually my day consists of whatever it is at that moment that I need to be dealing with. Most of the time that means I'm doing some sort of illustration for a client who needs the art at a certain date. I fill my days trying to get their work done, the whole time promising myself that when I get a full day to myself I'll work on some more personal projects. And sometimes I get those days off from clients and the personal projects just seem so big that I don't know where to start.

And, if I am in the middle of a personal project and it gets frustrating I might end up just chucking the whole thing and mess around on the internet or watch TV for the rest of the day. The next thing I know I am back to doing client work and wishing I hadn't wasted that day off I had once, way back when.

The Exit 6 Collected book is almost done and all that is keeping me from finishing it up is writing the story behind the story. Since the actual comic book never finished I couldn't see putting out a simple collected comic where the story never ends. So I thought I'd write a journal of all the trials and tribulations I did to self publish that book back in 1998. I am thirty pages into the writing but it seems to have stalled and I can't see sitting down for a whole day to write any time soon.

I've wanted to do an OilCan Drive album of music since you've probably been reading this blog. It was really great when I got that one song on the radio that one time and I really appreciate the DJ who did it liking what I was doing. But, it also turned something I was goofing off with in a corner of my living room into something very real that I now had to be good at. So I became very critical of something I used to do for fun. And it got frustrating.

The nearest thing I can compare it to is the feeling I would have when I was back in college doing some art for homework and it just not turning out the way I wanted it to. The frustration became so great that I remember a time or two throwing illustration boards across a room and wanting to quit.

But I didn't.

So, when I feel like quitting music and selling every piece of music gear I own I try to take a breath, take a walk, and remember why I want to do music in the first place.

Because it's supposed to be fun.

So, I'm trying to get my head back into that sort of thinking. And, in doing so, I made myself a simple new schedule of four things I want to get done every day before I go to bed at night. I'm only on the second day but it seems to be working out well so far.

And, what are those four things, you may ask?

1. Color one piece for Sports Illustrated Kids Magazine (at least this week...who knows what client work I'll be doing next when this project is done.)
2. Record one part of one OilCan Drive song.
3. Do one piece of art sitting at the art table and not on the computer. This can be a sketch, penciling, inking, whatever, as long as it is physical and not digital.
4. Write one chapter of the Exit 6 Collected book.

It's only the second day but it seems to be working well so far. We'll see how it goes the rest of the week and beyond.

But, it feels good. I'm never bored with one part of my day as there is always something new and different to do next. And, when I do get to that part of my day I can really concentrate on it. I no longer need to finish recording a whole song in one day. I can just concentrate on one part of one song and play and record that part the best I can.

So, if you'll excuse me now, I need to go lay down some of Henry's bass guitar track on this one OilCan Drive song. And then I need to write a chapter of Exit 6. And, then I'll take a bike ride. And, then maybe, just maybe, I'll go to sleep.

But, maybe not in that order.

Have a great day.

Nicole Finished!

I've been so busy these last few days I almost forgot to post the finished design of Nicole, the last piece of art in the OilCan Drive Doodle series.

So, that's it. Four band members and four designs. Now to figure out what to do next when I have a free minute or two.

I know Nicole will end up on next month's blog header but, what do you think, would the OilCan Drive Doodle series work well as a series of t-shirts? If you do, I'll see what I can do to make that happen.

But, for now, enjoy the art and have a great day.

Goodbye Clarence!

I found out last night that Clarence Clemons, the Big Man and saxophonist for The E Street Band, passed away at age 69. And, right now, I'm not even sure what to say.

I first fell in love with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in my mid-teens. And one of the most charismatic and imposing figures on the stage when that band played was Clarence Clemons. Just to see this giant black man stand side by side next to a skinny little white boy and play their music like their lives depended on it was always inspirational. Honestly, it's one of the reasons that the OilCan Drive line up is the way it is. One big giant imposing black guy next to a skinny white guy on stage playing music. That comes from watching Clarence and Bruce.

The first time I saw Springsteen play live was 1993 in the New Jersey Meadowlands during the period when he was taking a break from the E Street Band and playing with some L.A. musicians. It was a great show however it was Bruce without the best backing band in the land (who I would later see him perform with in Denver more than a few times in years later.) But, being New Jersey, and being a special show, when Springsteen broke into Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and sang the line, "and the Big Man joined the band..." Clarence, in all his glory with a saxophone wrapped around his neck, walked out onto the stage.

I have never heard a crowd scream so loudly in all of my life.

The place was shaking, the crowd was on their feet, and the yells were so loud that they actually drowned out the music.

That is how much Clarence was loved.

I wanted to show you something as my way of giving a very small tribute to the Big Man on the saxophone. I would have put it up on my website but there seems to be a problem with the servers at the moment and my site has been down for a few days. So, I figured I'd make a quick movie and put a private link to it on YouTube.

About a year ago I had the idea of having OilCan Drive do a cover version of Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark. The drum beat was easy enough and there were more than enough websites out there that helped me figure out the basic guitar chords and lyrics. But, the problem I had was at the end of the song was when Clarence breaks into a sweet sax riff as Bruce starts dancing with Courtney Cox. There are no tabs on the web that show you how to transcribe a saxophone solo onto guitar. Believe me, I looked.

So, I had to figure it out for myself.

Here is the original video where you can see Clarence in all of his 80's glory:



And below is the raw recording, with the tempo at a slower speed, of me trying to mimic Clarence's sax riff. It's not much of a tribute but it shows that I loved this guy and his work enough to sit down for a few hours and try to figure out what he was doing and how he was doing it.

And, for a musician, maybe that is tribute enough.



Goodbye, Clarence, and God speed. You will be missed!

From The Vault - Three Ninjas Commission 2000

I totally dropped the ball yesterday and forgot to put up the weekly "From The Vault" piece. I started playing music and got so wrapped up in playing bass tracks that the next thing I knew it was eleven at night and I hadn't eaten dinner yet. So, the FTV piece was put off until today.

This week's piece is a commission I did in 2000 for a friend who wanted to give a special Christmas present to his nephews. They were all huge fans of the Three Ninjas movies at the time so he wanted me to draw them in a similar situation.

And I did this piece back when I was still painting with Dr. Martin's Dyes and my trusty old airbrush. I had yet to jump over to coloring in the computer yet. So, there are little errors here and there that I would easily fix with the computer these days but, back then, you did the best you could with your own two hands. But, for a commission piece, it didn't turn out all that bad.

OK, have a great weekend! See you soon!

Sports Illustrated Kids May Illustrations

As I'm working on the August Sports Illustrated Kids illustrations this week I thought it would be a good time to show off the pieces that were in the May issue of the magazine.

Each month I work with the great folks up at SIK and am given three different sports scenarios where you, the reader, must make the call on the field and deem if what each player is doing is legal or illegal. Sometimes I'll know the answer but, more often than not, I have no idea what the call on the field should be. And I'm never given the answer. So, like you, I find out what the call should be once the magazine hits the stands.

In May we were asked if a BMX rider could fall off his bike and then run his bike across the finish line for the win, if a first baseman in baseball can hide the ball in his glove and tag out the runner as he takes a lead off the base, and if a goalie in soccer kicks the ball to the side of the field, it hits a rock and goes into the net, does the goal count.

So, what do you think? What's the call?

Have a great day.

Nicole Colored

The inks are done and I got the Nicole OilCan Drive doodle illustration scanned into the computer and cleaned up.

And now on to the color.

On most of the pieces I color in the computer with Photoshop I leave the background a light green shade. For some reason it really helps me pick out if I've gone outside the lines by even just a little. And, I think it's actually less stressful on my eyes to stare at a dull green background for an hour or two instead of a bright white background. Then I'll cut around the entire figure and fill it with a light pink color. From there I'll cut all the different colored pieces apart, her flesh, shirt, pants, etc. and just lay in some basic colors.

And then the fun begins.

From there the shading and toning of the figure begins. Sometimes I know where I'm going with the piece and sometimes I surprise myself. But, in the end I always wonder if I could have done something better or taken the piece in a different direction.

But, the figure is colored and now it's time to figure out some kind of cool design to put her in to complete the last piece in the OilCan Drive doodle series.

And, once Nicole is done, I need to figure out what to do with my four new illustrations.

We shall see. Have a great day!

Inking Nicole

The inking on the Nicole piece for the OilCan Drive Doodle series looks like it's just about done. Now it's just a matter of scanning her into the computer and getting some color going on her.

And once I finish her, the OCD Doodle series will be complete and I'll have to see where I can use the images.

But, for now, on to the color!

Have a great day!

Nicole OilCan Drive Doodle Sketch

I wrapped up the weekend with the music gear stowed away and a few new thoughts in my head. I have some client work to tackle in the coming week so I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to work on any of the OilCan Drive music anytime soon but that might be a good thing. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and rethink your plan of attack before trying it out again. But, don't worry, I'm not quitting the music side of my favorite cartoon band anytime soon.

And, with a little extra time on my hands this afternoon, I sketched out the last member of OilCan Drive I needed to do in the OCD Doodle series, Nicole Baylor, the band's drummer.

I'm really liking the way the pencil sketch came out and I can't wait to lay some ink down on her. And, what can I say? When it comes to a pretty girl, I am definitely a booty fan!

Have a great day and I'll see if I can get the inks done on her sooner than later.

Finished Christine Portrait

I love messing around with music but I always seem to have those days where I question why I ever picked up a guitar in the first place and why I even tried. Yesterday I even thought about selling all of my music gear and just doing art again full time without the hassle of having an extra hobby getting in the way.

But, I am learning, when I feel that way, to put it aside for a minute and go and do something else.

So, what's bad for the music is good for the illustration and the piece I started coloring yesterday is done and done.

This illustration is of a good friend of mine from back in New Jersey named Christine. I met her years ago while I was doing an ill fated tour of duty as a bartender at Red Lobster. While the job didn't work out (I'm allergic to lobster so it wasn't the best career move working in a restaurant that specializes in serving it) I did come out of it with a great friend. When I left New Jersey and moved out to Colorado we lost touch for a few years. We'd talk from time to time and send cards and letters but it wasn't the same as living in the same state. So, before I knew it, it had been years since we had talked. But, thanks to Facebook and email, we're back in touch and as good friends as ever.

I wish I had had the chance to draw Christine when I first met her and lived only a ten minute drive away from her. But, at the time, I didn't have the talent or skill to draw my friends or, probably, the guts to even ask them to pose for me. I'd like to think she would have said yes if I had summoned the courage to ask. And, I would have hoped I would have done the best job I could have done. But it still probably wouldn't have come out as nice as I can do now.

So, I'm glad, with the advent of digital cameras, social networking, and better emails, that I can draw a friend of mine who lives three thousand miles away and do just as good a job as if she lived across the street. Sure, it's not as much fun as if I could have had her pose in person but I love that I can get the job done no matter how far away someone lives.

Now I just hope she likes the way it came out.

And, at the moment, I don't have any plans to sell any of my guitars. But, we'll see how that goes.

Have a great day.

Color Time

For the last few days I've started my working day by trying to lay down the acoustic guitar tracks on the OilCan Drive EP album. I've got the drums done and the demo scratch tracks done that have a rough idea of what the song sounds like in an acoustic version with drums, guitars, and vocals.

So now all I have to do is lay down all the layers of acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, vocals, etc. So, I've spent the last few mornings trying to get the acoustic guitar parts sorted out with no success. One day the tone might not be quite right so I need to rethink my approach and the next day, once I get some good sounds dialed in, my neighbors decide to redouble their efforts in ripping their kitchen apart and all I can hear through the microphones are banging on the walls.

So, instead of getting further along on the music side of things I put away the guitar, pack up the microphones, wrap all the cables up and go back to doing the illustration stuff.

With the way I've set up my working life there is always something to do if something else doesn't work out. I can work on music, pencil, ink, color, write the few books I'm working on, or, if everything falls apart, throw my hands up in despair and watch a movie or take a walk. So, there is always something.

One of the things I jumped on when the acoustic guitars weren't working out was the pin-up I inked last week that's just been waiting for color. If things go the way they've been going, who knows, I may get this piece done sooner than later.

But for now, it's back to trying the acoustic guitar recording. Wish me luck.

Have a good one!

From The Vault - Red Sonja Sketch 2002

Back in 2002 one of the guys working at the local comic book store asked me if I'd draw him a Red Sonja sketch. I'm not sure if he paid me or not or if I just did it to be nice but, honestly, the only way to really tell this was Red Sonja or not is because I just told you it was.

So, maybe I did it for free.

Still, it's not a bad sketch. I came across the piece in one of my old art folders on the computer and I hoped I hadn't posted it before. Sometimes I put up so much old art that I can't tell what I've featured before and what I haven't. So, my fingers are crossed that this piece hasn't been seen yet.

But, if you have seen it before, I'm just going to chalk it up to deja vu anyway.

Enjoy....maybe again...

Have a great weekend!

Finished Sample Covers

Hooray! I got the sample cover done last night and sent it off to the potential client this morning. And, not only did I get one design done, but three! I sent these along with the original colored character sketches for a total of four illustrations as well as a link to all of the Jake Maddox books I have done on Amazon.com.

I don't know...do you think I might have over done it?

The top illustration is based off a photo mock up the client sent me. I simply popped the figures into where they had them and mimicked the layout of the sample as best I could. But, once that was done I wanted to try a different layout with all the kids sharing the space and coming forward out of the background a little bit. And, finally, I toned the characters in yellow to mimic the color style they had sent me on the sample. I aim to please and, when in doubt, better to send off a few ideas and see what sticks.

Usually when I get a call from a potential client and they have a job but they want to see free samples from me I usually decline. I figure if they can't tell what I can do for them by looking at all of the already completed artwork I have out there then I probably don't want to work with them anyway. But, this is a big company and they caught me on a day when I hadn't sat at the drawing board and done any illustration in about a week. So I was really itching to just sit and draw something. Plus, it was a fun challenge to see how much I could get done and how good I could make it look in a little under a day and a half.

So, the illustrations have been sent off and are now being looked at by the "powers that be." Keep your fingers crossed.

And now it's back to messing around with the music and the writing. But I'm sure I'll be back to the art table soon enough.

Have a great day!

Laying Down The Ink

The inks have been laid down on the penciled pieces I did yesterday.

I now have until morning to get this sample piece completely done and sent off to the new potential client. Once I get it done I'll post the results.

OK, off to scan, paint, design, and email off a few cover ideas.

Wish me luck!

Character Sketches

I've been quiet on the blog the last few days because I've been messing around with the OilCan Drive music. I love doing the music but the problem with it is that it's hard to show you a picture of what I've been doing. But, rest assured, work is getting done, just not the kind I can easily photograph.

I have been working on some videos of the OilCan Drive demos I've been working on and, once I get a little further along, I'll share them. I think you'll like them. I do. And from someone who hates seeing photos of himself that must be saying something.

But, the music was put on pause today when I got a call from a new client asking me for a sample piece to see if I was the artist they were looking for. It's been so many days since I sat at the art table to draw it felt good to pencil some new stuff. I think if I stay away from drawing too long I go a little crazy and feel useless. I love doing the music but it's hard to have something to show for days and days of work other than more ideas. But, drawing is always something I can show.

So I'll spend tomorrow getting this sample piece done and then it's back to the music for a while. Or maybe something else. We'll see.

But, even if you don't hear from me for a few days know that something creative is always going on.

Have a good one!

From The Vault - OilCan Drive 2004?

In 2003 I was still working a full time day job as well as getting a lot of freelance art work that I was doing at night. I was doing so much freelance work, in fact, that, by September of that year, I was able to leave the full time day job and become a full time working artist again.

From being in debt to having enough money to quit a job in less than nine months. So, yeah, I was pretty busy.

Of course, I figured, if I was doing OK while doing all that freelance work AND having a full time job I'd have TONS of free time on my hands to do more personal projects if I didn't have the job type job getting in the way. So, I made plans to work on the OilCan Drive comic book. I figured I could easily have the first issue completed and printed by the fall of 2004. I mean, that was a year away. And I would need something to fill all of my free time I suddenly had.

But, of course, there was no 2004 OilCan Drive book. As soon as I left the job type job the freelance art career REALLY took off. I found my self juggling more clients and working on projects that were paying me money I never dreamed of when I started wanting to do art for a living. And, because I got so busy, OilCan Drive got put on the back burner. Again.

I mean, I did make enough money to buy my first house but, still, seeing this little promo piece I put together back then makes me sad now. Even if I had done just one book a year I'd have seven issues done by now. And that's not bad at all.

But, yeah, sometimes life gets in the way of your dreams.

I still plan on doing OilCan Drive comic books at some point. Here's hoping I can learn from my past mistakes and finally get it right this time.

That is, unless the freelance art career gets too busy again. We shall see.

Have a great weekend.

Sports Illustrated Kids April

It's been a while since I showed off some of the monthly illustrations I've been doing for Sports Illustrated Kids magazine. You'd almost think I wasn't doing work for them anymore but, nope, month in and month out they're still nice enough to contact me and ask me to do a few new pieces.

I'm a bit behind on showing these off so I hope you don't mind looking at April's illustrations in June.

At least this way it gives me a few more posts before I catch up so I have a few buffer blogs if I ever find myself with nothing new to talk about.

Enjoy the sports!

Happy June and Finished Henry!

Happy first day of June!

I finished up the Henry Doodle piece just in time to use it for the new June Blog Header. That's one of the reasons I've really been enjoying these OilCan Drive doodle pieces. Instead of using another piece of client artwork as the header for the blog I can use my own personal work that's near and dear to my heart.

And not only did I finish the Henry piece enough for the blog but I also got the finished design done for the original piece as well. I'm not sure what I'll be using these final illustrations for in the future but I have a few ideas in my head already. I'm sure they'll all be turning up again sometime soon.

And Dad, if you need a larger image of Henry for your computer's background, just let me know. I'd be happy to send you a custom piece of art for that.

As for OilCan Drive, after finishing up the book I did for Free Comic Book day and compiling all of the art for the Exit 6 Collected Book the idea of doing another comic book story has really been stuck in my brain. The problem is, I had the characters, I had the drive, I just didn't have any ideas for a good story. I had a few scenes I might want to do and maybe a short story or two but nothing that would support a more long form story.

And, then, last night, during my bike ride, it hit me. An idea so simple that it would allow me to do some shorter OilCan Drive adventures while tying everything together in a larger story arc. So, I'm excited to get some of these ideas down on paper and see where it goes.

Maybe taking the day off yesterday and giving my brain a chance to relax and reboot wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Have a great day and a great June.