Good luck: the ticking clock

This was a pretty brutal blow-off:

I give my rap to a lady at the top of a flight of stairs, her 12-13 year old daughter below. She has a slight accent, maybe German or East European. After I'm done, she says, "let me see if I understand: you are selling your cartoon books for 1 or 2 dollars?" I explain that I give singles for a buck or two or a book usually gets five. She says, with this incredibly imperial air of disregard, "we don't have anything for that," or something similar. It wasn't the words: it was the tone. I just auto said "good luck" and spun around, but, remembering the other day a few weeks ago, I chimed in, "Have a nice day!"

The Blue Pencil

I'd always had trouble balancing pre-drawing with actual drawing, and worse, had trouble erasing pencil marks, which made my cartoons drubby looking. I had adopted free hand cartooning, because it's cleaner, though there is really no room for mistakes when drawing in ink. But finally, after poring over different books and constantly looking online for tips about my art, I discovered the value of the blue pencil. The blue pencil does not show up easily on copy machines, so, it can be used as a base for your cartoons. Better yet, you don't have to erase it (with some exceptions), because it's almost invisible, so, you can sketch and then just resketch without erasing it, then ink it in with a much darker line that can be done effectively "free hand" unlike the problem with regular pencil, where you have to exactly follow every line or it looks like junk.

My first Pay Pal transfer

Well, I deposited 9.41 into my bank today from my first ever online purchase/donation. Obviously, I'd like to increase my fan base. Still, just the fact that someone has bought one of my cartoons over the internet is pretty cool. I sent the contributor a cartoon book in the mail.

New Cartoons and Characters are on the way!

At this point, my characters demand even more fleshed out personalities. Hector will be more of a prevaricator, trying to avoid work (as he has already in his bid to create a bridge to nowhere). Oscar will be interested in trying to figure out how he can rule things, even if it means destroying all around him, Darthur will spend more time with patients. I want to introduce a few more characters also, and I am continually working on "props" and "sets." The background forests and other suggestive drawings are an entire art unto themselves, and experimenting with spatial relationships is part of the art. If anyone who has been reading for awhile has any ideas for my characters that already do exist, I'm open to listening, if not acting upon them.

Good luck saves me in a pinch

AS I've written about before, I used to hear "good luck" so much that it became profoundly painful to hear, and I turned it around by always wishing everyone else good luck. Sure, sometimes I'm like "good luck...in hell," but still, I do sincerely mean it (as in, I hope that, in hell, you figure things out and get special dispensation to finally enter heaven.). Today, that helped, since, after getting pissed off by the cold, and the apparent situation, i spun around a bit abruptly and said, "good luck," as I always do, at every door. The immediate result was an angry fellow chasing after me, haranguing me about my manners, and generally humbling me a little (though some of the things he yelled at me were hurtful and said in ignorance at the time). I maintained my calm, but also explained my feelings of value and being devalued. I stayed true to what I believe is a zen nature, and reminded him when he grabbed my property that he was taking advantage of my good nature. Eventually, as I was leaving, he called to me, and I thought, "I must always respect the customer," and so I turned around. We talked some more, and I apologized for causing him personal grief. I had, indeed, spun around somewhat abruptly, yet, I also remembered to wish him "good luck." He then bought a book from me, which, I have to admit, was unexpected. We shook hands. If only the world could resolve it's difficulties so easily.

I think you have a little more time.

I met a non-plussed elder gentleman today. He looked like he was about 90. I pulled out my cartoons. He looked at them with the faintest trace of a scowl: "I only have 30 seconds." I said my rap, but I should have said, "Oh no, you look like you have at least 2 months!"