Season of the Witch…is over. I am not.

Halloween may have been over for awhile now but for those who love it the remnants still remain. There’s the decorations that linger just a little too long but there’s also the two horrible pumpkins on the lawn that I haven’t thrown out yet since the 31st. My wife who’s the musician in the family, left a witch’s hat on top of her Takemine which inspired the below study. I will miss you Halloween. But that’s not all….

All creatives that are passionate about what they do have a tendency to push themselves just a little too hard. The most common result is creative burnout which can manifest itself in different forms and for very different reasons. Creative burnout is manageable if your capable of seeing it coming however, most experts agree you shouldn’t hibernate. Well, that’s exactly what I did through the month of October. While possibly not healthy, it was the perfect amount of self pity, restructuring of goals, and putting new deposits the passion bank. Fortunately for me, I am capable of creating my own light even when there are no laurels to be thrown for my achievements. However, I have learned repeatedly that I do have a pacing issue. As I’ve said before, this is a voyage. There is no destination where this voyage ends. It about the drive to keep going and enjoy the view along the way.

Eyeser Wilhelm

Recent inspirations have led me back to a project that I abandoned many winters ago. Thinking about it now, I don’t know why I looked the other way. I can’t help but recall some things that Elizabeth Gilbert said in her book Big Magic. I’m paraphrasing, but she talked about how ideas find you and then leave you if you don’t pay attention to them. Perhaps that’s the case here. I’m glad that when it went out into the world, it couldn’t find anyone else. So with great enthusiasm, I present to you Eyeser Wilhelm, a character from the story.

There is much that needs explaining here that will be in due course. For the time being, though, I will leave you with another great wisdom from Elizabeth’s book.

“Done is better than good.”

A Pen & Ink Stand

C.F. Ebbington’s To Be Exact

As determined as I am to finish the current project, sometimes you just gotta draw something else! In this case, I went with the pen and ink stand that I like to believe C.F. Ebbington would use. Mr. Ebbington being my fictional character from The Machinist’s Island, of course. As a person of refinement, taste, and a healthy appreciation for antiquities this is a good choice. I have no idea if this will even have a place in the future publication but it gave me a break tonight from water, seagulls, and kung fu mermaids.

The Dapper Rider

Dapper Rider (left) | Mumen Rider (Right)

Several weeks ago I was traveling in Asia when a man walked into a coffee shop wearing a helmet, sunglasses, a medical mask, and a dapper ass suit. I captured his likeness the best I could in a sketch form a day or two later. (left sketch) Then it occurred to me that he resembled Mumen Rider or at least, was an upscale Mumen Rider! (Right) LOL!!

While there is no replacing the One Punch Man hero, I feel like this guy is way more stylish and probably has an interesting story to tell. Needless to say the real life “Dapper Rider” grabbed his coffee quickly (must have been pre-ordered) and walked out as quickly as he came in. I can’t help but wonder though, what’s the plan for drinking it because I feel like Dapper Rider would never take off the mask.

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