Hey kids, got a bunch of crayons laying around, sitting spitefully unused because you’re busy playing with pens and watercolors and shit? Melt those fuckers down in a silicone container of some kind (some silicone cooking trays come in adorable shapes, like hearts and stars) to make some of the coolest gradient crayons ever. Every recipe I’ve ever seen has told me to melt them in the oven for like, ten minutes, but I’m impatient and like danger, so I melted them in my microwave instead. One minute intervals, usually four times to really get everything melted. If you live in a house with other people, please make sure that they are willing to smell the waxy scent of childhood before you start. Because they take a while to cool, man, and that crayola scent will drift all over your kitchen. 

Hey kids, got a bunch of crayons laying around, sitting spitefully unused because you’re busy playing with pens and watercolors and shit? Melt those fuckers down in a silicone container of some kind (some silicone cooking trays come in adorable shapes, like hearts and stars) to make some of the coolest gradient crayons ever.

Every recipe I’ve ever seen has told me to melt them in the oven for like, ten minutes, but I’m impatient and like danger, so I melted them in my microwave instead. One minute intervals, usually four times to really get everything melted.

If you live in a house with other people, please make sure that they are willing to smell the waxy scent of childhood before you start. Because they take a while to cool, man, and that crayola scent will drift all over your kitchen. 

There’s an economic theory out there that if you take the income of your five closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your own income.

I think the same thing is true of our idea incomes. You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. My mom used to say to me, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It used to drive me nuts. But now I know what she meant.

Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.

Austin Kleon, Steal like an Artist
2012 was a really difficult year for me. I feel like I’ve gone through a lot of big changes, with a lot still to come. I’ve been struggling a lot with anxiety, bad wiring, and general exhaustion—which is the kind of stuff that’ll make even doodling seem like a chore. So I’m really proud of myself for actually having enough art this year to scrape together a twelve-month review. I’ve always wanted to do one of these. :3 The big highlights are that I started trying to put actual illustrative scenes together, learned about cohesive color schemes, and slowly started working through an IMPROVE YOUR DRAWING challenge. I think my overall quality and willingness to experiment have gotten better. I learned a lot about using references and approaching anatomy from a functional viewpoint. MSJ has been graciously giving me chances for commission work, which has been challenging and fun, and I’ve finally started drafting pages and designing characters for my big upcoming comic project. I just want to thank everyone who’s watching the journal, who likes things occasionally, or who takes the time to comment on stuff. Seeing little notifications and knowing I have an audience, even a small one, is hugely encouraging for me. ♥ I’m going to try my best to get things sorted and fill 2013 with way more art and even cooler projects than last year.

2012 was a really difficult year for me. I feel like I’ve gone through a lot of big changes, with a lot still to come. I’ve been struggling a lot with anxiety, bad wiring, and general exhaustion—which is the kind of stuff that’ll make even doodling seem like a chore. So I’m really proud of myself for actually having enough art this year to scrape together a twelve-month review. I’ve always wanted to do one of these. :3

The big highlights are that I started trying to put actual illustrative scenes together, learned about cohesive color schemes, and slowly started working through an IMPROVE YOUR DRAWING challenge. I think my overall quality and willingness to experiment have gotten better. I learned a lot about using references and approaching anatomy from a functional viewpoint. MSJ has been graciously giving me chances for commission work, which has been challenging and fun, and I’ve finally started drafting pages and designing characters for my big upcoming comic project.

I just want to thank everyone who’s watching the journal, who likes things occasionally, or who takes the time to comment on stuff. Seeing little notifications and knowing I have an audience, even a small one, is hugely encouraging for me. ♥ I’m going to try my best to get things sorted and fill 2013 with way more art and even cooler projects than last year.