Moomin!

Another little Postcrossing doodle. Being my first Moomin, it's hard to loosen up and let the shapes flow.

Political cartoon.

Not my best, but I really just wanted to express this idea. I have actually attended a protest, and been keeping very informed as to what governor Rick Snyder and his supporters want to do in the state of Michigan. Actually, they're already doing it, despite thousands of protestors in the capitol and dozens of protestors following the governor everywhere he goes. The basic gist of it is that education is getting cut by $300-500 per child across the state, the poorest 20% will see a tax increase that is 10 times that of the richest 1%, the earned income tax credit is disappearing, and whenever a municipality enters a "financial emergency" (which they inevitably will, under these conditions) the governor can hand-pick people to replace elected officials. As in, whoever you voted for is gone. These Emergency Financial Managers have no term limits (and a salary cap of $160,000 a year, I hear) and can totally null whatever contracts they want - which is the shrieking pro- or anti- union footnote that's garnered the most attention, unfortunately. Oh, yes, those greedy unionized teachers (?). Meanwhile, businesses see huge - HUGE, as in 80+% - tax cuts. I don't know where these political geniuses think the desperately poor are going to shop, but I don't think the tax cuts will create or support any real, sustainable local jobs, since the poor will only get poorer and have no choice but to sell their souls to Walmart and the like. Cutting taxes to businesses accomplishes nothing unless people have money to spend on said businesses. This, plus the budget being argued about over in D.C. (that I'm too exhausted/cynical to even track anymore) means that it's a popular idea to cut vital services - community health clinics, afterschool programs, and so on - for those who are already un- and under-employed, hungry, struggling in the downturn. How is the workforce of this country supposed to get back on its feet? How do you squeeze blood from a stone? It's an absolutely absurd fever dream of the rich.

Anyway, enjoy the cartoon. I have other ideas for our multi-million dollar CEO Snyder's likeness, considering the fact that he constantly hides from any public debate and rebukes legitimate questions about his policies with quotations like the above, and insinuations of the public's baseless hysteria, immaturity, and ignorance. This is the delivery room into which I bring you my first political cartoon. And it is full of rage.

God of War.

"Can I see your tat'?"

A little warm-up to get the flow going. I really can't wait for May, when the farmer's market opens up again. Oh, blueberries and pattypan squash!

Jane of all trades, master of none.

Sorry it's been so desolate around here lately. I've fallen prey to an old family curse wherein I am rapidly consumed by another project of the opposing arts spectrum (the bipolar doesn't help).

So I've been working on these.

And, to a lesser extent, these.

I will probably also have to start working on these.

Laundromat!

I haven't been working much this past month because I've been in the process of moving. It's not really about the packing, or the address changes, or being busy in any way. It's really rather psychological. Sitting down at my table resulted in a broken record of "this isn't going to be my home anymore". Creativity just doesn't really happen when I'm in a nesting kind of mood. At least, not the kind of creativity that anyone cares about ("look at this delightful arrangement of incense in a decorative vase! oh, I'm a GENIUS!").

Now that I am here in my new apartment, I do my washing at a laundromat. I thought I'd try doing some marker sketches - the sort I've been ogling at in books. I really do envy how freely and accurately some of these people can successfully reign in something as potent as a wild streamer of manganese blue. My manganese blue sketches still look like blueberry airsickness. Anyway, I want to study this laundromat more. It looks like it hasn't been furnished, painted, or otherwise altered since 1978... complete with the Ms. Pac-Man, "Suds 'n More" vending machine, and absurdly faded posters of wildlife. It's ripe for kitschy sketches.

Matriarch of a dead tribe.

So proud to live / So proud to die!

The fewer the lines, the more honest.

Even though I spent several hours doing a portrait of this dog, I might like this rendition better.

Creature design.

The concept is that birds evolved from mammals. Accordingly, I threw lemurs, squirrels, bats, etc., in a blender.

Mother and child.

A quick doodle for Marguerite.