A little time off.

Hello friends, well-wishers, and voyeurs. I wanted to update you on what the deal is with this blog.

I've been forced into making some major repairs to my basement, which has raided my calendar and checkbook to an extensive degree. This also involved taking down my studio area for the time being. We've passed the rock bottom point of the crisis, and we're on our way back up now, thank God. There is still a lot of work to do, however. It's all up in the air right now, but I'm hoping that we'll be back on track by Thanksgiving. So...

You won't be hearing from me until then on this blog. If you really get a jones (which I highly doubt), you can look at my flickr photostream. That will keep you sated in the off chance that you actually track my stuff.

When this blog relaunches after Thanksgiving (let's call it December 1st unless something changes), it will be all about illustration. And by that I mean that it will be all about developing as an illustrator in an attempt to one day be a full-time illustrator. Maybe there will be links to other illo blogs, maybe other fun and fancy blog trickery, who knows. But I feel like I have been treading water lately and it's time to max out and GO FOR IT!!! YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!

So yeah. Come back on December 1st.

Foux da fa fa,
Nick

Ruch Holley Branch

The Pikes Peak Library District ranks 9th among those serving a population over 500,000. I'd say that ranking is well deserved. Their facilities and resources are well above average. Not above average is the Jeep that pulled into this picture halfway through. I learned a tough lesson about urban sketching. (Move faster.)

I use the library mostly for movies, I'm afraid. That's not for lack of reading. Anyone who's seen my stack of books at home knows I read plenty. I just happen to own a lot of books that I have yet to read, and so I don't much need the library for that purpose. Also, reading thick books in three weeks can turn it into a chore rather than a pleasure.

b032

I'm fighting a battle with fussiness. Apparently the black ink on a twig won't be part of the forces next time.

Two things I do better when I abandon:

1. Realistic depth, and
2. Attempts at funky line quality.

Sorry for the massive layoff, I had a lag in inspiration, followed by a homeowner crisis, followed by a "vacation". But now I'm back, and although not quite inspired, I can at least trudge along until my homeowner crisis is resolved and things return to normal.

A couple new links on the right: Urban Sketchers is a new blog from Gabi Campanario (aka Seattle Sketcher) that's basically a collection of, you guessed it, urban sketches from contributors around the world. Good viewing. One of the contributors is Olha Pryymak, who aside from being a good sketcher in my favorite city in the world, seems to be an informal student of the old masters. Also perhaps the only contributor to regularly use oils, which I find intimidating and admirable.

Grandma Bonnie

An enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a lifeless, tiny Minnesota town.

Uncle Don

He was the mayor of Grenada, MN for a long time. He was widowed by Aunt Shirley last December. It's easy to like the guy, but only in small doses. After a while your eyes glaze over.

With my basement torn up and no space to paint, I figured it's time to get back to drawing. I'm a little rusty.