Word of the Day - February 26

Today is a big day for me. One year ago today, I decided to start drawing a cartoon everyday. I was only drawing when I really needed to and I wsn't happy with that. I came up with a way to force myself to draw everyday. I had no way to get ahead since there was only one word a day and I had a new topic or subject everyday. I wanted to go for a year without stopping or missing a day and I have. It's a tiny little milestone for me. I will continue doing them because I like it, even though it is a drag sometimes having to draw a cartoon when you are exhausted from your day. Anyway, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

I tried to play a bit with the peace achieved here. The one that is trying to achieve peace by meditating is interrupted by the peaceful snoring man and the bird or the kingfisher, who is peaceful chirping.

halcyon\ HAL-see-uhn \ , noun;
1. A kingfisher. 2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation. adjective: 1. Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose." 2. Marked by peace and prosperity; as, "halcyon years."

Word of the Day - February 25

I would be the guy on the left. Ouchie! Ouchie!

lexicography\ lek-suh-KAH-gruh-fee \ , noun;
1. The writing or compiling of dictionaries; the editing or making of dictionaries. 2. The principles and practices applied to writing dictionaries.

Word of the Day - February 24

NO! NO! NO! Next Door! Next Door!

hypnagogic\ hip-nuh-GOJ-ik; -GOH-jik \ , adjective;
1. Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.

Word of the Day - February 23

I love depicting angels asking like anything but.

nimbus\ NIM-buhs \ , noun;
1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc.; a halo. 2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing. 3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud.

Word of the Day - February 22

Well he must know the business model pretty well.

bailiwick\ BAY-luh-wik \ , noun;
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work. 2. The office or district of a bailiff.

Word of the Day - February 21

Showoff.

inkhorn\ INK-horn \ , adjective;
1. Affectedly or ostentatiously learned; pedantic. noun: 1. A small bottle of horn or other material formerly used for holding ink.

Word of the Day - February 20

This is normally how I feel when I need to clean.

malinger\ muh-LING-guhr \ , intransitive verb;
1. To feign or exaggerate illness or inability in order to avoid duty or work.

Life with Death - February 22

Here's this week's Life with Death. As promised someone finds their career path, you guessed it...DEATH! The only place that would be rewarding to work at would be the DMV. It's a perfect fit. When I thought of the careers for both of them, I thought where would Death be happy? The DMV came right away. The only place on earth that causes people so much aggravation would be the place he would feel most at home. Roger still doesn't have his plans together. We'll just have to see how it plays out in the next coming months. The ink is still wet on the new comic for next week which you can see in The Brooklyn College Kingsman and right here!

Bust #6!

Here is the sixth bust. This part is done and I will start on a separate part that will be made, fired and glazed separately then pieced together when finished. This bust was fun and a little tiring. Every piece of hair was made individually, scored, slipped and glued into place. Every one. I was asked on Friday how many there were? I said, "well there is three layers on the moustache, four layers on the beard and three layers on the back of the head. You figure it out." The whole point of this bust is to look like a bum or a homeless person. Like others in the past, it has an open head. When putting on the ski cap, he really resembled a gnome with the beard and all. I still think he's got some gnome likeness but hopefully paint will change that. He'll look like a dirty gnome! I will have an accordian like structure popping out of the head with a figure on top. It'll hopefully resemble a jack in the box. The piece is called "Jack in the Bum." All the busts plus a huge amount of cartoons can be seen at my BFA show on May 5th!

Scroll down for more detail shots including shots of other busts fired!

Detail of a patch on his clothing.





A view from the top into the hollow abyss.

The next bust to be fired! Very delicate.

Notice the difference between a fired bust and a non-fired bust. The bust on the left is very grey compared to the all white bust on the right.

Friday, I took out the third bust from the kiln. Now that I know it hasn't exploded, I can work on the secondary parts to this piece.

Bust #2 will a tiny piece broken off from the base and one of the hair tips broke off as well. I will work on them separately and glue them back together after. Plus the detachable tongue is fired as well.

And last but not least, the first bust fired. This will be painted soon. Possibly later this week.

Life with Death - February 14

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I had a strip written and penciled but when I realized the strip would be published on Feb. 14, I just knew I had to shelf the penciled strip and do a special Roger and Abbey v-day strip. I wanted to riff off the classic v-day poem.

Plus I thought we were off this week but The Kingsman is publishing 13 strips this semester so come back next week to see someone find their career path! FINALLY. As always you can read Life with Death in the Brooklyn College Kingsman. Pick up a copy today!

Word of the Day - February 19

Studying leads to sleeping and studying by candlelight leads to fires. Prevent study fires, don't study.

lucubration\ loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun; loo-kuh- \ , noun;
1. The act of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation. 2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement; hence (loosely) any literary composition.

Word of the Day - February 18

The head first dive is a gutsy move.

libation\ ly-BAY-shun \ , noun;
1. The act of pouring a liquid (usually wine) either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice to some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out. 2. A beverage, especially an alcoholic beverage. 3. An act or instance of drinking

Word of the Day - February 17

The dog charges decent rates. Try the platinum plan.

ululate\ UL-yuh-layt; YOOL- \ , intransitive verb;
1. To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.

Word of the Day - February 16

This is why I can't work in an office, I can only do five things at once.

factotum\ fak-TOH-tuhm \ , noun;
1. A person employed to do all kinds of work or business.

Word of the Day - February 15

He's very well trained.

uxorious\uk-SOR-ee-us; ug-ZOR-\ , adjective;
1.Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.

Word of the Day - February 14

When she finds out its a fake, she'll be maaaadddd.

inveigle\ in-VAY-guhl; -VEE- \ , transitive verb;
1. To persuade by ingenuity or flattery; to entice. 2. To obtain by ingenuity or flattery.

Word of the Day - February 13

Getting ready for the desperate search for a valentine. I don't think belly shirt has won her heart.

buss\ BUS \ , noun, verb;
1. A kiss; a playful kiss; a smack. transitive verb: 1. To kiss; especially to kiss with a smack.

Word of the Day - February 12

It's always fun when someone gets hurt by a little creature.

risible\ RIZ-uh-buhl \ , adjective;
1. Capable of laughing; disposed to laugh. 2. Exciting or provoking laughter; worthy of laughter; laughable; amusing. 3. Relating to, connected with, or used in laughter; as, "risible muscles."

Word of the Day - February 11

It just kept getting weirder as I drew more. Fun.

imbroglio\ im-BROHL-yoh \ , noun;
1. A complicated and embarrassing state of things. 2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding. 3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction. 4. A confused mass; a tangle.

Word of the Day - February 10

That huge log for just one.

daedal\ DEE-duhl \ , adjective;
1. Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate. 2. Skillful; artistic; ingenious. 3. Rich; adorned with many things.

Word of the Day - February 9

Someone people actually look like penguins. It's fun.

doppelganger\ DOP-uhl-gang-uhr \ , noun;
1. A ghostly double or counterpart of a living person. 2. Alter ego; double.

Word of the Day - February 8

Of course he's excited, he's a 10 year old in college!

philomath\ FIL-uh-math \ , noun;
1. A lover of learning; a scholar.

Word of the Day - February 7

Smart little tyke.

desideratum\ dih-sid-uh-RAY-tum; -RAH- \ , noun;
plural desiderata
1. Something desired or considered necessary.

Word of the Day - February 6

Who doesn't love pizza? Communists thats who.

verdant\ VUR-dnt \ , adjective;
1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth. 2. Green. 3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive.

Word of the Day - February 5

I would love to see a donut cart on the street, but I'm an idealist.

abscond\ ab-SKOND \ , intransitive verb;
1. To depart secretly; to steal away and hide oneself -- used especially of persons who withdraw to avoid arrest or prosecution.

Word of the Day - February 4

Guys tire very easily. Thats why we can't do a full day of shopping. Ladies love it and hate it when we make these faces.

effluvium\ ih-FLOO-vee-uhm \ , noun;
1. A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, esp. one that is disagreeable

Word of the Day - February 3

It's artists like this that make me want to be a cartoonist everyday.

eclat\ ey-KLAH \ , noun;
1. Brilliance of success, reputation, etc. 2. Showy or elaborate display. 3. Acclamation; acclaim.

Word of the Day - February 2

"You're the fifth today. Take a number."

elide\ ih-LAHYD \ , verb;
1. To suppress; omit; ignore; pass over. 2. To omit (a vowel, consonant, or syllable) in pronunciation. 3. In law, to annul or quash.

Word of the Day - February 1

Who let the clumsy fella carry the box of weapons?

ambisinister\ am-bi-SIN-uh-ster \ , adjective;
1. Clumsy or unskillful with both hands.

Word of the Day - January 31

Little does he know, the dog will be doing the playing.

thimblerig\ THIM-buhl-rig \ , verb;
1. To cheat or swindle, as in the traditional shell game known as thimblerig. noun: 1. A game in which the operator rapidly moves about three inverted thimbles, often with sleight of hand, one of which conceals a token, the other player betting on which thimble the token is under.

Word of the Day - January 30

I wanted to draw the Monster bigger but he's a perfectly adequate human eater even at his size.

vulpine\ VUHL-pahyn \ , adjective;
1. Cunning or crafty. 2. Of or resembling a fox.

Word of the Day - January 29

The cat is just rubbing it in his face and taking up another emergency option.

cacoethes\ kak-oh-EE-theez \ , noun;
1. An irresistible urge; mania.

Word of the Day - January 28

This character was based on Barney Stinson from "How I Met Your Mother." It's the suit.

rakish\ REY-kish \ , adjective;
1. Smart; jaunty; dashing. 2. Of a vessel: having an appearance suggesting speed. 3. Like a rake; dissolute: rakish behavior.

Word of the Day - January 27

Sorry about the delay. Last week I had just gotten sick and wasn't able to post.

Never whistle because you just draw attention to yourself. Thats why I can't whistle.

jobbery\ JOB-uh-ree \ , noun;
1. The conduct of public or official business for the sake of improper private gain.

Life with Death - February 7th

It's the beginning of the end. This is the last semester of "Life with Death" in the Brooklyn College Kingsman. The semester starts off with Roger still stressing about finding a job and a career path to follow after college. I've gotten asked many times if Roger is based on me, but I think most of my cartoon characters look like me. They aren't based on looks but the personalities are there. Roger gets my wordy, nervous, dopey side out on paper while Death reflects my snarky, sassy, sarcastic, insulting people side. Keep checking in to see what lies next for Roger and Death in next week's special Valentine's Day strip on Feb 14th. Of course, you can read them here or go pick up a copy of The Kingsman. (I hear they have articles and stuff in there, too!)