Summer Vacation

Working outdoors

In addition to comics, I make a lot of other art, including this collection of flowering herb greeting cards.

I love to go outside and draw. For many years I did books of “urban sketching” where I made drawings while out and about in towns and cities, while traveling, and when in my home town. But these days I stay home in a small village with nothing “urban” to sketch! So the past few summers, I’ve spent one day a week at my friend Peggy Newfield’s herb farm painting flowering herbs.

I still work on my comics during the summer, but there are always days when I don’t feel like opening Procreate on my iPad and I don’t have the right kind of energy to move my story forward. On these days I think of myself as being on summer vacation from school, and I go out with my portable paint kit for the morning.

Every week Peggy, the farm owner, chose a different plant for me to paint.

I refuse to stay frustrated when one project isn’t working. I don’t accept “writer’s block” or “artist’s block.” I always have extra projects, even if they’re just for fun, going in the background so I can entertain myself and explore my creativity when the “big project” just isn’t cooperating.

Maybe this summer you’ll take your favorite art supplies and go outside for a while, just to have fun. Who knows, it might turn into an unexpected “official” project after the fact!

The cards are available on my website.