Detective Caraway 1 & 2

Attempt at another little comic episode. Stay tuned for the rest of this super amazing, slightly boring toon.

Fly-by

Wheeeeeeee

Tower Lodge

I like ancient towers out in the middle of green places or old-time villages.

Armadiller

Here's an example of trying to draw an armadillo from memory (keep it very simple!), and then drawing one as I use a couple of pictures for reference.

I Am

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters."
Ps. 24:1

"Praise the Lord."
Ps. 148

Houseboat

Simple little houses are apparently the easiest thing to draw.

Well, here's something exciting: in about two months I will be visiting the land where Jesus walked. !!!!!!!!! Someone offered to pay my way to go on a church group Israel trip, and I graciously accepted. I've never been to another country before; it's something I would probably never do on my own, so this is a blessing.

And so I had to renew my passport. It involved two things I'm not crazy about: making a phone call to schedule an appointment, and going into an unfamiliar situation (that being the appointment at the post office). It all went pretty effortlessly and I didn't do anything idiotic, which makes me feel oh so happy. I really appreciate nice people who explain things to you in a way a child could understand, but don't make you feel in the least bit dumb. Just plain friendly. You know those bumper stickers that say "mean people suck"? Well, I would make one that says "kind people rock."

The passport office was a closed off room, and therefore a hundred times better than going to the DMV, where a big line of people are usually staring at you, waiting for their turn. Really, the only thing I could have messed up was to stutter my words, or make a mistake writing a check (I've mangled my signature before =P), but that didn't happen. Oh yeah, there was one moment where I had too many things in my hands and didn't know what to do with them. I picked up some papers while I was already holding my wallet or keys, and trying to shove my checkbook back into my front pocket, and it didn't work so well. It's not even worth mentioning, except that I think it's funny when I do that.

Anyway, I couldn't sleep very well the previous two nights because the passport appointment was looming in the back of my mind. Such an easy affair, and yet that's how my brain likes to challenge me. (Didn't sleep so well last night either. There was a domestic disturbance out in the apartment parking lot, involving a man running around without a shirt, screaming obscenities and telling his "b***h" to give him his daughter. He kept circling all the apartment blocks in the area. The police showed up and talked with him a good while, and I think they escorted him away somewhere. Not long after though, I thought I heard the man's voice again, and then the police were back with their flashlights. This time when they found him they took him down and put on handcuffs. They were not too far from my window. He didn't appear to be high or drunk to me, but he sure screamed like a maniac. If his daughter was indeed in one of the apartments and heard that, she must have been scared to death. It was exciting, but sad.) I look forward to some peaceful sleep tonight.

Bug House

Hm, what to write, what to write....
Ah, yes.
Remember when you first saw Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? Yeah, that was pretty awesome. There's a playground at Disney's Hollywood Studios that's designed after the movie, with ant tunnels and giant blades of grass. I wish I had that in my backyard. I wish I had a backyard. :)

Where's Baldo?

Baldo is a distant relative of Waldo.
There needs to be way more people in this picture, but they take too long to draw! I've only got two dozen here. Wonder how many are in an average Waldo picture?

Mouse Block Tower

Don't you wish you were a mouse? =D

"Look What I Drawed"

Random thought: Garth Williams was one of my favorite artists. A number of great childhood reads were further brought to life with his drawings. Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, the Laura Ingalls books, The Cricket in Times Square and related animal adventures. Reading about Chester Cricket made me dream of one day writing and illustrating my own children's books. Of course, watching Indiana Jones made me dream of one day becoming a rip-roaring archaeologist, but....

I guess I'm disconnected from the whole children's literature scene now. I know Harry Potter has been popular, obviously, as well as other books about dangerous magical escapades and themes of self-worth (or perhaps self-love would more accurately describe it). Does anyone even write about animals anymore? Or are they not cool and "dark" enough for those over the age of six? =P Well, Narnia is both dark and dangerous and cuddly and loving, and it's still popular. But I'm getting off track. Garth Williams rocks.

Picnic

Those genuine woven picnic baskets with the red-and-white checkered cloth inside are cool, are they not? I've never eaten from one of them, but my family has gone on lots of picnics in the past. We usually brought a big cooler. I haven't ever eaten while sitting on a blanket either, at least not that I can remember. It was always a picnic table. We still had to watch for ants though, and I was sure to check the undersides of the table for spiders.

Food seems to taste better when you're outdoors.

Bear in a Log

Once upon a time, a bear went to sleep in a log.

Chill Penguin

I needed to think chilly thoughts. Nights are blessedly cool (usually), but the days can get a tad hot around here. I suppose I could be living in southern Texas though. Well, thank God for ice machines.

Woodsy Walk

Let me off and wander,
Robin song and thunder,
Surrounding me with stained glass leaves
that change with every breeze.

Out here in the stillness,
I find my house of worship
with column trees and canopy of stars,
Here in my cathedral. 


(from My Cathedral, by Chris Rice)

Watermelon Worm

'Tis the season for cold and juicy melons.

Bigfoot Crossing the Highway and Munching a Cinnamon Roll

Another quickie.

Wow, what a full day yesterday. Now I need a break from all the fun; it's almost starting to make me feel old (I said almost!). The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day, a safe drive to and from our destination, and over five hours of mostly downhill biking. My uncle wanted to ride his bike up the trail and then back down, instead of taking the shuttle to the top, so my brother and I took our sweet time riding down. It was easy to do that when you can stop at a Christmas tree farm right off the trail and sit in the sun, sniffing evergreens. Not to mention all the river crossings, boulders under shady pines, and inviting neighborhoods on nearby country roads.

Flies

Not much time to doodle! That's what happens when you have an adventurous uncle visiting.
We were kayaking down a river yesterday; saw a deer, two snakes, some white ducks with brown heads, a hummingbird, and some horse flies. Horse flies are big.

Today it's more biking before he leaves. I'm getting a bit sore, but it is definitely worth it.

Sleepy

How I felt last night, having been short on sleep. I'm all better now. Staying up late is fun sometimes, but it catches up with you.

Noah Cartoon

I would make more comics if'n I could think of good ideas for them.

Hut and a Tune

Again with the hut/shelter theme? Might need to branch out a little there....
I'm going to be gone for a week--going to a family reunion in Tennessee. Have to leave very soon so using short sentences.

As an extra bonus I composed a short tune in a free music program I use called Anvil Studio. The song is simple and cliched, 'cause that's my style. I was trying to figure out how to embed it, but I'm not a young little whippersnapper computer genius so I'll just have to put the direct mp3 link here:
driftwood

Later gator!

Weather-beaten Shelter

My family lived in the Bahamas for a short period, and on one of our walks near the beach we came upon a campsite with shelters constructed of tent-like frames (like a low dome) covered in palm fronds. We guessed they were left by Boy Scouts. The site was under tree cover, away from the beach. My brothers and I thought it was totally awesome, of course; these huts were so roomy and looked like they would keep out the rain. I don't know how many shelters of our own we attempted to build back then, but ours were always pretty small and with a flat roof.
The best part of a shelter is waiting for it to rain, then taking some snacks and sitting inside to see how long you stay dry. Having a cat, a little goat, or other animal friend in there with you is also recommended.

Koala

What some lumpy wheels. It's hard to draw circles.

Canoeing Family

Hatchet

Hatchet was one of my favorite books growing up. It's the ultimate wilderness fantasy for a boy. Even now, I sometimes daydream about what it would be like to get stranded in the middle of nowhere, or to wake up on a deserted island, or embark on an expedition like Lewis and Clark. It's not realistic though, because I have a romanticized view of adventure from books and movies. I'm probably not capable of building a deluxe tree house like the Robinsons, and I doubt I could get used to skinning and gutting mammals or dressing fowl. Fantasies conveniently leave out the blood, sweat and tears part. But that's what books and movies are for. I can be an armchair enthusiast. And hey, if I ever do find myself in one of those "coveted" situations, I'll at least have a positive attitude and some secondhand knowledge.