A dinosaur can eat up to five twinkies a day!

Good!  The internet is still here.  I just got back from a week of family vacation in Florida.  We had a super time in the sun at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and SeaWorld.  I didn't get as much sketching and writing / problem-solving done as I had hoped, but the relaxation and time spent with my family was awesome.  It is difficult for me to concentrate on creative projects when I'm having fun and exciting experiences and watching the fascination and happiness on my children's faces.  I'm sure all of the awesome art and design work from inside the parks has been planted in my subconscious mind for later use.  The week helped refresh my noggin and I hope the plot problems I'm having will be resolved soon. 

At least half of my day job consists of no-brain, monotonous tasks.  This would probably drive most people crazy, but I've come to realize just how important this time is for developing personal projects .  I get my work done while being able to solve plot issues, develop stories and characters, fill in story details, and plan other aspects of my own projects.  Time for writing and artwork is hard to come by in a house with a growing family.  At least I have a day job that allows some time alone to work through project issues, so when I do find a few minutes or an hour at home, I can immediately "put pencil to paper".

And I've learned that the fossilized remains of an ultrasaur was found with a stomach full of Twinkies.  I just had one (a Twinkie not an ultrasaur) and they are not as good as I remembered.

And Shirley Was Never Seen Again

This is an excellent site for classic and new comic strips: GoComics.com http://www.gocomics.com/

Some of my favorites are:

• BC by Johnny Hart
• Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Waterson
• Fox Trot by Bill Amend

Unfortunately, Gary Larson's The Far Side is not available (legally) online. It is my favorite comic of all time.

Stepped On By A Dinosaur

This is a picture of me that was taken in the mid-Jurassic period. I'm under Patrick's back left foot. Man, I'm a geek... Why are you reading this?

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs rank pretty high on my list of cool things. No, I'm not 8.

I was flipping through some old sketchbooks from high school that my mom found at her house. There were dozens of dinosaur scenes that were pretty bad. I like these five, though. I think they represent a transitional time in my artwork. I was beginning to understand composition, lighting and shading, and narrative. I was starting to create things just because I wanted to see them.

I miss being able to sketch and doodle all day, which is how I spent my high school and college days. I think it's easier for some people to absorb information with the left side of their brain while their right side is engaged. Thankfully, some educators understand that. I still try to sketch when I can, but it was much easier when I was able to sit at a desk for 6 or 7 hours every day.

Reptoid Just Ate A Turtle

Why does this guy look so happy? He just ate a turtle...caramel, chocolate, pecans...delicious. He also eats people. Putting your head in his mouth is just asking for trouble.

I was bitten last night. I thought The Boy (aka Super Shrimp) was coming in for a kiss, but he went for my nose. His one tooth got me on the spot right between my nostrils. Laughing in pain. Miss O went on a bike ride. She needs a bigger bike. Her little legs were whirling like a Hanna Barbara cartoon.

I finally joined Conceptart.org after years of admiring the work up there. I've never been on any forums before so it's a learning process. The talent there is awesome and I'm hoping to make some connections and learn a thing or two. I also posted some work at deviantART.com. I've had some really nice comments over there already and I plan on responding some time today. If you want to check out some of my work, I post under the name Crustibian.