Another sketch for a story idea I’ve been sitting on for years. Drawn in Procreate on the iPad.

It has been silent on the site for the last few weeks, not because I haven’t been working, but because––since the middle of August––work pointed me elsewhere as I prepared for the beginning of the academic year at my day job as a composition instructor, which started this week.

Especially this semester (and, likely, next semester, too), it’s more than just wading through syllabi creation and scheduling, but it’s taking all of those habits that have become routine over the years and figuring out how to do them all online as we continue to wait out the pandemic and, in the case of California, the wild fires that ravage the entire state.

On top of that, this weekend (Happy Labor Day!) is my birthday––my 40th, to be exact––so, my wife and are celebrating in the best way we can considering the circumstances of the world around us.

That being said, I didn’t feel comfortable letting another week go by without any sort of content.

There are some behind the scenes stuff going on that I hope I can elaborate on more in the near future, and there are some exciting things I plan to share with you in the very near future (very exciting new fanart!)

Until then, be contented with this practice piece, an illustration of a crucial scene from a story I have been sitting on-–and planning––for a long time. Planning to the point that I have considered making it my post-Long John project, but I haven’t set that in stone. Right now, it’s called The Apology of Weston Acker and it’s a dark story about a twisted family while also being a rumination on creativity.

I’m still working it out, but it was nice to get this image out of my head––as sketchy and as imperfect as it may be. At the very least, it’s fun to keep my eyes forward. Not that I’m tired of Long John, but it’s nice to know there is life beyond it, as well.