Odds and Ends

Holy Kleenex, Batman!  A lot has gone on!

So, first and foremost, I am ecstatic that my new anthology, Wings for Wheels: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen is finished! It's a project I've been itching to do for ages and this year I finally harassed enough people that it came together.  The book features the incredible talents of Pat Barrett, Jen Vaughn, Todd McArthur, Jen May, Josh PM Frees and insane cover art by Dan McCool.  If you're going to SPX next weekend look for Pat or Jen to pick up a copy! (These are also available in my online store.)

Secondly, SF Zinefest this weekend was a rollicking success.  I got to table with the amazing Kane Lynch, the organizers were helpful, knowledgable and friendly, the attendance was great and I got to catch up with some cartoonist pals I haven't seen since last fall!

Also, in my spare time (what spare time?!?!)  I've been volunteering for the Obama campaign.  I'm not going to use this space to monologue about my political leanings but, if you want to show your support for the pres. and you're in the east bay on Thursday - please make your way to Pyramid Brewery on Gilman for  the DNC watch party!  There'll be good beer, good food, good company and a HUGE screen to watch Barack's speech on and get fired up as we get close to the election!

AND, lastly, I feel like a broken record BUT, I'm moving...again!  Another year, another adventure, another city.  Apparently, this nomadic heart will not be chained! 

This time I will be headed north to that lush, green, overcast grunge-haven, Seattle.  I'm not sure yet how permanent of a move this will be for me but, if anyone has any suggestions on paid work, housing or wants to come visit - shoot me an email!  I'm heading up on the 20th so, Bay Area friends, let's make the most of the next few weeks and, Seattle friends, batten down the hatches and lock up your daughters!

More Travel Doodles!

Bits and pieces from my trip through the Pacific Northwest:

This one will be available as a postcard shortly.

One can see how Todd Akin gets confused with so many species' reproductive systems to keep track of:

Finally, where bagels come from:

I'm always a sucker for cute kids cuddling things:

Jen to the 17-year-old cashier who forced his phone number upon us:

And, while there are many vegans I sincerely love, strangers who judge my eating habits generally get this reaction:

Travel Doodles

This happens to me more than I like to think about:

(Baking) Adventure Time!

You guys are probably already aware but, I'll say it publicly: I totally swoon for Adventure Time - luckily, so does almost everyone else I know so, I'm in good company.

What you might not know is that when I'm not drawing, I sometimes like to bake gimmicky cup-cakes. On a recent AT episode, Finn and Jake are followed home by a forest bear who proceeds to devour all of Finn's treasured Finn-cakes.  Moments after viewing this episode, I was chowing down some pretzel nuggets and, mid-chew, pretzel dust drifting down from my stunned open mouth, I had an epiphany: I'd stumbled onto one of the greatest innovations in cupcakery, PRETZEL NUGGETS!  I could use pretzel nuggets to three-dimensionalize my cupcakes and make real life Finn-cakes!

SO, for my dear friend and fellow Adventure Time fan, Chandra Krinsky's birthday, I put my plan to the test and, BEHOLD!  IT WORKED!

So, lovely readers, if you dare, the following are my instructions...

You will need to procure:
-1 box cake mix (can be any kind)
-eggs
-vegetable oil
-water
-1 bag pretzel nuggets (any brand will do)
-1 tub white frosting
-1 tub pink frosting (I added two drops of yellow food coloring to mine to make peach)
-1 tube black icing
-1 tube red icing
-white pearl sprinkles
-cupcake baking cups

You'll follow the instructions on the back of your cake mix to bake your cupcakes. Once cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool completely.  They should be no warmer than room temperature when you start to decorate or everything will melt.

Once your cupcakes have cooled, give each one a good coating of plain white frosting.

Next, push two pretzel nuggets into each cupcake with about an inch in between them.  Push the nuggets in far enough that they're firmly rooted in the cake part of your cupcakes.

Using a knife, coat the pretzel nuggets with white frosting, blending the frosting at the base of the nuggets so that you have what appears to be one smooth, continuous shape.

With a separate knife, scoop a good sized glob of your pink frosting and carefully spread it in an oval on top of the white layer.  The thicker a layer of pink you use, the less you risk the white frosting mixing in from underneath.

Next, you'll use your tube of black frosting to carefully draw eyes and a mouth...

Lastly, you'll use the pearl sprinkles and the red icing as teeth and a tongue. PRESTO: A FINN-CAKE!

AN ARMY OF FINN-CAKES!

And that's how the magic happens - and how the magic can happen in your kitchen! Or, yet another example of me having WAY too much time on my hands.

Things to Consider

A recent conversation with my friend and amazing fellow cartoonist, Kane Lynch:

Adventures in Animation Continue!

Sorry for such a long hiatus - I've been busy busy busy with crime illustrations, freelance work AND, my animation class.

Here's some thumbnail sketches of a fairly ambitious flour sack and the animation that followed:

Experiments in Animation!

I started an animation class two weeks ago and I'm in love -- now I can not only doodle cute things, but I can doodle cute things in action!  Here are my first two experiments (the assignment was to draw a ball bounding on some kind of background, first once and then three times, I took some liberties).  I'll keep posting these as I do them - next week my elephant will have a tail!

Disney Drink and Draw: Session 2

This week's feature was Alice in Wonderland!  If you haven't seen this film lately, I highly recommend it.  I'm almost positive old Walt laced the water cooler in the art department with acid - if you ever wondered, "what would happen if a bicycle horn mated with a duck?" or "what if a dog had a broom for a face?", your questions will all be answered in this 1951 classic.  No matter how they did it, the character design is f'ing visionary and my sketches will never do it justice but, here's tryin':

Disney Drink and Draw: Session 1

Yesterday I took my very first animation class EVER...and I was so excited I could hardly contain myself!  I was too animation high when class was over to think about anything else, so I decided to rent some vintage Disney and do some sketching.  I figure most Saturdays will have that effect on me for the next five weeks so, I'm instituting a weekly Disney drink and draw and I'll post the sketches here.  This week's feature was one of my all-time favorites: Dumbo.

Happy birthday, Mom!

I doodled this at the beach the other day - my mom doesn't like it but, I'm posting it on her birthday anyway.

Dear Pixar

So, if we've met I've probably mentioned this but, it's my life's dream to become a story-boarder.  "But, Nomi!" you might be saying, "You draw comics, not storyboards!"  Well my friends, what are comics really?  Are they not little pictures in boxes that show the key moments in a visual story?  Why yes, yes they are!  So, I can do it!  I just need a studio to give me a chance.  Pixar is right in my backyard and, has made some of my favorite films of all time.  Thought I'd share my fifth cover letter to them with you guys:

Resistance is Futile

One year.  One year is exactly how long you have to live on the west coast before you inevitably become a hippie...this discussion happened after yoga.  I know.  I still love you, Chicago.

Release the hounds!

I hope I don't get rejected from any jobs because my portfolio arrives reeking of dog-breath..

Gratuitously literal emo comics

So, those of you who've seen me lately already know that I recently lost my job, and my boyfriend and, in another month I'll be losing my apartment unless an employment miracle happens. It's the brakes. For those of you who haven't seen me lately: surprise! I'm coming completely untethered and the result is art like this. *ahem* have a heart, every cartoonist is allowed one sometimes.

Vegetarians beware

Every time I post I apologize but, why buck the trend: sorry for such a long failure to post. Believe it or not, I am actually working on new comics! I'll have a collaboration with the lovely and talented and also recently west-coast relocated, Colleen Frakes ready for Stumptown Comics Fest next month! If you're anywhere near Portland, OR the weekend of April 28-29, come by, say hello, check out some comics!

If I can become a time wizard and figure out how to create more of it in the next two weeks I might also have a new project all my own, tentatively titled The Thaw. I'll leave it at that.

Back in the world of day-jobs, my office is working on a project that's partially a butcher shop and asked me to scan "inspiration images". Here's a doodle I doodled while scanning pages and pages of photos of livestock and cuts of meat...

I'm not dead, really.

I even drew a comic about dinner at my parents' house to prove it.

I even drew a comic about dinner at my parents' house to prove it.