Hot Donut Salad in August Diamond Previews!

Hey everybody! Guess what!  Hot Donut Salad is listed with Undercover Fish Books in August Diamond Previews. So now's the time to run to your local comic book store and tell them you want it in stock! 


About the title and cover design:
I came up with 'Hot Donut Salad' as the title because I thought it sounded like a funny, outlandish, gross recipe consisting of donuts, lettuce, mayonnaise, thousand island dressing, cream cheese, pineapple chunks, and pimentos. I thought it would perfectly suit this collection of strange tales. Granted, none of the stories in HDS are gross, but they are outlandish, and I hope, funny.   


Because the characters in HDS each have their own story line and do not interact, I wanted the cover to depict a scene that would unite them (Timmy, Gina, Bruce, Paul, and Chicken). Once I had 'Hot Donut Salad' as the name and concept for the title, I thought it would be fun to show the characters gathered for a picnic in which it's being served in all its pulsating glory.   

Here on the front cover, Timmy is ladeling out hearty helpings of Hot Donut Salad.

Back cover

Hangin' / Workin' Artcation

I've got a few days of vacation this week, which I refer to as "Artcation" because I use the time to work on art projects, but also hang and relax a little. My new reclining chair is key on the relaxation front. It feels like you're floating on a cloud...

  

This wine, Rex Goliath Pinot Noir, is my summer find and a new favorite. Oddly it's so cheap, yet it doesn't taste cheap. It's light, smooth, and delicioso. I think I'll be sipping a glass or two in the evenings...  

And I'm re-watching this film, Downtown 81, about and starring Jean-Michel Basquiat as himself. It's a little cheesy and homespun, but so inspiring, and I find it fascinating to watch him. You can watch the entire film of YouTube. I love the soundtrack too. Check out this tune, Palabras Con Ritmo by Coati Mundi Hernandez.  

Flowers for Maisie

These are some things I'm loving about this summer...

Flowers of course! I love this color combo: bright orange with lavender,
 

I visited my friend's horse, Maisie. She's so cute! I love giving her treats! 

And my neighbor's echinacea is so beautiful. 

There are tons of these flowers. It grows like a weed. 

My new friend!

Sassy, the neighborhood cat, has become a regular visitor! She's such a petite, sweet thing. She loves to be patted and scratched. She's trying to get me to feed her - I can tell! She knows I'm a total pushover but I haven't caved... yet.... I'll probably get her some kitty treats though... 

It's the best therapy since I lost my best friend...

I won't be ready for a new cat for a while. 

If you love someone...

Then why the HELL aren't you wearing matching outfits? 

Like ALL THE TIME? 

Like these folks...

I mean, WHAT'S YOUR FRIGGIN' PROBLEM?

 Are you AFRAID to REALLY LOVE SOMEONE?

 If you can't match exactly, you could at least wear similarly themed garments.

Like,... these are cute. 

Found Faces

I found this face when I was cutting a potato! 

I love its shape, contour, and expression. Also, it made some tasty home fries! 

Then, the plastic thingy that held two juice bottles together makes the coolest pair of weirdo glasses! I need to find a way to strap them around my head before I can rock them in public. But you can kinda get the idea here... with this little note that I wrote... 

Paris 1950's-ish

My dad grew up in London. Our family comes from very humble means, but as a young teen, he had the opportunity to travel abroad to Paris with his school. He gave me these items from the trip, which would be about 1950-ish.

The top piece is a scan of a little placard that the students had to wear around their necks, so that they could be returned to the school if they got lost.

The middle photo is the view from his host family's apartment. I love how grungy everything looks. If you look closely, it's very faint, but you can see the Eiffel tower in the distance - as my dad noted on the back of the photo.

What's on My Drawing Board

In between the ramp-up to Hot Donut Salad promotion-palooza, I am also working on my Sexy Vegetables characters. Right now I am sketching Caressa Carrot, working toward a final model sheet and trading card design for her. 

She's tres hot, no?