Unpublished

Granny
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I've uploaded several illustrations from some recent unpublished projects. Click here yo.

Click on the picture to see what I learned from this important film.

Buy this book!

The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I found this on abebooks.com for around $10, including shipping. It is amazingly beautiful in several respects:
First of all, it's huge. I should have included a nickel for scale in this photo, cuz it's about 14 inches high.
There are over 300 pages packed full of vintage comics up through about the 50's. Sometimes entire story arcs are included.
Elzie Segar, George Herriman, Fontaine Fox, George Herriman, John Held Jr, Frank King, George Herriman, George Storm, Bud Fisher, George Herriman (did I mention him already?).
The reproduction quality is beautiful. I've not seen anything like it, and I have read lots of books about old comics over the years (the first book I ever checked out of a public library was about Rube Goldberg. I was 6.)
Each page is a reminder of what is so very wrong with the comics pages nowadays. Well maybe not so much the last dozen pages or so. There's a bit of modern stuff, but nothing past 1978 when this was published.
So, to borrow a line from Krusty the Klown, if you find a better enormous book about comics from the early 20th century with amazing content and beautiful reproduction quality, YOU BUY IT!

HTTP Errors

416 Requested Range Not Satisfied
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Click on the picture to see a set of illustrated HTTP errors, which you can use on your blog or site or whatever you want.

I failed to mention something.

Number 149 Blackbolt King of the Inhumans
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

The one year anniversary of my involvement in the 700 hoboes project came and went a few weeks ago.

We are now operating under a new name. Hobotopia.
We'll see how it feels for a few weeks.

Number 251

251 Pappy Churchill
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

From the Churchill section of the list of 700 hobo names by John Hodgman. There's also a Dark Crystal section a [place name] O'[surname] section and a section of increasingly smaller Roberts.

Illustration Friday: Thanksgiving

667 Turkeyballs Paco
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Another week's gone by and another collision of worlds: the 700 hoboes project meets IF.

Lots of thumbprint size hoboes

708 Stunned Silent Hopkins
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Click on the picture to be taken to my flickr account. There are quite a few new hoboes this week, several of which started out as small blotches of orange.

Yes he would.

193 Woody Damn
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I really should bust out the watercolors more often.

Moooo

Hobo moo cards
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I ordered some minicards from moo.com with the obvious subject matter.

500?!?

629 Deke Hidden Hornets' Nest
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's the 500th hobo I've done.
Only 300 to go.
...yeesh, what have I gotten myself into?

This is all it takes.

How to be a successful comic artist
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

The secrets of cartoon success rediscovered!

If your life were a movie, what would the soundtrack be?
Here's how this meme works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. New question-- press the next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

Opening Credits:
Over My Shoulder — I am Kloot

Waking Up:
Cripple Creek Ferry — Neil Young

First Day of School:
A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens ... — Sufjan Stevens
A conjunction of drones sounds about right.

Falling in Love:
Hang on Little Tomato — Pink Martini

Breaking Up:
She Smiled Sweetly — Rolling Stones

Prom:
Here it Comes — Modest Mouse
Considering I didn't go, maybe the line "the place and the time when we knew everything would go wrong" is appropriate.

Life's Okay:
I'm Amazed — Frank Black
Honestly, I didn't cheat.

Mental Breakdown:
I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to be Nicer — the Cardigans
...and I don't even drink.

Driving:
Thorn in My Side — Eurythmics

Flashback:
Let Me Tell You About My Boat — the Life Aquatic Soundtrack

Getting Back Together:
More Adventurous — Rilo Kiley

Wedding:
Like Spinning Plates — Christopher O'Riley covers Radiohead

Birth of Child:
The Woodlands National Anthem — the Arcade Fire

Final Battle:
This Old Guitar — Neil Young
What a downer of a battle that's gonna be.

Death Scene:
Something Against You — the Pixies

Funeral Song:
The A-Team theme song
...and what an awesome funeral!

End Credits:
Tomorrow on the Runway — The Innocence Mission
Kleenex available at the exit. Please watch your step while exiting the theater.

Check out Ward's entries, where I hitched my wagon to this meme.

Hobo tools

hobo sketchbooks
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's a picture of the sketchbooks I've been using for the last couple of months to draw hoboes. Click on the photo to see all of the explanatory notes on flickr.

Hey wait a sec...

548 Ollie Ebonsquirrel
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I forgot the cigar.
Ah well, there are still 324 more chances for me to encourage the filthy habit.

I wonder if I can add this to my resume.

Damon
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Amid Amidi at Cartoon Brew saw this picture and praised my obvious parenting skills. I am humbled and honored and would like to thank all the little people who made this possible. The little people being Lucas and Damon and the Bowling Pin.
Those of you who like to draw and have yet to read and absorb Preston Blair's masterpiece had best get cracking.