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.

Hobo art challenge number 4

770 Bob Brain-in-a-jar, the Bodiless 'Bo
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

This time, hobo # 770 Bob Brain-in-a-jar, the Bodiless 'Bo was chosen for interested parties to illustrate. This is mine. To see the others, click here please.

Happy Halloween (again)

J is for Jack-o-lantern
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I might have a few posts throughout the day. It only comes once a year, you know.
This is from my alphabet of monsters.

Hally Happoween!

Jack again
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

May all your candy be sweet.

flickr

20060925 White Sands National Monument, New Mexico 017
Originally uploaded by gakout.

One of the nice things about flickr is the "everyone's photos" stream that shows up on the main page when you log in. I love it when beautiful photos from complete strangers pop up.
Check out the rest of this person's set, there are some nice shots.

170 Redball Charlie Dickens
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I gotta say, half the fun of the 700 hoboes project is all of the interesting real facts I am learning along the way (as opposed to the made up facts in Hodgman's book, which are equally interesting, but for different reasons).
The term "red ball" appears on the list a couple times and can have applicable meaning to hobodom:
a) US route 218 was nicknamed the Red Ball Route when it was being built in 1913.
b) Red ball is also railroad parlance for express delivery.
c) The red ball express was the nickname of a european supply train which opened up shortly after D-Day.
(c is actually disqualified from applicability due to the fact that the hoboes had disappeared from the earth a few years prior to D-Day, as anyone who has read Mr. Hodgman's book will remember.)
I chose to go with a.

Halloween Dream

Contest entry
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

This is my entry in the Halloween themed contest over on Animation Nation.
Pleasant dreams!

Have a nice brain!

Happy Zombie
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's a little something I painted today. You can even attempt to buy it if you are so inclined.

Illustration Friday: Smitten

499 Loving Vincent Hugsalot
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's my latest submission to Illustration Friday. Who am I to keep the worlds of IF and 700 hoboes apart?
The theme was "smitten" by the way.

My fellow participants in the 700 hobo projects have banded together to draw the same hobo from John Hodgman's list. In this case, number 550: "Douglas, the Future of Hoboing" was chosen. This is my entry and the other results can be seen here.

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Little Pigs, pg 69
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

...as illustrated by Richard Scarry. Click on the picture and visit the set on my flickr stream.

What's wrong with this picture?

What's wrong with this picture
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

This is the black and white version of a color illustration over on my main site. I think I like it better this way. Click on it to see all the funny notes people have added to it on flickr.