Level Up!

In addition to fireballing, I also got a plus two to bardic knowledge!

Dungeons and Dragons references aside, I'm always hesitant to post things like this because I know my mom reads this blog. But sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind, you know?

I've been trying to add some new tricks to the ol' bag lately. Fire-breathing seemed like the next logical thing, and I've been reading about how to do it for a long time. The other thing I'm working on is juggling four clubs. This is difficult and frustrating. Particularly with toddlers running around under your feet.

Art All Day

We found a turtle in the road today while we were on our way to the hardware store. I've always thought of myself as a friend to terrapins and whenever I see a frightened turtle in the road I always stop to help it out. What we found today was a box turtle and instead of just tossing him in the bushes we brought him home to let him go in our woods.

But I did take the opportunity to sketch him first.



Our house is a mess of construction projects at the moment (hence the trip to the hardware store). We're having hardwood floors put down in two rooms, painting and I'm cutting a series of arches into a long wall in the hallway.

If you are painting a room or if you will be cutting pieces out of a wall, I recommend taking some time to draw on the wall first. It's fun and you feel suddenly liberated from the normal rules of society. After all, "good" children never draw on the walls! Here's an example of Crayola colored pencil on semi-gloss wall paint:

Ready or Not: Here Comes 30

I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday in a little over a week (June 4th). I've been thinking about this a lot lately -whether we like it or not, some birthdays are landmarks. And while I'm a little sad to say farewell to my roaring, rambling 20's, I'm actually pretty excited about my 30s.

I've decided that the best place to turn for reflection and inspiration about turning 30 is the wonderful film Batman Begins. I was very gratified to notice that Bruce Wayne celebrates his 30th birthday in this film. This means that, at 30, he has only just started wearing a cape and mask and jumping around on rooftops. And does he have it all together? Does Bruce have it all figured out at 30? Heck no! A bunch of ninjas show up at his birthday party and burn down his house. Let's not forget that these guys were his old school friends (if you count ninja-training as school). And Bruce even gets blamed for the whole mess.

Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "maybe Ben wants me to come burn down his house next week." Well, if that's what you're thinking (Ryan) then you've kind of missed the point.

The point is that now I'm finally grown up enough to put on a cape and mask and go jumping around on rooftops!

Interweb Homepage

HouseHatke.com has finally gotten cleaned up a bit. The site is now just a portfolio and information page (no more blog). Hopefully if looks professional. Everybody wants to look professional!

Feel free to poke around the site and test out all the links. Let me know if you find any of those horrid, unprofessional BROKEN LINKS.

The last phase in this process is trying to use a Fancy Flash Display for my pictures, but I think I'm going to put that off for a bit.

George Lucas Take Notes

Now I like to dress up as much as the next guy but this guy here, man, he is not afeared of NOTHIN!



What a sweet color combo. It's guys like this that keep our world interesting!

Comics and Columns

There's an interesting new comics anthology called Parable percolating on the interweb. Parable is a Christian anthology, headed by Mike Maihack. (Mike has a great picture on his site of Batman playing the Ukulele!)

Other Parable contributors include (but are not limited to): Sarah Mensinga, Dean Trippe, and Matt Yokom (who has an awesome picture on his site of an insane goat).

I contributed a story of my own for the book. Mine is a 12-page tale loosely based on the life of Saint Simeon the Stylite (sometimes called "Simon"). Here's a three-page preview (you can click on the pages to see a larger version):







For the rest of the story you'll have to pick up a copy of Parable. Sooooo.... one of these days I'll let you know when it will be published!

Art and Comics

Sometimes I worry that "serious" painting and cartooning aren't compatible. I love painting and I love making comics. I don't ever want to have to choose between them.

Then I remember that one of my favorite sculptors, Bernini, was also a popular caricaturist. He was sought out by Papal and royal courts for his skill at condensing a personality into only a few lines. And he was good at it, as you can see below (though I guess we don't have the model to compare to):



On the same token, Bernini was also a master architect and sculptor -responsible for the Exstacy of St. Therese, an amazing depiction of Apollo and Daphne, and this fantastic little elephant. Best of all, his badass David makes Michelangelo's version look like Little Lord Fauntleroy:



Addendum: Apologies to my mother. I sat for ten minutes trying to think of a more appropriate word than "badass" for Bernini's David, but there just isn't one.

Give 'em the Bird!

Watching the birds eat from the shelf outside our window has been one of the most enjoyable new mealtime activities of the year. We've had all kinds of guests -from the humble sparrow, pictured above, to nuthatches, titmouses (or is it titmice?), red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals, bluejays and more.

A week or so ago I took a special picture for my friend, and fellow illustrator Ted Schluenderfritz. Ted's online portfolio is at 5 sparrows.com (go look at his art!) and here are 5 sparrows all crowded around our window:

Morris the Merrier

When I need design inspiration, I frequently turn to William Morris. Who doesn't? He is perhaps the most famous designer of wallpaper and textiles of all time. But he was more than just a designer of patterns. I have a big book called William Morris: by himself which is full of color pictures of his patterns, but also includes his essays, poetry, cartoons, paintings and, my favorite, stained glass window designs.

The man could make windows like nobodies business.

Morris was not a very happy guy, apparently. From what I've read he felt at odds with the age he was born into. And, while I can certainly understand that feeling, I can't figure out how someone who lived in the house pictured below could be anything but permanently cheerful.



Anway, I occasionally try to draw up Morris-inspired designs. It's good excersize and it really gives you an appreciation for how difficult it is to create interlocking patterns. Here's a little one from the other day:



I'm no Morris.

The New Diggs

Shiny. This is it. This is where I rant and ramble. Here's a comic: