Ant, P.I. in "Hot Under the Collar!"

AntWeb The hangover hounded me all day, left me seeing spots, sick as a dog. I'd spent the night previous chasing my tail at the old watering hole, trying to forget the lady (the tramp) that marked my heart like a fire hydrant. She told me she'd always be loyal. And she was, right before she up and strayed. It was going to take more than a few Greyhounds to shoo her memory away.

As I self-medicated with a little hair o' the dog, there came a knock at the door.

"Come in," I whimpered.

He didn't have to throw me a bone. All it took was one look to know the guy wanted to see me at the end of a rope. Or, more specifically, a leash.

"Hey buddy," he said, giving me puppy eyes big as a dinner bowls. "You look a little ruff."

"What's it to ya," I growled back, but my bark was worse than my bite. He was going to get what he wanted, sure. But I wasn't going to beg for it.

"Heard you howling last night," he said, "thought maybe a walk would cheer you up."

He had the scent all right, I had been inside with my tail between my legs for too long. Maybe if I got some fresh air I could forget my troubles for a while, let sleeping dogs lie.

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy!?" he panted as we trotted out the door. I didn't bite. Good? Bad? What's it matter when we all end up in the same place. The important thing was I was feeling better. And as long I focused on putting one foot in front of the other in front of the other in front of the other, maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to heel.

[Commissioned piece. RIP Ant]

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Stick a fork in it.

NinoHHH  

The book is done.

What started off as vision of an antique store helmed by a talking bulldog clerk that wandered into my head during a midnight ramble ended up a 32-page adventure through lands marked by fiery rebellions, sea-sunk civilizations, stone giants, and dark nights of the soul. Oh, and there's also two scenes in a sushi bar for some reason.

All it took to get from that quaint flight of fancy to a real deal book was a pinch of imagination, a little luck, and an unhealthy amount of work. It was like giving birth, only it took 11 months and I was in labor the entire time.

Copies will be showing up on bookshelves this fall. I know it's a ways off, but I'll remind you when the time comes, and often. And I'll share more images from the book in the run-up to its publication.

In the meantime, enjoy this little watercolor of the bulldog himself, inspecting a famous animated ball (painted for a friend who was kind enough to give me a tour of Pixar last summer).

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LOAfing around

Been messing around in Adobe Illustrator lately, getting reunited with the program so's I can be a more attractive prospect to potential employers (see also: my new perm). Halfway through doodling this fellow, I remembered my classmate's magazine LOAf was hosting a bread-hat bonanza on their blog. Une croissant grand later, and viola. But what's that you say? You've never heard of LOAf? Why, it's only the UK's most exciting children's comic magazine and art workshop! Well, it will be the UK's most exciting children's comic magazine and art workshop once they receive enough funds to get the project off the ground. If comics and happiness are your thing, considering giving to LOAf this week before time runs out on their fundraiser.

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Whorl of Tubraft

Another fake editorial illustration for another real David Rakoff article, "Fu Fighters," this one detailing a rafting trip he took alongside Glenn Close and Robert Kennedy Jr that was organized to bring attention to a controversial dam development in Chile.

My illustration plays on the dissonance between danger and decadence Rakoff depicts in the article. Whitewater rafting trips tend to be harrowing affairs (I assume; my tolerance of water-based activities, like my presence on the dancefloor, is best described as "catlike"). Though Rakoff's proved no exception, while on dry land the additional element of celebrity called for additional amenities--such as hot tubs and massages--I'm sure unKennedyed river tours leave off the menu.

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