@lubellwoo
Adventure Cartoonist, tall ship sailor, all-purpose enthusiast. Previously: Baggywrinkles, 100 Demon Dialogues. Currently: SEACRITTERS!, a swashbuckling animal caper w/ Kate Milford. Heck the feed, send me mail: PO Box 734, Ojai CA 93024 lucybellwood.com
"What does it mean to cry in the ocean? Oh, well, you know, to add something where nothing’s needed, or where so much is needed that it’s no use even trying, so you just sit down and cry." From Always Coming Home by @ursulakleguin.com, which I wrote about more here: lucybellwood.com/the-infinite...
"The City mind thinks that sense has been made if a writing is read, if a message is transmitted, but we don’t think that way. In any case, to learn a great deal about those people would be to cry in the ocean; whereas using their bricks in one of our buildings is satisfying to the mind." [1/2]
I was really startled to get one of these comments recently from someone who claimed my art was so detailed it was OBVIOUSLY fake, which made me wonder what aesthetic anti-AI trends we’re going to see in illustration in the years to come. What signals “Not AI” to an average viewer?
Never a better example of why Melville begs to be read aloud.
Damn, these are lovely! The first fiery-colored vases and the sea green-y cappuccino cups are particularly great.
Beyond the reach of man and Boat Cop alike.
Not my usual style but like: come on.
Lucy sporting a handsome navy tee shirt with an embroidered cat in a jaunty nautical hat and scarf with “Captain” embroidered below it.
Finished the Seacritters cover design in a mad rush this afternoon, walked outside to holler at the sky in relief, immediately found The Best Free Pile Shirt.
Wish I could show off the finished piece but I have to make dumb Photoshop jokes about it instead because Publishing
A road sign marking the city limit of Hell. Population 1, Elevation -4,100,469.
Update.
A sketch of a fucking boat I’m so sick of drawing fucking boats it’s only a little bit inked I’ve already inked it five times and none of them are right this is why I prefer paper you just say good enough and move on but no I had to go do this part on the stupid computer
Hell is empty and all the devils are here
HAVE MERCY
I just finished it after four months of savoring each little segment and couldn’t agree more. Fundamentally shifted the way I’m looking at translation (and adjacent/rhyming fields) while maintaining such a warm, playful tone.
Do you ever print these up as zines in their own right? It’s got such a coherent feel it seems like it could be lovely in the physical world.
This was a powerful read, Tom. Thank you for writing it. And those illustrations! Really turns the whole essay into something special.
I have so much to say on this subject, always, but I’m on deadline, so I’ll just leave this link to my 2016 @xoxofest.com talk and dip. It’s about money and the chasm between perceived and real “success” and being seen. If you’re struggling I hope it makes you feel better. youtu.be/pLveriJBHeU?...
Two poster sheets polling cartoonists about how much money they make in a “good” year vs. a “bad” year, how long they’ve been making comics, how much they get paid, and how they feel about how much they get paid. (Not able to transcribe the entirety of this poster in the alt text right now because I’m rushing to finish a cover for a graphic novel whose advance ran out three years ago.)
If talking hard numbers in public is hard, try running an anonymous poll with a group of peers. Here’s two examples of what that can look like, taken from an event with a wide mix of cartoonists in attendance.
Content warning: I talk about *actual numbers* in here because I believe the industry doesn’t change if we don’t. Saying you got a “good” advance or are “comfortable” isn’t helpful! We need a sense of scale!
Oh hey are we talking about money in publishing today? Here‘s a talk I delivered for @scbwi.bsky.social in Kansas City that is about EXACTLY THAT. youtu.be/9Ik42WUYmeQ?...
Much like proper preparation of the humble ham, these things can’t be rushed.
If you, like me, are anchored by the existence of Very Old, Very Human Things, this essay is for you: www.patreon.com/posts/148133...
Adam I grabbed this on a whim from my local small town library a couple weeks ago and it was absolutely *stunning*. Such rich characters and gorgeous layouts. Truly blew me away. Thank you for making something so lovely.
I sincerely hope so! @katemilford.bsky.social and I have been hard at work on it for a long while and I think it’ll be worth the wait. Everyone needs a goofy swashbuckling animal caper with unreasonably accurate nautical detailing.
(Also unrelated but HOLY SHIT I cannot wait to dig up the Nice Guys commentary you moderated. One of my absolute favorites.)
Really made my week 💛 I spent the last five years helping to care for him before he died. Your description of the film could easily serve as a description of him as a human being, too! Deeply grateful I ran across this.
Really think a lot of my contemporary friend group can be traced back to Fellow Small Town Kids with Swords.
This is so lovely, Aimee. Thank you 💛 (And how on earth was I not following you already, Fellow Nautical Art Nerd?)
TEN PAGES LEFT I EAT BOATS FOR BREAKFAST
E L E V E N
No joke I am screenshotting this post to print out as motivation for the final sprint. Thank you for knowing Boats enough to call out the little things. (I often only see the stuff that *isn't* right and it drives me batty, but it's good to remember that this is more detail than most would give.)
