Buy This Artwork! Blog 5/9/08 - Yes, the rumors are true. I'm moving back to Massachusetts. Beginning of June. Wish me hella luck. ------------------------- 5/8/08 - I think I have been spending too much time around children. I cannot explain this strip nor the grin it puts on my face. ------------------------- 5/6/08 - SuperMe is back on top of things again. Today's and yesterday's strip are finished and uploaded, and I feel geared up and ready to tackle whatever comes by May. Yay. :) ------------------------- 5/5/08 - I'm off to the weekly potluck with my friends in Olympia, who I love. I'm sure it will be a fun and relaxing this evening, as it usually is. I was officially overworked this past week. And it's gonna be like the next couple weeks probably. Got several art projects going on, plus am unpacking and re-packing everything I own. I've learned to not do this to myself because it burns me, but at times everything kinda coalesces and you slog through. All's good though. Just, hopefully this will create as little inconvenience or delay to you as possible. Have a fun Cinco De Mayo! - Christopher ------------------------- 4/29/08 - Stumptown was funny this year. I was simply there. I had many lovely conversations, but couldn't get the muster to do hard selling or much networking. I did fine, and had a good time, but it was simply strange. Good strange, i think. Shared my table with Kevin Moore, who always makes me laugh. Sat next to Meredith Gran of the lovely Octopus Pie, who was excellent company; and on the other side of her was Erika, who I fumbled telling her how much she's loved. Had some long chit-chats with Kate Beaton, who was really nice and is very talented and you should check her out. Lovely to see the usual faces and some new ones. Sorry Shaenon I had to be so tight-lipped! Nicholas, you're weird! Steve, you galoot, you make me want to use words like "galoot." And Jenn and Kip, I am soooo happy for you. And so many others, I love you all! Here's a picture of me at my table knitting. Now I just need to convince Kris to desire my company at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival (although Jen just gave me her first hand-spun skein, you're awesome Jen!). ------------------------- 4/25/08 - Don't Forget! I'll be tabling at the Portland Stumptown Comics Fest this weekend, April 26th and 27th. Stop by! ------------------------- 4/22/08 - there's something woefully universal about a band-aid (sticking plaster, for you europeans) on the head. ------------------------- 4/19/08 - They're saying "frrriieeennnnds" the same way a zombie might say "brrraaaiinnns" although I'm not sure if there's any further correlation. :) ------------------------- 4/15/08 - Thank you everyone, for helping with the "I'm slightly shy on taxes, oh crud" sale. I was hoping I had reached the point of needing no more bailing for my boat. But I did. And you helped. And I'm in the black again. Thank you. ------------------------- 4/10/08 - I'm having a "I'm slightly shy on taxes, oh crud" sale! All books are reduced $2, and all original artwork is $5 off, going on through Monday! I have changed the prices on the books, but the artwork I'll have to do via a $5 refund, as there is no easy way to go in and change the price on all of them. So, today, or this weekend, isn't it time you perused the archive and saw what lovely strips are for sale? I can answer that: it is. And for $35 apiece? Heck, yeah. It really is. My best, -Christopher ------------------------- 4/9/08 - Feeling much better! :) ------------------------- 4/8/08 - Was feeling a little low last night and didn't finish the strip. Today I'll have it up as soon as I have my tea and get to it, I'm sure. ------------------------- 4/7/08 - It's strange. I've been spending a lot of time with children lately, and watching them develop negotiation and conflict resolution skills. And today, like spilled milk, it seems to have spilled over into the strip (today's is just the intro). ------------------------- 4/4/08 - who'd of ever thought I'd get so profound and philosophical in Little Dee, in it's own little way. I tell you who didn't! Me! Strange times. Fun times. And here's a page on an awesome website (like Wikipedia, but more entertaining), about Kettles. Bethanne and I had a good giggle about this last night. She was very tired. ------------------------- 4/1/08 - Okay, so this is somewhat mature in content, so not for you kids, but I created the premise and core characters for Mike Rouse-Deane's Guest Strip Project, as well as wrote and drew the first strip, main banner, and cast page. Mike Rouse-Deane has done several projects like this for charities. This one benefits the Make-A-Wish foundation. I was happy to contribute. (I hope you do as well, either in cartoons or donations!) Have great April 1st. I hope someone fools you, and you get to be a trickster yourself. ------------------------- 3/31/08 - What?! The tank's still here?! My goodness, won't it EVER leave? That's the problem with tanks, you can only politely ASK them to leave and then cross your fingers. ------------------------- 3/31/08 - What?! The tank's still here?! My goodness, won't it EVER leave? That's the problem with tanks, you can only politely ASK them to leave and then cross your fingers. ------------------------- 3/25/08 - remember kids, tanks and anti-tank missiles are not a good way to resolve a conflict. Peaceful solutions are always preferred. ------------------------- 3/24/08 - I just had the most fun weekend. A good friend just got married, I was the best man, and there were zombies. I have yet to recover. I hope the easter bunny treated you well. ------------------------- 3/20/08 - Taking note from Shaenon's Post, I'd also like to mention The Harvey Awards. The nominations for this year close on Friday. "Comics industry professionals" (webcartoonists, reviewers, etc), might I encourage a nominate for "Little Dee" perhaps in the "best cartoonist" category. And/or perhaps something from Water Street for "best single issue or story" (maybe Hans Krunkel, or Astronaut Astronaut, or Vava, or Mariana 1/365. Here's the form, just email it in. Thanks! ------------------------- 3/19/08 - I was thinking as I drew today's porcupine strip, have I had a porcupine in the strip before? Does today's strip make sense within the strip's history? These are the types of questions one asks after YEARS of doing a strip. Did I already do that? Is it consistent? HOW long have I been doing this exactly? Then I counted the weeks I've done, and realized that around the end of January 2008, I had drawn 1,000 strips. Hooray for Dee! ------------------------- 3/17/08 - I have very fond memories of childhood, going to my aunt Joanne's where she'd make us a green meal on St. Patrick's day. If it were evening it would be more along the lines of dyed-green macaroni and cheese, with green milk, peas, etc. Rituals from childhood (and ones created new) keep warm places in the heart I think. ------------------------- 3/14/07 - Today's strip is a nod to my friend Dan, author of the Wildlife stories, which I did illustrations for. This past autumn, he and I drew 24 hour comics together in my kitchen in Olympia, and his piece (which I need to finish doing pre-press on and post) featured a tree in the desert. It's also his birthday this week. Yay! ------------------------- 3/11/08 - I've had some ridiculous ideas in the strip before, but the rocket doghouse is... well... up there. And "despite" or "because" of this, drawing today's strip was SO much fun. :) Oh, and I'll be tabling at the Portland Stumptown Comics Fest on April 26th and 27th. Stop by! ------------------------- 3/10/08 - The weekend I bought a new jacket (with fashion help from Anya). Mine was a zillion years old, falling apart, ratty, and after wool gets drenched a few hundred times - the smell was pretty ripe. I don't feel the sentimental attachment to older clothing like I used to, but I do like using things until they are used up. I guess being brought up with little money made me very practical, and concern for the environment made me very conscientious about thee things. And it's puffy and has a hood. Yay! :) ------------------------- 3/7/08 - Long before I began drawing "Little Dee", I had been drawing dogs and bears on birthday and holiday cards to friends and family. I referred to them as "stock dog" and "stock bear." When I was creating a new strip, later to become "Little Dee," I thought, "wow, I know these characters, I love them, others love them: I should draw them." And so that came to be. I was recently visiting my father and stepmother in Greenfield, and saw again several of those cards which my dad had framed in a big collage. Since my dad enjoys doing remodeling and woodworking, I would usually draw him a bear with a baseball cap and tool belt on. Which is what inspired this week. The outfit. It's fun to see how far I noodled with it. But then, in the end, I HAD to do a strip about the outfit. ------------------------- 3/6/08 - I had a long meandering discussion yesterday with Maximilian about whether or not good begets good. If you do something good for someone can it have actual good results, or can it really only lead to good if they do it for themselves. And does a "failed" good act have merit because it inspires others who may not have thought the act possible in the first place? I feel that it's good to look at these questions, to be most effective in your efforts. But in essence, I feel strongly about striving to do what you feel is the good thing. ------------------------- 3/5/08 - Last night I went to S'Mac's, where the menu is Macaroni and Cheese (whoot!), with my high school friend, Kim (here's a video showing them cooking). We had good talks, and she's still as tough as nails as I remember. Her winding road life and stories and friends added to the pile of Australian connections I've had this past month, down to me accidentally online putting my residence down as WA (Western Australian) rather than WA (Washington). I've been invited to go this summer to Melbourne (our summer, their winter), and although I'm not sure if I can swing the time and money, it excites me to no end. It was warm, and we had excess carbs to burn, so we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. And did I take pics of any of this despite me having my camera with me? NO! Sigh. I'll just have to do it again. :) ------------------------- 3/4/08 - Kids, remember that playing with power tools such as circular saws is very dangerous. No joke. ------------------------- 3/3/08 - finished version uploaded Traveled down to NYC this weekend, and was not able to juggle things well enough to complete Monday's strip. The finished version should be up by around noon or so. ------------------------- 2/29/08 - Hrm. Apparently seems someone has a monster obsession. Vachel too. ------------------------- 2/27/08 - This is one of those gags where I could easily never grow tired of it. Fortunately for you, I know that many of you are more sophisticated than I am and could. ------------------------- pic by nantricia 2/25/08 - It's my birthday. Another year. I'm 35. And life is good. I have good friends who I love and love me. I have worked hard and am now lucky enough to be doing a job which makes me happy and brings others daily morsels of happy. There is little more I could ask for. ------------------------- 2/23/08 - Remember Vachel's previous cell phone? ------------------------- 2/22/07 - I'm afraid that again I have sold out of the poster. Casualties of me trying to do business while on the road. For those who missed it, sorry! For those who got one, yay! ------------------------- 2/18/08 - As you can tell by today's strip, this week's modest storyline aims to be a tad bizarre. Luckily I can blame it on my brother, who came up with the basic story points almost in its entirety in a late not gibberish conversation. So few people are as in tune with my writing and humor as my brother, and I love him for it. ------------------------- (click on image for more detail) 2/13/08 - The Sea Shanty Poster is again sold out!, 18"x24". I'll be taking orders for it for the next two weeks (through Feb 23rd). I only have 60 posters, so if I sell out, it may be a couple months before it's in stock again. As before, it's for such a short time because I'm on the road. ------------------------- 2/14/08 - Happy Valentines to all you lonely hearts. xo, christopher ------------------------- 2/12/08 But Dee, I- Ut! Don't you think?- Ut! Ut! I- Ut! Talk to the hand. ------------------------- 2/11/08 - Art shanties (because they're awesome. (thanks, Mary). ------------------------- 2/8/08 - Pop references two days in a row. How unusual for me. Hrm. ------------------------- 2/5/08 - La Pequeña Dee, "Little Dee" has been published by Dolmen Editorial in Spain in Spanish. Yes, the first book has been translated into Spanish and published in Europe. Yay! It seems to be available on quite a few online websites, but being that I don't speak Spanish well at all, I'm not sure what the best would be to recommend, but it's listed as 10.95 Euros. So, if you wish to purchase a copy in Spanish, the best would be to google it. Although, feel free to recommend to me best options, and I'll post it here. :) This has been in the works for over a year and a half, so I'm pretty excited and can't wait to get my own copies. :) ------------------------- 2/4/08 - I am back on the map (though still on the road), and orders and all for everything will now continue as normal. Yesterday I was contemplating out loud about writing today's strip about laundry, when my brother suddenly whipped out these two strips. Obviously very rough, unedited, he was doodling from memory, and he's a musician and mathematician - not a cartoonist. Yes, despite all that: they're totally great. I was stoked. (And I totally would have used the second one if I didn't feel it was too far out of character for Blake.) Hm. Either brilliance or insanity runs in the family. :) ------------------------- 1/21/08 - Another Irish specific strip. On the Irish flag, the green represents the Catholics or nationalists and the orange the protestants or brits. Kind of, it's not that simple really. Oh, and white is the hoped for peace between them. So, yeah, there's been orange marches and such, and they can get messy. But if you wear something orange in Dublin, nobody's actually going to care, just don't march in a parade of orange people and yell "god save the queen" without expending at least a modicum of response. And Hurling is an Irish born sport from before Christ which is sort of a mix of lacrosse and gladiator. ------------------------- 1/19/08 - In Ireland (and I hear also in England), a pantomime is a performance for children (NOT silent), normally of well known stories such as Cinderella, and it is very interactive. So everyone I met in Ireland knew exactly the "oh no I wont," "oh yes you will" bit, and the "where?" "Behind you!" Also, of note: I'm out the door and off the map until February 2nd. The strip will continue uninterrupted. But what this DOES mean is that if you purchase original strips from January 16th-February 2nd while I am away, they will be shipped when I return. Everything else will ship as normal. :) ------------------------- 1/18/08 - I thought in early November I had posted the mural I did for my yet-then-but-now-born nephew. But it appears I didn't. This week I briefly passed through Philadelphia again, and was able to meet my nephew, as well as finish the mural, which consisted of painting in a little dee, who I had pencilled in before. ------------------------- 1/16/08 - A bit of a pie debacle today. I don't think I'm actually OCD, although it's fun to say it sometimes, but I do have the ability to concentrate deeply on very detailed activities for long periods. This makes me adept at tasks such as cross-hatching or making pies. Pies. You pour a couple cups of flour into a bowl and then you cut the cold butter into teeny-weeny cubes, adding them one by one and rolling them with your fingers in the flour so they don't stick to each other. You slowly add cold water to this until you have dough. Roll it out, cut little "v" shaped vents, and chill. Then, you peel the apples. I'm back in the east, so I have access to Macintosh apples again. Divide them into quarters, gouge out the seedy innards, and slice. If inspired, you put the peels in a coffee grinder or food processor and throw them in as well, all along with whatever random assortment of sugars and spices you feel like it. Maybe a little more butter or cheese. And then you bake it lovingly, and take it out piping hot with the whole house smelling like heaven. THAT is when you drop it on the floor. And then you go to fetch your camera, because why loose such an impressive sight. After that, you're free to scoop up some bits that didn't touch the floor to taste. Yes, it was a lovely pie. And strangely that felt like an accomplishment this evening. The making of the pie, and a taste of what it was. Makes me feel all zen (and shit), the road and not the goal and all that, but I was surprised at how little it bothered me. Meh. Not too surprised I guess. I'm rather accustomed to me, being that I am me and all that. ------------------------- 1/15/08 - Remember Reggie... ------------------------- 1/13/08 - There is a lovely review of Little Dee Vol. 2 in the Washington Post today, written by journalist/critic Douglas Wolk. (If you're looking for the Linus Christmas parody, btw, it's here.) The amazing thing is that it's a review of classic comics which are being re-printed as books, such as the McCay's Rarebit Fiend and Schulz's Peanuts. And then I'm brought on as the single example of the "next wave." Whooot! (Why again didn't the syndicate pick me up? heh. sigh.) ------------------------- 1/10/07 - A link if you've ever been curious which position your democratic presidential candidate would have On a Pirate Ship. ------------------------- 1/5/08 - There was some confusion yesterday over Dee talking, people thinking that the characters were playing make-believe, but in "fact" Vachel was merely dreaming. Dee does not talk. In yesterday's strip she was not Dee, she was Josephine, first wife of Napoleon. Oh, and I've been meaning to mention, the comic strip Goats drawn by Jon Rosenberg just finished a several year storyline (he's been drawing it for a decade now). Not only is that impressive, and the strip quite excellent, but now isn't a bad time to start reading, as a new storyline begins. ------------------------- 1/2/08 - Dear Readers, I have a New Years Resolution for you. Sort of a compact. Between you and me. This year I want you to resolve to spend at least $10 on my strip. Because you read it and love it and love me. In return, I'm going to try and provide you with a variety of merchandise so that you have ways in which you can feel good about spending this money. This thought of your resolution came to me when I read Gary Tyrell's blog yesterday about how cartoonists should maybe strive for earning $10 per reader. I encourage you to read that blog and then to realize it's not an unreasonable request (without giving numbers, I can say that I am way below the $10/reader number). If you wish to get your resolution out of the way now, you can donate ten dollars easily in the tip jar at the top of the page, or purchase original artwork from the archives, or the books. If you wish to wait, I will remind you as merchandise comes up. Because I am thoughtful that way. :) And I hope that you feel this is a worthwhile investment, and that you feel that the strip keeps getting better. I think that it really improved in 2008. And hope it will continue to do so. Love! -Christopher ------------------------- past Dee blog notes Sat, May 10, 2008 Little Dee Info Current Week The First Week Main Archive The Cast About Chris Email Me Banners Livejournal RSS Links Comics: Boy on a Stick & Slither Bruno Copper Dicebox (Wed) Diesel Sweeties (M-F) Goats (M-F) Helen (biweekly) Jaxxon 11 (No Sched) L'il Mel (Wed) Narbonic (Daily) Octopus Pie On The Rocks Overcompensating Penny Arcade Pirate and Alien ScaryGoRound (M-F) Sheldon (daily) Silent Kimbly Sinfest (M-S) Skin Horse Sluggy Freelance Wanderlost Political Comics: In Contempt(Tu,Th) Text Serials: City of Roses Cartoonists: Kate Beaton Vera Brosgol Sam Brown Madison Clell Patrick Farley Dylan Horrocks S. Lieber/S. 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