Running Late

So after I posted the last comic, I actually had to go to the airport and catch my flight. I was a more than a bit disorganized before I left. I was running through my apartment, trying to clean and organize everything. I only had two hours from when I woke up on Sunday morning, until I had to hit the highway.

Usually I like leaving with just over two hours to spare. The airport is only a 30 minute drive from my apartment. Most days, I get through security in 10 minutes. On a particularly bad morning, it's 20. Even with the suggested 30 minutes prior to departure, I still will have a half hour or more to wonder around.

Of course, because I was so disorganized that morning, I didn't leave with my comfy two hours. I left with just under that, one hour and fifty-seven minutes. Even then, I still accosted myself for being so sloppy that morning.

Perhaps I'm strange, but I actually like airports. On the surface they appear to be busy, stressful places that only the uninitiated find wondrous. To me, they're an exciting gateway to endless possibilities. Different people, from different places, going to other places I may not even know exists. Its also like it's own little country. Its own security force, its own laws and its own customs. Each one slightly different, but still familiar. Even to a legal extent, this is true.

I've been drawing exclusively using my wacom tablet for over a week now. Already I can see the advantages and the abilities of the medium. I've found it to be far easier than I expected. It can also save considerable time compared to traditional sketching methods and materials. In the process I've found ways to streamline my production methods. I've found new ways to color my artwork. I've even found new ways to airbrush the colors. Finally, I've been able to do something I've been unable to do before.

The above piece is the first I produced completely away from home. I began sketching the piece in the Philadelphia Airport, while waiting for my connecting flight. I sketched and colored the remainder while in my hotel room. This would have been difficult or impossible. It would be cumbersome to drag my sketchbook, pencils, and other equipment in my luggage. And it would have been impossible to scan the sketch until I returned home. Now I'm free of those dependencies.

I've shown an earlier version of this image to my friends. Most of them were happy to see a second in the "series". To my astonishment, they have clamored for more. I have a few ideas, but I would like to take the weekend at least to rest after my trip this week.