What I Drew: Honey Creek T-Shirt

Last week I was asked by one of my dear friends and mentors, the Rev. Sonia Sullivan Clifton (who was the priest who married Molly and me) to come up with an image for Honey Creek’s Camp T-Shirt this year. Sonia is the new camp director, although she has been involved in Honey Creek for many years. This is a year of transition for my summer camp alma mater, as new leadership is reshaping the vision for that program. Read more

What I Drew #2: Liam’s Birthday

This week, my youngest son Liam turned 2. It’s hard to believe! We still think of ourselves as “new” around here, but to think that Liam wasn’t even born when we arrived in Harris County seems incredibly strange. His birth seems like it really was just yesterday, and as we prepare for baby #4, I’m left wondering how quickly time has gone. People remind me constantly that kids will be in college in a blink of an eye, and I’m really thinking they are right if the last 2 years are any indication. Read more

Here’s What I Drew This Week

And now here’s a little segment we call: Here’s What I Drew This Week.

I don’t draw every week, although I probably should, and probably more than once a week. But in the rare times that I get to sit and doodle, the most difficult part is finding the inspiration to be creative. I have found recently that the things that inspire me the most and the things that produce the most satisfying translation to paper are my children. Read more

What Should I Draw?

Lobsterfest is looming large over me. I’m really excited about the event, I really am, but due to Sue Halmrast twisting my arm, I agreed to donate a couple of pieces of original artwork to the silent auction. What was I thinking?

For those of you who may not know, I am somewhat of a cartoonist, and a deep lover of sequential art, not just comic books, but any art that tells a sequential story. I think the marriage between words and pictures is fascinating, and I’ve been a fan of such art, particularly comics, since I was a boy. I can remember copying Garfield comic strips by Jim Davis when I was younger, and learning just how to get those eyes right.

My high school years were when I was at my artistic peak. I spent most of my time in the art room, with my teacher Ms. Haroldson, whom I loved to pester as much as learn from. In my senior year, I received the Art Award on Honors Night, which is my only claim to fame from high school. I still have a lot of that work.

When I went to Berry, I had every intention of being an art major. However, my advisor and professor was too…well…artsy for my taste, and I didn’t think that I was going to make it in that program. So I switched to my other love, religion, and studied that instead. But I did my fair share of drawing in college. For two years, I was the editorial cartoonist for the Campus Carrier, which taught me how to draw on a deadline. There were nights where I was burning major midnight oil trying to get one of those single-panelled terrors in on time. Luckily, my editor was also a dear friend and Episcopalian, so she cut me some slack. Read more

I’m the TAPlain

Since my involvement in the Thompson-Pound Art Program, I haven’t been really sure about my official title. This year, I was finally dubbed “the TAPlain.”

That’s really what I was…a TAP chaplain. My role was to be present in the midst of the program, helping where I needed to help, guiding where I needed to guide, and shepherding where I need to shepherd. It’s about the easiest and most rewarding job one could have at such a program. Read more

Funny ‘Cause It’s True

I saw this cartoon from the Rev. Bill McLemore, who served as a supply priest many times at St. Nicholas. I just had to laugh because some of these are so true (I’ve gotten more than one “baby” comment in my time as a priest). Hope you enjoy this!

Nightcrawler

Last week, I won another commission from artist Otis Frampton, on his 7/7 Sundays webcast. On this show, Otis did a 12-hour marathon of drawing characters. He usually does one 3-hour show a week. This time, he did four 3-hour shows. I watched most of it, and it was amazing to see him draw so many characters so quickly.

This time, I actually got a commission of one of my favorite comic book characters. Read more

St. Nick’s Comicks

There are a lot of things I am passionate about, but there is one thing that tops my list:

Comic books.

In fact, you may not know this, but before I heard God’s call to the priesthood, I was hoping to become a writer and artist of comic books. I have collected comics since I was in middle school (with a hiatus during college). I am mostly a Marvel Comics fan (and certainly have some opinions about Marvel’s recent acquisition by Disney), and even more specifically, I am an expert on all things X-Men. Read more