Sketchbook Tour May - September 2026: Notes From the Summer
The transition from summer to fall happened quickly here in my neck of the woods, and suddenly my life of morning runs, long evening walks, and summer festivities in between is replaced with a lot more sitting in our front room staring out the picture window...
...which means, I'm here!
I wanted to report back on a few things I've been reading, working on, and thinking about over the summer. If you just want to see what I've been drawing, feel free to scroll a ways down, and let me know what drawings you're connecting with.
Art Camp
I was delighted to help out at an School of the Arts camp at Huntington University this summer. This meant teaching about 40 high school students some college-level animation and illustration tricks over 6 jam-packed days. Being around so many excited high school students who are hungry to learn more and invest in themselves can be a shot in the arm. One of the campers was facing a lot of questions about art that I've been asking myself lately: "Why do I feel dread when I sit down to draw?" "Is this line of work even for me? Or should it just be a hobby?" "How do I keep that creative spark alive?"
It got me thinking about the obstacles I'm facing with finding publication.
When I look at where I am and where I want to be, I see a very wide gap. More than ever publication has felt more unobtainable. When I read other graphic novels with similar ideas to mine, the ability of the graphic novelist is leaps and bounds above mine. Again, my writing feels solid, but the art itself needs a lot of help.
A heart-to-heart with a good artist friend of mine has encouraged me to be more intentional about working on my craft. This means taking time to draw with a specific goal and agenda in mind. With where I'm at right now, I think that's what it's going to take for me get off the plateau, take a deep breath, and keep climbing. Hopefully I'll be writing more about that and how it's going in the coming months.
Reading Good and Bad
Summer also means a lots of driving and yardwork. That's Downtown Audiobook City for me, so I've been putting in a lot of reading hours. I'm trying to put into practice the wisdom so many authors give, which is: Read constantly.
Why? Because the good books show you what you want your own work to look like, and the bad can show you pitfalls to avoid. As a result I've been reading historical fiction and memoirs and anthologies and some of the longest books imaginable, all of which are out of my typical wheelhouse. Each book has taught me a different lesson about writing, my preferences, and my instincts. I'll have to go into further detail at the end of the year, because I'm certain that some of these books will make the top (and bottom) of 2026 list.
The Robot
Being out and about a lot more over the summer gives me a chance to see how things are going. Economically, politically, culturally, things are changing a lot, and seeing other small towns in Indiana and how they've adapted can be telling- whatever changes that percolate down to small-town Indiana have made to most anywhere in the states.
Hence, Artificial Intelligence.
Menus, billboards, logos, signage, photo-edits, illustrations, mascot designs, web helpdesks, job listings, picture books, animation, social media campaigns, flea markets, artisans.
A.I. is pervasive because it promises to make everything easier. I haven't found it remarkably good at helping anyone achieve anything new, but it's certainly helped some people get away with a lot of things. Particularly things that would be done much better by a human expert.
I won't say much else here because it's all been said elsewhere, but it has been discouraging to see it infiltrating our daily lives more and more. It makes the thought of engaging with screens even more repulsive, which is not conducive to the work of a digital artist.
Summer 2026 Sketchbook Tour
I've been trying to figure out how to share my art in way that doesn't come with all the pressure of a social platform, and polling on Instagram said that a lot of people would be stoked to see a monthly sketchbook tour. So here's some of the good, the bad, and the ugly - filter-free - from my summer sketchbooks. You can see the full images and read captions by clicking on each individual image.
Pre-tech spies have been an interest of mine lately. This GN idea is set in the Revolutionary War. Some unfinished work - imagine what this friendly monster could be! Some concepts for a political intrigue story. A few nobleman and main character on the bottom right A few style explorations, including my character Knot from Strandlands there in the middle! More explorations for the main character of the political intrigue story First time in years I used my finger to smudge some soft shadows for the guy on the top right! More revolutionary war spy stuff! A caped crane and some sort of deranged Minion on this one. I can't explain. I feel like I know this young woman on the right. Did I draw any of you on accident? I was playing Slay the Spire and Reanimal at the time here, can you tell? Dogs with mugs are a must in this house - not sure where the Air Jordans came from though. This is a standard sketchbook page. A face, a weird guy, and a realistic animal. Welcome. Taking inspiration from James and The Giant Peach here. Bug shells that look like clothes = fun idea A little riveter gnome! This is my favorite from the batch - hence its place on the cover of the blog. Pure summer here. If the Snow White was set in the PNW, part one A little wild penguin. I like when coconuts have bowling ball holes in 'em. Cricket? Alien? Not sure, but she's waiting on something. The free space on every drawing bingo card should say 'dragon'. Monstera deliciosa A bard concept for Strandlands. The instrument he carries is a Lyra, a predecessor to the violin. Like the monster with glasses, some drawings are incomplete. My D&D character lost her arm! A royal procession in graphite I had Pokemon on the brain when I drew this one. My wife has been getting into watercolors, so I thought I'd give it a shot here. What a mess! The Lyra bard returns! The bow of a lyra has small bells on it that rattle when played. And here we have a quick self-portrait!
And now for the Sunday sermon sketches. Like the above drawings, you may need to click on these to get the full picture!
Long skinny marginal fish Nehemiah rebuilds the wall while critics look on. Hey, chum! Complimentary roosters. Birds are a sermon sketch staple, so you have been warned The birds continue! Bring out the mallards! Based on a stained glass window at a church we visited. Gethsemane perhaps? Ouroboros next to sermon notes on AI Not during a sermon but I still like this one David's harp and Saul's spear Nathan's parable of the poor man's ewe. A nest for all nations and generations! Hands with matches Honeybee meadow ROCK SOLID God Vibrations 'The church is a taco truck!' and two of 'Five breads' When I had nothing for show and tell, my teacher + friend Mary gave me jelly beans! What a hero! More nests and birds! Like a tree planted by streams of water.
Thanks for taking a peek at my messy sketches!
Bonus: A Playlist or Two
In an attempt to make daily writing more of a habit, I've made two playlists that help me get in the zone. If you need a playlist to get your mind out of your desk chair to help your mind relax and focus.
Thanks again for stopping by, the next blog should be right around the corner. Until then, safe travels.
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