Webcomics philosopher Aaron Diaz, creator of Dresden Codak, has launched Indistinguishable from Magic, wherein he discusses and dissects the comics art form.

If you’re interested in creating or understanding comics, you’ll want to read his posts which include topics like character design, panel layout, environment and motion.

• Aaron Diaz – Indistinguishable from Magic

• Comic – Windmill

There’s a bachelorette party next door. They keep smuggling me a drink they call the Pink Panty Dropper. Here’s the recipe:

Pink Panty Dropper

• A bunch of cheap beers
• Russian proportions of Vodka
• Pink Lemonade
• Ice Cubes
• Stir rhythmically to “Baby’s Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-lot

I think that’s how it goes. Man my head hurts.

I hear Paul is retiring. Probably a good idea to lie low for a while.

• Comic – Paul the Psychic Octowurst

I made it back from the cabin in time to catch the 4th of July and a few world cup games. I was rooting for the Netherlands in the final but wasn’t disappointed when Spain finally finished.

Spain is one of the few places I’ve traveled outside the United States. It was a while back but I still have vivid memories. They had incredible pistachio ice cream which I ate almost every day.

Seeing real castles was amazing, I toured the Alhambra and the Royal Palace of Madrid. I discovered a love for shipwreck paintings at the Prado and was overwhelmed by the badass goofy horse in Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofía.

Plaza Mayor had a horse statue that was covered in bird shit. Everything was covered in bird shit.

People painted and danced in the narrow streets and the buildings were all leaned up against each other like old men with sore feet. The best day was when I was tricked into eating a plate of bologna and then lost my virginity hiding from a thunderstorm.

I need to travel more.

Update: Just found this great picture on Flickr – Octowurst. I’m reminded of the boiled hot dog and spaghetti trick, a great way to make your own – Octoweenies!

I’m trying to get out of town in June, waaaay out of town, but I have a lot of work to finish before I can leave. Good thing I’m not getting distracted by drawing comics and making short films.

• Comic – Work

In this age of werewolves and vampires I am definitely on team count. He has a contagious enthusiasm and finds joy in the mechanics of the world. I like that.

• Comic – Single

For those of you interested in such things, you can listen to the entire Ratatat LP4 on NPR. Also, new tunes from the Kleptones and an amazing repository of music at the Bomarr Blog.

New music keeps the wheels turning.

• Comic – Paper Crane

Update – I edited the comic, took out a few frames and adjusted some shading. I like it much better now.

This was a mostly true story, let’s call it historical fiction. I’m not sure what inspired the idea of exploded origami or if it’s even something original but I love the thought of all those cranes and frogs with little skeletons inside and guts that will spill out if you open them.

Hmmm… Can we call it gorygami or is that too cheesy?

Hey look at that, it’s a bonus Tarsier Monkey!!

Last week we were on the road filming in Yakutat. I love the place, the coast is incredible and our hosts, Gloria, Mandi, and Ralph were great!! We learned all about Yakutat history from the locals, picked up some language playing Tlingit Uno, and had plenty of opportunnity to go out and explore.

Good adventures. Lou tried to shoot himself out of a cannon…

Aaron drove the tank…

.. and I pulled a boomerang out of the river.

I did a few sketches on my notepad when I had time. The grade students were participating in a Tlingit Language performance and I tried to capture the hope, pride, embarrassment, and mischief in their faces. Other sketches came from the dance group practice and various meetings I attended.

• Comic – Mt. Tabor

Yesterday I went running up the winding trails of Mt. Tabor in Portland. I put in several miles and was just about to head down when I saw a sign labeled “Volcano.”

The sign could have read “Tsunami” or “It’s a Trap,” and I would have followed it. I’m curious.

I ran up to the top of a giant hill and when I got there… nothing.

Disappointed, I turned to go and all my senses were hit at once. The rushing wall of heat from the pyroclastic flow, the sweet sulfuric ruin of magma, the distant drumming and countless hipsters screaming to their fell gods.

Volcanos. This is why I love Portland.

I’m on the road in Portland. I spent the weekend judging regional Student Academy Award submissions and on Wednesday I’ll be hosting a screening of JUMP Society films at the Whitsell Auditorium as part of the Northwest Film Center’s NW Tracking program.

• JUMP Society Screening Info

I’ll have a new comic up later in the day but here are some sketchbook scans until then, a few are from this trip and a few are from before I left.

A girl on the airplane and the view from the window.

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Ideas are caked together from experience and it’s difficult to avoid the trap of an obvious solution when drawing from common inspiration.

I thought that the world needed infinite mobeus bacon and I was disappointed to find that it already existed.

I guess bacon isn’t the most monogamous of muses.

• Comic – Infinibacon

I’m glad I found those other infinite bacon pieces, they forced me to take my idea a step further and thinking about how to go a step further reminded me of infinity plus one.