Hello!

It's the last few days of my time off and I'm itching to get back to the studio, get to work, sleep in my own bed, and settle into a creative routine.

With that, here's 5 things I thought you'd appreciate this weekend:

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1) TWO New Videos!

From the Department of Video Works

Here's the two latest videos on the YouTube channel. One on some of the things you should consider if you want to be an independent illustrator. (LINK)

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The other is a look at the books I used to make before I ever became a pro. (LINK) Including a book I made over 40 years ago!

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2) Domed Village on an Island

From the Architecture Desk

On the Island of Hormuz in Iran is this amazing little community designed by ZAV architects. I guess this island doesn't get very many visitors so the firm designed this attractive nest of domes to entice tourists to check the place out.

I love the colors, the shapes, and the weirdness. Such a great inspiration for an alien civilization as an alternative to ultra-futuristic designs that you might expect.

More photos here: LINK​

and a nice write up on it here: LINK​

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3) The Master and Commander...of comic covers

From the Comics Division

It's no secret I love the work of Mike Mignola. i've been collecting his comics ever since I saw Hellboy in a comic shop back in 1993. He's been a huge inspiration and influence. So when I saw this massive collection of covers he's done over the years I just relished every time I scrolled down.

I've seen a lot of these, but many are his older work from the 80's and it's cool to see them all together and watch his growth as an artist. There's a lot of covers I never knew existed as well.

HE'S DONE SO MUCH DRAWING! This is a reminder that you just gotta practice your craft, A LOT, if you want to get good.

Check out the entire collection here: LINK​

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4) Cool Way to Listen to Radio all over the World

From the Department of Interestingness

My friend Jed sent this to me. Radio Garden a globe with little dots all over it, each representing a live radio station in that spot. It's so cool to just pick a random city in Japan and hear the weather report or listen to the news in New Guinea.

I found this great radio station in New Zealand called the Beagle. It's a ragtag group of people from Whangārei who scrounged around and got the equipment needed to broadcast a signal and they just play whatever they want.

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5) True Grit

From the Office of Dusty Old Books

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I read True Grit this week. Loved the Coen Bros film, and thought I'd check out the book it was based on. Oh boy was this a treat. It was such a good, quick read. Perfect for vacation. Solid characters, adventure, and humor. Portis has a dry wit, that's just delightful. Roy Blount Jr. has said that Portis “could be Cormac McCarthy if he wanted to, but he’d rather be funny.”

Loved the theme of "You must pay for everything in this world one way and another" that was repeated over and over in the book in obvious and subtle ways.

Going to check out Portis's other books now.

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That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

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