a present

even though we all know being materialistic is not a good thing, i know getting presents feels pretty darn good (even though it's the lowest of my love languages). i also find it a bit interesting what the present is, because it's probably a reflection of what that person thinks of you! (hmm, wait a sec, i always get cologne for christmas!) then again, the art of giving a gift is pretty hard sometimes - what if you don't know the person that well, if they're hard to satisfy, and what's the price range. in the end, if it's heartfelt, you almost can't go wrong.

a bit of an inside joke, finn finally gets the right shirt.

- johnny
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The Follow Up

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that dating isn't easy. "Does she like me?" "Will she return my phone call?" "Is she going to knee me in the groin?" These are questions that a man has to ask. After you meet a potential mate, the kind of follow up that occurs will determine if it's "go" or "no go."

In this strip I use my first thought bubble! Sometimes I forget that I CAN depict internal dialogue. After all, some of the funniest things are internal thoughts.

-Kevin
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direct reflection

i've been to a couple weddings this year already and some other formal events. what i've noticed is that your date is such a direct reflection on you too. so, the question comes, what would your date have to do to really embarrass you in front of all these people?!

this strip works on facial expressions for finn. i like the look of the characters being so simple with just little eyes, but the drawback is that without eyebrows the white of the eyes, it limits the amount of expressions.

- johnny
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Words of wisdom

Every now and then, when I give advice, I find myself repeating familiar things. "Keep thinking positive," "It'll be alright," "Just keep pushing forward..." Then, I have to remind myself to not just dish out the same old phrases over and over! After all, advice should be personal and particular to each situation.

I find that with each strip I get more comfortable with drawing the characters. While there's nothing new and earth shattering in terms of art technique in this strip, hopefully, the improvement in artistic style has become evident over the last few strips. Enjoy!

-Kevin
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friendly feedback

ever look back on how things are going and kinda realize how time got away from you? and before you know it, the things you wanted to do ends up never getting done? priorities is a hard thing to juggle. concentrate too much on one and other people may get neglected. that's why honest feedback is so darn crucial.

this strip i think rounds up the scheduling/priorities story arc. for the past few weeks, i've been trying to explore that issue to i'm not sure how much success. as much as i love story and character development, i'll def have to intermingle some more straight humor. thanks for readin.

- johnny
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car technology

chibar has been a little busy globe trotting and he's asked me to sit in for him this week, posting a comic. but have no fear, he'll be back next week thursday with a brand new strip.

recently i've been astounded by the technology in cars nowadays. now, i've got a relatively recent car i think with some cool gadgets, but apparently, the car industry has taken some leap and bounds. i don't know a thing about engines, but if the car starts responding to your voice and you don't even need a key to start the ignition, that's pretty darn cool.

in terms of artwork, i got trees and a window glare? hey, it's something! hope you enjoy.

- johnny
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appreciate

for me, sometimes life just gets too busy. and after all the prioritizing, it still seems like not enough. but i find that "inadequate" feeling gets swept away so quickly with the simple feeling of being appreciated.

one of my fav strips thus far involves the bedroom scene, and no, not because of the obvious reasons. i really like how the striped sheets and the perspective/angle helps the overall mood.

- johnny
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Taking charge

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like the "man" pushes me around at work. Sometimes you just want to stand up for yourself and be assertive. It has to be a balance being assertive while not being belligerent. After all, don't forget they still sign the paychecks!

I'm back to the old BW this week. A little bit of travelling tends get in the way of artistic productivity!

-Kevin

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priorities

i think we all know people who manage their priorities great, and those who manage them poorly. so, what's the key difference? it's a pretty tough thing to handle really, with so many things going on in life, how we prioritize things and people directly affects our happiness. not sure how well it's worked for me, but i make my tough decisions by simply asking myself, what would i regret less. should i stay home and relax, or go out for a night on the town? depends on what i would regret more - not having gone out or missing out on some quiet time at home? try it out, let me know if it works for you.

most of my comics involve basically two characters talking about something, and it's the backdrop i try to spice up, to keep you interested. this week's backdrop is perhaps one of the happiest places on earth. ;)

- johnny
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