My immediate impulse, also. Many of these are castoffs from the plant shop across the hall, so there’s a certain walking wounded element.

Oh man in the actual spreadsheet?? I’m so glad you took me up on the offer of making it available to snoop!

Lucy plastered to the drawing board looking like a deflated muppet.

t h r e e

Never received a higher compliment in my life

I also have it on good authority that we’ll be at Ogie’s in Providence tonight at 6pm, if you’re someone who prefers a novelty trailer park-themed restaurant to a map store. (Weird, but okay. It takes all sorts to make a world.)

Lucy grinning from a drafting board with a few inked pages in front of her.

The charmingly chaotic interior of The Map Center, with shelves of books, globes, and a green neon sign that says “maps.”

More bookshelves inside The Map Center.

Andrew, the proprietor of The Map Center, talking to a couple customers about cartography.

Spending the next week as the cartoonist-in-residence at The Map Center in Pawtucket, RI! Wanna come see me inking pages in person AND get your ear talked off about cartography by @mapcenter.com? It’s pretty magical in here.

An inked page of comics showing a tall ship traveling through a rocky strait.

FOUR PAGES TO GO, all of them wretched and daunting for different reasons. Learn from my mistakes, children. Draw the worst bits first.

An abundant bower of pink jasmine.

Right up there with pink jasmine for me 💛

I made myself a vessel. I know its shape. But not the clay. Life danced me. I know the dances. But I don't know who the dancer is.

Oh NO. (Also me worrying about the 90° wave that’s sweeping in to crisp up all the fresh wildflowers. Freak weather comes for us all.)

A veritable bouquet!

thank you and I will add [scent of fresh lime blossom]

An animals paws close a book.

LIVE FROM LAX: down to six pages! Four of those are at least a quarter done. Better not be any turbulence on this flight.

25 medieval manuscripts you can look at online right now They're all digital, baby!

Recommendations of 25 medieval manuscripts to explore online. “Almost every institution with a significant collection of medieval manuscripts digitizes many of their most significant works and makes them freely accessible online.” [weirdmedievalguys.substack.com]

Gosh this is lovely. The TEXTURE! Those COLORS! Sterling work.

The neon leaves and single, star-like white bloom of an orange tree.

I wish all [internet friends] a very [scent of fresh orange blossom]

Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe YouTube video by Barry White - Topic

It’s Friday. We’re doing the dishes. We’re listening to Barry White. We’re eight pages away from finishing a 252-page graphic novel. We’re flying to Rhode Island this afternoon for really normal reasons. Deep breath. youtu.be/fPMoLEjM_K4?...

Following up on the “share actual numbers” energy from earlier this week: SCRATCH IS BACK! An invaluable, vulnerable, vital, HUMAN resource. I loved this conversation about the dance between Actual Numbers and how we feel most like ourselves in a precarious creative market.

(No lie though I was just looking at the photos I took of your originals for motivation.)

a teddy bear is singing into a microphone while wearing a tie . ALT: a teddy bear is singing into a microphone while wearing a tie .

No, that’s @matthewbogart.bsky.social‘s book.

A badger and a chinchilla losing control of a wayward line during a moment of intense nautical excitement.

EIGHT. Did you know I just crested 653 hours of active drawing time on this book? Data is my friend.

An inked page showing a topsail schooner bouncing to a halt in a choppy sea.

Nine left. Mad momentum has given way to bedraggled determination. Still: we ink.

Thank you, friend. That means the world coming from you 💛

"What does it mean to cry in the ocean? Oh, well, you know, to add something where nothing’s needed, or where so much is needed that it’s no use even trying, so you just sit down and cry." From Always Coming Home by @ursulakleguin.com, which I wrote about more here: lucybellwood.com/the-infinite...

"The City mind thinks that sense has been made if a writing is read, if a message is transmitted, but we don’t think that way. In any case, to learn a great deal about those people would be to cry in the ocean; whereas using their bricks in one of our buildings is satisfying to the mind." [1/2]

I was really startled to get one of these comments recently from someone who claimed my art was so detailed it was OBVIOUSLY fake, which made me wonder what aesthetic anti-AI trends we’re going to see in illustration in the years to come. What signals “Not AI” to an average viewer?

Never a better example of why Melville begs to be read aloud.

Damn, these are lovely! The first fiery-colored vases and the sea green-y cappuccino cups are particularly great.

Beyond the reach of man and Boat Cop alike.

Not my usual style but like: come on.