More Family Stuff

This was a bit inspired by the "what do you want to freak out about next" strip (July 15, 2008, so actually not in Foob's Paradise continuity, as things diverged at the start of July)

Back in Milborough

Springtime for Foobville VII

I've been having some trouble with gradients in my photos of the pictures. Then I zap some of it if I have time, but it leaves more "fussy" parts a little grey

... and the closest thing I'll get to an "Easter" strip:

Springtime for Foobville V

We're Ba-aack...

So the sketchbook took a holiday, and got a couple of gifts. As in non-photo blue pencils and a thin liner pen. There were some experiments, one of which came out OK:
So this would be included as part of 25 December 2009. I should start Boxing Day tomorrow or Monday (yes, Liz' "people to meet" will be interesting, but not as drawn-out as the Christmas Eve arc).

I may or may not be able to do penwork regularly. One of the non-photo blues is waxy and hard to work with, so I effectively have to draw with the pen. The other draws more like a regular pencil, but isn't quite as non-photo in the results. Plus my liners are frustratingly unreliable - the lines feather - some of that stuff up there was overdrawn with a second pass of the pen, and the couch's outline is of unreliable thickness. In all, it's like drawing twice over... so there may be plenty of pencil-only episodes. But dang, the B&W contrast in the photo comes out nicely.

24 Dec 2009: Not that I've forgotten about Wilf & Jim...

All this stuff has been going on over a period of a couple of hours - the Sobinskis were there while the turkey was being prepped, so at least a few hours before dinner. Much coffee should be being drunk, many cookies being eaten (and let's not forget the zucchini bread!), as well as cards being played. Along with Merrie and Robin playing or reading/ being read to. But because those things don't advance the "deal with the Christmas From Heck" story, they only get to be implied or happen in the background. So I put Merrie and Robin in the foreground to show some of what they're up to.

And I finally blocked out how the events which must still happen will make it into strips ... I think I actually will get through this comic-strip day before 24 Dec 2008 rolls around :-)

24 Dec 2009: Gather Them In (II)

... and given that it's about to be Turkey Day south of the 49th, it's doubtful that I will get anything else up this week.

24 Dec 2009: Wednesday post!

For some reason, I haven't usually had a drawing ready on Wednesday. But this week I do. It's also a relief from yesterday's wall-of-text event. I am having trouble getting the right proportions for Merrie sitting with Wilf.About that bit at the end....

St. Jude is the patron of the absolutely hopeless and impossible causes. To an almost-outsider, that's just how much this family looks like it needs help. Of course, since I have to explain the joke, well, there goes the funny.

I know that while nothing was established in-strip (the only thing I hold to), there's been speculation that the Sobinskis, with the Polish background, are Catholic (well, Deanna wouldn't be, or wouldn't be practicing, given what's shown in-strip). I think I'm going to go with that: they either are or were (exact degree of involvement not being important for the story). And therefore, given her behaviour surrounding the Mike & Dee wedding, Mira can sometimes be the kind of Catholic who gives Catholics a bad name.

24 Dec 2009: Wall-of-Text Alert

Tough. I don't know how to soundbite talking with a seven-year-old about something like this. Merrie's outburst wasn't pure brattiness - it was based in perfectly reasonable fears, even though she was quite rude. (Elly didn't touch Merrie and Robin, but I deliberately drew her as making clawing/ grasping/ grabby motions.) Aunt April certainly calmed the kids down from the immediate scare the day before; the adults have been dealing with Elly's breakdown and making plans - but seriously, would you expect this bunch to have found the time to calmly explain everything to the kids? Just because they were enjoying pancakes doesn't mean that Everything Is Fine Now.

(It should be obvious from FOOB past why Wilf Sobinski is a suitable character to try to reason with Merrie.)

Oh, and the characters' relative sizes are probably wildly off, but I liked the expressions too much to try any significant redrawing.

24 Dec 2009: Gather Them In (I)

After the arrival of Deanna's parents, another wave descends upon the Patterson the Younger's estate.
I flipped through my Calvin&Hobbes books for some inspiration for Meredith's expressions (especially the last 2).

Oct 28: (afternoon of Dec 23)

Not much to say here. I really don't have much time for backgrounds, so they're often barely suggested. The dialogue and previous strip puts this at Mike & Dee's.

Mike's reaction continues in a strip I'll get up tomorrow or Thursday. I *did* mention I'm having waaay too much fun drawing this, right? :-)

Oct 24: Meanwhile...

OK, so Meredith is doing a Janus impersonation in the last pseudo-panel, but I wanted to catch the moment when April swooped in. I think it works.

UPDATE: Okay, I'm going to try allowing comments, seeing as how even (especially?) when I'm crazy busy, I'm at the computer anyhow, and so should be able to deal with anything getting out of hand. Comments on posts older than 5 days will go to moderation.

Oct 8: Isn't Family Togetherness Fun?

First, a brief interlude...



... then it's time for immediate family