Obsessing Over the Mini-Thesis Project

I have been "Obsessing Over the Mini-Thesis Project." With good reason. It's due April 29th and I'm wondering if I have... again... bitten off more than I can chew. I had to knock off work on it for a few days while I went home to be "Mom" - but I was constantly thinking (obsessing) about it.

Since last Thursday, I managed to get a TON of other things (because work) accomplished...
I went to my daughter's Spring Concert - where we won the giant chocolate filled raffle basket - and managed to give away most of the contents before leaving the building.

We still ate more than we should have - and sugar turns us both into "basket cases" - ha ha.

I also cracked my windshield, went out to dinner with the fireman (sushi!!) and with my friend Debbee - who has a new book out - and I own the very first "signed" copy. I went to my first Swing Dance with the Fireman and had a WONDERFUL time (despite the fact I don't know how to dance), and Lilah and I went to the Halfway to GraniteCon Comic Book Show on Sunday.

We were getting ideas for the KidsCon show she and I are exhibiting at this summer.

And we bought lots of Lego minifigs from Antmonster! (ooooooooh!)

I have a big push-pull with the Kid that can drive me insane at times. I understand that she misses me and only gets me for a small amount of time every week... but she doesn't want to share and that can hurt both of us.

She's been following my work for the Non-fiction comic school assignment where I did the comic journaling about my weeks - and my learning about self-care. I represent myself/self-care as a big heart character and I was surprised to learn that Lilah not only understood the concept better than my classmates did, but also took the idea for herself. She had drawn her own comic, with her own self-heart. I promised not to explain it and I'll only post a small version of it here. The point being that she is working through her own life issues by using comics. Very cool.

I've always thought my kids were cartoon characters...

OK. Back to work --- the mini-thesis. I actually need to get back to drawing tonight, but I wanted to show you what I have been working on. I'll try to sum up the steps in the process...

I had originally planned the story as a children's book, with 32 pages, and just red and green colors. I created tiny thumbnail sketches of the pages and the page layout with the text...

General feedback was that it was two confusing. So I redid the thumbnails (pencil sketches)...

...then... again...

and... again...

Then I drew the pages/panels onto illustration board with blue pencil...

Here's a blown up thumbnail/sketch version of a page...

and a partially "inked" page...

And finally, here is a finished page...

I use a black ballpoint pen to ink these and it takes quite a while!

I still need to scan the drawings, remove the blue lines, clean up the pics, add color, then layout the pages and text, print the books, print covers, assemble... by April 29th!

Well... I also need to draw about 20 more pages too!

Back to work!!!