tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73641903697089451872024-03-05T01:01:42.110-08:00The Choiburger SketchbookNoah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-45396272334143821842011-02-27T14:25:00.000-08:002011-02-27T14:55:58.212-08:00Gimme the Simple Life<div>Sometimes, I feel like I get a drawing together with just enough lines to make it work. Here is one of those:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dNvyvH7szBtaW82g_ceDIvvHC3AOcHjQ2ZWOPFiTPEiDi-AmiGOfOl-c2_aslfU8gRLrOtSydkYD7CxpVCroSrxhyphenhyphenK4m_N1YGwMwiyHerQ3SsjQ_0VMnY9oht3YO4ahAXw3ASMBghcex/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_Snowface.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dNvyvH7szBtaW82g_ceDIvvHC3AOcHjQ2ZWOPFiTPEiDi-AmiGOfOl-c2_aslfU8gRLrOtSydkYD7CxpVCroSrxhyphenhyphenK4m_N1YGwMwiyHerQ3SsjQ_0VMnY9oht3YO4ahAXw3ASMBghcex/s400/Skchfix_20100118_Snowface.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578499173528668130" /></a><br /><div>This woman was sleeping somewhat uneasily on the subway. Maybe she realized I was drawing her? Maybe her stay-puff marshmallow coat was starting to stick to her in the overheated subway car (I'm least happy with the way her jacket came out)? I suppose I will never know. The light brush of consternation across her face remains a mystery.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever someone catches me sketching him/her on the subway, it makes it difficult for me to continue. She gets self-conscious, I get self-conscious, and a queasy vibe of feigned nonchalance clouds the air between us: she knows I didn't want her to know I was sketching her, I know she doesn't want me to know that she knows, soon she knows that I know she doesn't want me to know she knows, and we slide down, down, inexorably down, into a fidgety spiral of tired sighs and awkward glances. I rush off the subway car one stop early just to escape the humiliation, and wallow in despair for pretty much the rest of the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's why I appreciate these simple drawings. By capturing someone quickly (and sometimes elegantly - at least I'd like to think so), I've dodged this dreadful bullet. I can leave the subway car at the right stop, and continue on my way without brooding over my embarrassment and the crushing disappointment at the resulting, inevitably terrible drawing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Excuse me now while I go mope for an hour.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up: CAT COMICS! JOY!!!</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-18508457602703861172011-02-20T09:45:00.000-08:002011-02-21T20:51:29.426-08:00Highway to Meow<div style="text-align: left;">Hello everyone! After a week of darkness, I have returned with a brand new post, IN COLOR. Cats are up to their shenanigans once more, in this new installment of 3-panel strips. These are actually dedicated to my brother, whose love for a certain band inspired the third strip.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09aColVEOKHBnjrasiisy1otxfooqNvmoV4NorDrryeZWfPXf3pUMUW4YY8Js4Ok3u98dptBDxwXMHaBl9dc2gfWCcc92RQduOq5B1Zvew61M9g7c2z6529bdCvtZjE7utD7zDCT_tI1v/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_HighwaytoMeow_color2.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09aColVEOKHBnjrasiisy1otxfooqNvmoV4NorDrryeZWfPXf3pUMUW4YY8Js4Ok3u98dptBDxwXMHaBl9dc2gfWCcc92RQduOq5B1Zvew61M9g7c2z6529bdCvtZjE7utD7zDCT_tI1v/s400/Skchfix_20100118_HighwaytoMeow_color2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575829879187935266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Can cats play guitar? Experience has taught me the answer is yes.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the help of my brother, I was recently able to get my hands back on the electric guitar I had when I was 14 (it was stashed at my parents' house in the suburbs, and he valiantly drove it and my oversized amp into Manhattan). However, for the past few days I've come home to hear a distinct electric hum fading out just as I open the door. When I pick up my guitar, it is tuned a few steps higher than usual, and I've even noticed some strange callouses on the tips of my cats' little forepaws. I also found the following lyrics crudely scrawled onto a piece of paper stuffed behind their litter box. Could it be they are practicing for their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsDpznl8eIs">rock debut?</a> Hopefully I can catch them in the act before they post something on YouTube account without my knowledge. Here is the song they wrote:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>HIGHWAY TO MEOW</div><div>Lyrics by Solomon & Robin Choi</div><div><br /></div><div>Shedding easy, shedding free</div><div>Season changes and I blow my hide</div><div>Tail is studding, urging me</div><div>To hump furniture in my prime</div><div>Don't need bathin', waste of time</div><div>Tell you something I would rather do:</div><div>Groom around, when I'm so inclined,</div><div>My cat-balls and my toe jam too</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm on a Highway to Meow</div><div>Highway to Meow</div><div>I'm on a Highway to Meow</div><div>Highway to Meow</div><div><br /></div><div>All nap time, no limits</div><div>I get drowsy when I'm on the ground</div><div>Bare my fore-claw - you can't clip it</div><div>Nobody's gonna trim me down!</div><div>Hackin' hairballs in your shoes</div><div>Squish around between your toes</div><div>Hey Mama! Please feed me!</div><div>Wet food 'till my big pooch grows</div><div><br /></div><div><div>I'm on a Highway to Meow</div><div>Highway to Meow</div><div>I'm on a Highway to Meow</div><div>Highway (guitar slide)</div></div><div>I'm on a Highway to Meow (Highway to Meow)</div><div>I'm on a highway to Meo-ow! (Highway to Meow)</div><div>I'm on a highway to Meo-o-ow! (Highway to Meow)</div><div>I'm on a highway to Meow (Highway to Meow)</div><div><br /></div><div>And I'm goin' meow</div><div>Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the way </div><div>(guitar: meow-meow meow-meow meow-meow meow-meow meow)</div><div>On a Highway to Meow</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-6964854588552929842011-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:002011-02-10T20:17:22.057-08:00Buildering<div style="text-align: left;">Hello dear readers. This week has been a bit on the insane side for me. Running, jumping, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buildering">buildering.</a> You know, the usual. As a result, my post for today will be uncomplicated, a sort of foil to my life at the moment.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTngRL3WFPrYPNs7N0JC6hgfYtD5G47eUw8lrU9Y9KN-O0MIT3XKbLtQ5W6h7tDCbBYxJDgtpC-yBb5xHfJX8EzEJbhD0lVEp5eDPzQF1piLsVWXMFAzQl6yadl3w4tEwI0FSs8MHq5EUN/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_Scarflady.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTngRL3WFPrYPNs7N0JC6hgfYtD5G47eUw8lrU9Y9KN-O0MIT3XKbLtQ5W6h7tDCbBYxJDgtpC-yBb5xHfJX8EzEJbhD0lVEp5eDPzQF1piLsVWXMFAzQl6yadl3w4tEwI0FSs8MHq5EUN/s400/Skchfix_20100118_Scarflady.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572267576917029762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>I've been making a moderately successful effort to sketch more than people's faces these days. Though, ironically, the drawings I will likely post next week are very face-centric! Still, I liked the way this one came out, and wanted to share it with you all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully viewing this simple drawing will have a calming effect on you, the way completing it had a calming effect on me. I feel so refreshed, so relaxed...I could just...fall asleep...right here...right at the location I'm posting from, on top of the needle of Empire State Building. Hey, I can see your house from here! All of your houses! </div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-72699242658346767952011-02-06T12:16:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:35:16.736-08:00A Simple Comic for Complex Times<div>We are living in complex times. Political upheaval, economic woes, globalization, energy crises, global warming, news media's dependence on Twitter - these are all multifaceted issues, and opinions vary about how best to address them. Personally, I think they can all be solved by casting them in simpler terms, much in the way my cats and I have solved the complex problem of inter-species communication:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v4V9fsNDlBLRTo7lx_3oWUWD_R4DQ7a8LoC10QxGnDSFDLyo5JwpGRvSuQ1Ds3H734Z6hFLB0JuHn8zmku6sHfVBzZihs5w1oghv1GCD6saRf1cR9MAAtOF9lf1BXPhOm-mSctrmz4J7/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_Owie.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v4V9fsNDlBLRTo7lx_3oWUWD_R4DQ7a8LoC10QxGnDSFDLyo5JwpGRvSuQ1Ds3H734Z6hFLB0JuHn8zmku6sHfVBzZihs5w1oghv1GCD6saRf1cR9MAAtOF9lf1BXPhOm-mSctrmz4J7/s400/Skchfix_20100118_Owie.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570673117980137698" /></a>If Republicans and Democrats, Israelis and Palestinians, Vegans and Barbeque Enthusiasts all sat down at a big table and broke their disagreements down into "Owie" and "Not Owie", they would resolve their differences in no time. I've already petitioned the government to adopt this new strategy, and I encourage you all, dear readers, to do so as well. When we're given the first collective Nobel Peace Prize in history for bringing about the end of all conflict everywhere, all I ask for is a "thank you" and free pizza, forever.Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-8000063966974116372011-01-30T20:06:00.000-08:002011-01-31T21:25:11.907-08:00The Spy Who Taxed Me<div>About two weeks ago, I experienced what many psychologists call a "Jason Bourne moment": I was tailed by a secret agent on the subway. She was wearing dark glasses, as secret agents are prone to do, and her hair looked somewhat wig-like - part of some masterful disguise, no doubt. Were it not for my uncanny perceptiveness and constant paranoia, I might not ever have noticed her. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC_pVmo_9MWeQlagcEKYXVzP1KBVwmi1wzOn6_JHmJDiqavBdkn3O57hBUhGIqnowI4US9v1TdRH6pm2tjI3658JQ8z1SVJANJ7AE0bdz70q-EA50U4BrDtrPzEyUGdsEn1Z4tmxoO8de/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_Taxes.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC_pVmo_9MWeQlagcEKYXVzP1KBVwmi1wzOn6_JHmJDiqavBdkn3O57hBUhGIqnowI4US9v1TdRH6pm2tjI3658JQ8z1SVJANJ7AE0bdz70q-EA50U4BrDtrPzEyUGdsEn1Z4tmxoO8de/s400/Skchfix_20100118_Taxes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568197003639370178" /></a>See what I'm talking about? She was a spy, no question about it. But was what could she have been after? She was sitting in front of a poster which demanded, in the strictest of terms, that I DO MY TAXES (online, for free). Was this position strategic? Some kind of cryptic message, possibly even a direct warning? Was she CIA, FBI, KGB? Was she an agent of some shadow accounting firm, trying to threaten me away from free, online competitors? Maybe a plainclothes, for the IRS? Do they do that?<div><br /></div><div>I've never been late on my taxes. Her intimidation meant nothing to me. And as my stop approached, I made my move. </div><div><br /></div><div>We battled it out in a flurry of Jujitsu and Krav Maga, chopping and kicking in what I can only describe to you now, dear readers, as a Samba of Death. But when the doors opened on 42nd and 8th avenue, our lightning exchange ended in a draw (she was transferring for the Port Authority). Ultimately, I was unable to determine what her dastardly espionage was trying to uncover. </div><div><br /></div><div>Be warned, my friends: despite my best efforts to subdue her, this woman is still out there, her cold reflective lenses obscuring the soulless pools of deceit that surely lie behind them. If you see her, turn the other way, go home, and make sure you do your taxes.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-7867637247460444992011-01-27T17:04:00.002-08:002011-01-27T17:23:20.889-08:00Cats...in COLOR<div style="text-align: left;">Do I have a treat for you all today! Not only have a posted multiple three-panel comics here, but I've posted TWO VERSIONS - one in black and white, and one...in color. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's right, dear readers, like Dorothy touching down in the magical land of Oz, I have entered a new era of entertainment. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>Version 1</u></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExMb-y6MIikRFyizC2DvLD592GdeNrjFBaBjypJ8jqxb28mo7jmEGAlYyzqib4IY4I5nX2HiH7KVZtw5kOoaq8a42sfSW5O_zA6AOdhZ0ERFi83q0X_qlRguCUqOZKlK3Qn6DGjf5Mq4Y/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_3in1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExMb-y6MIikRFyizC2DvLD592GdeNrjFBaBjypJ8jqxb28mo7jmEGAlYyzqib4IY4I5nX2HiH7KVZtw5kOoaq8a42sfSW5O_zA6AOdhZ0ERFi83q0X_qlRguCUqOZKlK3Qn6DGjf5Mq4Y/s400/Skchfix_20100118_3in1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567036620482653330" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u>Version 2</u></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iOWafWfeRR2Tl0I7mLebMRMs_505Tk9NmSegIJ767kWJPG0oGMB2WN4zHPc5N3kZCFk84-Bu9uBE6Y7lIMC-IAp6h3_7uMgHufv2xdwN5tlmAZ-uPK9sxRXFDM9NnUjcrISX1uCRSV2L/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_3in1_color.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iOWafWfeRR2Tl0I7mLebMRMs_505Tk9NmSegIJ767kWJPG0oGMB2WN4zHPc5N3kZCFk84-Bu9uBE6Y7lIMC-IAp6h3_7uMgHufv2xdwN5tlmAZ-uPK9sxRXFDM9NnUjcrISX1uCRSV2L/s400/Skchfix_20100118_3in1_color.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567037254487077538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'll be honest - I can't quite decide which version I like better. The first version has a certain charm and simplicity, but the second version has a bit more verve. As a purist, there's a part of me that's drawn to the stark black and white, but who can resist some colorful eye-candy? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you're willing, please give me your thoughts in the comments - I would love to hear what you think.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div>One final note - about two weeks ago, I posted a comic about the lengths my cats would go to, to get their paws on some popcorn. Some of you have kindly pointed out that the second page of the comic would not load, and you were left with a terrible cliffhanger - how would it all end??? Fear not! I have fixed the technical issue. <a href="http://choiburgersketch.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-pages-of-cat-badness.html">Click on this to access the post anew.</a></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-1162558272265076222011-01-19T21:24:00.001-08:002011-01-23T17:28:34.076-08:00Short Cat Shenanigans<div style="text-align: left;">I've made a bunch of these three-panel comics over the past few days, but so as not to run out of material too quickly, I will be posting them piecemeal, rather than all at once. Here's the first one.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwuJZweOHjnqp-JbtNPDmRqSFUuq2YFwcD7PvHk85Kl-jrBajsoNatbHLwJES8JR8mJjXk6QzYquDACKi114Ul3NIMiQfOjGdAFE2uSXIocA73FTLQoFn78vXn7BIM-StuZvQfX73o6pm/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_Cats%2526Coffee.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwuJZweOHjnqp-JbtNPDmRqSFUuq2YFwcD7PvHk85Kl-jrBajsoNatbHLwJES8JR8mJjXk6QzYquDACKi114Ul3NIMiQfOjGdAFE2uSXIocA73FTLQoFn78vXn7BIM-StuZvQfX73o6pm/s400/Skchfix_20100118_Cats%2526Coffee.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564134906699145986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Disclaimer: I have never given coffee to either of my cats, nor would I ever allow them to enter into a position where they might even try some. It would be terrible for them!</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, for two cats that are already very active - rolling, romping, leaping, pawing, and clawing for hours at a stretch - even the smallest amount of any mild stimulant would lead to total chaos in my apartment. I would leave work in the morning, suspecting nothing, and return to overturned bookshelves, shredded kibble bags, a raided refrigerator, and hundreds of dollars' worth of catnip charged to my credit card. Terrible in real life...but great in comics! </div><div><br /></div><div>More cat shenanigans to follow, later this week!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-86770054470259808552011-01-19T19:54:00.000-08:002011-01-19T21:10:04.443-08:00The Ballad of the DMV<div>Lately, I haven't been posting portraits. This is partly due to a resolution I made to complete more comics, which means I spend more time drawing cartoony-looking people than real ones. I've also been riding my bike to work whenever it's not raining or snowing, and so my time on the subway has been much more limited. However, one trip to the DMV was all it took to get this drawing together:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXBJK4Ry3gPAsnskj-mzyLahyphenhyphenToYNPSc1qaC5GUFkvEt-_YknKEpdR_2N9ZE5JeQaJdaSRUnJ4e7LZzr3HogmBmuSEKFsMNazBmTWa97p8Mz-swJh_J1Bm2EnTaZ2YPBOnyu2mNnBmJ9i/s1600/Skchfix_20100118_ClassicalFace.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXBJK4Ry3gPAsnskj-mzyLahyphenhyphenToYNPSc1qaC5GUFkvEt-_YknKEpdR_2N9ZE5JeQaJdaSRUnJ4e7LZzr3HogmBmuSEKFsMNazBmTWa97p8Mz-swJh_J1Bm2EnTaZ2YPBOnyu2mNnBmJ9i/s400/Skchfix_20100118_ClassicalFace.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564112098400262850" /></a>The face for the portrait above began at the DMV in midtown Manhattan, while I was waiting for my number to be called. The DMV is a black hole from which time does not escape. The warping and sudden disappearance of whole hours within a DMV office cannot be explained by relativity or string theory. It is outside the boundaries of science, outside the entire space-time continuum. Wars could be won using the DMV's devastating "queueing" technology - don't fire rockets at your enemies, just open a DMV office in their territory. They'll enter, take their place in line, and slowly die of starvation. I barely escaped with my life. <div><br /></div><div>The poor man I was sketching must have been at the DMV for days. His hollow eyes were drained of all hope, and his jaw, at one time probably taught with resolve, hung slack in despair. You would think that someone so dejected wouldn't move around as much as he did, but annoyingly he kept shifting his head. Couldn't he at least have had the decency to accept defeat and stay still? But nothing is ever easy. The final drawing reflects my efforts to reconcile all the different perspectives, without Cubism. </div><div><br /></div><div>I tried to mold this man's features into a peaceful expression, for even if redemption does not await him at the teller window, at least he can attain it though the power of ART. </div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-85441737029468263992011-01-17T13:06:00.000-08:002011-01-27T17:18:32.722-08:00Two Pages of Cat Badness<div style="text-align: left;">A quick story about cats, and one of their loves I only recently discovered: popcorn. Apparently, they will do just about anything to get it, including climbing bookshelves and knocking over popcorn tins. But don't worry! No actual shelves, tins, or cats were harmed in the making of this story. I put this together on the fly in my sketchbook, without any penciling or planning, but hopefully the story still comes across and is enjoyable:</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid08ORvxYr5gKhHV5a7Y7R55G4CjRnA2VWIHuoSwbLhmFw-rIgbAq6hoc-f9ekUm5e4d1JFRFsfrpFynlj5Guuyk8MHYmYs7UzLOQqsnwfoFvGdsAtV3BIxjLwvgzknDH2tZgO_wSnDKI/s1600/Skchfix_20110103_PopcornCats1of2.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid08ORvxYr5gKhHV5a7Y7R55G4CjRnA2VWIHuoSwbLhmFw-rIgbAq6hoc-f9ekUm5e4d1JFRFsfrpFynlj5Guuyk8MHYmYs7UzLOQqsnwfoFvGdsAtV3BIxjLwvgzknDH2tZgO_wSnDKI/s400/Skchfix_20110103_PopcornCats1of2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563330420081167074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBc0ZkzE7KobR5lB2bMpM0GEbYHY887rxc84mdUg-TA5_EO3kBCmpC6MFxIhsANzpRAW6lMUtQ1dEjh6skbEyoWW_9m69i9WNjFdDnIIKpIV5eybUEgfyixfQ4Ror1HlzBEmH0lhtnfEr/s1600/Skchfix_20110103_PopcornCats2of2.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBc0ZkzE7KobR5lB2bMpM0GEbYHY887rxc84mdUg-TA5_EO3kBCmpC6MFxIhsANzpRAW6lMUtQ1dEjh6skbEyoWW_9m69i9WNjFdDnIIKpIV5eybUEgfyixfQ4Ror1HlzBEmH0lhtnfEr/s400/Skchfix_20110103_PopcornCats2of2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567039854278898674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div></span><div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know what was going on with that circular panel on the first page, where our heroes suddenly transform into strange, non-cat organisms. I think after drawing the vertical panel of the popcorn in all its magnificence, I had a kind of meltdown, and then couldn't deal with drawing the next few panels. Fortunately the layout came back together again after that.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div>Things have been a bit busy for me lately, so I must apologize for my updates not being as frequent. However, I spent the long weekend working up some new subway portraits and comics, so get ready for more updates this week!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-18897374383991239532011-01-09T18:01:00.001-08:002011-01-09T18:46:18.950-08:00Ping Pong Skillzzz<div style="text-align: left;">One of the greatest things that happened to me in 2010 was the entry of ping-pong into my life. Since my place of business acquired a ping-pong table this past spring, hardly a day has gone by that I do not play for at least 15 minutes. As my ponging experience has gradually advanced, so too has my knowledge of the vast array of ping pong strokes that can be executed during a game. I've set some of these out in the diagram below. Those of you who play will likely recognize them, and those of you who don't are in for a glorious education:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3lKKi6EJF52d8T0RZteeiwToz2fM9SafE2AjDBDlOnYOMYqd5y9543CqgIOuthat51IUYnOXUzJveO5B24bCL0sM2bbQ0jBfoUVdNvnSqBz9XQzS-xJ7yKzk76DSLGxbrdwTD2Ns3_gO/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_PongStrokes.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3lKKi6EJF52d8T0RZteeiwToz2fM9SafE2AjDBDlOnYOMYqd5y9543CqgIOuthat51IUYnOXUzJveO5B24bCL0sM2bbQ0jBfoUVdNvnSqBz9XQzS-xJ7yKzk76DSLGxbrdwTD2Ns3_gO/s400/Skchfix_20101220_PongStrokes.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560380632892624834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAt8q_XSvb3hgiEvUiSTpdY6wEOGILskYRisRaJEYUdZnYzik4E6J3mBm9NgT5dfw_2ZLt137Ub3ln0-0JBm_YUmsuZM0o1_DwmTzquqWoPe_nlIhK6u3Bu2-ASZ1vrnlk323Rko_aOUA/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_PongStrokes.png"><br /></a></div>Mastering the backhand Quarterback Sneak has been particularly difficult for me as I have trouble dislocating my thumb at the appropriate moment. Just gotta keep working on my timing!<div><br /></div><div>People say the best games are easy to learn and difficult to master. If that is the case, ping-pong is one of the best games even invented. It is ridiculous, exhilarating, maddening, and hypnotic, sometimes in the span of a single shot. It is insanely addicting. It has just enough of an element of chance built in to be consistently unpredictable. In short, to borrow an expression from my sister, "It's the illest."</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-58050364085606730842011-01-03T19:14:00.000-08:002011-01-03T19:50:51.372-08:00Fake It 'Till You Bake It<div>One of my and my wife's favorite yearly traditions is the Christmas-to-New-Year's break. For the past few years, we have both been fortunate enough to have the week between Christmas and New Year's off, and it is during this time that we are at our most adventurous. We watch a dangerous amount of movies , sleep precariously past noon, and read comics and other books to perilous excess. Swept up in this heady whirlwind, I often believe myself capable of extraordinary, impossible feats, like baking.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7XPM6J1-AnOfbYt-ADppvt8hGYcT507P1QDIwVSy4eH7yF37Rjo6pc82wVSd9yikniuBTw16wN9-XqoUojCOZw-nVts_Y4R4bL-GtMF8GcbvJjyloAa3lRAhFbRw3-eiN97TYnoKYato/s1600/Skchfix_20110103_HusbandsBakeFull.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7XPM6J1-AnOfbYt-ADppvt8hGYcT507P1QDIwVSy4eH7yF37Rjo6pc82wVSd9yikniuBTw16wN9-XqoUojCOZw-nVts_Y4R4bL-GtMF8GcbvJjyloAa3lRAhFbRw3-eiN97TYnoKYato/s400/Skchfix_20110103_HusbandsBakeFull.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558165344275520306" /></a><div>This unfortunate story is all too true. I've vowed that in the New Year, I will learn how to make this bread pudding recipe without poisoning anyone. It's a delicious recipe when it comes out right (i.e. when my wife makes it), and contrary to what my bungling suggests it is really not all that difficult. My wife and I got it out of a Nigella Lawson cookbook, and I've included here a video showing how Nigella herself puts it together. I guarantee that if you use fresh cream, you will not only avoid much unpleasantness, but will also eat the whole thing in one sitting. Enjoy!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KQejeG2yUJQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-84612702678232276752010-12-27T16:11:00.000-08:002010-12-27T16:42:01.078-08:00The Mustachioed Man<div>This drawing has nothing to do with the holiday season, but I suppose if this man had a beard as bushy as his mustache, he would somewhat resemble Santa Claus:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-0wSlWLULwR9g1LQZlwBY49Yw7TWGmulcwSpB3TFAvoimYxRuNlQWQLS2BXnx6pXiY3DStGfjOq1COcPZzvrNYiE6NP4XFEYgORylRyyAcbWHEoxKHZo77TD7-zUiugWQ7I5R5OkVNIt/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_WalrusFace.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-0wSlWLULwR9g1LQZlwBY49Yw7TWGmulcwSpB3TFAvoimYxRuNlQWQLS2BXnx6pXiY3DStGfjOq1COcPZzvrNYiE6NP4XFEYgORylRyyAcbWHEoxKHZo77TD7-zUiugWQ7I5R5OkVNIt/s400/Skchfix_20101220_WalrusFace.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555519429770830242" /></a><br /><div>Though I am prone to exaggeration, the man on which this drawing is based (I saw him on the subway) really did have a mustache as large as is depicted here. In fact, I may have even toned it down to more clearly define the overall shape of his face. This man also had intricate jowl-folds and forehead creases - great for sketching, though I was somewhat awed by the complexity of his facial landscape. Looking at this drawing now, I'm not sure I was truly able to do it justice.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also experimented a bit with ink washes in this drawing, hence the gray tones. Some of it was successful, though in hindsight, I wish I had scanned unwashed version of this drawing as well, for comparison.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not sure what I'm going to post next, but a new comic about married life in the Choi household will be coming soon - you heard it here first! Not that you would have heard it anywhere else, but first is still first. </div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-72013972419535561682010-12-23T18:27:00.000-08:002010-12-23T20:01:45.556-08:00Comics about comics on the night before the night before Christmas<div>Hello everyone. This is a comic about married life. It is also, in some sense, a comic about making a comic, but before you cringe I assure you that it is not about the "Artist's Struggle," unless this refers to the Artist's struggle to get his wife to watch a movie with him:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByZSE-TkCv0-DwlI_M0L6x8QShBAxlDOm9L1vJBRi5OUPJfUrV75BePCioKZS-72xkiv9ndq3vR62FSRxFvUGSIiGMVC2cOpIe4buctdUo8arRlvrQ8fbvYujFy2QipWjflAI6QyXymup/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_JustaMinute.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByZSE-TkCv0-DwlI_M0L6x8QShBAxlDOm9L1vJBRi5OUPJfUrV75BePCioKZS-72xkiv9ndq3vR62FSRxFvUGSIiGMVC2cOpIe4buctdUo8arRlvrQ8fbvYujFy2QipWjflAI6QyXymup/s400/Skchfix_20101220_JustaMinute.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554070080328350050" /></a><div>I shouldn't judge though - if anything, I'm worse than my wife when it comes to books. My wife and I both react to books as if they were black holes. Get too close to one (especially one we've already read), and we're drawn inexorably into their pull, never to be released. It doesn't matter what we had planned, we MUST finish that chapter or paragraph or 200-page section, we HAVE to reach that crucial plot point, resolve that suspenseful bit of foreshadowing. It's like a bad addiction. Hooked on phonics, if you will.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's the night before the night before Christmas, folks. I hope you got all your shopping in :)</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-57725804194464574862010-12-21T19:12:00.000-08:002010-12-21T19:28:41.833-08:00Hey Beard-o!<div style="text-align: left;">Hi everyone. My name is Noah ("Hi Noah"). I started growing a beard about a month ago. As most of you in this support group have probably experienced, once you have a beard it starts to change things.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02aLtwpboJSlV7NzQeThjiDiMjKLvSQaVfx4cB5muzftt-WcCOScrIir8xHZfH_kadJbYzvZWfAcqjVqqYdUkFnTKykddc40Avs-7IXmqRkzs2Eni9KRiUGLZmI01vWTeOjykeyAs3r7w/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_Beards.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02aLtwpboJSlV7NzQeThjiDiMjKLvSQaVfx4cB5muzftt-WcCOScrIir8xHZfH_kadJbYzvZWfAcqjVqqYdUkFnTKykddc40Avs-7IXmqRkzs2Eni9KRiUGLZmI01vWTeOjykeyAs3r7w/s400/Skchfix_20101220_Beards.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553339621740021650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>People say I don't look the same and I didn't believe them...I had been convincing myself that really I was no different. But today I'm here to admit that I am different, I've changed. Now that I have beard...I...(imagine a few tears here)...sorry, this is hard for me to say...I LOOK LIKE MY DAD:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YyhA3b-giUQJip-cs2SnfKOAl5XLmgP5BvIBJqPDNo6DjSf6S96xaPQVcw7l18Y95uJyrXO8YiA1FfbrKBMVbQyg4HiqanrfgYrTYq7UfH4c6Uzo3XdfmOlDRhHPDc0nbh92DPHPTNZG/s1600/Skchfix_20101220_Beardpong.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YyhA3b-giUQJip-cs2SnfKOAl5XLmgP5BvIBJqPDNo6DjSf6S96xaPQVcw7l18Y95uJyrXO8YiA1FfbrKBMVbQyg4HiqanrfgYrTYq7UfH4c6Uzo3XdfmOlDRhHPDc0nbh92DPHPTNZG/s400/Skchfix_20101220_Beardpong.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553340868139314738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For some context, my Dad and I play ping-pong once a week, and are both quite serious about it. When I showed up last time with a full-on beard, the drama that erupted was not far from what I've illustrated above.</div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, my dear readers, I'll come out and say it. I've grown a beard. If you see me on a regular basis, you know this already - it's hard to miss. But if you don't, then I will assure you in writing that it is truly spectacular.*</div><div><br /></div><div>* by spectacular I mean it's...well, it's there.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-83104347805113566872010-12-16T19:32:00.000-08:002010-12-17T00:00:19.322-08:00So Sumi (ah, puns)<div style="text-align: left;">Sadly, I have no comics this week (no time!), so I've posted some previously completed drawings. Back in September, at the cultural cornucopia that is the New York City Comic-Con, I had the great fortune of purchasing a large bottle of sumi ink. Prior to using sumi, I had used India ink for my various projects. What do I think of sumi, after a few uses? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center; "><u><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; ">B</span>EFORE APPLYING SUMI</u></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1DRDjUDeRElfza5W-lK04KJdS9cCOJZFjFXRnROoeQfFqIE4aSZHjKVy2KP3zf9Q5nQLr9060gWKBHV2DQ4-RC1QztUjABjTO4ZP0MlS0tl91WsFgHNXAWy4dpnRfxZgyXs3yRSt84_K/s1600/Sktchfix_20101111_Donestre1.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1DRDjUDeRElfza5W-lK04KJdS9cCOJZFjFXRnROoeQfFqIE4aSZHjKVy2KP3zf9Q5nQLr9060gWKBHV2DQ4-RC1QztUjABjTO4ZP0MlS0tl91WsFgHNXAWy4dpnRfxZgyXs3yRSt84_K/s400/Sktchfix_20101111_Donestre1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551489689483387250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><u><br /></u></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><u>AFTER APPLYING SUMI</u></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8QlTJJkhtuReUumycIR5GUTJuM8lii15zKqLfnnflHajvR3TAzYzBcYAeHX4jRdkdM29EIndSXWlgvFYW5jBziCaOKdHLSG-F8a9hkW8K0kIISO2M7sTDZNR749Fl01vCHx7FXcsS1TK/s1600/Sktchfix_20101123_Donestre2.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8QlTJJkhtuReUumycIR5GUTJuM8lii15zKqLfnnflHajvR3TAzYzBcYAeHX4jRdkdM29EIndSXWlgvFYW5jBziCaOKdHLSG-F8a9hkW8K0kIISO2M7sTDZNR749Fl01vCHx7FXcsS1TK/s400/Sktchfix_20101123_Donestre2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551489893375547522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px; " /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sumi ink is the roundhouse kick to India ink's passive-aggressive sigh. It gives a consistently dark line without my having to constantly reload my brush, it holds up better under an eraser, and it thins out nicely with just a little water. I might even go so far as to say that it has made me a more confident inker when it comes to my comics - the last two I posted here were done all in sumi, and I felt great about them. The drawings in this post are all from my early experiments with the ink, done a few weeks ago when I was still getting a feel for it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">The monster depicted above is called a Donestre, and is from medieval folklore. I read about it shortly before working on the drawings - it is a man with a lion's head that speaks all languages, and lulls foreign travelers into trusting it. It then eats them, leaving only their heads intact. Because it's still partially human, it is filled with remorse afterward, and mourns the heads. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On a less gruesome note, I also recently drew a fashion model from a subway ad. I filled in her hair entirely in sumi:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqJWr0o_qTorYj1_EoqvAepUW1wsVEQnbwYiR6YgVlgX4zfMKaji8y-nfzL1MDdnt9GPw5NqFmbF-SjvYLqopg5-R0xnYPXjIsUZN2K7hpk9CKRWK9qPw2ynVq8nH87V0YUOCiHQz76Rk/s1600/Sktchfix_20101123_Blackhair.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqJWr0o_qTorYj1_EoqvAepUW1wsVEQnbwYiR6YgVlgX4zfMKaji8y-nfzL1MDdnt9GPw5NqFmbF-SjvYLqopg5-R0xnYPXjIsUZN2K7hpk9CKRWK9qPw2ynVq8nH87V0YUOCiHQz76Rk/s400/Sktchfix_20101123_Blackhair.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551490177023359714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Next up: comics about beards, and how they foster manliness in the men who grow them.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-7243317573959362152010-12-12T16:46:00.000-08:002010-12-12T17:08:23.609-08:00Malleable Amalgams<div>No comics today. Instead, a sombre drawing, since the weather was a little rainy over the weekend.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxuBAZmdgB7dN-2Ob6C7zCHqZobgak5ROTVAX9_n03NQNzZEvjvlfi3jbrLPac1oCnLle1lkyXXxfyCbw1mfCFkfoXK2WrOlgq7leV-yXsCjTThd_P7sdFOmeK1p8lXPggjKEQ9lw4Wpm/s1600/Sktchfix_20101112_WitchFaces.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxuBAZmdgB7dN-2Ob6C7zCHqZobgak5ROTVAX9_n03NQNzZEvjvlfi3jbrLPac1oCnLle1lkyXXxfyCbw1mfCFkfoXK2WrOlgq7leV-yXsCjTThd_P7sdFOmeK1p8lXPggjKEQ9lw4Wpm/s400/Sktchfix_20101112_WitchFaces.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549962417528857650" /></a>Sometimes, uncooperative sitters can lead to some fun artwork. The individuals whose faces take center stage here were actually sketched on different days. The woman (the top face) was pensively reading a newspaper article when she suddenly leaped from her subway seat and dashed off the train. Cruel and discourteous, since I was in the middle of sketching her portrait! The gentleman (the bottom face) was not so rude - he sat contemplating his Kindle for a solid 10 minutes. Unfortunately, a woman wearing a puffy winter coat and carrying a large piece of luggage stepped right in front of him, thwarting my efforts for several stops. It wasn't until after she left that I was able to continue sketching, but by then I had arrived at my destination and had to leave the train. Why can't people be more considerate of the fact that I'm trying to work here?! <div><br /></div><div>The scarves and branches came from a clothing catalogue. Lately I've been taking clippings from catalogues, newspapers, and magazines, and incorporating pieces of them into my drawings. It's a good way for me to practice drawing subjects other than faces on the train (though that will always be fun).<br /><br /></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-77900531662143434012010-12-09T20:52:00.001-08:002010-12-09T21:34:10.639-08:00The Prince of Purrrrrrrsia (ha ha ha yes it's clever)<div style="text-align: left;">Things always get so busy in December. Work gets crazy, my social calendar gets crazy, and I go crazy. So unfortunately, I only have one post this week for you all, rather than my customary two. "Well then," you say, "it had better be a good one." And so it is, my friends, so it is: another comic, about cats (or rather, this time, just one cat). Click to enlarge:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbXV8w-ie1Yuy9JoJ0djU_MCSr3qDm03AJrsa9M6r7esYu2nO96ntGSsMzRm_m3jWtZtkgoXZp3Ep77bHaoP48dZv4p9VWzU8MrQWPSeugVSqTUmf9QiZWxtTqY3i4EmSxipWSwHw1VLF/s1600/Sktchfix_20101129_MeowBoom_Final.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbXV8w-ie1Yuy9JoJ0djU_MCSr3qDm03AJrsa9M6r7esYu2nO96ntGSsMzRm_m3jWtZtkgoXZp3Ep77bHaoP48dZv4p9VWzU8MrQWPSeugVSqTUmf9QiZWxtTqY3i4EmSxipWSwHw1VLF/s400/Sktchfix_20101129_MeowBoom_Final.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548912639803712850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>If you have cats, you know that eating is probably their favorite hobby, with sleeping a close second. My cat Robin (depicted above) is going on five, and as an adult he has matured into something of a gourmand. He loves canned tuna, but only packed in olive oil (and only, it seems, Tonno Tuna, a deliciously expensive brand). He'll bite into a tomato if we leave one on the counter, but only if it's ripe. Pasta, which his brother Solomon loves to steal, he will leave untouched, but put some grilled salmon on your plate and Robin will literally try to shoulder you out of the way to get at it. When he wants to eat, which is often minutes after he's inhaled a full portion of canned food, he will meow and head-butt me and my wife without stopping, for hours. Every time we even look in the direction of the pantry, he makes a mad dash for his food bowl - because the only reason we could possibly open the pantry door is to bring out a fresh bowl of kibble for his majesty. </div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-85540066948331901592010-12-02T21:29:00.000-08:002010-12-02T22:05:03.750-08:00Let the Work Speak<div style="text-align: left;">This is the first "real" cat comic I've ever posted here (the previous one was sort of more of a gag than a full-blown comic). I usually write up some sort of intro, but this time I will let "The Work" speak for itself. Click on it to enlarge:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqne90FEsENXj5R21Q6-3oKgKrNtvIzzMjyGTLojt1Z5hjQvEXKBHyf_RqaxVxSlmnCOnzveaBWkwerGlzIb9IB-WogGio3CR77yEbRDAyUGYW0OFpSaNcKzpHFXnfwhOd9uKuyKml7rh/s1600/Sktchfix_20101129_RobinInLove_Final.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqne90FEsENXj5R21Q6-3oKgKrNtvIzzMjyGTLojt1Z5hjQvEXKBHyf_RqaxVxSlmnCOnzveaBWkwerGlzIb9IB-WogGio3CR77yEbRDAyUGYW0OFpSaNcKzpHFXnfwhOd9uKuyKml7rh/s400/Sktchfix_20101129_RobinInLove_Final.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546327638771008898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>The above page is actually part I of a multi-part saga involving my cat Robin and his lady love. Future chapters will arrive in future posts...because I haven't drawn them yet.</div><div><br /></div>If you asked someone whether they liked at least one comic about cats, and they said no, there is a pretty good (i.e. 100%) chance they would be lying. To make a "no" even more egregious, the the potential list of cat-comics would include Calvin and Hobbes, which has a very large cat component (i.e. Hobbes).<div><br /></div><div>Cats are perfect for comics because they are weird, introverted animals, and from what I can tell have pretty active inner lives. I am constantly wondering what goes through my cats' heads, and often supply my own monologues and dialogues for them. While this is no doubt bizarre, it often leads to funny stories like the one above. </div><div><br /></div><div>Footnote about Chloe - she is a real cat, owned by a friend of mine and my wife's who moved to L.A. a little while ago. Sadly, Robin and Chloe never had any actual dates, but we did joke about it a few times, and I promised that I would find a way to work it into my cat comics. And so: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-55183968119347449152010-11-29T20:56:00.000-08:002010-11-29T22:14:35.100-08:00Thanksgiving Redux<div style="text-align: left;">This Thanksgiving, I was given the fortunate opportunity to gorge myself on my mother's, mother-in-law's, and wife's cooking all in the same evening. This is the game I played:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK571lbvzc0PLjIDnO4xHI_7VptGOfP8IOTLNUix3aNRMFoJbXRG0MBbgeZvuTRSkUB3XiqVcwCjebTiHvOyUfex2zwyj8_Mn9mL5r0iFuXQMQ-p8DvXBhSa6LmwrqBmBoYFB4W_Ee31hI/s1600/Sktchfix_20101129_ThanksgivingTetris.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK571lbvzc0PLjIDnO4xHI_7VptGOfP8IOTLNUix3aNRMFoJbXRG0MBbgeZvuTRSkUB3XiqVcwCjebTiHvOyUfex2zwyj8_Mn9mL5r0iFuXQMQ-p8DvXBhSa6LmwrqBmBoYFB4W_Ee31hI/s400/Sktchfix_20101129_ThanksgivingTetris.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545218185842720914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div>I'm not usually one to brag, but I can say with near 100% certainty that you who are reading this did not eat as well as I did. Unless you were there...and some of you were!</div><div><br /></div><div>There are, however, dangers in eating until your belt snaps. I have described the primary one in this comic I made over the holiday:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMQI3cTlhxeDH3rp7JvF07K5FSbI4-MyqgEELCg3m7kmxJ7GFVcoDeB1HFtgnQ30ILpIzpqx3jtwWujHCPYbN3NWNDFwJCD-Yc63fV-vYj2Vp0KlNljIvsqI7SuLuUDFHk5Afw6J3CMdb/s1600/Sktchfix_20101129_ThanksgivingPhobia.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMQI3cTlhxeDH3rp7JvF07K5FSbI4-MyqgEELCg3m7kmxJ7GFVcoDeB1HFtgnQ30ILpIzpqx3jtwWujHCPYbN3NWNDFwJCD-Yc63fV-vYj2Vp0KlNljIvsqI7SuLuUDFHk5Afw6J3CMdb/s400/Sktchfix_20101129_ThanksgivingPhobia.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545217025266588898" /></a><div>Be careful! You never know where the carnivorous aliens will be lurking, so don't give them an excuse to eat you!</div><div><br /></div><div>The end of Thanksgiving always makes me a little sad, because I have in my family so many great cooks. I will now wax poetic, in honor of the food they so lovingly prepared. Deep breath...okay, here we go:</div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly, Thanksgiving is over, and the desperate retooling of leftovers has begun. Uneaten drumsticks have been hacked into turkey salad sandwiches, and the warm pumpkin pie that graced the dessert table now turns up cold with our morning coffee. My lunch yesterday consisted of crumbling mashed potatoes and desiccated cranberry relish; old, tired, soldiering on to their final gastric destination. I blessed them on their journey through my lower intestine and, as I ate, recalled them as they were - the potatoes fluffy and moist, the relish juicy and tart. And as nostalgia's mellow sweetness bloomed on my palette, I thought, this is how we should remember our friends - in their prime. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shedding a tear at this point, would, I think, be appropriate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later this week - a comic about cats! Stay tuned!!!</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-60857621954160426882010-11-22T20:08:00.001-08:002010-11-22T20:51:17.590-08:00Eat Your Vegetables!<div>I hope y'all like to eat vegetables, cause I've got a bunch of 'em for you:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowkbp5g49ymf_syEmKqR5v5sqA_Zn_SFRwVmRorY1hz0fi2vfrIpy7xkXIKTcjrVfw4SfIGYjD9_5ZaBS7PdItudK5RQo1jZqI8KNWlvcC6UKtMiOv_yYycbA32hmqhRkMu3cx_rLiv3H/s1600/Sktchfix_20101111_Veggies.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowkbp5g49ymf_syEmKqR5v5sqA_Zn_SFRwVmRorY1hz0fi2vfrIpy7xkXIKTcjrVfw4SfIGYjD9_5ZaBS7PdItudK5RQo1jZqI8KNWlvcC6UKtMiOv_yYycbA32hmqhRkMu3cx_rLiv3H/s400/Sktchfix_20101111_Veggies.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542592662142788322" /></a>I started this drawing to practice my crosshatching and shading, and I have to admit I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I've got a lot of good-looking veg here - long-stemmed mushrooms in the wide basket on the right, "regular stemmed" mushrooms in the little basket on the left, daikan radish above the regular 'shrooms, burdock root that is mostly hidden in the upper left, and finally, a pumpkin way at the bottom of the picture, almost completely out of sight (wait, is that a fruit? Anyone? A little help here...?).<div><br /></div><div>I drew this based on a picture from a coupon sheet, which is why the items look a bit like they are floating. I grounded some of them by adding shadows, but tried not to overdo it, because when all is said and done I don't really mind a floating mushroom. This would actually make it easier to eat. And it would be a relief, in general, if food could just float up to my mouth rather than sit lazily on my plate, so that I have to reach down with a fork or something to get at it. It's like, <i>I'm </i>doing all the work in this relationship - I get the money, I go to the store, I buy you, I boil you or whatever, I put you on a plate, and you just stare up at me. You never say anything. BUT DINNER, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO: float up there. A little floating, I think, is not too much to ask. </div><div><br /></div><div>Think about it, readers - floating pizza? That you could just lean forward and start chomping? Why has nobody patented this?? You heard it here first; floating food is going to be the next game-changer. Bigger than Facebook.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or I'm completely bonkers.<br /><div><br /></div></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-6480335672248485352010-11-18T20:32:00.000-08:002010-11-18T21:54:45.072-08:00"Fighties and Bities"<div>Many of you reading this blog may not be aware of the new phrase "fighties and bities" that has recently entered the cultural lexicon. This may be because 1) you do not live in my apartment or 2) you have never visited my apartment for an extended period of time. "Fighties and bities" refers to a higher state of consciousness only experienced by cats. It is characterized primarily by what is known in the vernacular as "biting" and in the high German as "fighting." I think it is best summed up by the following (very) short story:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XVUIFcN8AY2iI1-ko4TMsEWMCfOGPNfOFHJ3lagXNvt21fIKpSVHQKiSRVV9_rOzeDqFSZkq9iSd7GLZ-_hn1R9jaqVO5NxiVyl48kbZXdJRVy4m9JHZb-wZUwThuGU8cSm9Fdugde5I/s1600/Sktchfix_20101111_Fighties.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XVUIFcN8AY2iI1-ko4TMsEWMCfOGPNfOFHJ3lagXNvt21fIKpSVHQKiSRVV9_rOzeDqFSZkq9iSd7GLZ-_hn1R9jaqVO5NxiVyl48kbZXdJRVy4m9JHZb-wZUwThuGU8cSm9Fdugde5I/s400/Sktchfix_20101111_Fighties.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541114474090029154" /></a>Yes, sadly the unshaven, poorly dressed lout with glasses is meant to be me. Pathetic, I know. Especially in panel 6, where somehow my arms and torso do an impossible bend-y dance. <div><br /></div><div>The middle section, with rolling eyes and ticking clocks, is not far from what happens when I scold my cats in real life. There is definitely comprehension. They respond to their names, and have a somewhat skeptical relationship with the word "no," but everything else seems to goes over their heads. For example, "Robin, NO! Do not eat my tuna fish!" probably sounds to them like "Robin, NO! blah blee blah blee blee bluh blah!" Robin hears his name, he hears "no," and he knows I'm telling him he did <i>something</i> he was not supposed to. But he is visibly clueless as to what that something could possibly be. Usually, I think the result is that my cats assume they're in fact innocent and that I'm just delusional, and so continue their bad behavior with clean, fuzzy little consciences. </div><div><br /></div><div>If only they understood more English! I've tried to each them to spell, but, well you know how that goes.<br /><br /></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-75042675821907815152010-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:002010-11-16T20:49:28.539-08:00Wood Knots<div>My wife is scared of the dark holes I drew behind this woman. She worries strange insects will come out of them and eat her (the woman in the picture, not my wife):</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo9SE4befM0wNMiUuCaqTtDI9jpaK0TM3d60M4y4h49HrZqtd2AUNBExaQFZO6r4qZgb07VbDZk0uCMqXrVxeJWCadOTA6fvlzQZqej8K30JhpywqpuJZ3DWZ9hQ78ketzfhx8tttShGf/s1600/Sktchfix_20101112_BrightFace.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo9SE4befM0wNMiUuCaqTtDI9jpaK0TM3d60M4y4h49HrZqtd2AUNBExaQFZO6r4qZgb07VbDZk0uCMqXrVxeJWCadOTA6fvlzQZqej8K30JhpywqpuJZ3DWZ9hQ78ketzfhx8tttShGf/s400/Sktchfix_20101112_BrightFace.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540365212915133618" /></a><div>But I didn't really see the dark holes in such a sinister way. I guess I figured they were just wood-knots. Plus, the woman herself looks to be quite at peace - definitely not afraid of being eaten.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is, of course, based on someone I saw on the subway. I got through about half her face while on the train, but had to fill in the rest afterward. Lately, I've been having some bad luck with my train-drawings. I'll start on a face, and will just begin to find my groove when the person gets up and leave the train or, even worse, some random airhead plants himself right in front of me! So I'll have to sit there like a chump with this person's gut in my face, while my drawing hangs around half-finished in my sketchbook. Very frustrating.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the plus side, I'll have a comic for y'all this week, as promised in my previous post. It'll probably be up on...Thursday...Friday...something like that.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-26484944265233862472010-11-10T20:16:00.000-08:002010-11-10T21:11:07.146-08:00Discipline: it's Tough<div style="text-align: left;">As promised, blog friends, here is an update with one of the short comics I recently dashed off. Literally dashed - where I would normally obsess over details and agonize over every line, I forced myself to put this down on paper as quickly as possible. From the initial joke to the final page, it took less than 10 minutes (a record for me). Hopefully it will all be legible when you click on the image!</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN8MedLFpjVyYouRnlH1YytymPc5qyj-0WE_ZMp217PT0NxqIzI-AUQ2UQkqPX-ukzdjPlE8rGzKwdJL1ZA4gd8Fxd30-OBzBzjXJw0MmrE3JgxvjMAIDindIWmNOfUvgSJ_J2Cd2YStv/s1600/Sktchfix_20101111_MeltyCats.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvN8MedLFpjVyYouRnlH1YytymPc5qyj-0WE_ZMp217PT0NxqIzI-AUQ2UQkqPX-ukzdjPlE8rGzKwdJL1ZA4gd8Fxd30-OBzBzjXJw0MmrE3JgxvjMAIDindIWmNOfUvgSJ_J2Cd2YStv/s400/Sktchfix_20101111_MeltyCats.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538143379293293250" /></a>I love comics, all kinds - superhero comics, indie comics, manga, webcomics, graphic novels. I even find myself drawn to those instructional comics they have on airplanes - whenever I'm in the air for more than three hours, they become suddenly compelling...those stoic faces, so calm in the face of their impending watery and/or fiery doom...What is that woman thinking as she slips on her own oxygen mask before helping her child? Do I see a frown, a furrowed brow, a small glimmer of guilt? Those instructional things are PACKED with drama if you are in the right mood (and by right place I mean hyperventilating from boredom). <div><br /></div><div> I've made a few comics of my own, but I'm still an utter novice. I want to make more, but I cower under my bed whenever the time comes to actually sit down and map out a story, or even a short joke. To push myself, I've decided to draw up at least one short comic every week. I'm hoping that over time, the process will come to seem less daunting. You will, of course, see the results here, good or bad as they may be. Get ready, readers. It's on.</div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-10326789151238829902010-11-07T17:06:00.001-08:002010-11-07T17:28:29.865-08:00Choi De Vivre<div style="text-align: left;">A Sunday night. The laundry is spinning, the cats are napping, and I am blogging it up after a full day downtown. It was a good day, a day of comic-books and groceries, two of life's greatest pleasures. And it is with comics on the brain that I present you with two sketches, recently completed for a comic of my own (he admitted with trepidation). Hopefully it will not be long before the whole comic is finished, and I can post the fruits of my labor here:</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUK4wwWMar-4Mjo5GEjpt0ndxrJOq3PWFdjNz5Kfje9Q4NcS9xW7KwsMBiqFySSWs4RDEb0FgtWrUlhK9sb-ipdmceqHePtrLCPW5iQgGbEOlBXf97rsqHICIPXEQIyiJ2VW8bdzfK2wP/s1600/Skchfix_20101006_WhatMeow2.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUK4wwWMar-4Mjo5GEjpt0ndxrJOq3PWFdjNz5Kfje9Q4NcS9xW7KwsMBiqFySSWs4RDEb0FgtWrUlhK9sb-ipdmceqHePtrLCPW5iQgGbEOlBXf97rsqHICIPXEQIyiJ2VW8bdzfK2wP/s400/Skchfix_20101006_WhatMeow2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536980281844698034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></u></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q0aydQY3jcuwDWQgow8pTwwBLeMhq5r-clenwYwtIWGpYel3MwDvDn7bqorwhfpYAnvKiBmflarqDncJjoGUAbgUtFApQMa1hWXmmKxTRAcrp738PGD-LC6aFrHQT2Y1kutyho_lA97k/s1600/Skchfix_20101006_WhatMeow1.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q0aydQY3jcuwDWQgow8pTwwBLeMhq5r-clenwYwtIWGpYel3MwDvDn7bqorwhfpYAnvKiBmflarqDncJjoGUAbgUtFApQMa1hWXmmKxTRAcrp738PGD-LC6aFrHQT2Y1kutyho_lA97k/s400/Skchfix_20101006_WhatMeow1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536979937235080962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">The basic story is this: I want cereal and Robin, my cat, wants milk. Two opposing desires whose tension can only be released in a climax of milk-spattered violence.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">These comics take me a long time to draw. This is mostly because my free time to draw anything is often limited to subway and bus rides, and it is a bit cumbersome to lug bristol board and my inking supplies (pens, brushes, ink bottles, etc) to these venues. I also get very tentative when drawing my own comics for some reason, and have actually begun forcing myself to dash off short one-pagers - no penciling, just inking, all in my sketchbook - so that these things don't feel so "momentous" to me when I put them on bristol. In fact, I'll be posting some of those this week! So stayed tuned, my friendly and patient readers. Your thirst for narrative art will be quenched soon enough.</div></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364190369708945187.post-34596401082972665552010-11-05T19:30:00.000-07:002010-11-05T22:52:17.985-07:00It's The Little Things In Life<div style="text-align: left;">Today's post is all about little details.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfNb691BGqSMW3SuhkjjEi8KBHfG3uGjbc0FPuP5I0BzGceq22X61wycGqqL_OBXVjYnOIJ3F2kkvxZgntHfI3nH6DRjbRgHcCDOiYDeHGOVw-dyoxk3Pv4rZbKeS7tMUZXt9GDhidSYQ/s1600/Skchfix_20101008_SneakingAround.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfNb691BGqSMW3SuhkjjEi8KBHfG3uGjbc0FPuP5I0BzGceq22X61wycGqqL_OBXVjYnOIJ3F2kkvxZgntHfI3nH6DRjbRgHcCDOiYDeHGOVw-dyoxk3Pv4rZbKeS7tMUZXt9GDhidSYQ/s400/Skchfix_20101008_SneakingAround.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535518264428391042" /></a><br /><div>There are times when there is no single person to be sketched on the bus or subway. In lean times like these, I have to scavenge for the bits and pieces: hands, shoes, bits of lips and noses. And the occasional tough guy punching himself in the face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Something else I like to do when there are no ready faces to put on paper is record details from my surroundings. The drawing below was completed while I was riding a bus from Manhattan into New Jersey with my wife, to visit Mitsuwa Market, a Japanese shopping center about 20 minutes outside the city. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLyqCUm1r1Xx7LuQO8MIa1VxCP-6Qr1ll0KBi4f1fHWAucnnLLxFIh0FMrm-zoYDngV-i8N1G9DiDN0hZwb7OQ3vDppWSHEwgKDyYy3FuN-9FM2C_IrQYbCxZMvRlfm5UH5h3SG4Bgk8t/s1600/Skchfix_20100819_Mitsuwa_HiC.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLyqCUm1r1Xx7LuQO8MIa1VxCP-6Qr1ll0KBi4f1fHWAucnnLLxFIh0FMrm-zoYDngV-i8N1G9DiDN0hZwb7OQ3vDppWSHEwgKDyYy3FuN-9FM2C_IrQYbCxZMvRlfm5UH5h3SG4Bgk8t/s400/Skchfix_20100819_Mitsuwa_HiC.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535520792980669842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On my way, I saw the following:</div><div><br /></div><div>Glass blocks</div><div>Windows in various brick walls</div><div>The Empire State building</div><div>A nose</div><div>A baseball diamond</div><div>Letters on billboards and the sides of trucks</div><div>Signs inside a tunnel</div><div>Traffic Lights</div><div>Golf-netting</div><div>Office-buildings</div><div>An electric transformer</div><div>A child who would not stop saying, "Oh my goodness." I think he may have never been out of the city until that day. For him, New Jersey seemed to be a land of many wonders ("Oh my goodness, trees!"). Ah, to be young.</div><div><br /></div>Noah Zachary Burger Choihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00533437255742613164noreply@blogger.com0