After much hemming, hawing, researching and brain-picking, I finally decided to make the leap to a Cintiq. I’m still trying to get the hang of things, but working on the above drawing this week was a blast.

A few weeks back, I was talking to a kid who told me about having to, “take the long cut,” as in, “the road was closed, so we had to take the long cut.” I love this expression; I wish it was an actual part of the English lexicon. And it’s been rattling around in my head ever since. I hate being late. I abhor wasted time. But I keep wondering if there’s something to be said for meandering, for taking “the long cut” now and then, as opposed to “the short cut.” It seems like it might be a good idea for the new year ahead. And I’m trying to remind myself of this while attempting to learn new ways of making art.

And one last bit of 2023 below: this highly accurate portrait of me drawn by my five-year-old niece over the holidays. She drew me while I was drawing her (whoa).

* Before I hit publish, I did a quick search of the interwebs only to realize that “The Long Cut” is an Uncle Tupelo song. And it ain’t half bad…