When I was speaking at Ohio State a few weeks back, the curators of the school's (excellent) Cartoon Museum indulged my request and pulled out some original art from Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes. Aside from being amazed at how small they were, I was struck by how gorgeous his brush-work was.

And it got me thinking...that after a decade of drawing Sheldon by more modern means (read: archival pens), I should give it a go with good ol' brush-and-inkwell, and see how I do.

So! While lecturing at Savannah's SCAD last week, I ponied up for some brush supplies, and gave it a go in a park. This first attempt, below, is more than a tad overdrawn (I was experimentin' with line weights and brush techniques), but it let me know I was at least passable at it.

(Click HERE for a larger version.)

Cut to: Today's strip. This'll be the first one I've ever drawn by brush-and-inkwell. And it came out pretty OK! So it's something I'll be trying more and more of. I figure if I bust out the ol' brush 2-3 times a week, I'll be pretty fair at it in five years or so.

So...let's check back in five years and see whether that's true. :)

Just a reminder: The sale on the complete Sheldon 9-book collection ends today!

It's $36-off when you get all the books -- which essentially means you're getting two of the books for free!

If you've got gift-givin' coming up in the next few months, then BAM...gift-givin' solved.:)

SOLVED.