I experimented with two different techniques in coloring Sunday’s strip. For a long time, I’ve admired the coloring technique of my talented friend Paul Southworth over at Ugly Hill. Paul takes his black linework in Photoshop and replaces it with a very dark brown. It softens the overall palette, and creates a really interesting look where the colors aren’t contrasted against a full black.

Additionally, my compadre Scott Kurtz of PvP taught me another nice Photoshop technique on our “Webcomics Weekly” podcast this week: Essentially, it’s a low-level, single-color transparency layer that gives the whole strip a cohesive feel. It’s as though you’re looking at a full-color photo, but viewed through a soft-yellow plastic transparency sheet.

A doff of the cap to both cartoonists for the techniques: It’ll be fun to experiment with both in the weeks ahead. Hope you liked ’em!

I love the idea of Sheldon books in libraries. As a kid, cartoon books were a huge part of my learning-to-read process. So paying it forward to the next generation with my own cartoons is an idea that appeals to me.

A lot of librarians have written me to say that they’d love to carry “Sheldon” books in their branch, but that their district’s purchasing rules only allow for book buys through approved distributors like Baker & Taylor, etc. So I’ve decided to put all four books into major distribution channels for just those situations. (It should take me a month or so to finish the paperwork — I’ll give you the heads up when they’re available.)

In a similar vein, I got this note from librarian and Sheldonista Melanie at the Indian Valley Public Library:

“I saw your comment today about getting the Sheldon books into libraries. I purchase comics for our library and bought all of your books. Let me tell you, they’ve been really popular! They haven’t been in since we put the books on the shelves.”

THAT’S the kind of note that makes a cartoonist smile! Thanks, Melanie!

I’ve updated the appearance list on the left, there, to include two recent additions.

The first, in late June, is the American Library Association Conference in Anaheim. I’m curious and very excited to exhibit at a librarian conference, as this year I’m really going to make a push to get Sheldon books into more libraries. Plus, librarians are secretly awesome to hang out with. Hopefully, I’ll be able to exhibit with my buddies Bill and Gene of the comic strip, Unshelved, as that would make it a laughter-filled show.

The second one added to the list is the Baltimore Comic-Con in September, where I’ll be attending with my fellow cartoonists from Halfpixel. I’m really looking forward to this one, since our jointly-authored book should be out in a month or so, and a combined appearance will be especially fun.

Hope you can come out!

Since I left Mattel and starting working in my studio, there are many days when I find myself alone for long, long stretches of time. Which, after a bustling, creative corporate center, is weird.

Recently, I discovered the coolest little coffee shop in the nearby town of El Segundo. And for some odd reason, my productivity shoots up there. Being around people again, hearing the pitter-patter of conversations around you… it’s amazing what a difference that can make. I can crank out a Sheldon strip in just over two hours, which is great! The 48 coffees I buy probably help.

So today, I added a silly little button to the site (down a bit, on the left). If, a few months from now, a toon particularly makes you laugh, you can throw a nickel in the “Buy A Caffeine-Addicted Cartoonist a Coffee” Fund. It contributes to the next day’s strip, aaaaand to a cartoonist’s caffeine-induced sweating! 🙂

Hey! I completely forgot to mention, what with being under the weather, that it is (was) my b-day! Woo-hoo!

My biggest birthday gift continues to be living this dream of cartooning full-time. You wouldn’t believe what a gift that is. And *you* make it possible, with your kind support. Anytime you come out to say “hi” at a convention, or pick up something cool at the store, or even drop me a kind note… that kind of support means the world to me.

If you want to do something nice for a cartoonist on his b-day, how about this: Take 30 seconds and e-mail five people in your life to suggest they try “Sheldon.” It’s the nicest possible thing you could do for this lil’ toonist. (To make it easy, here’s a basic e-mail you can modify and send. Just click here.)

Or, you may even want to try a cool feature on the site: Sending a strip to a friend! Here’s how: Navigate to your favorite Sheldon strip in the archives), then fill in their e-mail in the little grey box (under the right-hand-side of the strip). It’ll let you include a personalized note, too, telling them to give “Sheldon” a try.

Thanks, ahead of time, to everyone who tells a friend! It’s the best gift I could possible receive!

I’ve had a number of English readers e-mail me today to tell me they’ve never heard the song mentioned in today’s strip. And I am flabbergasted. Really?? The electric slide never made it to England? Really??

What a blessed land is this England! What a hallowed land of milk and honey, never to have been scourged by the electric slide!

I’m packing my bags and movin’ back to London! It’s a done deal!

Submitted without comment: The Scourge of Every Wedding I’ve Ever Attended.

I love it when doctoral candidates write in… They always have the juiciest bits of info. Here’s one from Sheldonista Julia P. at Ohio State about Zeus/Jupiter:

“Hi! I’m working on a doctorate in historical linguistics, and I just thought you might be interested to know that Arthur is technically wrong about Zeus and Jupiter being completely different names. In fact, they’re etymologically related. So, Greek and Latin (and English, and Irish, and Russian, and Hindi) are all part of the same language family- Indo-European. “Zeus” is the Greek outcome of the Proto-Indo-European word *Dyeus (which means “sky god” as best we can figure). “Jupiter” is the outcome of *Dyeus-piter, or “sky god-father”. Language is weird sometimes, huh?”

It really is! That’s fascinating! I’ve never seen the linguistic roots of both laid out like that. Thanks, Julia!

Lots of colleges are heading back school in the next few weeks, so it’s a good time to remind students ‘n editors of our free offer! Get Sheldon in your college paper…for free!

We had lots of papers signing up in Fall, and we’ve already had one new school signing up for Spring. Want Sheldon in your college paper? Just read over the info page, then e-mail me to get started! You can be running Sheldon toons in tomorrow’s edition!

Not sure why I felt the impulse, but I colored this older black-and-white strip on Jabba the Hutt.