Playing in the Shambles

I went to Pensacola Beach yesterday, right about lunch time. I spent about an hour there, just goofing off, mostly on my big beach towel. I did have to chase down a plastic bag the wind took away from me. Once it hit the water it stopped like a rock, or really more like a soggy, sandy plastic bag. The waves played a game with me, threatening to snatch it out into the gulf, and making me wade in and get my new flip-flops wet (which really needs to be done as soon as possible, anyway), only to then show me that I could have just waited.

As I sat and looked out over the water, it struck me what is going on out there, and who knows what this beach will look like in a few days’ or weeks’ time? Today, it looks like this area might yet be spared, but that’s an awful lot of oil out there. I understand that people who like shrimp are being hit already. I’m sure it’s no picnic for the shrimpers, either.

Just goofing around with the camera; here am I, with my friend Connie over my shoulder. I didn’t draw this; I just ran the photograph through the GIMP’s “photocopy” filter. I did draw Connie, however.

There’s still a few more touch-ups I’d like to do, but that might never end. The word “finish” is hard to apply. I’m tempted to wax upon a discourse on Voltaire’s “The perfect is the enemy of the good” and the concept of “Worse is Better”, but I’m an ignoramus so I won’t do that to us.

As far as the picture, I’d still like to add a background. Maybe someday. The inking, at this point, is probably out.

Still working on my cat girl, a little along.

This is a better scan than the first version I uploaded, and (obviously) lacking the purple. Still, I think the changes are pretty obvious.

My tendency would be to work this picture over until the Bristol paper wears through from the multiple erasures (it’s happened before, although I wasn’t using Bristol), so I think I may have to say “finished” pretty soon. I still might want to add a background. I always planned to ink her, but I’m not so sure any more.

Here’s my latest doodle. I’ve been working on her for probably months, although I guess it amounts to two or three days for someone with actual powers of concentration. I have had hell with her feet, now I’m back to fussing with the jacket and hair–then I may think about a background.

The darkness comes from the shadow of the bristol paper. I had the scanner settings way too dark, but I liked the intensity of the lines. Then I ran the image through a few Gimp filters just for fun.

I may scan this one more time if and when I “finish” the penciling. Then I may try to ink her. I’m starting to wonder, though, if that’s going to happen. Who knows? I just can’t believe I’ve stuck with this picture this long, and without even spilling coffee all over it or something. Hmm. Coffee. . . .

Just for the hell of it.