Scuttle Larry, Scuttle

 

Clearly

 

Mittens and Larry Watch a Movie

 

Fun and Games

 

Don’t Shell Yourself Short

 

LOBbying for Friendship

 

Froggy Sports

 

Featuring Freddy

 

Red Dot

 

Sandy’s Descent

 

Being Frank with Freddy

 

Uncle Frankie’s Hopping for the Best

 

Genre Humor?

 

Deep Descent

 

Natch

 

Meanwhile, Out of The Lab…

 

Fishy

 

North Country Plant Branches Out

 

2023 and Our News

 Dear Friends and Family Members,

Romeyn and I will be moving from Potsdam to the Plattsburgh area this year.  We believe that the completion of the move will take place around early summer.  There were a number of factors we considered when looking at whether to move.  The bottom line is that it is the practical and natural choice for us at this point in time.  We are lucky enough to be able to afford two households for a while, and I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely grateful I am for this ability.  The new house is just within the blue line, meaning that we'll be located in The Adirondacks.

We don't have all of the details of the move ironed out, but the lack of pressure to move within a short timeline means that we can make strides towards getting the new house set up far in advance of the actual move date.

I've lived in Potsdam now for fourteen years.  That's the longest I've lived anywhere other than my hometown.  We don't plan on cutting ties or burning bridges.  We love you all so much.

When we know more about everything, we'll tell y'all some more.  The upshot is that we have a new home and we intend to move to it when we are able to do so.

Love,

Amanda

Freddy

 

Sociable Introvert, Freddy the Frog, North Country Plant...

 Good Morrow, Fine Friends!

It's been three years since I asked (begged) for an e-ink device intended for note-taking and doodling.  My Thought: I would save SO much paper once I started doodling on a device!  I was very, very, very right.

My wonderful husband gifted me such a device in 2019/2020, just before COVID sent us all home.  When March arrived and I'd had a little practice with the e-ink thing, I resolved to start doing a daily comic.  Those early comics are super rough...but the reason I stuck with them is a conversation I had with one of my best friends:

"How do I build up a body of work?  I mean...it seems insurmountable."

"You just work on your art every single day, no exceptions.  Not everything's going to be great, but you'll have a body of work!"

Rest in peace, Rita.  You were an inspiration!

Now it's early 2023 and I create my comics on Artstudio Pro for the iPad.  I draw every single day, even if I don't post a comic that day.  Freddy the Frog has become my main focus, although I've anthropomorphized birds, bees, mice, hedgehogs, raccoons, ants, millipedes, cats, bodily organs...the list goes on.   I post these to my blog "The Sociable Introvert." My comics were originally titled "North Country Plant." You'll notice a number of the comics have to do with that little green-leafed goof.  I make silly references...some that a lot of people get, and some that are laser-focused on the esoterically inclined science fiction fan.  

My mother recently made reference to my early drawings as a child.  She was amused by the scribbling flow of them, and how I always had a really involved explanation for what I saw in those doodles.  My drawing still comes from this process...a lot of the time, my hands find a rhythm and shape in absent-minded flowy nonsense.  That's why digital art is my favorite--it allows me to go through version after version of a drawing without wasting paper.  A few wavy lines turn into a frog musing from the bottom of a lake.  A rectangle becomes a monolith.  Sometimes the drawing is fully "done" before I've thought of the cutesy saying, rotten pun, simple haiku, love letter, or truly funny joke to go with it.  It's a subconscious-mining method that allows me to feel like I have a real outlet for all of the random weirdness...because there is a LOT of random weirdness.

For those of you who follow my comic, thank you!  For those of you who haven't heard of it, check it out.  Shine on, crazy diamonds.

BEEing Shy

 

Two Stars, Would Not Recommend

 

Shallow Sentiment

 

Tragic Trajectory

 

Time Flies

 

Campfire Froglets

 

Spring to Action

 

Mythtake

 

Cat Hypnosis