The Sum of David

I guess this is like the newsletter that some families send out with their Christmas cards. Except it’s on the internet.

I’m from the future.

52ills
I can’t say that I succeeded in producing an illustration every seven days, but I’d happily commit to “weekly-ish” success. When the last week of 2009 rolled around, I was only three behind. Josh has mentioned I could technically go back and change the time stamp on the blog entries, and make me look like a real champ, but that part isn’t really the point — the whole idea of 52ills was to see if I could complete it in the first place, and as of December 31st, I had 52 ills. Go me, and I want some pie.

As an exercise, it was an excellent experience. I learned more about Illustrator and due to the volume of pieces, I was able to reach beyond my comfort zone and usual material*. I’ve happily settled into a colorful, cute style. I kind of knew that already, but practice makes perfect and all that. I also developed some good habits: composing via silhouettes, utilizing interesting textures, and grounding subjects with some kind of background element.

I’d love to get some (or all?) of them into a gallery this year, but if nothing else, I have some new portfolio pieces.

*Although there are still quite a few zombies and robots.

Writing
I did embarrassingly little writing in 2009. Even my blogging decreased in frequency. The remaining 82 pages of my last manuscript have been sitting in my parents’ living room for the last year, so I am proceeding without my mom’s trained-but-unavailable eye. My apologies to the next editor in line. I am using January to comb through the 2nd book again before I hand it off, and a first draft for the third and final David book will be complete by June 30th, 2010. That’s right, you heard it here first. Only 180 days away and counting.

Geeze, when I write it like that, it sounds downright terrifying.

Studio
First things first, however. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on Pittsburgh’s South Side working on my creative projects. When we got our dog, we decided we wouldn’t be away from home as often as we have been in the past. I technically have my own studio room, although it’s been pretty junked up for a long time. So: I’ve resolved to redo the room in a way that allows me to go in there and work until my eyes fall out, while not neglecting our new pet, plus saving gas and time and money.

The room is 1/3 of the way done, and I’m very excited. I estimate it will be complete in early February, and I can’t wait. It’s going to be amazing to have my own space. Woo.

So Josh and I adopted a seven year old dog from the ARL last weekend, and the experience has been way more fulfilling than I could have anticipated.

Josh and I both had dogs growing up, and although we’d been considering getting a dog for over a year I don’t think either of us thought it would ever really happen. We work all day. The one thing our neighbors always say is “You guys are never home.” We each have a dozen projects going on all the time. I am all about keeping things realistic — and taking care of another living creature would probably be more hassle than it could possibly be worth, right?

Wrong.

All I could think in the first two minutes of meeting Poli was “Whoops” because I just totally fell in love with a dog. How corny is that? He was dirty and smelly… But he was also gentle, sweet and friendly. We hung out with him for ten minutes, got his meager history from the shelter, then promptly ran to Petco to buy a crapload of dog supplies. We took his stinky butt home and immediately bathed him, although he still seriously requires a professional touch with industrial strength tools and super soap.

Poli is doing well. Listening to his kennel cough breaks my heart, but he’s on medicine for it. An exam of his remaining eye on Monday indicated he probably lost its partner due to a glaucoma-caused pressure spike, so we’ve now got preventative drops to administer daily to the good eye. I am worried about what the vet might say at his check-up next Monday, but here’s hoping he’s in good health. I’m at least willing to bet there’s nothing wrong with his digestive track, because homey is a pooping machine.

Josh and I couldn’t happier with him, and every day more and more of his personality emerges.

Josh and I went to meet a dog at Pittsburgh’s ARL on Saturday morning.

We’ve been “puppy-bombing” each other for weeks, sending cute puppy pictures to each other via email. But I was surfing the ARL site and found an actual contender.

Well, that changed the game. The possibility of owning a pet suddenly became real.

Possibility, Schmossibility. Josh and I adopted a very sweet seven year old cockapoo (now) named Poli.* He was a stray when animal control picked him up two weeks ago. He has one eye, and he needs a grooming like nobody’s business, but he’s ours. The Sagers are now a tribe of three.

*Short for Polamalu