Mustaches and Hats!

E. Catherine Tobler is an accidental a bacon saving rock star. I got a little carried away while shopping for supplies for today’s comic and I don’t think I have time to create the comic you deserve. Catherine had no idea that was the case when she sent me this fabulous watercolor painting.

Thank you Ms Tobler. When Ms Tobler isn’t painting things she is a senior editor of the luscious Shimmer Magazine, a prolific author and generally tries to make the world a better place.

Nanonanohalphalp

You can e-mail us at liz@lizargall.com (my Things e-mail is broken). If you would like to post a hard copy letter please e-mail me for details.

Dear Friends,
Hi, I’m the creator of Things Without Arms and Without Legs. I’m doing Nanowrimo this November as  well as attending Orycon (come say hi!) and trying to become the best Roller Derby player I can (hi Rat City I really love being on your fresh meat program!)

Sure I want to write a 50,000 word novel in the next 25 days, but that doesn’t mean I stop bringing you the Things every second day.

I would like your help.

Please write to us, pick one or several of the characters and send them a short (or long) note/question/rant/doodle. Questions and letters inspire us, your words can become part of our adventure and it will really help keep the juices flowing.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou,

Liz

An Apology from Bunson

Cute search result!

I have done NOTHING to optimize this website for search words and most of my content consists of images! People hardly ever find my website through google or similar thingies… so it’s always interesting to see what search terms do lead people to my website.

It pleases me to no end that someone found my website through the search term “smiley face big toe.” Hello whoever you are or were, I hope you enjoyed my Things Without Arms and Without Legs! I know you’re probably disappointed, I only had one image of a smiley face big toe and that was a creative commons photo you may have already found on flickr. Here’s an adventure of smiley face big toes!

I make a smiley faced toe for you on my hallux (the name given to the Great Toe when dealing with tetrapods).
I make a smiley faced toe for you on my hallux (the name given to the Great Toe when dealing with tetrapods).
Second Toe is unimpressed by Great Toe shenanigans.
Second Toe is unimpressed by Great Toe shenanigans.
Middle Toe is shocked by the development of smiley faces on toughened keratin that sits on top of distal phalanges.
Middle Toe is shocked by the development of smiley faces on toughened keratin that sits on top of distal phalanges.

 

Ring Toe finds the whole situation hilarious. Ring Toe is a prankster, but we all knew that.
Ring Toe finds the whole situation hilarious. Ring Toe is a prankster, but we all knew that.
Pinky Toe is often confused, but pretends to get the joke. Pinky Toe sometimes gets left behind (owww).
Pinky Toe is often confused, but pretends to get the joke. Pinky Toe sometimes gets left behind (owww).

Bath Time with Bunson and Mayara

Sometimes Bunson gets scared and doesn’t want to have a bath. Lots of people like to hug and kiss him and take him on adventures, so he can get pretty grubby. Maybe he’ll be less reluctant now that he has a friend to go swimming with ^_^. Bunson could find a treasure chest full of carrots and Mayara might wrestle with some giant clams.

I drew this comic in the bath! On special waterproof paper my sweetie gave me for our anniversary.

Art from my Sweetheart

Yes, I know I said I would give you a comic today, but I saw this beautiful drawing on my bookshelf and I knew I had to stick it to my wall of love and tell you all about it.

Nearly three months ago my sweetheart drew this for me while I was trying out for the Rat City Rollergirls Fresh Meat Program (called Rat Lab). I didn’t get in, but that didn’t stop my sweetheart from believing in me. Tryouts are coming up again and Saturday I’ll see if I’ve improved enough to get through. This will be the fourth time I try out for Rat City and I know even if I don’t get in this time either my sweetheart will keep on believing in me.

I love this drawing more than ever.

Transcript

Bunson: I believe in you Betsy
Things 1 & 2: So do we

Surprise Comic! Fan Art from Stephen

What’s this Liz? Today is not an update day. Stephen Sheridan Boland, IV e-mailed me this adorable piece of fan art and I had to share it with you. Thanks Stephen!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

Transcript

Bunson: Hey, please come hop with me.
Thing 1: Sorry, we can’t hop well.
Thing 2: Yeah, you need legs for that.

Bunson: No you don’t. You just need to get creative.

Thing 1 & 2: Really?

Thing 1 & 2 develop spring bodies

Thing 1: Hoppy is fun! Thank you!
Thing 2: Getting creative is fun, too! Thank you!
Bunson: My pleasure!

Here

I drew this in New Orleans at the Frenchman Street Market. An hour later monsoonal-style rain came and washed everything away.

I sent it to my sweetheart, I wanted him to be there so much. While I was there a man came up and photographed it to send to his wife. Sometimes it’s hard to be in a place of beauty without the one you love, but at least we can send each other messages in bottles.

Wish you were here.

Transcript

Bunson Hoppydew drawn in chalk on the sidewalk.
Wish you were here

Thank you

Dear readers,

Thank you for spending a bit of your valuable time with me. When I post an update and folks come over to read the latest. When someone stumbles onto my comic, starts at page one and works their way through. It’s the most amazing feeling.

I often feel like a bumbling fool, figuring it out as she goes along and probably doing most things wrong. That I can be a bumbling fool of service makes me smile from ear to ear. Know that when a creator says every reader is important, they mean it. I certainly mean it, with all my heart. You are important, and thank you for popping by and spending a bit of time with the Things. We notice when you do (in an anonymous, website stats kind of way) and it makes us grin right down to our toes and/or ground contacting body parts.

<3 <3 <3

Liz, the Things, and friends.

Photograph of the underside of a foot with a smiley face drawn on the big toe
Photo thanks to kiki follettosa on flickr

Mini-comic process diary – and that’s why we do mock ups

I showed the rough mock ups to my sweetie and we had a good discussion about layouts, margins, the foibles if printer technology and the strange land of American sizing. We come from a land of the A1, A2, A3, A4 etc system and American sized paper seems so mysterious and arbitrary. I know printers in Australia use or cut down paper within the A system, all neatly stackable. I assume places like kinkos work of American letter, but what do printers who use more than glorified photocopiers use?

Anyhow, this discussion got me thinking about different formats and sizes, which lead me to this mockup. It’s concertina shaped. No staples, less fiddly margins and allows me to add two extra comics!!!

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