Erik Brooks's Blog

Harts Pass no. 760

So this comic is NOT to say that I left a total garbage dump of a mess in my classroom in June :) That being said, the immensity of all that we were doing this week can (and does) sometimes seem like a lot. My #wolverinewisdom for the week is a good reminder that each thing accomplished - no matter how small - makes room for one more thing or give you one less thing to do and it’s always fun to meet the kids where they are at after a summer in the “wild” as well. GRRR!

Harts Pass... Late Summer Catch-up Posts!

These comics are lots of things, but first and foremost they are an enjoyable way for me to process the world in words and pictures. They are sometimes cathartic when it comes to an understanding of or a grappling with greater societal concerns - politics, culture wars, climate change, etc. - and they are sometimes nostalgic or reflective on my relationship with family or to the endless ecosphere of the North Cascades. They are always a hint of an idea processed and boiled-down just a bit into something new.

I haven’t been super consistent about posting this summer, but between visits to Spokane, San Francisco, and Seattle, the comics are still making their way to the Methow Valley News…
…even if that requires stopping at a Home Depot parking lot on my way back from Harborview Medical Center to steal some shade, 35 minutes of drawing in my car, and the complimentary WIFI in order to create and send this last week’s strip. The inspiration behind this last one should seem pretty obvious.

Oh, and by the way, school starts for all of us Methow Valley teachers next week!

GRRR!

Harts Pass no. 754

Summer thus far has been pretty great. Not too hot. Not too smokey. We’ve been at the fringes, but then the heat pulls back and the down valley dusky winds have generally scrubbed the lingering late-afternoon haze.

The start of this week was into the mid-upper 90’s… and it DID feel hot! I was out n’ about, but I also got in some water and I didn’t always go for a run at 3:30pm. People can be kind of dumb about that stuff. We should know better… but the day full of other things doesn’t always afford you the luxury of “best possible” options when it comes to exercise of work in the heat.

The wolverine wisdom? Totally spot on and true. The human hubris? Our Achilles heel for certain. GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 753

The public lands theme continues - for yet another day at least. Given the willy-nilly “see what sticks” nature of this so-called administration, who knows what kind of crazy circumstance we’ll be considering in another week or two… but for now it is this. Thanks to Kit for sticking her neck out there. And thanks to the many displaced and disenfranchised penguins who are doing their best to make their status known.

Harts Pass no. 752

With the whole recent spectacle of public lands profiteering, the wolverines have been paying attention… and the “Byrd Rule” saved us. And while it was good to see the people of this country rally from across the spectrum to protect our public spaces, it is likewise equally disappointing that the same sort of common ground can’t be found for the value of public eduction or the right of people in this country to love who they love, to make considered and personal decisions about their own bodies, and to be who they are regarding our trans and LGBTQ+ communities. “Rules” are good — I suppose — but at the same time a sense of human decency and a capacity for nuanced discussion — a striving for more and “inclusive” rather than less and exclusive — is still sorely lacking.

Harts Pass no. 749, 750, & 751!

Kind of an inside joke with this one - but for quite a few years now I’ve enjoyed riffing on the “lingo” of the JRH kids in particular. About the time of this classes middle school experience, “Gucci” was a thing that they would say. I suggested that “Gucci fire” would be even better, and I’ve been a strong advocate of that fact ever since :)

And then there is last week’s final anticipation of ALL of the time and opportunity that summer bring… It’s like 9 weeks of time and it will disappear in a heartbeat!

As I sit here this morning, however, 900+ miles away from home, it feels like the summer is getting off to a very productive start :)

Summer on!

A BOOK!

 

School is coming to a close, and LAST summer I was excited to be illustrating a brand new board book in the If I Were... series by Shelley Gill. THIS is the official cover and a few weeks back I also received an official printed copy of the book. I was still illustrating this project through the fall and sharing the progress with my students at school, so it was really fun to show them the final result.

It looks great, you can pre-order it now, and its release date is September 2nd. Stay tuned for more info as the summer wanders, and I'll be sharing some downloadable coloring book pages and a how-to-draw a fox video at some point later in July :)

PS Just a few of the cover development sketches shared below. I always love the sketching and discovering phase - and that includes thinking about color options as compared to the other books when you are working in a series. Thanks for reading!

Harts Pass no. 748

The end is SO close... you can almost reach out and grab it :) The late-May musings of a cartoonist/art teacher. Onward and upward to June 14th!

PS It's really not that bad, actually. While I don't exactly relish the pent up energy and "sense of the end" that is building among the student body... I DO kinda like 'em for all of their goofy earnestness. LOTS of plans for things to do this summer -- and I will relish that time no doubt -- but I'll look forward to the start of classes again in August. 

Harts Pass no. 747

I wrote/drew this comic on the plane ride back from my daughter’s college graduation. It was amazing, inspiring, and exhausting all at once :) On the major plus side - and I will just choose to believe that this can be true wherever you went to school and whomever you went through it with, the best part of it was seeing your kid just a little bit older… but VASTLY more independent and connected to a whole other world of peers and adults - professors, deans, parents of friends - friends. Witnessing those relationships fostered over the last four year in concert with all of the many countless hours spent working and socializing and dreaming and planning and changing dreams and plans — those are the many small things that amount to a whole heck of a lot when it comes to the next steps in life and the progress from here - onward and upward (or maybe sometimes back a step or two to pivot and adjust. Assess. Read the situation. Think on your feet. Apply what you know. Learn what you still need to know. SUPER proud of the kiddo and all that she has done and is doing. GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 746

A final call to action on the threats to the Endangered Species Act. As the author of this comic, I truly did spend several hours reading 100+ comments on this proposed change, and NONE of them were in its favor. Our comments will have very little bearing on what this so called administration chooses to do, but you can add the gutting of the ESA to your growing list of how they are “making America so super great again.” It is laughable… but also so deadly serious. No politicians in the position to affect change seems to be pushing back. The courts are the final guard rail and bogging things down with lawsuits and legal challenge seems to be the only option. Not very positive. Not any sort of “progress” but for the time being at least mitigating damage and holding steady is the only kind of “win.” Maybe at some future point in history we can look forward to some more positive and productive change.