glad y'all survived the heat and i assume the earthquakes back home....just this week i had to research exactly what the mid-west consists of exactly and its bigger than i thought!!! its like an area which includes more than just the "heart"-land...actually an entire chestful of other organs none of which the rest of the country could live without yayyyyyyy i'll give a listen to that music eventually
I honestly don't think I'll ever fully know it's boundaries (especially since some are debatable, which is highly entertaining to hear locals get heated over). 😆
The Ozarks are beautiful!! I have a friend that lives in Bentonville and every time I visit, I’m excited to go explore. Live in New England and the Midwest is incredibly different, friendly and open.
Half and half sweet tea / unsweet tea is the move, UNLESS you're in South Carolina. Then you have to drink full sweet. It's just the law (in my family).
Also, small detail, but it is somehow impossibly always 12:34 every time I look at my phone during the day. Clocked that and had to say thank you for representing how strange it is to be alive and processing your life through drawing it in cafes across America. Love reading your sketchbook exposés <3
I agree that sweet tea is basically a must in the south, Polly.
I enjoy living like the locals when I travel, but also... I'm aggressive for unsweetened, so I just pretended it was sweet tea while I was in Arkansas. DON'T TELL ANYONE!
I grew up in NH and have lived in Seattle for years. Back in 2006 I gave up pot and alcohol for about 9 months. I remember telling someone it was like living in the Midwest..... I need "relief"!
I do generally start analog with pencil and paper for my ideas because it makes me feel much looser in the creation process. If I start sketches on my iPad the digital tools trigger my perfectionism and I get totally lost in the details.
Therefore!-- Yes, I start analog for idea generation and loose sketch work of ideas, then I take photos of the art with my phone and open them in my Procreate app on my iPad and either trace over the good sketches digitally, or I use messy sketches I need to edit as an idea that I redraw new ideas on top of.
Then I remove the bottom layer and TA-DA! All pretty digital linework!
What an awesome road trip and lovely illustrations. Makes me want to go!
A while back my wife and our young kids went on an epic 7,500 mile road trip that started in the south, went through midwest, Rockies, up to northwest, down entire pacific coast, Vegas, through the nation of Texas, New Orleans — a couple dozens states altogether. Hallelujah for minivans! Absolutely epic, I wish we could do it every year.
Have been digging Chappell Roan lately! Great share.
— Also lately have been loving the very sweet "death bed (coffee for your head)" from Powfu, beadbadoobee.
Yes, some absolutely gorgeous moments on the PCH. Seattle to San Diego was quite the drive! My favorite parts were along the Oregon coast. It almost hurts to live anywhere else.
Ugh, I miss the Oregon coast. I've only been along it once in my life as a kid and I remember feeling very taken by it. The water was crazy cold, but still worth it. :D
My hubby and I driove through Iowa once to visit his great-aunt. Miles and miles and miles of corn! It was okay, but I'm happy where I am (lots of crickets and frogs in the northeast, too. 😁. I drink coffee, but thank you for the offer. 😉
Unfortunately, I suspect most of the poor things are locked up in feed lots, being fattened up. 😥 I grew up (and live!) In rural New England,. There are certainly livestock farms here, too, but mostly on a smaller scale.
"She's a midwest princess."
There's a double meaning in that! Love it.
Yay I'm so glad someone picked up on this!
I'm not surprised it was you, Matt!
glad y'all survived the heat and i assume the earthquakes back home....just this week i had to research exactly what the mid-west consists of exactly and its bigger than i thought!!! its like an area which includes more than just the "heart"-land...actually an entire chestful of other organs none of which the rest of the country could live without yayyyyyyy i'll give a listen to that music eventually
The Midwest is bigger than I thought too!
I honestly don't think I'll ever fully know it's boundaries (especially since some are debatable, which is highly entertaining to hear locals get heated over). 😆
The Ozarks are beautiful!! I have a friend that lives in Bentonville and every time I visit, I’m excited to go explore. Live in New England and the Midwest is incredibly different, friendly and open.
Yes! I totally agree, Nikki!
It's my second time driving through and I'm always so taken by how dense the forests are.
Are there any must-see nature and/or hang-out spots you recommend?
Half and half sweet tea / unsweet tea is the move, UNLESS you're in South Carolina. Then you have to drink full sweet. It's just the law (in my family).
Also, small detail, but it is somehow impossibly always 12:34 every time I look at my phone during the day. Clocked that and had to say thank you for representing how strange it is to be alive and processing your life through drawing it in cafes across America. Love reading your sketchbook exposés <3
I agree that sweet tea is basically a must in the south, Polly.
I enjoy living like the locals when I travel, but also... I'm aggressive for unsweetened, so I just pretended it was sweet tea while I was in Arkansas. DON'T TELL ANYONE!
I felt like I went to the midwest and got to see a whole new perspective that I would've never gotten before. Great post
Thank you so much, Diego!
That was absolutely 100% my goal and now I feel all warm and fuzzy.
Hooray!!!
Hey, thanks for your Midwest dreamings...
I grew up in NH and have lived in Seattle for years. Back in 2006 I gave up pot and alcohol for about 9 months. I remember telling someone it was like living in the Midwest..... I need "relief"!
Ohhhh, I love Seattle! I've never been to NH though, even though it sounds gorgeous.
Are you saying being sober felt like living in the midwest?
I've been weed-free since I got pregnant last year (I was a preeetttyyy big stoner before) and it really is a different life!
It's nice being clear headed, I can't lie.
Question about your process: do you draft everything in analog form with with pen/pencil and paper?
And when digitizing the hand drawn, especially for publication, what's your editing flow like for making it really crisp and clean?
Oh, great questions, Matt!
I do generally start analog with pencil and paper for my ideas because it makes me feel much looser in the creation process. If I start sketches on my iPad the digital tools trigger my perfectionism and I get totally lost in the details.
Therefore!-- Yes, I start analog for idea generation and loose sketch work of ideas, then I take photos of the art with my phone and open them in my Procreate app on my iPad and either trace over the good sketches digitally, or I use messy sketches I need to edit as an idea that I redraw new ideas on top of.
Then I remove the bottom layer and TA-DA! All pretty digital linework!
What an awesome road trip and lovely illustrations. Makes me want to go!
A while back my wife and our young kids went on an epic 7,500 mile road trip that started in the south, went through midwest, Rockies, up to northwest, down entire pacific coast, Vegas, through the nation of Texas, New Orleans — a couple dozens states altogether. Hallelujah for minivans! Absolutely epic, I wish we could do it every year.
Have been digging Chappell Roan lately! Great share.
— Also lately have been loving the very sweet "death bed (coffee for your head)" from Powfu, beadbadoobee.
Holy shit, Matt you were not kidding when you said EPIC. That sounds wild and incredible!!!
Did you take PCH down the Pacific Coast?
Lol, nation of Texas.
I love this song (death bed)!!! Thank you for sharing!
I'm a big fan of beadbadoobee too, so this is lovely. I was looking into seeing her in concert soon!
Love that you're also a Chappell fan! Her album is so incredible. I blasted it with a friend on my last east coast roadtrip from NYC to PA. <3
Yes, some absolutely gorgeous moments on the PCH. Seattle to San Diego was quite the drive! My favorite parts were along the Oregon coast. It almost hurts to live anywhere else.
Ugh, I miss the Oregon coast. I've only been along it once in my life as a kid and I remember feeling very taken by it. The water was crazy cold, but still worth it. :D
My hubby and I driove through Iowa once to visit his great-aunt. Miles and miles and miles of corn! It was okay, but I'm happy where I am (lots of crickets and frogs in the northeast, too. 😁. I drink coffee, but thank you for the offer. 😉
Haha, I'm also much more into coffee than tea.
It's a mini-war I pretend to have with my husband (an avid tea drinker [embarrassing for him]).
I've never been to Iowa! It sounds like the corn-land to Kansas' wheat-land.
Apparently lots of piggies, too, but we didn't see any. 🐖
That's how I felt in Kansas too honestly! There were so many ranches for animals, but none to be seen... spooky?
Unfortunately, I suspect most of the poor things are locked up in feed lots, being fattened up. 😥 I grew up (and live!) In rural New England,. There are certainly livestock farms here, too, but mostly on a smaller scale.