out for the week of thanksgiving.
expect a return to the regular on the 3rd

stay safe all
brendan

Sketch

So here's a concept I did of a hero I'd like to write about someday.
Body armour is tough. No joke.

7+9

Happy early Thanksgiving!
Don't burn yourselves whilst cooking. It makes for a surly meal.

Not much to say this post so I'll keep it short.

Enjoy!
-Brendan

78

I'm sure if I gave my cat $20 something would happen.

So happy Tuesday evening to you all.
It's sad that it's only Tuesday and I have the mental and physical exhaustion feeling hitting me like a metric shit-ton of bricks.

Let's hope it not an illness creeping it's way up.
I'm too close to Thanksgiving to get sick.
Need! Smorgasbord! 

Enjoy!

-Brendan

77

I'm really hungry.

Again with the lighting.
I'm not overly thrilled about how it turned out. Mostly on the second panel.
I'm actually content with the first and third. But Becky is just simple shapes. Brendon is somewhat human so I have to try and get all the subtle curves of the face.

And in case anyone is wondering, I'm neither banned nor wanted dead or alive by any pizza place.
Also there's is no pizza place across the street; sadly.

Happy Thursday!
Enjoy!

-Brendan

76

I don't normally draw my cat but damn. All he really ended up being was simple shapes.
With that in mind, why in the hell was he so hard to craft?!

Honestly, I feel as though Becky is in more dynamic poses but she came more naturally. Penguin on the other hand is mostly laying or sitting but I could not get the cat appearance I was looking for, per se.

I think I succeeded at communicating just how dopey is is capable of appearing.
Silly ol' guy.

Also, note how I'm venturing in to the beautiful world of lighting!
Let's hope it's a bright future!

Eh heh...get it?
...
...
I'll cut it off here

Enjoy!

-Brendan

75

Anyone care to explain to me how I'm capable of growing a goatee but not an actual mustache?
This is horse shit!

Also; looks like I was able to get two done in a week!
WOOOOOOOOOO!
I'm proud of myself for buckling down and trying to get on a better schedule. No joke. Sounds a little dumb to take pride in something I should've been doing from the start but hey! I have to learn somehow.

So here's to a Tue/Thur schedule!
Gotta make it work.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

74

I'm thinking I'm going to try and update twice a week.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

73

72

What else is there to say?
I've been enjoying stomping through the world of Sanctuary for the past week with my girlfriend.

It started out sort-of reluctantly. I think the only reason she began playing with me was just to make me happy.
I've been always going to plays, musicals, shows, etc. that she's really interested in. Which is cool. I get to break out of my shell every so often which is great. I'd never have known I enjoyed musicals as much as I do had it not been for her.
Then one day she asks me if there's anything special that I'd like to do.

All I've ever wanted was just to play games with her. I haven't played a co-op game since WoW. And that's been about 2 years ago. 
I had been playing Diablo 3 for a couple months and I thought it'd be something we would both enjoy. She enjoys zombies, demons, vampires, etc. I enjoy the level grind, item farming, and gradual difficulty curves.

So flash forward to now. She's rocking a 23 Wizard alongside my 23 Demon Hunter. I handle the numbers; gearing and socketing. She picks the spells and play-style that suits her best. I pick mine based on hers so we get the biggest bang for our buck.

I could go on and on about our adventures but there's no point.
The main theme I'm trying to get across is that I love this. One of us will get sick of playing this game at some point and it may become something of the past. But for now, I want to soak this up. The Diablo 3 effect.

71

I went on a Youtube binge and ended up watching a couple lectures on the Federal Reserve and then evolution.

Interesting stuff. Although I don't want to sound too preachy.
This happens to be something that, now hearing about it, is truly fascinating to me.

Things that also fascinate me:
Cats
Large bodies of water
Dough rising
Artists who are better than me
Pro DotA players
Teacup Pigs
Baby sloths.

-Enjoy!

Brendan

70

Go football!
Or FOOTBALL AMERICANA, as actual football is not what I've depicted here.

Any other comic-ers....comic creators....people whom create comic strips?
Anyway-anyone else ever wonder why we put ourselves under deadlines?

I mean, most people already have a job, life, possibly kids and a family.
Trying to get a comic done on a weekly basis (more so if you're a real glutton for punishment) seems like we're willfully adding more fuel to the fire. You know?

It's like the desire to create, to make someone laugh, to tell a story, or to generally entertain far out-weighs any sort of stress that a deadline should normally cause.

Personally this is a stress-killer for me. I enjoy trying to get a laugh or smile out of people. Also being able to create a caricature of myself is just the bees-knees. Now i can have anvils fall on my head and come back next week with no permanent damage!

Behold! The beauty of cartoons! And a lack on continuity!

Happy Sunday and enjoy!

-Brendan

69

So this about sums up my feelings regarding the art class I've been taking.
Not that there's anything wrong with a design class.

I prefer more structure.
I want to hone my observational and technical skills. Not my artsy-fartsy-feel-good...skills?

Not much else to say. Busy, stressed, fed-up, and tired.

Hope your weeks have been better.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

68

Who's got two thumbs and missed last week without saying a word?

...me....

Apologies for those of you who were looking forward to cartoonish violence last week. I was celebrating-a few days in advance-my three year anniversary with my girlfriend.
It was a lot of fun doing the touristy thing in Chicago for a change.

Getting those terrible cheesy photos in the Sears Tower. Good times.

Anyway, enjoy this week's critique on traffic within downtown!

-Brendan

67

Yo, let's talk grocery shopping...

Actually let's not. It makes me sad.

Happy Sunday to you all! Both football fans and non-pig skin enthusiasts. Myself? I don't watch football willfully. If it's on I'll zone in and out. I'd prefer to be playing a game, watching cartoons, or doodling though. As far as knowing players and teams and giving a damn about the outcome, count me out.

There's probably a severe lack of testosterone in me or something. I got my fill of football in high school though.

So anywho, now that cartoon Brendan is going to fulfill real-life Brendan's fantasy of making art in to a career, time to start making jokes about a struggling artist!

HEY THAT'S NOVEL AND HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE!

Sometimes, if you want something done, you have to do vicariously. Through a cartoon. On the internet.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

66

Happy Sunday to everyone!

I thought I wouldn't be able to knock one these out this weekend again. But yeah!
I did it!
With a little copy/paste action. And simple colours.

I think it works for the joke though. I'm aware of the laziness behind it but again, I've been busy. I can see a light at the end though!

I'm thinking next weekend I'll have the whole Saturday to myself so I can get back up to the caliber I expect of myself.

So yeah. Thanks to those who continue to view and stop by.
One of these days this'll be a full time career and I can focus on making the best damn comics ever!

Well, maybe not ever...

But it'll definitely be a comic!

Enjoy.

-Brendan

65

A big apology to all of you expecting a regular update.
Not only am I a week behind, I missed the Sunday deadline by a day.

So I provide to you a Labor Day sketch. 

Why so tardy Brendan?
Lately I'm in need of extra hours at work. Taking an art class at a local JuCo. Weekends also haven't been for lounging lately.

So it all added up to a couple late strips while I fall behind on my practice schedule.
Kind of hard to push myself towards an art career when I continually fall behind.

Anyone else ever have these problems?

Enjoy
-Brendan

MIA (8/25)

apologies for the lack of an update this week.
sometimes the day job has to take priority since its paying the bills.

come back september 1st and ill get you set up with a fresh comic.

thanks again all
brendan

64

Hey! It's Saturday!
So as the story continues, how do we find our heroes face-to-face?!

Wasn't Brendan in a bar? Wasn't Becky the one who was passed out? Wasn't there a bar tender being snooty? 
Behold!
My attempt at story telling!

You're clearly sitting in a chair/couch while reading this but I assure you; YOU'LL ONLY NEED THE EDGE!

Ahem...

Do bear with me as I unfold some comic-world life changing events.
Well, maybe not life changing. Maybe character developing? That sounds more accurate.

Either way, a lot of this is all based on my recent anxiety problems I've been having. I figure a good way to deal with it is use the comic.

Hope it doesn't get too personal/preachy for you guys, but I'm under the impression the more personal I make this comic, the better my chances are of reaching an audience.

Risk nothing gain nothing.

POST OVER!

Enjoy!
-Brendan

63

Feeling much better now. No more head cold, no more sniffles, no nothin'.

Still at the bar scene in Cap and Gown. Sometimes bartenders are the only ones who'll listen. 
Mostly because it helps them get paid.
And there's no one else to talk to other than drunks.

I'm not even a drinker, myself. But within cartooning; it opens doors to funny story lines.

At least to me.

Happy Sunday.
Enjoy!

-Brendan

62

Normally I'd feel like talking about the comic and/or what's going on in the world of Cap and Gown.

But I have a head cold and I don't want to over-do the old think-machine.

Here's this week's comic.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

61

So here we go. Continuity bound!

In case anyone's curious I have not been fired in real life nor do I plan on quitting/losing my current job. It's a pretty good gig.

But enough about me let's talk about Cap and Gown!

I'm a pretty big fan of how this week's comic turned out. I'm happy with the line work and I wanted to use the colour simply to convey an emotion/state of mind.
I think it worked out fairly well.

Anyway, as always

Enjoy!

-Brendan

60

I bought some Bailey's and had this idea for a story arc.

That's right, I'm willingly pursuing continuity.
Yeesh! Look at this guy getting all brave with different panels and trying to tell a story!

I'm pretty excited for it. Hopefully the rest of you are as well.
So get ready for a prolonged story about cartoon-Brendan and his work and friendship woes!

Oh boy! When will the excitement end?!

...alright I'll stop.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

59

I think a lot of people in the work force are familiar with this chart. I've noticed it in myself. But holy shit, this last week was beyond stressful.

I try to steer away from work-related strips. If i do decide to make one, I like to keep it vague so it's not too specific about where I work or what I do. I suppose that's either professional or paranoia.

Anyways, I want to apologize for taking last week off. I had a four day weekend and went to my parents home to help them paint a couple rooms.

That was definitely an adventure.

Needless to say when I got back to the apartment I was wore out.
That's not much in terms of an excuse. I could have just as easily cranked a comic out ahead of time. Lately though, I feel like I'm producing better comics under pressure. Waiting until Saturday to turn them out and only giving myself minimal time to think of a joke.

This lets me practice gesture and anatomy all week and study from a couple art books I have. 

But that's enough about me.

Nobody really wants to read all this. There's pretty pictures up above to look at.

So get to it!

Enjoy!
-Brendan 

58

Hey! It's Sunday!

No offense to the company that sells/grows/distributes Cuties.
They're delicious.
And notoriously difficult to peel.

Granted I've never seared my eye with citrus, but the idea's gone through my head once or twice.

On a complete side note, I beat Darksiders 2 this morning.
And I loved it.

That's all I have to say about that.

Enjoy!
-Brendan

57

Daw! Look at little Brendan! All indifferent and unamused!
Well, some things never change I suppose.

So this comic was a hell of a lot of fun to draw. I'm especially happy with the first and third panels. I think I got a good gesture, showing that "eh. whatever" vibe.

So yeah. You'd think a life-time of doodling I'd have wised-up and taken it seriously.
I mean, I tried art-school. But then quit because I hated living in downtown Chicago. I always wonder, had I just taken art seriously at a normal college or University, would things be different?

Or did I need to take a long break from it to realize how much joy I get out of it?
Would I be doing this comic had I gone to school for art?

Lots of tricky questions.
Nonetheless I'm going to keep pursuing.
I might have to break down and take some classes. I'd like to get in an environment of other artists. See how that pans. out.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

56

Happy Father's Day to all it applies to!

55

UPS could do a little better job about keeping their packages in a respectable looking manner.
Box glue is more of a manufacturer/gnome problem.

Art-wise I'm digging this one. Decided to just stick with values for the first two and a simple monochromatic scheme for the third.
I really like how it all turned out.

The best part was me giggling to myself as I drew gnome asses.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm incredibly mature.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

54

Happy Sunday!

I tried mixing strawberry powder with coffee grounds once.
It was awful and I don't recommend anyone else ever do it. Ever.

Cinnamon and coffee go well but man, that strawberry taste was horrid.
I can still remember it.

Anywho, I'm pretty pleased with the inking this time around. I have to admit, I put off doing this comic because I've been practicing my digital painting and got sucked in to a doodle. I still like how it all turned out. 

Oh and here's the doodle.

I think I might just have to finish and colour this one. I'm liking how it's turning out.

Anyway, enjoy!

-Brendan

53

It's a day late and it's more of a step backward than in the right direction.
I don't know what happened with this.

I liked the sketch but as I inked it all in everything fell apart.
But stubbornness made me finish it even when I didn't want to.

I have to stick to a schedule, even if the comic looks like shit to me.

Hopefully you get a brief chuckle out of it, at least.
I need to get back to practicing.

-Brendan

Sketch dump - fruits

Here I'm trying to take a stab at value. Feel free to comment on anything I'm doing right and/or wrong.

This would be a first attempt at digital painting and I can see why people recommend fruit. Simple shapes, easy to understand lighting, good value transition.

Enjoy!

-Brendan

52

Blargh.

Rough week indeed. I needed to vent more than aim for a joke.
I miss the peace and quiet of living out in the country. Helped with letting off steam after a long day or whole week.

And the clear night were perfect to relax under. Being able to see every star; priceless.

Moving on to the art.
I not exactly sure how to show that transition from water-bank-mainland. I tried the best I know how but it still looks wrong.
I should have used references.

Again, nothing fancy with the colours.
I'm happy with the gestures. I feel like I got the skipping-rock pose to be accurate.
The second panel makes me chuckle with the buckling knees.

Oh Becky!
That rock is just too big for you.

Wait...this is like a metaphor for life, isn't it?

...

Enjoy!

-Brendan

51

This one was definitely last-minute.

Not much else to say.
I've never even played poker so I don't even know if I'm using the right terminology.

I'm really good at being a guy; let me tell you.

The big 5-0

There's plenty of forest preserves around Chicago-suburbs. The one I live closest to offers a chance to view some elk.

I have to say, they're pretty damn beautiful. I also thought it was funny that as a bunch of people crowded around them, one elk poked it's head up and caught a glimpse of me. As I walked around the bend it started jogging alongside me.

Whether that was intentional or not I thought it was cool. What can I say? Animals love me.

I'm also curious as to why some have long-sharp antlers while the ones I saw had short stubby ones. Suppose it's time to use the interwebs for some educatin'!

P.S. i'm not sad nor do I take pills. 

Missouri does perplex me however.

Enjoy.
-Brendan

So this is somewhat of a true story.

I was on the treadmill behind a row of stair steppers. The lady in front of me looked like any toned female weight lifter.

But when she looked over her shoulder to talk to her friend I saw an incredibly square jaw line.
Then she finished her workout and I saw her complete face.

I'm fairly certain it's rude to ask but sometimes I wish it wasn't. I was curious as hell.

Either way, I had to do a double-take and I tripped a little bit on the treadmill.

So I exaggerate. Big whoop.

Enjoy,
-Brendan

#48

So here's a return to the actual comic format. Albeit with a split 2nd panel.

I'm trying to get better at colouring and thanks to the helpful community at the Penny Arcade Artist's Corner I think I'm slowly starting to get the hang of it.

Remember; warm light, cool shadow. Cool light, warm shadow.

Er...or was it the other way around?

Regardless!

I'm liking the inking now. I began zooming in to 125% or more to make larger, sweeping-motions as I ink. The pay off is there. The whole look appears clean and easy to distinguish in my opinion.

I also began planning these comics on my sketchbook first. Tons of scribbles, poses, and lined-out jokes.

Yes that's right. THIS is the one I settled on.

Overall, progress is being made.

Enjoy,

Brendan

Happy New Year?

So what can I say? You have to toot your own horn sometimes.

So this is my attempt at a splash page to celebrate the one year anniversary of Cap and Gown.

ACTUALLY, the one year occurred on March 25th.

But I had already done a comic ahead of time and wanted to do something special to celebrate.

Thus the two most recent comics.

I'm pretty proud of how far I've come in the last year in terms of my art, but that-by no means-is an indication of my satisfaction with my art.

I have a long way to go but I do believe I'm headed in the right direction.

So I'd like to thank all who have been reading this, my friends, my family, and the very helpful individuals at the Penny Arcade, Artist Corner forums.

Like Becky said; "Here's to a good year, and to even better ones!"

One year - part 1

So here's an attempt at making some panels, working harder at colors, and overall trying to ramp up the professionalism of the comic.

I thought the inking turned out very well, as well as the timing of the panels.

I even dare say that I'm a little happy with the colour choices, but I won't get too carried away with that one.

Tune in next week to see what all that commotion is about!

-Brendan

# 47

I don't normally get worked up...over legitimate ordeals.

Sketch dump # 3

And the final sketch dump for now.

Be amazed at them floatin' heads and lumpy bodies!
Also; my bonneville.

Sketch dump 2

Sketch dump # 2.

A little better than 1, complete with an attempt to color a dancing girl, as well as a flower picture I gave to my girlfriend on valentine's day.

Sketch dump 1

Here we have some of my earlier sketch dumps.

A lot of anatomy practice as well as a larger, inked, fun drawing to keep things exciting.