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I am not ashamed to claim I enjoy reading and writing in the sunshine without anything but a hat. I wish I could’ve done that today, but there was no sunshine, the privacy fence had a huge hole in it, and the weather was too cold. Ah, the problems with being a nudist in the city.

She made that barrette with the paper flower on it. So, she’s talented. Her mother hates that top and how much bare midriff it shows off, but she went to the mall with her sweater on, and then made the sweater disappear. So, she’s also sneaky.

They are not sisters. But they do look alike, dress alike, and style their hair alike. But they are not even sorority sisters. They are in a high school prep school with a strict uniform dress code which they all break alike. That’s sorta like sisters, isn’t it?

The girl who drives that old, classic yellow cat also shops for yellow dresses and yellow shoes. But if you ask her, her favorite color is blue.

She wears only white in the food court and looks like an angel, and will not even drink much of that milkshake so it doesn’t mess up her dress or upper lip with even a hint of chocolate as she waits for that gangster thug who is her boyfriend. But if you think she’s too good for him, like she does, you don’t know what evil plans she has to manipulate and exploit him and eventually make him cry like a baby. She’s much more dangerous than he is.

She’s a dancing harlequin, inspired by a TikTok post.

I like to try to capture what people really look like the best that I can. Using digital tools has the advantage of allowing me to correct the little flubs that spoil a drawing and are only permanent once you commit pen, pencil, or paint to paper. I can alter digital works hundreds of times to get it right. I often save numerous alternate versions of the drawings because each has its own charms and problems. The AI Mirror program I use to edit the work overlays a filter on top of my original drawing. Here I have used a basic anime style. It takes care of mistakes like not aligning facial features properly enough, not wrapping shadows around shapes believably, and gradually blending color the way I used to do with oil paints. But it also does anime things I don’t particularly like such as unnaturally shrinking the nose and the mouth, making the eyes look crossed when looking straight out of the picture, and making chins unnaturally pointy. And the program will also magnify my own poor choices. I made the pupils in the eyes too small here, giving the poor girl snake-like eyes. I tried to capture the character evident in her hair styling but only gave her uncombed and messy spots on her head. I did not round off her chin enough to make the AI leave it alone. The shadows in the right eye look too dark to me, and the only visible ear seems too large. The portrait does not look like the model because I never quite see the je ne sais quoi that highlights the features that truly say who this person is to people who know her. It seems too generic to satisfy me. Of course, in addition to arthritis, glaucoma and color blindness, I was also fighting a runny nose while drawing this one.

None of what I have said here is probably interesting to you unless you also draw pictures of people, And even then you are probably laughing at my silly struggles, but I like talking about such things even to people who are not listening.

A new superhero is on the scene. Aqua Jen is technically a Naiad from Greek Mythology. That means she has all kinds of very wet powers. She can transform her body into river water, fog, or mist. She can also direct waves to splash against enemies and obstacles. She can make water boil or freeze. And when it comes to fish, she does not eat them. Fish are friends, not food. She loves humans, especially handsome young men. But she has to take explicit care not to drown them.

She is also a genius with electricity since water conducts electricity better than most anything. And since her Uncle Ulysses works in a high-tech electronics research lab, he helped her create a waterproof robot sidekick whom she calls Roboknight. He is totally logical, good at math, and nearly indestructible due to his computerized, armored body. He’s really good at smacking stuff and breaking stuff too.

So, evil-doers beware. Aqua Jen thinks you are all wet… or about to be.

She’s a cutie who posed in this picture on Instagram. I couldn’t help but draw her picture, though as with all my portraits, it doesn’t really look like her. Well, I got the legs right. But why did I give her one Alfred E. Neuman ear?

Another picture with flowers, butterflies, and a pretty girl… just because I can.

She smiles and I feel a bit happier, a bit less abused. But the Trump thing could become President again in November. My body fails me regularly. I pass out. I fall down. I have unexplained pains in every part of me, even my hair.

But I got an email from a literary agent. Maybe my writing will get an advocate.

And she smiles. She wears skin-tight bathing suits. And I feel a bit more… happy.

But for those who think an old coot like me shouldn’t get that kind of happiness anymore… well, she lives in Australia and I only know her through Instagram. And I have nothing left to menace her with even if I had the intention and opportunity.

I just look at what she posts. And it makes me smile… until the next wince of pain.