Book of Lael Contest Results!!! AND I did eventually binge watch Sleepy Hollow, in case you were worried. Also, I took a lot of showers. I really like showers.

Howdy, Everyone!

Here I present a real not live comic for you, but first...

Thanks to everyone who participated in the  Book of Lael CONTEST! And the winner is....M(r)s M3/PhD! You have won any item from my etsy shop!

In order of appearance the cutouts were inspired by:

Book of Durrow, f. 21v

Walters W.554 (9^th century Qur'ān manuscript), f. 27b and Walters W.554 (9^th century Qur'ān manuscript), f. 65a

Book of Dimma, f. 30r. The Evangelist Mark

Echternach Gospels, f. 18v

Lindisfarne Gospels, f. 26v

On to the comic!

Some of you may remember this comic from April of 2013 in which I went completely insane during a mini-staycation. A year and half later and things have not changed very much...

Medieval Inspired Cutouts/Book of Lael CONTEST: Week 5

And we've made it to the last week of  the medieval inspired pseudo-hiatus! 

And the last week to enter the Book of Lael CONTEST! For each piece, send me a private message with your guess as to what work/related works inspired it. Whoever guesses the most correctly will win his or her choice of any one item from my etsy shop! I'll announce all of the inspirations next week on January 11th.

Note: Partial credit for any guess that amuses me!

--LJE

Medieval Inspired Cutouts/Book of Lael CONTEST: Week 4

The medieval inspired pseudo-hiatus continues! As previously noted I will be posting early medieval (in some cases LOOSELY) inspired works each Sunday through January 4th.

These works will also constitute another Book of Lael CONTEST! For each piece, send me a private message with your guess as to what work/related works inspired it. Whoever guesses the most correctly will win his or her choice of any one item from my etsy shop! I'll announce all of the inspirations on January 11th.

Note: Partial credit for any guess that amuses me!

--LJE

Medieval Inspired Cutouts/Book of Lael CONTEST: Week 3

Don't forget that until 12/24/14, you can use the coupon code HOLIDAYSALE14 to receive $3 off your purchase at my etsy shop! 

The medieval inspired pseudo-hiatus continues! As previously noted I will be posting early medieval (in some cases LOOSELY) inspired works each Sunday through January 4th.

These works will also constitute another Book of Lael CONTEST! For each piece, send me a private message with your guess as to what work/related works inspired it. Whoever guesses the most correctly will win his or her choice of any one item from my etsy shop! I'll announce all of the inspirations on January 11th.

Note: Partial credit for any guess that amuses me!

--LJE

Medieval Inspired Cutouts/Book of Lael CONTEST: Week 2

Don't forget that until 12/24/14, you can use the coupon code HOLIDAYSALE14 to receive $3 off your purchase at my etsy shop! 

The medieval inspired pseudo-hiatus continues! As previously noted I will be posting early medieval (in some cases LOOSELY) inspired works each Sunday through January 4th.

These works will also constitute another Book of Lael CONTEST! For each piece, send me a private message with your guess as to what work/related works inspired it. Whoever guesses the most correctly will win his or her choice of any one item from my etsy shop! I'll announce all of the inspirations on January 11th.

Note: Partial credit for any guess that amuses me!

--LJE

Medieval Inspired Cutouts/Book of Lael CONTEST: Week 1

Don't forget that until 12/24/14, you can use the coupon code HOLIDAYSALE14 to receive $3 off your purchase at my etsy shop! 

Let's start off the medieval inspired pseudo-hiatus right! As previously noted I will be posting early medieval (in some cases LOOSELY) inspired works each Sunday through January 4th.

These works will also constitute another Book of Lael CONTEST! For each piece, send me a private message with your guess as to what work/related works inspired it. Whoever guesses the most correctly will win his or her choice of any one item from my etsy shop! I'll announce all of the inspirations on January 11th.

--LJE

An Arty, Halloweeny, and Yummy Weekend in NYC ( the three -Y's?)!!!

Okay, Ladies and Gents, I'll admit, this really isn't a comic, but it is a bunch of cool arty things I saw during my weekend in the Big Piece of Round Red Fruit (I suppose this will be sort of reminiscent of the posts on the short-lived On the Side after Five--perhaps I'll consider a revival). A new comic next week, most likely replete with self-deprecating hilarity and strange everyday encounters.

Right as I got off the bus, I was treated with this lovely art installation--plastic bags on metal fence. Couldn't find more info about this yet--let me know if you know more about it! 

When I arrived at my friend's Harlem apartment, I couldn't help but snap a quick shot of her old fireplace. I love noticing the details at friend's apartments.

I had a lovely brunch with dr. ks. (you'll remember her from lots of my comics, but if you missed it, see her guest comic from earlier this year), and I was in love with the bowl/plate (?) for my omelet. It's the kind of brunch experience that makes me want to get into clay. If you're in need of brunch in Harlem, I do recommend Lido. 

After brunch my medievalist companion and I ventured to the Morgan Library and Museum to see the Morgan Crusader Bible. The show runs through January 4, 2015, and is definitely worth the admission price. From the site: "Before the manuscript is rebound visitors will have the opportunity to view over forty of its miniatures, the work of six anonymous artists who were the artistic geniuses of their day." For those of you who are not manuscript nerds, this means that unlike when a book like this is normally on display and you can only see the open pages, "over forty of its miniatures" are on display! A very rare opportunity when a book gets taken apart and displayed before being put back together. The show itself was gorgeously designed and the displays very helpful for the non-initiate. Having never seen this manuscript in person before, I was floored to realize how much most reproductions of the folios flatten the pages and deny the gold leaf. I'm only sad I didn't get to see the folio which inspired one of my postcards. If you can't make it to NYC, or even if you can, the online exhibition is spectacular!

Later that evening dr. ks. and I stumbled across a wonderful pumpkin/Halloween display in the hallway across from The Bar Downstairs. 

Finally, my friend Steph and I had dinner at New Wonjo Restaurant before I caught my train. I regret not being able to get a better shot of this piece above our table, but it was crazy crowded. Absolutely love this piece of art. 

Okay, everyone, thanks for reading! See you next week.

--LJE

If you are gonna make a dumb comment at least offer to help. OR At least he didn't say, "There's an app for that."

Howdy, Dear Readers,

Scroll down for today's comic, but first, I'm excited to announce two new items in my etsy shop! Two beaded cross necklaces! Check 'em out! 

The Theodosia:

The Constantia: 

And on to the comic! 

--LJE

When I say "real numbers, "I'm not juxtaposing them with "imaginary numbers," but just saying I didn't totally make them up, but I kinda did do that...

Check out the February comic I reference here. Sure, those emails were just from Dr. A, but let's be honest. Not too much different from the rest anyway...

--LJE

I guess I do miss Conky! He got me through some tough times!

Dearest Readers,

I'm changing it up this week! I wanted to work on some other art projects this week, it is Labor Day, and it has been too long since I got medieval, so I decided to do some drawing and sketching.

So, what medieval was I to draw? I kept thinking about what my dad said about Conky (see the bottom of last week's post.)

Conky is my logo, but he gets no play! 













See his first appearance in my comic here where he looked like this:














His second time, he looked like this:

He cleaned up a bit for our date in his last character driven appearance: 

The real medieval art that inspired him is the tympanum at Conques. 

Today I drew him in pencil, 

in brush pen,

and digitally.

Then, I thought, hey, if he becomes a recurring character, he may need some clothes, and then I thought, maybe his clothes could promote something really cool happening in Baltimore! Check out the Thunder Grunt Podcast Network! And while you're at it, like the network on the Facebooks. 

I also decided to draw a bit from this lovely piece: a 13th century tempera on wood painting: Scenes from the Life of Christ: Arrest of Christ, Christ in Limbo; Descent from the Cross, Preparation of Christ’s Body for His Entombment at the MET. The title is off, but if you want this as a poster, it can be yours!

I figured this guy could be a buddy (or pet?) of Conky's, so I drew him in pencil,

in marker, 

and digitally. 

When I went to draw him digitally, I decided to keep the columns from the original image as with the pencil drawing and couldn't help but think the drawing would make a good insanely strange medieval ad. Now, I just hope the Thunder Grunter's don't mind! 

See you next week, and Happy Labor Day,
LJE

Variations on a Theme [off the deep end]...OR This is not, I repeat, not fanfic...I do not write fanfic... :she says as she falls deeper down the rabbit hole...:

Howdy, Readers!

Some of the lines in today's comic are direct quotes, but I took a LOT of artistic license! Thanks, Dr. A and dr. ks for your contributions!  

***Call for Guest Comics***: Due to some upcoming events, I may be forced to take a few weeks off in May and June. If you'd like to help me out and draw a guest comic for me, I'd love it! Virtually anything is fine, actual comics or just drawings (as long as it isn't blatantly offensive and doesn't include too much colorful language). Your piece would need to be complete and submitted to me by May 1st. Send me an email at thebookoflael@gmail.com if you're interested! 

Ok, on to the comic! Scroll down for some images I ended up not using in this week's comic! 

The cake is chocolate frosted with Funfetti cake inside! Only the best boxed mix for my boys!

Thank you so much to everyone who has given me so much support over the years. So much has changed in the last five years, and wow, you and this comic have gotten me through! Sometimes the deepest darkness brings the light...This comic saved me in so many ways as did all of you who have supported it--from those first chuckles for my tea party, you gave me the courage to survive losing the thing I thought mattered most but to gain something else just as important. 

Check out all of the insular tea parties/birthday parties over the years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013!

--LJE

I only wish I could say this was the first time I'd drawn a cat vomiting in my comic. OR Lael, are you ever gonna draw Tom Hiddleston?

Have a Holly Jolly moment of Re-imagining Art Forms...

Howdy, readers! No regular comic this week (holiday activities plus the bandaged thumb), but enjoy a sneak peak at the next postcard I'm working on for my etsy store.

But, first, I just want to share a really cool work of art I came across this week at my new job. Check out Triptyque (Triptych) by Georges Vantongerloo. Look at the rest of the "Inventing Abstraction 1910-1925" exhibition site, too. There are some amazing works and a book, too! I'm not an expert on modernism in the slightest, so a triptych in this style seemed amazing. However, according to this page on the Centre Pompidou's site written by Noémie Giard, 

Triptychs are nevertheless common among De Stijl artists, who see them as a way of combining instant perception and the time element associated with a story. The structure and arrangement also alters the way in which the work and the wall – and the way in which the viewer and the work – interact...'Despite the variety of interpretations, triptychs remain for De Stijl the instrument that hovers between art and architecture, and between identity and repetition; the one that denotes the limits of transfer, a threshold that shuffles the identity-related conceptions of painting. Ultimately, it appears as the way of articulating the material and spiritual worlds, the realm of reality and a new form of representation.' (Frédéric Migayrou, De Stijl path exhibition curator, “Dossier 5. Triptyques”, De Stijl Catalogue, p.98.)

Ok, on to the postcard! This work is unfinished, but it's my take on a detail from folio 26 v of the Lindisfarne Gospels.

I'll hopefully finish this piece in the new year, but in the meantime here's a little reminder of what my other postcards look like:

Is there a manuscript image you'd like to see me adapt? Please, let me know for my next set of 4!

Happy Holidays,
Lael

Instead of a “share” button, there should be a “WTF” button...

Hiatus News: Looks like my tech problems are close to solved, but my back is still iffy. I'll try to keep updating regularly...we'll see how it goes! Thanks for your support, everyone! 

Don't forget! Some medieval-y postcards would be awesome as holiday gifts! Check out my etsy shop where the coupon code 2014Holidays (guess I'm really excited about the New Year?) will get you 20% off from now until the end of the year! 

I interrupt my regularly scheduled post...

I can't begin to thank everyone for all of their wonderful help and support this week.  I can't believe how generous everyone has been: http://www.gofundme.com/3xnfyw.

I bagged my regular comic for the week, and drew how I've come to see my cousin Zeb this week. Guess it's no surprise to anyone that I went medieval! Zeb, YOU ARE CRAZY AMAZING!

Love,
Lael

For those of you non-foodies, “pâté” just means “will harden faster.” OR My grandma did more cocktail making than cooking. The trick is to pour the alcohol until it COVERS the ice.

I joined Twitter (@lael_j)! See below for the sketches I posted this past week on Twitter. Posted here at The Book of Lael, too, by "popular" demand!

Don't forget to check out my etsy store! 

Nifty Romanesque column figure goes modern Baltimore hipster...