Chapel Chronicles Webcomic

Shop Til You Drop

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

We often see Chapel shopping for things like hats or cool outfits and really enjoying it, so here I wanted to show her being very kid-like and whining about having to go shopping. Chapel is pretty mature, but of course she still frequently acts her age and has to get dragged around (literally). Luckily, her mom finds a way to keep Chapel from getting bored…. Because I’m mildly obsessed with drawing details, I added lots of intricacies and hidden gags to the shops that Chapel is walking past. Can you spot them all? I’m still recovering from mono, but happy to be back doing my strip!

Dad of Mystery

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

I thumbnailed this strip almost an entire year ago, but serendipitously, I ended up drawing it this week after picking up sewing a little while ago. So far, I’ve made two 60s style skirts from some interesting cloth I bought at my favorite local thrift store. Next up: a dress! I wanted to have a continuation of last week’s strip highlighting Chapel’s interactions with her dad, instead of her mom. Because Chapel’s dad is shown less than Chapel’s mom, I thought the “Dad of Mystery” gag was apropos. I had a lot of fun drawing the view outside the never-before-seen dining room – Chapel lives on a hill, which is something I’ve only hinted at before in previous comic backgrounds.

Little Black Dress

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Yay!! I’m back! Thank you all for supporting me while I was sick with mono, reading all your kind thoughts really made me feel better. I’m so glad to be here with new comics for you! In this strip, I wanted to subvert the comic book trope of characters only ever wearing one outfit. I had always wanted to discuss why Chapel wears her LBD (little black dress) because when I was younger, I would read comics where the characters all wore one outfit and wonder what happened if they tore it or got it dirty. The previous times when I showed the folding screen in Chapel’s room, I had always shown it closed so that you never saw what was behind it. But here, the mystery behind that and behind Chapel’s dress is revealed!

Clowning Around

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Hi guys, just wanted to let you know I went to the doctor today and I officially have mono. The comic will be late this week and I may not actually be able to get it done as I've been hit with crippling exhaustion due to the mono. Thank you for understanding!!

Thanks for everyone’s patience while I was sick this past week! I worked really hard to get this comic out and I think it turned out really nicely. I’m feeling better now, so thank you for all your well wishes! In panel four, I wasn’t going to show the toddlers themselves as that wouldn’t fit in the format of the comic. So I had to find another way to show that the kids were wreaking havoc. I decided to have splashes of paint, silly string (impossible to clean up) and wayward tails from Pin The Tail on the Donkey to hint at the kids’ destruction. Also, the note on the table asks Chapel not to let Jimmy eat candy, but judging by the spilled candy on the floor and Jimmy’s pee-related accident, I’d say he definitely found the sugar stash.

Paperman

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Attention East Coast fans of Chapel! I’m going to be exhibiting at the comic convention MoCCA Fest in New York City this weekend, April 6th-7th from 11am to 6pm each day. It’s located at the Lexington Avenue Armory, and I’ll be at table B51. I’ll be debuting a brand-new Chapel Chronicles Collection paperback, with 152 pages total! It includes Seasons 1-3 and extra bonus content not available online including a special segment of extra art and the history of Chapel, so far. If you buy one, I’ll do a doodle just for you! I’ll also have brand-new pin sets in three variations and a new product, Chapel stickers, which come in a set of 4 large stickers for only $1. Please stop by and say hello, there’s nothing I like better than meeting fans of Chapel!

Books and Bowler Hats

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Frequently, it’s adults who chastise kids over their messy bedrooms. I wanted to have this strip initially appear to be a role reversal with Chapel complaining about the state of Barnaby’s room, but then the tables were turned back to their usual states. I usually draw Chapel’s room as very neat because she seems like the type, but I know that even the neatest people can sometimes have a storage crisis when it comes to things like hats!

Bidding War

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

If you remember the strip “Rupert Leads the Life of Riley,” back in Season Three, you might recognize where the idea for this comic came from. In the “Life of Riley” strip, Chapel’s mom mentions that Chapel’s biggest source of stress is trying to win hats on eBay. Ever since I wrote that line, I knew I wanted to have a comic centered around that very thing. On online auction sites, there’s a strategy called “sniping” where people wait until the very last second of the auction to place their bid, thus ensuring that the other bidders won’t have enough time to counter-bid before the end of the auction. I thought that the double meaning of this term was perfect for one of Chapel’s flights of fancy! I wanted to do something different from her previous flights of fancy and make the atmosphere in this one very dark and gritty, like Chapel was imagining herself in a crime drama. And only Chapel would imagine all that, only to give herself water balloons as ammo!

Caffeinated Chapel

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

You, as the reader, are mostly in Chapel’s head, seeing (and discovering) the world as she does. Here, I wanted to let you discover something before Chapel does, which is why I had the reveal of the tea switch-up in panel two instead of the end. I drew Chapel’s loose hair very fluffy, implying that maybe she had just taken a bath and was all ready to snuggle up for bed. In my experience, a hot bath and chamomile tea is a wonderful way to get yourself drowsy. Unfortunately it didn’t work so well for Chapel here!! Originally, Chapel was getting ready for bed at 10 pm but when my mom saw this comic, she said, “Chapel’s too young to go to bed that late! Her no-nonsense doctor mom wouldn’t allow it!” Sorry, her bedtime is at 9 pm now!

21st Century Preteen Goddess

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

One of my favorite things to do with Chapel is to show different backgrounds throughout the comics, and eventually connect these backgrounds so the readers gradually get a fuller picture of the world Chapel inhabits. I did that here by showing the physical connection between Chapel’s backyard and her kitchen! The back lawn and large oak tree you may remember from “[The Flying Dervish::88].” Will Chapel ever retrieve the Frisbee she got stuck in the tree in that comic? I guess we’ll have to find out! The area with the tulips and deck chair was first shown all the way back in Season Two in “[Woes of Easter Bunnies::58],” and the porch was first shown in another Season Two comic, “[Humidity Horror Story::55].” I’ve shown the kitchen several times before but if you notice, I change the design and details slightly every time.

Chapel Quijote and Sancho Rupert

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Thank you so much for everyone’s patience while I wasn’t feeling well! It warmed my heart to read everyone’s well wishes. I’m still not back up to 100%, but I worked really hard today to get this strip to you. At some points in the day I was worried it was a quixotic quest, but I persevered!

Picture Day

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

I hope you notice the hats in panel three get less and less fancy as the failed takes increase. When I was younger I had blonde flyaway hair which was really hard to comb so sometimes a teacher would fix it up on class photo day, but not in a way I liked! Sometimes they would do wacky things like put it up in a side braid, so my yearbook photos could get pretty crazy. What are your school photo day memories?

Finale Blues

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

I know some Chapel fans are also fans of Doctor Who, so I hope you’ll appreciate the topic of this strip. I think people’s reactions when watching TV can be really hilarious – the episode Chapel and Barnaby are watching in the last two panels is “Doomsday,” the famously sad finale of Doctor Who’s second season. I think my mom – who’s a lifetime Doctor Who fan -- used up an entire box of tissues the first time she watched it! There was another comic where Chapel marathoned TV. Can you remember what show she was watching? If you guess first without checking, I’ll give you a shout-out in next week’s commentary! Also: Wednesday, February 13, was my 16th birthday. Happy sweet sixteen to me!

Walk the Plank

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Chapel’s outfit here is a variation of the original outfit worn by Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of the manga One Piece, which Chapel was peddling in the comic “[The Hard Sell::103]”! Luffy’s vest is typically red, but he occasionally wears an alternate version with a yellow vest. I chose to draw the yellow vest here, because it contrasts nicely with Chapel’s red hair! Besides her outfit, there’s also another homage to Luffy drawn onto Chapel here. Can you catch it? Also a reminder: if you live in the Bay Area, I’m teaching another comics course at the [Art Museum of Los Gatos::http://www.museumsoflosgatos.org/site/2012/art-museum/cbi/] this Sunday, February 10 from 12pm to 3pm! Don’t miss it! I also drew a bunch of different perspectives here, and worked very hard on it, so I hope you like this strip. What do you think?

An All-or-Nothing Problem

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

I always knew I wanted to have a comic where Chapel is working on her math homework and really, really enjoying it! Although it’s not explicitly stated in the comic, I always knew I wanted math to be Chapel’s favorite subject. Are you surprised, especially considering that she’s an art-and-fashion type of girl? That’s exactly my point! In all types of fiction, it’s rare to see a girl who likes math and doesn’t fall into the “nerdy girl” stereotype. With Chapel, I try to break all sorts of stereotypes: she loves fashion and dressing up, but she also adores science fiction and math. In real life, nobody falls perfectly into any one stereotype, and that’s exactly how I’d like to present Chapel. I also wanted to change up the background in this strip a little! I don’t often show Chapel outside of her house, so I decided to have her doing her homework at a coffee shop downtown. She’s the kind of girl who would like to spend time at a coffee shop just to people-watch, so I think it’s perfect. There are two Doctor Who references hidden in this comic…can you find them?

The Hard Sell

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Do you remember in what comic Barnaby’s bedroom first appeared? Without checking, tell me which one, and the first person to guess correctly can win a free Season Three minicomic!! It’s on the honor system. One Piece (which Chapel’s peddling in this comic) is the best-selling manga worldwide. It’s been serialized weekly for 15 years and is only about ½ of the way through its projected storyline! It has an ongoing anime adaptation, 10+ movies, 65+ book volumes, a museum exhibit about it, a video game, and SO much merchandise that there’s even toilet paper themed after the characters. Go check it out! I like to imagine that in the third panel, Barnaby is about to bop Chapel with his foot. She did pop out of nowhere while he was reading in his own bedroom, so I think it’s deserved. Maybe just a soft foot tap…

Hedgehog Ennui

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Basically, I love the word “ennui.” If you live in the Bay Area, I have some exciting news! The [Los Gatos Art Museum::http://www.museumsoflosgatos.org/site/2012/art-museum/cbi/] is featuring my work as part of their “Storytelling in Pictures: From Idea to Art” exhibit. I’m the only kid featured in the museum, which is really an honor to me. The exhibit showcases my Chapel comics, development drawings, sketchbook, and more! If you want to check it out, the exhibit runs through February 24th, so you have plenty of time to come visit Chapel in a real-life gallery setting. I’m teaching two free comic book workshops at the museum on Sunday, February 3rd and Sunday, February 10th, from 12pm to 3pm. And even better, if you’ve ever been interested in my 826 Valencia comic workshops in San Francisco but were too old to attend, the classes at the museum are open for all ages. I would LOVE to see any Chapel readers at the exhibit or at my workshops!

Lemon-Beet

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

If you want a sorbet maker that offers amazing and super-flavorful treats, I’d recommend Scream Sorbet which is featured in this strip!! My family and I first discovered Scream last fall and have been hooked ever since – the manufacturers use a special method to create sorbet that has the consistency of ice cream and is, no lie, the most flavorful ice cream or sorbet I’ve EVER had. If you live in California, go check it out! And, yes, they really do carry Lemon-Beet flavor. My favorite is the Lime Mint, though, which actually tastes like real mint leaves! I find most other mint ice creams don’t taste like they’ve ever even been in the VICINITY of a mint plant. In these comics, it’s usually Chapel who goes to extremes and makes a drama out of everything, so I wanted this strip to have her mom be the perpetrator of all the fuss – and with frozen treats, no less, which are usually the domain of kids’ obsessions rather than adults’. But we all know that adults can be as silly as all get-out, which is what I like to showcase in my comics.

Debut

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

And here it is – the launch of Season Four! To celebrate both this new beginning and the ending of the Gaga Concert arc, I drew a super-long strip with an entire extra row of panels! I wanted to leave the actual concert part of this an enigma, because some things are better left for the reader to imagine – once they’re revealed in the story concretely they lose a little bit of their sparkle. I also wanted to show how even though Barnaby’s just a hospital intern, he immediately rushes to Chapel’s aid when she begins fainting. Lastly, I chose to have Chapel asleep in the family car at the end because as most of us know, kids tend to fall asleep after a day of excitement!

New Years in Photos

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/sparklers.jpg==160]Chapel, Rupert, and the rest of the Chapel Chronicles family all wish you a very happy New Year!! Every New Year’s Eve, my best friend and I wait until close to midnight and try to make words using sparklers while my dad takes photographs. The sparklers don’t last for long so we can only spell small words like our initials or shapes like hearts. Definitely not the words in this strip! Capturing the effect of lit sparklers is difficult enough, but capturing it in a faux Polaroid is even trickier. In order to get the right effect, I studied a lot of photos of real life people writing words using sparklers. I colored the drawing as normal, then used a special brush to write the lettering and get the proper glow effect. Then I de-saturated all the colors and gave them a sepia tint to look like a real-life Polaroid. When that was done, I added some grainy texture to the whole thing to further make it look like a photograph. I wanted to have a New Year’s comic that was unconventional, funny, and a little sweet, much like Chapel herself. I hope you all enjoy the onset of 2013!

List of Christmas Past

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! The kernel of this idea came from one of the original Chapel greeting cards I drew in the fall of 8th grade for my 8th grade graduation project. In it, Child Chapel had no background and a smaller wishlist – I exaggerated it here to further the humor of her myriad Christmas demands. The inside of the card originally had Chapel in the present day realizing her parents were Santa all along, but I decided that for the comic, this version was much sweeter!

V.I.P. Entrance

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

And that’s a wrap, everyone! This is officially the last strip of Season Three. I mentioned this last week, but in case anyone missed it, the next two weeks will be special Christmas and New Year’s strips and Season Four will start at the beginning of 2013! What do you think will happen to wrap up the Gaga contest arc…? In this comic, I wanted to showcase a background that was like a backstage concert area and also made Chapel’s hair pop from it. I also wanted to show Chapel and Barnaby’s supportive relationship, as Chapel’s happiness is Barnaby’s happiness. That’s all he wants. The last panel of this strip is an homage to a previous Season Three comic. Provide guesses as to which strip in the comments! First commenter to get it right (WITHOUT checking) gets a free Chapel minicomic as an early holiday present!

Gaga Luvr

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Next week is the final comic in Season Three – and I promise it’ll be a good one! After that, there will be two weeks of special comics: one for Christmas, and one for New Year’s. Season Four will then begin at the start of 2013, so make sure to be there! It’s safe to say that this comic is taking place in the afternoon (since the concert isn’t a matinee) but I drew Chapel in her pajamas with her hair down to indicate that she’d been obsessing over what to wear all day. And in case you were wondering what her mom is cooking, the answer is – crepes! Chapel’s mom is following my favorite super-simple crepe recipe, which goes as such: 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour, and 1 egg for every portion of crepes. And you may notice that her 1/2 cup measure looks, shall we say -- a little prickly? That’s because it’s one of these fabulous [Hedgie Measuring Cups::http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-kitchen/25797796.jsp] I found on an online store called Anthropologie! They’d make a good stocking stuffer for any twee-loving baker!

The Importance of Good Aim

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

In case you enjoy these commentaries of mine, I’ve started using my Blogspot blog again! While I have my tumblr for illustrations, it’s not a format really suited to long and wordy posts. When I first started doing my Blogspot, I was uncomfortable with the format and tone, but after a year of writing these commentaries I’m ready to go back to it! While the commentary provides behind-the-scenes info in the comics, my blog posts will do the same for my general life and art – so if you want to know me a little better, go check it out! I’ll post every Thursday! My mom and I recently started watching a TV show called Arrow, which is pretty intense! It’s based upon the Green Arrow comics, which I haven’t read yet. The main actor does some crazy stunts like this “salmon ladder” one in the pilot. Can you spot a place in this strip where I snuck in an homage to Arrow? There are also two other TV shows referenced in this comic, see if you can spot them!

Buried in Paperwork

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

This is the beginning of a series that will be the last of Season Three of The Chapel Chronicles! Season Four will start afterwards, but you can be sure Season Three will go out with a bang! Here, I wanted to use a play on words of the title “Buried in Paperwork” as a visual metaphor. The accumulation of failed designs is a good way of showing the passage of time, and also just how hard Chapel’s working on her design. Since this contest means the world to her, she’s being careful about only picking the perfect outfit design! Originally, I had a different strip that was supposed to go up this week instead of this one. However, I decided that the art wasn’t where I wanted it to be and the strip itself was adding little to my overall storyline. Since I had drawn this one a week ahead, I adjusted the story to make it stronger! In art and writing, you frequently have to reshuffle pages and not be afraid to edit things (however painful it might be) to get them into their best shape. Sometimes it can be hard to admit that your first instinct or idea wasn’t working like you thought it would, but once you realize that, your new work will become even better. Also, yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I wanted to let you all know that Chapel’s readership was one of the things that I am very thankful for! Without all of you, I wouldn’t get to spend my time drawing fantastic comics every week. Thank you!

Daydreaming at the Palace

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Chapel has, let’s be honest, a rather stilted view of England from getting most of her knowledge of the country from a fare of Doctor Who and BBC period dramas. So her idea of the place is a little bit strange! In panel 1, I drew her in a roughly translated version of one part of the Buckingham Palace gardens. In Panel 2, I wanted to show that there were various other people at the tea party, so to give that sense of a crowd without really “showing” them I took advantage of the height difference and showed Chapel’s full body, but not theirs. And, of course, Chapel is wearing a fascinator by quintessential English hatmaker Phillip Treacy – the absolute must-have for hobnobbing with the upper crust over afternoon tea.

Move Over, Honey Badger

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The guy who posted the Honey Badger video on Youtube is probably already starting production on a “Hedgehog Crazy Dance” t-shirt, maybe even making little tiny ones for the hedgies themselves. As the title of this comic says: Move over Honey Badger, there’s a new famous animal in town, and his name is Sir Rupert Tennyson Bollingsworth the First! I like to imagine Barnaby buying one of the “Hedgehog Crazy Dance” t-shirts, just to needle Chapel with Rupert’s embarrassing 15 minutes of fame. If you haven’t seen it, watch the [Honey Badger video::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg] (Warning: the language is a bit adult).

Gonna Fly Now

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Way back in Season One, I decided [Chapel should play squash::13], not because I play it, but because it stresses the same attributes Chapel places importance on herself. Squash places a huge emphasis on tactical strategy and the ability to think on your feet, so much so that it’s described as “turbo-powered chess.” We know from Chapel’s board game battles with Fred that Chapel is good at strategizing and quick thinking which makes squash the perfect sport for her. I also wanted to show that someone like Chapel (who’s not very athletic) can enjoy and be good at her sport of choice - at least when she repeats her Gaga mantra to help her focus! When I need an extra jolt of motivation, my song mantra is “Shut Up and Explode” by the Boom Boom Satellites. My mom’s song mantra is “Gonna Fly Now” from the movie Rocky and I’ve named this strip for her. While I never get tired of my song, my mom saves her song for very special occasions (like LSATs and bar exams) so it doesn’t lose its “running up the steps to the Art Museum” effect.

How to Be a Recipe-Breaker

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Even though Chapel’s schemes don’t always turn out as she’d like, I wanted to use this strip to highlight that she always tries her hardest at whatever she puts her mind to. She never gives up, no matter how many times she might make a mistake. To me, that’s the secret of being good at anything – constantly trying, working hard, and learning from your mistakes. I’m not sure Gordon Ramsay of Hell’s Kitchen would agree with this message, since he tolerates nothing less than perfection! As an added note, the amazing insect-and-orchid fascinator Chapel is wearing is an actual fascinator designed by the owner of Etsy shop “Fizzy Fascinators.” I found the link to the shop from an article on Rookie Magazine, which is an online magazine for teenage girls, and immediately knew I’d HAVE to draw Chapel wearing the insect fascinator. It’s so Kyary Pamyu Pamyu-esque! I would buy it myself if I had Chapel’s superhuman confidence when it comes to wearing eccentric headpieces.

Diamond in the Rough

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Chapel often engages in flights of fancy, like imagining herself to be Sir Lancelot while she plays (and loses) chess with Fred, only to find reality sometimes brings her down to earth. I wanted to showcase the reverse scenario, however unrealistic the hat’s transformation might be. For example, you fear losing your wings and flying too close to the sun but you end up touching a star! Spoiler alert: I left the strip ambiguous as to how the hat became beautiful overnight, but I like imagining Barnaby sneaking in during the night and fixing the hat himself to encourage Chapel to try again, earning his big brother badge! Princess Jellyfish is a manga I read recently and wanted to include in this strip. I chose it not because it’s a great comic, but because one of the storylines involves the heroine realizing her talent for designing clothes (despite all odds, as she is frumpy and not a fashionista at all). The book in this strip is entitled “FROM THE NECK UP: An Illustrated Guide to Hatmaking.” I have it but have never tried millinery. Yet.

The Flying Dervish

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

My Chapel webcomics rarely have enough action sequences to merit interesting camera angles, perspective, and foreshortening, but I got to use them here because Frisbee is probably the most action-packed game Chapel has ever played! Interesting angles and perspectives are a really powerful tool to give your comics a feeling of energy and motion. Since Chapel is in a comic strip format, similar to newspaper strips, it’s not a place where I can use those techniques very often. If Chapel were a sports maniac, maybe I’d have more excuses to use them! In panel 3, the action lines around Chapel are called emanata, because they “emanate” from the subject – there’s your little piece of comics trivia for the day! Emanata is a great technique for showing energy and emphasis and is used frequently in a lot of Japanese manga in particular. Speaking of Emananta, there’s an iPad app by the same name which is a comics reader application. And guess what, Chapel is one of their featured series! The app is free, so if you would like to read Chapel on your iPad, you should download Emanata – there’s a lot of cool comics by other authors there, as well!

Scenery and Starvation?

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I really like this comic in particular because it encapsulates Chapel and Barnaby’s cute sibling relationship. In a lot of comics, particularly gag-oriented newspaper strips, sibling relationships are defined only by the petty squabbles that seem to erupt between the siblings almost constantly. Of course not all siblings get along in real life, but one of my goals in introducing Barnaby into the strip was to highlight a sibling relationship that was a healthy and positive one! Despite being seven years older than Chapel and quite different than she is in some ways, they still love and support each other – and you can tell that from just the second panel of this comic alone! So, any older brothers out there, I hope you take after Barnaby in how you treat your younger siblings! Chapel and Barnaby, however, are so caught up watching the scenery that they’re completely slacking off while their parents work hard to unload the supplies from the car. Oops! **NEWS** If you are in the SF Bay Area, you may have an opportunity to meet me in REAL LIFE! I’m going to be exhibiting at APE (Alternative Press Expo) in San Francisco next weekend, October 13 and 14. Anyone who is from the existing Chapel readership, let me know and I’ll give you an exclusive pin! I’ll be selling books, pins, charms, and more, and I’ll be more than happy to sign books and do a special Chapel doodle just for you. Don’t miss it! [More info on APE here!::http://www.comic-con.org/ape/]

Campfire Chic

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I’m actually a very light packer compared to Chapel. There are only a few things I over pack: books and art supplies. I’m always afraid I’ll run out of things to draw with while I’m on a trip. The last time I went on a trip, to Hawaii over Christmas, I had to decide which of the novels I received as presents I wanted to bring. I ended up devouring Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 and several novels from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. My favorite Discworld mini-series are the ones about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. I was overjoyed when I found out the BBC is making a miniseries based off the Watch of the books. Are you an over packer like Chapel or a light packer like I am? What are things you absolutely must have on a trip?

Campers’ Clash

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

This is the first of a series – so we’ll get to see more of this upcoming Smith Family camping trip, for sure! My family hasn’t gone camping, because my mother is a bit like Chapel’s mom, without the attitude. She’s not crazy about the idea of being without common commodities. I’ve only been on a camping trip once – three years ago – and it was certainly an adventure. I went as part of my school’s end-of-year trip system, so everyone in the 7th grade got split up into four trail groups and we went backpacking with our group in Yosemite for five days. I have…mixed feelings about the trip and camping in general! I don’t know if any of you read Calvin and Hobbes, but some of my favorite storylines are Calvin’s forced camping trips by his father, and one of my other favorite comic strips, Patrick McDonnell’s Mutts, also features the characters camping – so I wanted to put Chapel’s spin on it as well! I’ll elaborate on my personal camping experiences more next week, but first I want to hear about all of YOUR camping experiences! It seems like almost everyone falls into one of two camps (pun intended) and that there’s very little ambivalence when it comes to camping. Are you more of a Chapel or a Chapel’s mother when it comes to your opinions about camping trips?

Rupert Leads the Life Of Riley

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/sunny.jpg==130]My parents and I always joke that our 5 month old puppy, Sunny, seems to be asleep for about 75% of her day. Considering that her life consists of walks, getting petted, and eating, we have no idea what there is in her life to tucker her out constantly! My friends’ cats do this as well – is it just a pet thing? Honestly, I wish I could get enough time in my day to laze about just like dogs and cats do – it seems like an idyllic existence! (Actually, I don’t think I would like it that much, because I wouldn’t get to draw cartoons that way). Anyway, I wanted to do a comic where Chapel is also faced with this perplexing pet behavior and then is forced to confront the idea that her concept of a “stressful life” is nothing compared to that of an adult. I’m sure the adult Chapelites can attest to that! Do your pets sleep a lot too? I don’t know why, but I find this phenomenon really hilarious for some reason, just seeing pets tuckered out everywhere…Sunny, for example, loves to sleep in hilariously awkward positions – with one half of her body draped over my arm, for example, or with her head propped up on my graphics tablet as I’m coloring a Chapel comic!

Faire Family

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

In panel 3, Chapel and her newfound friends are discussing Lady Mary Crawley, one of the main characters from Downton Abbey, which I will keep mentioning in these commentaries until you all watch it! It’s one of my favorite period dramas ever, and Season 3 starts airing in the UK in less than two weeks! I am SO EXCITED. To set the mood, I listened to the Season 2 soundtrack while drawing most of this week’s strip. The background in this strip is based somewhat from a corset shop from the Dickens Faire that I attend in San Francisco. Chapel and her friends are eating fish and chips, which is the staple food of Dickens fairs. They’re supposed to be eaten with vinegar, but I prefer ketchup (blasphemy, I know!) which is what Chapel’s friends have in this panel. Do you attend any fairs or conventions where you feel like you’re with family? Tell me more!

Dickensian Discovery

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/dickens.jpg==145]Every year, I go to the San Francisco Dickens Faire with my best friend and her family. It’s an amazing Dickens Faire because everyone dresses up. There is an Irish dancing pavilion, authentic fish ‘n’ chips shops, carolers, re-enactors of various Dickens works, and much more. The entire décor and setup is so realistic that it really does feel like you’ve been mysteriously transported into the Dickens world. All the people who visit the Faire sell hand-made goods that are unique. My family actually has a history of attending Dickens/Renaissance Fairs, as my father used to man a small shop at a renaissance faire where he sold flower garlands. The Dickens Faire will be the perfect place for Chapel, of course, whose amazing knowledge about fashion and historical costume dramas will probably make her an interesting conversational partner for some of the other Faire-goers – but we’ll have to see what happens next week, won’t we? Do any of you have historical (or just general) fairs or markets you like to attend? Share your stories below!

Movie Deal Mania

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/smekday.jpg==130]Recently, I discovered one of my favorite books of all time – [“The True Meaning of Smekday,” by Adam Rex::http://j.mp/RI85b8] – is being adapted into a movie! It’s going to be an animated film called “Happy Smekday!” by Dreamworks, starring Rihanna and Jim Parsons as the voices of the two main characters, to be released in 2014. I’m EXTREMELY excited for the movie! The book is deliciously wacky and unique in terms of the characters, premise, and humor. Which makes me a little bit worried, because what if the studio changes some of it?! My precious book! I’m sure everyone has experienced this to some extent – either fretting about a movie-to-be, or going to go see a movie adaptation of a book and finding out it isn’t everything you wished for. I don’t know if anyone else saw the movie Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, but it was not what I was hoping for, especially since I loved the book. Share your fanboy or fangirl book-to-movie adaptation woes below!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/kyary.jpg==90]This is a small strip of one of my favorite new singers, Kyary, also known as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who is a Japanese model, blogger, and singer. She has these songs with amazing psychedelic videos. I really like PonPonPon, Jelly, and Candy Candy. I’m sure Chapel would like Kyary because she wears a collection of incredibly fantastic hats (bows and cakes) and outfits. If she ever comes to the United States, I’m definitely going to one of her concerts! Check out her twitter account, [@pamyurin::http://twitter.com/pamyurin], for cute and crazy photos of Kyary and her dancers. Also, here is a pix of a Kyary stuffed animal my dad bought for me from ebay. Have fun!

Motivation Station Part 2

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Chapel’s mom is a crafty little bugger, huh? I’ve never had a time (that I can think of) when my parents had to trick me into being motivated. Still, I remember that my childhood best friend’s parents would promise him extra mac ‘n’ cheese if he did his chores, and then not actually give him any extra mac ‘n’ cheese. It’s a cruel world when it comes to motivating your children, especially if they wizen up after one too many tricks. Have your parents ever lured you into doing something on false pretenses? Tell me your anecdotes and feel free to kvetch below!

Motivation Station

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Originally, Chapel’s pose in Panel One was completely different. She was facing away from the camera, which I’ve done a couple times before. My mother and I realized that Chapel’s hair from behind kind of looks like…dare I say it? It looks like a butt. A derriere. A fanny. So, I had to scrap my initial Panel One and re-draw it to the pose you see now. The background of this comic is inspired by my own family’s laundry room, blue walls and all (but we don’t have tv or movie posters in our house). My parents were a bit befuddled to find me hunched in the laundry room sketching amongst dirty clothes. Last week’s hedgehog-ification contest winner is also hidden somewhere in the background of this strip. Can you find it? Congrats to the lucky winner, I loved your witty idea! Hint: It’s right next to the poster for “The Way We Live Now,” an excellent BBC drama that I finished watching a few weeks ago.

Hedgie Night Fever

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I am poking fun at my own (non-existent) dancing skills in this strip and I know I’m not alone in this! My mother is a great dancer but I have no rhythm to speak of. So my mom chuckles when she sees me trying to bust a move to my favorite singers (right now, I love Marina and the Diamonds, notice Marina somewhere in this strip?). My mom says she’s confident she can teach me to dance. We shall see, Marie Astaire. Hmm, I wonder if “Dancing with Hedgehogs” could become a new reality show? Who knows, Barnaby could be a trendsetter! Soon enough, we’ll see Hedgie musicals! “Wicked: Plus Hedgehogs,” “The Hedgie of the Opera,” even “The Drowsy Hedgehog,” based upon my favorite musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” What are some songs, musicals, or singers you could hedgehog-ify? Leave me your creative ideas in the comments, and my favorite will get a cameo in the background of next week’s comic!

Act Your Age

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/gmom.jpg==240]Chapel’s dialogue here is inspired by my own grandmother, Mary Jo Capps, who is probably the most amazing 89-year-old you’ll ever meet. She lives in McMinnville, Oregon, so I don’t see her very often, but she recounts her adventures over Skype with my dad and she has a fuller social schedule than my own mom and dad combined. Mary Jo belongs to the Daughters of the American Revolution, a garden club, a local theater organization, and to top it all off, a secret society known only “P.E.O.” She was a Girl Scout leader and a Campfire Girl when she was young! Once, when I bought a locked, vintage suitcase at the thrift store without the key (for the intrigue, of course), Mary Jo came to the rescue. She asked her extensive web of contacts if any of them had that specific kind of key for a 1950’s suitcase, and lo and behold, one of them did! I received the suitcase key in an envelope in the mail a week later, with a note to save the stamp for Mary Jo’s work with Veterans. Plus, the last time she visited, she did archery for the first time since 1940 and got a bulls-eye. Check out that hot pink rotary phone that Chapel’s using in this strip. What other comics has this phone appeared in? Leave your guesses in the comments below. And feel free to tell me about your own grandparents! Answers next week!

Hedgehog Hairbrush

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://madcapps.com/etc/shadow.jpg==130]I have LEGENDARY bedhead when I wake up. Seriously, my parents used to joke it was a “rat nest” back there when I woke up! When I was younger, I hated combing my hair, so it would often stay a disaster for the entire school day. On picture day, one of the teachers would take pity on me and do something wacky to my hair. For my application to PreK, my parents included the photo shown here and called it “Bedhead and Shadows: A Case Study, Journal of Applied Shadowgrams” Nowadays, my hair’s much straighter instead of the flyaway curls it used to be, but it can still be a doozy to handle once I wake up. If I couldn’t find a comb/brush in the morning, like Chapel can’t find hers here, I don’t know what I’d do! Resort to using a hedgehog, perhaps…but don’t worry, Chapel isn’t hurting Rupert here at all! The hair bows and the backpack are seen in a prior strip. Be the first to name it! What other details are there in this week’s background? Provide guesses in the comments. Answers next week!

Good Ol’ Chapel Brown

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/schulz.jpg==120]This is a Peanuts tribute doodle I did to celebrate my appearance as a Cartoonist-in-Residence at the Charles Schulz Museum this past weekend! And the poster that was in front of the museum! I was so honored to be amongst the company of other artists I really admire! like Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), and Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange). Thanks to Jessica Ruskin for this opportunity! It’s a wonderful museum to visit if you ever get near Santa Rosa. They have Schulz’s studio recreated exactly like it was at his house with the original furniture, books, and drawing supplies.

The Non-evolution of Chapel Smith

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

[http://chapelchronicles.com/images/misc/ppg2.jpg==130]When I was younger, I loved the Powerpuff Girls and I too danced to “Buttercup (I’m a Super Girl)” by the Japanese girl band Shonen Knife on our kitchen table! My dad spent two weeks making an elaborate Halloween costume of Blossom when I was in PreK because I identified with Blossom; my mom liked Buttercup because she’s sarcastic (both my mom and Buttercup) and my best friend liked Bubbles. I drew myself as the 4th PPG when I was 5! Can you spot the differences between young Chapel’s kitchen and the present-day kitchen? Check in next Friday for the answers! If you appreciate the adorableness that is young Chapel in her nightgown, then you’ll love this [Anniversary greeting card::http://www.zazzle.com/anniversary_card-137225581655883295] I designed featuring young Chapel which you can buy from my Zazzle store.

The Pattern Continues

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Will [Chapel ever win against Fred::2]? After [so many losses::6]? Guess not today! I chose “Williams” for the name of Chapel’s unseen underling/adviser as it’s a suitably period-drama-esque name, like Thomas from Downton Abbey. Honestly, I don’t know how Dickens and other writers think up such antiquated and convoluted names for their characters! Though I’m not really one to talk – “Chapel Smith” is just as quirky of a name as “Esther Somerson” from Bleak House or “Marie Melmotte” from The Way We Live Now, an excellent series I just finished watching with my parents. The photograph in the background of panel 4 reads “Sam Smith, Winner, National Poker Semi-finals, 1993.” [Even though Fred won at their Guys’ Poker Night::39], it looks like Chapel’s father Sam was quite a champ back in the day! Unfortunately Chapel doesn’t seem to have picked up his board-game prowess… If you missed my doodle earlier this week, Chapel and Rupert wished you a [sparkly 4th of July::71]!

Happy July 4th

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

A bonus doodle for July 4th.

Lark Rise to Catan

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

How has Chapel been transported to a mysterious island named Catan? Since it’s a medieval village, must she drink mead in a tavern? Do the chickens violate Diana Wynne Jones’ rules from The Tough Guide to Fantasyland? Chapel had to say “Aye” because she whips out a Spyglass from Nowhere and because I adore pirates. At least the pirates in my favorite manga series, One Piece, by Eichiiro Oda. Chapel has worn [Nico Robin’s Straw Hat::14] in prior strips and I personally own many ebay acquired One Piece items (Luffy hat, Luffy earbuds, tee-shirts, action figures . . .) The title of this strip is a reference to the BBC drama “Lark Rise to Candleford,” which I mentioned in [A Chobits Catastrophe::38]. The main cast are the same 25 actors you see in the “too many to name drop” shows like Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, and Bleakity Bleak House.

Superhero of Self

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

In case you’re not sure what the reference to “Starfire’s redesigned costume” is in panel 2, Starfire is a character from the television series Teen Titans! The costume Chapel’s wearing is Starfire’s costume from the TV show version. I never watched Teen Titans, but I have friends who really looked up to Starfire and thought she was a great role model. Unfortunately, this year, Starfire was brought back as a character but with a skimpy costume and inappropriate backstory. It’s really sad to me to have good role models turned into something so different, which is why Chapel comments in Panel 2. I really like the moral in this strip that “you are your own greatest hero.” You don’t have to try and mold yourself into other superheroes or role models in your life – although it is good to try and learn from your elders – but you should always remember that just by being yourself, you’re already a superhero! Anyway, what do you guys think about this strip? Do you have any role models from childhood, like Starfire, that were later changed into something you didn’t look up to any more? Do you agree with Chapel that she’s “the only superhero she needs to be”? Let me know below!

Superhero of Scrubs

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Superheroes can wear strange costumes nowadays, so it’s no wonder Chapel might mistake Barnaby’s scrubs for a superhero costume…except they’re quite obviously hospital scrubs! And everyone knows what scrubs look like, don’t they? Because there a ridiculous number of television shows about doctors on TV. Chapel doesn’t watch much TV, however, and her mom wears a long white doctor’s coat over regular clothes to the hospital. So Chapel thinks everyone in the hospital wears that uniform. And if you look at it from Chapel’s perspective, she makesa pretty reasonable assumption. Besides, Chapel was preoccupied with her fabulous outfits! Are any of you guys familiar with the characters Chapel’s cosplaying in this comic? Well, I hope at least everyone knows the first one! The answer to last week's trivia question: “[Cruel and Unusual Punishment::94]”, from last season. This strip will be a two-parter, so you’ll see some more costume fun next week! And well, looks like after all the hullabaloo, Barnaby’s finally off to his first shift at the hospital! What costumes do you predict Chapel will wear in the second part of this strip? Leave a guess below! What are YOUR favorite and least favorite superhero costumes?

Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Reprise

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Well, looks like Chapel and Barnaby’s mom isn’t swallowing Barnaby’s prank as easily as Chapel did! Dr. Smith is really good at doling out appropriate punishments, isn’t she? I find it hilarious how both Chapel and Barnaby immediately go on the defensive as soon as Dr. Smith begins to get really angry…I guess it’s that “fear of God” response that comes with knowing you’re in trouble! Well, Chapel’s not in trouble, at least. Barnaby, though…Barnaby is sure in a pickle! Trivia question for you loyal Chapel readers: In which other strip did Chapel’s mom enforce a punishment relating to Justin Bieber? No cheating, now! And comment discussion topic of the day! Do you think Barnaby deserved to be punished for what he did? Or is he just being victimized for a harmless prank?

Forgive and Forget

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I try to follow Elmore Leonard’s No. 8 Rule of Writing - avoid detailed descriptions of characters - so I’ve put items in Barnaby’s room so you can discover who he is, or who you think he is, without huge talk bubbles wasting precious panel space. But I violate Elmore’s Rule No. 5 - you are allowed no more than two or three exclamation points for every 100,000 words of prose - on a daily basis! Right here!! Sorry, Elmore. Blink is a spooky and sad episode of Doctor Who written by Stephen Moffat from Season Two with David Tennant (sniff) and Freema Agyeman chock full of so many quotable quotes I’d need a “big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey . . . stuff” to list them all. I do have a tee-shirt which reads “Well... four things and a lizard.” I can only see the actress Carey Mulligan, who is now in loads of movies, as Sophie Sparrow!

Treacy Bribery

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Chapel has a right to be mad at Barnaby, doesn’t she? I mean he orchestrated this entire prank and brought her to tears! Still, it appears she’s all-too-easily bribed even with just a cheap designer knockoff! I’m really glad I got to show Barnaby and Chapel’s sibling interaction in this strip. I think it’s pretty funny how Barnaby knows exactly what to give her to make her forgive him – and then has the gall to suggest they pretend she was in on it all along! Which of course she wasn’t, and we can probably be sure she’ll give him heck for that next week. Anyways, what do you think of this strip? Have you had any other similar moments with your siblings? Let me know in the comments below!

Platonic Ideals

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Hey guys! I wanted to take a break from drawing Chapel this week and give myself a breather between Seasons 2 and 3. But I wasn’t going to let a week go without giving you guys a new strip to read! I originally drew this strip several months ago, as a guest strip for a comic called Unshelved Book Club. Every month, they invite someone to take over their strip and review a book for them. I chose Plato’s Republic, because I thought it was an unconventional – and therefore very Chapel-esque – choice. Anyway, I’ll be back next week with more Barnaby and the official start of Season 3!

Barnaby, Home At Last

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

And here we are! It’s the very last strip in Season Two, and what a cliffhanger! Hee hee…I’m so delighted at being able to show this strip! I’m sure you guys are surprised by how this last arc in Chapel turned out, too. When Season 3 starts, you can bet that there’ll be plenty more time of showcasing Barnaby in all his glory! Anyway, what do you think about Barnaby? Are you excited for learning more about him? Let’s talk in the commentary, I can’t wait to hear from you!

The Plot Thickens

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

WELL, I bet you weren’t expecting that one, were you? I’ve been waiting to run this particular storyline for so long, I’m so happy I finally get to do this. There’s so much we find out in this strip, isn’t there? Not only that Chapel’s brother Barnaby who I’ve mentioned a few times in the past is coming home, but that he…isn’t! This is also the second-to-last strip in Season Two…so there’s only one comic left until Season 3 begins. What do you think is going to happen? This is getting pretty intense, isn’t it? You guys should totally talk about your theories below – but I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, you’ll just have to wait for next week for that!

The Dangling Conversation

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Oh man, parents. They’re always pulling tricks like this one! You’re so excited to chat with them or do something fun with them and they get distracted on the phone and you’re left waiting for ages! I wanted to show that frustration in this strip – Chapel’s obviously SO excited for her surprise and then her mother’s phone conversation drags on so long she doesn’t even get it! This has actually happened to me in the past – a year or two ago I remember I was waiting to watch TV with my mom, but she was busy answering email and took so long that I fell asleep on my bean bag chair. Has anything like this happened to you? Let’s share our parental frustrations below and have our weekly chats in the comments, I love talking to you all!

Imagination Follies

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I’m sure this has happened to some of you, since I know it has happened to me! When your parents tell you they have a surprise for you, when it’s Christmas Eve or the day before your birthday…you can’t help but let your imagination go wild! But then, unfortunately, whatever you were looking forward to can’t possibly live up to what you were imagining! Does this ever happen to you? When does your imagination get the better of you? Let’s chat below!

Headwear Intervention

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Back over Christmas when I was on vacation in Hawaii, my dad and I discovered this strange Japanese documentary show called Soko Ga Shiritai. One night, they had an episode on hoarders! These people rationalized every purchase they made, usually something along the lines of “but I NEED these 50 rolls of toilet paper!” I thought it would be fun to work this into a Chapel strip, because everyone has one thing that they almost hoard, right? For me it’s art supplies! I have way too many of them! What about you guys? What things do you collect above anything else, to the point of almost hoarding? Let’s chat below!

Woes of Easter Bunnies

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

HAPPY EASTER! We couldn’t just let Easter go by without celebrating, could we? And of course Chapel’s as stylish as ever when it comes to how she celebrates…I find it pretty funny how in this one Chapel is sort of a “Sassy Easter Bunny” instead of her usual cheerful self! Well, I suppose having to hide and find one’s own Easter eggs will do that to a person! We don’t really celebrate Easter at my house, even just for the candy. I wish we at least did Easter egg hunts though, so maybe I’ll have to take a page from Chapel’s book and hide (and find) them myself. How do you guys celebrate Easter? Have you ever had to do what Chapel’s doing and shoulder a lot of the holiday burdens yourselves? Let’s chat below!

Supermarket Simpletons

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

My mother and I rarely go grocery shopping, but when we do, we go CRAZY over the tiniest things (San Pelegrino water! Mini-toasts! The good type of raisin bread!) while my dad will be off on the sidelines, tut-tutting at our simple delight. While he’s not as pooh-poohey as Chapel’s dad is in this strip, he can never QUITE comprehend our immense love for simple supermarket finds. The two of us rarely go to the supermarket, especially my mom, so when we do go, we get really excited about all the food. Pistachios! Dried bananas! Odwalla juices! Two different kinds of apples! And the best one, ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE. Anyway, do you guys ever have this experience? What are simple things that you get overly excited about, be it supermarket finds or anything else? Let me know in the comments, let’s share our stories of simple delights!

Snorkeling Snafu

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

This strip is inspired by the trip I took to Hawaii over Christmas! I’d never been swimming in the ocean before, AND I’d never snorkeled before – but my dad got the bright idea to make me go snorkeling in the ocean. I was understandably pretty scared and I couldn’t go more than a foot or two out at first, but my dad started getting pretty upset at how “wimpy” I was being! After I gave him a stern talking-to he let up, but I still felt the need to prove to him that I could snorkel JUST FINE…so then I snorkeled maybe 10 or 15 feet out and I was doing just fine until I had a massive panic attack and zoomed back to the shore as if my swimsuit was on fire. Anyway, after the incident I calmly lectured my dad on his unrealistic expectations regarding my snorkeling ability. I have not snorkeled since then and instead I made a comic about it. But I do want to snorkel again sometime, because I love swimming! Have you guys ever been snorkeling or scuba diving? What were your experiences? And also, has there ever been a time when your parents had unrealistic expectations for you? Let me know!

Humidity Horror Story

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I don’t know about you, but when it’s really humid outside, my hair becomes flat and flyaway. I don’t know what to do! When I was in Spain for a class trip, it was maybe 90% humidity – so naturally my hair went AWOL. My friends had similar problems! Because almost everyone I know gripes about bad hair days from humidity, I thought everyone would find it funny if I centered a Chapel strip around the topic – especially since Chapel’s hair is one of her distinctive factors! Anyway, let’s chat in the comments, Chapelites! Do you guys ever have humidity bad hair days? Share your horror stories below, and maybe we can even swap tips for beating out the humid weather!

The Zeal of Thrifting

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Do any of you guys like to go thrifting or do DIY projects? My dad and I really like to! We love going around to thrift stores and digging up cool finds, as well as using what we find at the thrift store to fix or modify things we have around the house. I thought it would be fun to show the juxtaposition between the obviously very large amount of hats Chapel owns and her being overly preachy about the values of thrifting and DIY’ing. I think my favorite part about this strip is how the hat on Chapel’s head is just sort of the elephant in the room – no one mentions she’s wearing an enormous green headpiece, but everyone notices it. Do any of you guys like thrifting or DIY’ing? Or do you tend more to the side of “it’s easier to buy it new from a store”? Let’s chat below, I always love our weekly discussions in the comments section! Also, there’s something about this strip that’s VERY DIFFERENT from usual. It should be pretty obvious to figure out what it is, but still, anyone want to battle it out and see who can be the first to spot what I’ve changed?

Don’t Rain on my Parade

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800

This strip was inspired by a similar rainy walk I took after my squash lesson one day! Unlike Chapel, however, I went on the walk voluntarily to get inspiration for this week’s strip (and to buy some snazzy nail polish). I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not very fond of the rain. I’m sure we’ve all had a similar experience as Chapel when we get caught in the rain at the wrong time – and all we can do is imagine ourselves at home in front of a cozy fire! On another note, one of you requested I make a new process video over at my tumblr, and I did! I filmed the entire process of creating this strip and will be editing it together into one of my time-lapse process videos. PLEASE check back later this evening to watch the video, which I’ll post right here in the comments section once I’ve finished it! I did something extra-special when filming this one. Have any of you guys ever been caught out in the rain at an inopportune moment? Share your rain horror stories below, I really want to hear them! And don’t forget to check back for the video later this evening.

Chapel Holmes, Consulting Detective

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Well. Anyone who knows me and my fandoms knew this was bound to happen someday. I always knew I wanted to have Chapel dressed up as Sherlock, and as I added Rupert I remembered that the Sherlock fandom on tumblr refers to John Watson as a hedgehog – so it seemed fitting that Rupert should wear a tiny sweater that looks like Watson’s from the program. For those of you who haven’t seen it, BBC Sherlock is a really amazing series! There are only 6 episodes, but each one is 90 minutes and is essentially a small movie, so it’s all good. Also, the phone Chapel’s holding plays an integral part in the first episode of Sherlock, which is called “A Study in Pink.” Anyway, I had wayyyyy too much fun drawing Chapel in her Sherlock cosplay. I regret nothing!

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Well, we knew Chapel’s mom was sneaky, but we didn’t know she was THIS sneaky! Replacing all of Chapel’s music with Justin Bieber…that’s a low blow, isn’t it? Although to be fair, it does make it so that Chapel will go to sleep! When you guys were kids (or if you ARE currently a kid) did something like this ever happen to you? What weird punishments have your parents ever thought up? Let’s chat about it below! For me, my parents would threaten to take away either my books or my laptop when I misbehaved – which, to me, was the most horrible punishment conceivable. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this week’s strip! Did everyone have a good Valentine’s Day? Let’s get a good discussion going in the comments, Chapelaniacs/Chapelites/Chapel Club/Chapel’s Faithful/whatever you’d like to call us!

Chapel Cupid

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I decided to interrupt the iPod storyline for a week in order to have a fun holiday strip, but don’t worry, the conclusion of the iPod storyline will be next Friday! Coincidentally, it’s my 15th birthday on Monday, February 13th! Could I have some birthday wishes everyone? I also have a question for you guys! I normally refer to you as “Chapel readers,” but I think we need a better name for the Chapel Chronicles community at large. I’m leaning towards the term “Chapelites,” but what are YOUR ideas? Let me know in a comment below, and don’t forget to tell me what you thought of this week’s strip! What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Kids take note: Chapel is pretty much the best kid ever, so maybe steal her idea and butter up your parents with candy and flowers on the 14th! (But don’t tell them I said that).

Dr. Smith’s Sneak Attack

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Oh ho ho…a lot of you were wondering if Chapel’s mom was going to catch her, and it looks like she did! Dr. Smith is super sneaky, though…waiting in Chapel’s room like that! Poor Chapel looks like she’s about to have a heart attack in that last panel…I know I would if I returned to my room in the middle of the night to find my mom there! I originally intended to end this little storyline with last week’s strip, but you guys were having such fun with it that I decided to extend it! I’m really happy with how this strip turned out. I love slowly showing you guys more and more of Chapel’s house, so in this strip you got to see the area outside her room and then the inside of her door, which wasn’t shown in “The Essence of Air Guitar,” when you first saw her bedroom. Oh, and don’t ask me why she has curtains draped over the inside of her door! Chapel’s just fabulous like that!

Bond, Chapel Bond

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

We haven’t had one of Chapel’s flights of fancy in a while, and I thought it would be neat to tie it into her iPod getting confiscated in last week’s strip. And really, when you’re walking through your house at night and no one’s up, who doesn’t feel like a spy? It was especially fun to draw Chapel and Rupert in their spy outfits, as well! The colors on Chapel’s suit are a reference to a certain fictional character with two hearts…can you guess who? Anyway, I hope you guys liked this strip, and I’ll see you next week!

The Essence of Air Guitar

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I had SO MUCH FUN doing this strip. I mean, I got to draw Chapel’s bedroom and Chapel herself with her hair down and no glasses! Also, who doesn’t accidentally end up rocking out when they put on some “calming” music to go to sleep? Not me because I can’t dance! I had to use a reference photo for Chapel’s air guitar pose, which makes for a very embarrassing picture of myself that I now have saved on my computer hard drive. Also, I have lots of references hidden around Chapel’s room! Can you spot all the homages? Leave a comment below! Also, what songs do you like to rock out to?

Haus of Gaga

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I thought it was high time we had another strip of Gaga fun! This costume was a joy to color. I certainly abused my pack of Photoshop sparkle brushes on this one, as you can probably tell. I have a personal philosophy that sparkles instantly make anything better, and Chapel’s Gaga homages are no exception. It was hard to find an iconic Gaga costume I hadn’t drawn yet (that wasn’t made of meat) but I really love this one. I also chose this costume because the blue-ish silver color palette would actually fit in really well at a wedding, don’t you think? I don’t know about you guys, but I would love to attend one of these wedding shindigs Chapel goes too. I mean, a wedding where one of the guests shows up in a Gaga costume? Sign. Me. UP.

Doing the Dishes, Part IV

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

When I do the dishes, my mom keeps trying to get me to wear these icky yellow plastic gloves so that I won’t have to get food on my hands. I refuse – I really don’t like gloves! I do, however, contribute highly to the revenue of the Method cleaning products company because I wash my hands over 5 times over the course of doing the dishes. Lavender is the best of their hand soaps because it smells so strongly that any leftover-food-aroma will get cut. Clementine and Cucumber are a close 2nd and 3rd, though, in terms of how effective they are at getting my hands clean again! Yes, the Chapel Chronicles is a quality webcomic. Here, we discuss favorite hand soap formulas!

Doing the Dishes, Part III

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

This is the second-to-last installment in the Dishes saga! I hope you’re all enjoying this as much as I am. It was insanely fun to draw Chapel in all these dancing poses. Admit it – you dance around in a silly way when you do chores, too. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great New Year’s! I’m celebrating by having my best friend over for a sleepover and BBC Sherlock. Are any of you watching BBC Sherlock? Can we talk in the comments about how amazing Season 2 is going to be? Don’t disappoint me here, Chapel readers!

A Very Chapel Christmas

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you like this strip. It was really fun to draw and color, even though that tree took a while! My family and I don’t normally do that much to celebrate Christmas. We just decorate our tree, open presents, and that’s it. I’d say our most prevalent holiday tradition is I usually get up very early (which is super rare for me as I can normally NEVER wake up in the morning) and then annoy my parents until they wake up and are coherent enough to supervise the Opening of the Presents. What holidays do you guys celebrate? What are your holiday traditions?

Doing the Dishes, Part II

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

I am writing this in a hotel in Lanai, Hawaii! I actually colored all of this strip on the plane ride to Hawaii, as well. See what I do for you, dear readers. This also meant that the night before we left for our awesome vacation I totally put off packing in order to draw the lineart for this strip, because I wouldn’t be able to scan in at the hotel so it had to be drawn before we left so I could color it before Friday blah blah blah technical jargon. ANYWAY! It should be pretty obvious from this strip that Chapel isn’t a huge Miley Cyrus fan, either. Interestingly, this was actually the very first strip where I established Chapel as being a Lady Gaga fan. I drew the original version of this strip about 2 years ago, and if I remember correctly, the inspiration came from hearing my mom sing Lady Gaga while unloading the dishwasher! Since I listen to music ALL THE TIME when I’m working, especially when I’m doing boring chores and need a motivating song, I included it in this strip. What are your motivation songs? I may put up a playlist of my picks sometime, because I listen to a lot of music! See you next week!

Doing the Dishes, Part I

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

This is another old redrawn strip! This series will have 4 parts, so that’s a month of fun dishes-cleaning nonsense! I hate doing the dishes. I don’t like getting guck on my hands and I don’t know, I just really, really hate the concept of old food on plates. One time my dad got fed up with my dishes-related squeamishness and literally smooshed my right hand into a piece of garlic chicken. This particular incident was maybe two years ago and I still bring it up from time to time (like right now). YUCK. Anyway, the background on this strip KILLED me. I was really pressed for time on this strip, especially after a week filled with studying for finals, getting involved in lost cat hunts, gossiping with old people and finding rotting deer cadavers. So what did I do when I was pressed for time on this strip? I gave myself that monstrosity of a background to draw, ink, and color! Still, I think it’s my best background yet, and I’m super proud of how it turned out. So it was all worth it in the end! What do you think of this strip, and what do you expect will happen in part 2? Leave me a comment below, and stay tuned!

Know When To Fold ‘Em

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

So here we have Part 2! This strip was longer than the ones I draw now, and I couldn’t have all the build-up I wanted if I cut it into 4 panels. So that was why I decided to cut it into 2 parts for these strips! I particularly like Chapel’s expressions here, especially in the 3rd panel. And Chibi Chapel at the end wrapping up her story gets me every time! That was a detail I didn’t have in the original strip, so I’m glad I could add it. For Season Two, I wanted to create a game room where Chapel and Fred play their games and Chapel engages in her flights of fancy. I decided on an old-fashioned room with wood paneling and I imagine it’s full of games like the darts on the wall. The title of this strip is in reference to the song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. I Googled it and found cool references to The Muppets, David Tennant in Blackpool, and Alvin and the Chipmunks, but none of those are as cool as my mom telling me that during my dad’s years at Apple, when he had a beard, some people would ask him, “hey, are you Kenny Rogers?”

Know When To Hold ‘Em

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

This, like the Jenga War Strategy strip, is another redrawn strip. I drew the original around Christmas 2009 and Chapel looked quite a bit different. It was actually the first Chapel strip I ever drew and I did it as doodles on a napkin in ballpoint pen without any plan as to where the strip was going! I’ve always liked this as an introduction to Fred and an explanation for why Chapel has such a bone to pick with him, so I’m glad I got to include it as a flashback. If you go back to the very first “Chapel vs. Fred” strip, “[The Babysitter Arrives::1],” you’ll see that Chapel’s dad even references the events of this comic! Also, in [Chapel in Wonderland::29], Part Two, Fred is the Cheshire Cat with a very good hand of three aces.

A Chobits Catastrophe

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

This strip is an exaggeration of the Further Misadventures of my Father! After I had my wisdom teeth removed, my dad bought me some anime DVDs to distract me from my pain and swollen face. He knows I’m a huge fan of the manga group CLAMP (see my Halloween strip where Chapel dresses as Cardcaptor Sakura), and he knew I’d never seen Chobits, so he bought the DVDs. And my mom and I settled down for some Wholesome Family Anime Time. It turned out that Chobits wasn’t wholesome at all, so my mom and I turned it off. Then we watched one of the many Jane Austen mini-movies on PBS, where the ending always turns out the way it should in real life. The hat Chapel’s wearing is a reference to a (non-yucky) anime called Azumanga Daioh! Azumanga is a hilarious anime that I’ve loved ever since 4th grade. The hat Chapel’s wearing is one that appears in the show. It’s called a “dad cap,” in reference to the cat-like entity that represents the father of Chiyo-chan, one of the main characters. This is also apparently a political reference, but I don’t know anything about Japanese politics, so I don’t really understand it! Azumanga Daioh is one of my favorite anime and you should definitely go give it a shot! It’s very weird at the beginning, but it’ll grow on you, I promise.

Fetch the Smelling Salts!

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

My dad once fainted when he saw a bit of blood on the bandages when I had my wisdom teeth removed. This from the man who when I get bloody knees or elbow scrapes blithely says, “proof you had an adventure kiddo.” My mom only slapped him once or twice because the nurses came in and got him all rigged up to machines. I was really scared for him and after three hours of waiting for his blood pressure to go back above 100, we both got what we wanted. To just go home. Also, I’ve put up some new sketches on my tumblr. Go check it out by clicking above! And if you want to ask me (or Chapel!) a question, you can do so by clicking on the “ASK!” button at the top of the tumblr blog itself.

Dental Woes

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

For this comic, I took a small kernal of inspiration from my own dental problems. I’m missing a tooth so my dental plan includes braces, retainers, and surgeries. I had my wisdom teeth removed this summer, so that’s one surgery down, one to go. It’s not fun but they tell me I’m going to have perfect movie star teeth when I’m done! In only five years! That’s the plan, anyway. I wanted Chapel to be reading a book that had something to do with braces so I chose “Smile” by Raina Telgemeier. It’s a memoir-coming-of-age story about the author’s dental misadventures during her preteen and teenage years. Check it out! I’ve started a tumblr! If you’re not familiar with it, tumblr is a blog platform that focuses on more casual, user-friendly blogging. So far I’ve been using the tumblr blog as a place to post my sketches, fanart, and personal doodles! If you click on the “ASK!” button at the top of the blog, you can ask me a question that I’ll answer on the blog or maybe even with a sketch. Please go check it out and ask me a question – I’m excited to hear from you!

Chapel’s Costume Conundrum

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I’ve always viewed costumes as an opportunity to let my creativity (and geekdom) show through, so I thought it would be fun if I did a Halloween special of Chapel trying on different costumes! Most of them are inspired/directly taken from costumes I’ve actually worn in the past. First off, the Elizabeth Bennet costume (yes, it’s spelled Bennet, not Bennett – I was surprised too!) is inspired by the many versions of Pride and Prejudice I’ve watched on the BBC and the Dickens Faire I attend in San Francisco every year with my best friend. I actually never dress up in a costume like Chapel’s at the Faire. I always dress up like a street urchin. The TARDIS costume is a costume that I constructed, painted, and wore two years ago for Halloween and still own. For the uninitiated, the TARDIS (“Time and Relative Dimension in Space”) is the spaceship from my favorite TV show of all time, Doctor Who. I even painted Bad Wolf on the side of my costume, which is an inside reference to Season 9. When I wore the costume, almost every single person thought that it was just a mailbox. A MAILBOX, I tell you. The only person who could identify it correctly was a guy wearing a Star Trek t-shirt. The last costume is one taken from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura, which I watched when I was 8 or so and am now re-watching with my parents. I’ve actually never dressed up as Cardcaptor Sakura, but I have cosplayed as several other anime characters in the past: Chiyo-chan from “Azumanga Daioh,” Sen from “Spirited Away,” and Kiki from “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” The main character, Sakura Kinomoto, always wears these exaggerated, overly frilly outfits during her magical adventures of catching cards. Chapel’s outfit here is, I KID YOU NOT, the least ridiculous of many of Sakura’s costumes. Chapel’s mom has to dress up as Sakura’s best friend, Tomoyo-chan, who makes all of Sakura’s costumes. I wonder what blackmail fodder I’d need to get my mom dressed up like this… And Rupert is dressed up as Kero-chan (short for Cerberus) Sakura’s video-game-and-desserts-addicted animal sidekick. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Chapel’s bit of costume-related fun. What are you guys dressing up as this year? Let me know in the comments! Happy Halloween!

Jenga War Strategy

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This strip has a pretty interesting history behind it. It’s actually a redrawn version of a super old strip I drew over Christmas 2009. Yep, that’s right! The Chapel Chronicles is actually much older than the existing webcomic. Chapel herself started as a doodle that I came up with in the beginning of 2009. My mom really liked it, so when her birthday rolled around, I wrote her a poem, illustrated each stanza with a doodle of Chapel, and tied it all together into a little homemade book. It was such a hit that I later made similar books as Christmas presents for my family. From there, I started my greeting card line, and drew some comics for fun at the same time. Over several months, I refined Chapel’s look until I started this webcomic. So there you have it, a little history of The Chapel Chronicles! When I was starting Season 2, I remembered some of the great jokes I included in the old strips. I decided to cut down this Jenga strip from 9 panels to 4 and redraw it in my current style. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out! What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Whedon Addiction

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This has never happened to me. The closest I’ve ever come to marathoning a TV show was watching 3 episodes of the anime Cardcaptor Sakura in a row, and that was because it was a 3-part season finale and I just couldn’t leave off on a cliffhanger! But it’s pretty easy to imagine a (slightly toned-down) version of this strip’s events happening in real life. Okay, confession time: I haven’t seen past the beginning of Buffy season 2. I know, I know! I do plan on watching all 7 seasons, it’s just hard to find the time. Because I haven’t seen all of it, I got my mom to give me a recap of what happens in the various seasons, and I included those things in the strip. She’s a HUGE Buffy fan and even owns a Buffy doll (or “figurine” as she calls it) and an Angel puppet. She also will shoot out funny one-liners, bask in everyone’s praise at her extreme wittiness, and only LATER admit they’re just Buffy quotes. Well, I didn’t really realize at the time that I’ve now spoiled for myself what happens in the ENTIRE SHOW. Um, well, I hope none of you were planning on watching Buffy! Should this strip have a spoiler warning…? This was a really fun one to color because I got to play around with trying to visually show the transition between night and day. It was also pretty challenging to have the blue glow from the TV in the last panel, as colored lighting isn’t something I do very often. It took a lot of work to get it to look right, and I’m really happy with how the final strip turned out! The Chapel Chronicles does not endorse 6-day-long TV-watching sessions.

Waiting for Buffy

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Hello and welcome to Season 2 of The Chapel Chronicles! This marks the beginning of an all-new, never-before-seen crop of strips. It’s been several months since I drew all of the strips in Volume One, and as you can see I’ve updated Chapel’s look to give her a more polished feel. I’m going to write a longer author’s commentary for every strip in Season 2, detailing my inspirations or techniques used for a certain strip. But, if you buy the print comic when it comes out (please do buy it!) you’ll get extras like expanded commentary for each strip, sketches, and some short print-only comics that aren’t on the web. You’ll notice some changes on the site as well – The Chapel Chronicles is now available in Spanish! I’ve been working hard to translate all of the strips myself, and the Spanish strips will run at the same time as the original English ones (unfortunately, only Season 2 is available in Spanish right now). I’ve also got a brand-new online store where you can buy my print comics straight from the web, along with charms, pins, and other collectibles! Anyway, on to the comic! I drew this strip after I’d been waiting all day for my new Wacom tablet to arrive (the same tablet that I colored all of these strips on!) and when FedEx finally knocked on our door, what did I find? Toilet paper. Yep. My parents had bought toilet paper online. This happens with increasing frequency in the age of The Wonder Known as Amazon. Comment below and let me know what you think of Season 2 so far!

Chapel in Wonderland, Part IV

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This strip is inspired by Chapter VIII, The Queen’s Croquet-Ground, of the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Chapel in Wonderland, Part III

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This strip is inspired by Chapter VIII, The Queen’s Croquet-Ground, of the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Chapel in Wonderland, Part II

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This strip is inspired by Chapter VIII, The Queen’s Croquet-Ground, of the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Chapel in Wonderland, Part I

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This strip is inspired by Chapter VIII, The Queen’s Croquet-Ground, of the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Hedgehog Constitutional

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Hedgehog leashes are an actual product. I’m not even kidding. And also, Rupert is possibly the most adorable accessory ever made.

DVD Collection

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

My mom and I once named a visiting cat Giles, after the “Buffy” character, so I gave Rupert his first name. The other references: Luke is from Star Wars, Ron is from HP, Starbuck is from Battlestar Galactica, Jean-Luc is from Star Trek, Crichton is from Farscape, and the Doctor is from Doctor Who. I thought they were pretty obvious, but my mom said I had to list them. Ugh. Parents. By the way, while I like a lot of the TV shows Chapel owns, Doctor Who is my favorite. But only with the 10th Doctor, thank you. None of this Matt Smith junk for me.

Change of Heart

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I feel badly for Chapel’s mom in this strip. I imagine she puts up with a lot, not to mention staggering hat bills.

Love at First Prickle

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Golden Retriever puppy in the third panel belongs to my best friend. This was a little thank-you to her for being the best friend I’ve ever had.

Chapel Guevara

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Tip to parents: If your child is marching around with a protest sign and a “Democracy Now” headband, maybe you should consider getting them the damn puppy.

Vive la Persistance

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

My dad is allergic to cats and dogs. I’m a Dr. Doolittle. This causes some problems.

Airspace Wars

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I came home one day to find that my mom spontaneously had gotten infected with Bieber Fever. It was incredibly disturbing, and now she torments me with his songs all day long, so I’m forced to torment her with the Beatles as revenge. She claims I play songs too many times in a row – but there she is with “Somebody to Love” on repeat all day long!

Oblivious to the Obsession

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The background colors here are sampled from the version of this outfit that Quinn wore on Glee. Good times, good times.

Gaga Dress Code

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I get busted sometimes for going barefoot at school. I’ve now figured out which teachers have a problem with it and where I can scoot my feet under to hide them.

Phone Call

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This was the very first strip I thumb nailed, six months ago. It was the easiest to think of and the hardest to format. Also, check out the high-quality artwork on that hat. No wonder I draw so many hats.

Lobster Delivery

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

It’s almost impossible to read, but the packing labels say: “Chapel Smith, 42 Penny Lane” and “Millinery Co., Drum Isle, Grand Line.” They reference three of my favorite things: the Beatles, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and One Piece. Drum Island is located in the Grand Line ocean and is the place where one of the main characters, Chopper, was born.

Google Epiphany

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The light bulb design on Chapel’s computer is the logo for the Newton, a tablet that my dad created back when he worked at Apple. This is my tribute to him and all the sleepless nights he worked on the project.

Miss Reluctant

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I like classic rock, and my mom and most of my friends like pop and Lady Gaga. Unlike Chapel, I haven’t been completely converted, and don’t plan to be.

The Good, the Bad, and the Hatted

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Chapel’s hat is an homage to my favorite manga series, One Piece, by Eiichiro Oda. It’s a replica of the one worn by the character Nico Robin. Also, the book Chapel’s reading is Hereville by Barry Deutsch, one of my favorite graphic novels.

Squash -- Snack or Sport?

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

About a year ago my parents decided that instead of hunching over my drawing board 24/7 I should go out and get some exercise like a normal teenager, and now I play squash twice a week. My first lesson experience was pretty similar to Chapel’s.

Work Schedule

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I drew this strip when I was supposed to be writing an essay. Enough said.

We Meet Again

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

How, how, HOW can adults seemingly machine-produce perfectly Saran-wrapped sandwiches? Mine always turn out as a ball of static plastic with the sandwich half-inserted.

Ultra Concentrated

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This is a redrawn version of a strip I drew a long time ago, inspired by true events. I don’t exactly have much dishwashing experience, so stuff like this tends to happen.

Dumbledore Voodoo

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Originally, this strip had a different ending, but I just had to throw some HP love into the mix.

Operation Clean Room

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This always happens to me when I clean my room, but unlike Chapel I don’t have a replica of a flower hat worn by Audrey Hepburn.

Chapel The Conqueror

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I’ve never played Risk, but I like how the tank turned out.

The Folly of Chivalry

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

There are two Easter eggs in the last panel. First, the designs of the chess pieces are taken from my dad’s original “Through the Looking Glass” game for the Mac. Second, the position of the pieces is the exact one represented by the characters when Alice checkmates in Lewis Carroll’s book “Through the Looking Glass,” only with the black and white suits reversed, because I didn’t feel like coloring all of Chapel’s horses black.

The Picasso of Pictionary

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I have had some pretty entertaining games of Pictionary with my best friend – being in a family of three, we force any houseguests to play games with us – but none of them involved someone drawing the Mona Lisa.

Triple Word Score

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

“Sesquioxidizing” is actually a possible play using the SOWPODS dictionary, provided that every single other word is in the exact right spot.

Jam Session

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This was inspired by the time when I was at a friend’s house and attempted to play a video game for the first time ever. Also, the title is a reference to Steve Capps, my dad’s, music game for the Macintosh.

Battleship: The Games Continue

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Whenever my best friend comes over, I play Battleship with her, and this is what I envision happening whenever she sinks one of my ships.

The Babysitter Arrives

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Board games are generally regarded as battles to the death in my household.

Meet Chapel Smith

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800