Dear Public Diary,

I am really enjoying comic book school. It is everything I wanted it to be, and I can see that I am going to be very productive here.

My first assignment at the Sequential Artists Workshop was to complete seven diary comics that utilize aspects of the work of seven different cartoonists. These strips recount my road trip with my best pal Kathleen and subsequent days settling into my new home in Gainesville. Completing this exercise gave me an even greater respect for some of my favorite artists, and put some of their tools in my belt for future comics.

My Robert Crumb:

My Ernie Bushmiller:

My Lynda Barry:

My Charles Schulz:

(It’s true that Peanuts characters look simple, but they are actually really difficult to draw. I think that both Kathleen and I look a little bit like Marcie.)

My Edward Gorey:

My Carrie McNinch:

My E.C. Segar:

Ok, so maybe a frog didn’t really say hello to me. But maybe I am the kind of person who anthropomorphizes every animal that crosses my path. Maybe I’m the kind of person who gives creatures funny voices and imagines that they are talking to me. You know, like a lonely, crazy person… I’m just figuring out my new life in the swamps of Florida. Only today, I saw an actual alligator in the wild. (He had a lisp and sends his regards!)

–Cara