Part 2: The Preparation

I had absolute-zero luck convincing any of my artist friends to join me in my 24 Hour Endeavor. Most of my friends that like comics don't draw, and the ones that draw don't much care for comics. A college buddy in Indiana, Andy Jewett, encouraged me to go for it anyhow. He was doing his own comic in the Hoosier State and he'd be with me in spirit.

So, rather than go to one of the local event locations amongst a bunch of strangers, I decided to take the challege at home, in my own office.

A 24 Hour Comic isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. It takes some planning. What are my materials? Do I have anywhere I need to be on that day that I should cancel? What about food... no time for cooking or making sandwiches, is everything pre-made? Pencils sharpened, ink mixed, brushes clean?

I took a trip to the art store to buy a few necessaries. I tried to keep it all simple:

- 2 Bristol board tablets (20 sheets each, 9" X 12")
- A box of red Col-Erase pencils
- A box of ultra-fine, fine tip, and king-size Sharpie Markers
- A set of Princeton art brushes
- Ink (a container of Speedball india and Higgins calligraphy)
- A cork ruler
- A bottle of Bic office white-out
- An electric pencil sharpener

I was concerned that my plan to use a brush might backfire, so I was sure to stock up on pens and markers, just in case. Forget style, this thing has to be about speed. I'd no idea which might work better. For me, pens = speed, but brushes = coverage.

I also bought a few stay-awake aids: candy and chai tea. (Forget Gatorade, coffee or Jolt. There's nothing more potent than naturally-caffeinated chai tea to keep you awake). The candy was kind of a big deal for me. As a rule, I'd sworn off sugar in my life for the past year or so. No desserts, no anything. I was about to break my personal commitment to sugar-free living for the sake of comic nirvana.

Also, I'd heard that a number of folks were starting right at midnight on April 23rd. Not me. I decided to make kickoff at 7:00 AM sharp, so as to have a full-night's sleep behind me.

And, the night before, I made a snap decision to keep an audio journal throughout the day, which meant a trip to Good Guys for a new microphone.

I was ready. Nervous, but ready.

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