Dedication is a special thing. I can’t even believe that I’m doing this, but after all it is the internet.
You will notice I posted two pages from my sketchbook. There are a lot of squirrels there. New squirrels. They’re not anything of museum quality, but there they are.
For those of you not aware, I post 3-4 extra one off sketches of Bob to Facebook and Twitter throughout the day (Monday thru Friday). They are quick little things. I got into the habit of it from that Instagram Bob 365 challenge I completed last year.
This is in addition to the daily strip and three installments of SQUIRRELOSOPHY. 17 (avg.) sketches, 7 strips, 3 Squirrelosophy panels = 27 new Bob the Squirrel drawings/panels per week. That’s nearly a month’s worth of original work in a single week.
It has been alleged that the sketches of Bob that I post throughout the day are rehashed drawings I merely change the words to. Translation: I’m stealing from myself and rehashing content.
I DO NOT re-hash stuff I post. That kind of thing, while tempting on those late days I’m not feeling even 30%, turns my stomach. I didn’t get into this to re-hash anything. If I can’t be original, there’s just no point.
I don’t have to post all this extra stuff. I WANT to post all this extra stuff. I like having people see something new from me on their daily feeds. I’ve gotten to the point where I can draw 20-30 squirrels in one day for the following week. I suppose my dedication could be misconstrued as crazy. I’m totally cool with that.
Go ahead… Call me any name in the book.
Hell, get creative and make up a few… makes no difference to me.
But three things you can NEVER call me: undisciplined, undedicated and a re-hasher. If I post something from the past, I’ll let it be known it’s from the past. I will NEVER take a squirrel, throw a new coat of paint on it and pass it off as new. Never.
I get “I don’t like this” emails all the time. Sometimes there’s genuine constructive criticism, sometimes it’s just crap. I just couldn’t let this one go. Readers of Bob know I’m in this strip blood, sweat, ink and tears. It only takes one cruddy email… one cruddy email.
I’m not the type of person to call someone out…so I’m not going to post the allegation originator. Think what you want… I’ve wasted enough energy on this.
I feel bad and a little sad that you have to put up with such bullshit !!! I’m not on twitter or Facebook but I love every bit of free Bob I can get and I don’t understand people who criticize you, don’t they have better to do ? I know, I know, rhetorical question but still, I want to use this comment to thank you for all the Bob you share with us ! It’s really appreciated from this little corner of Belgium !
Thanks. The criticism is just the price you pay for doing business. Like I said, I don’t mind that… well, I do, but it doesn’t break me down like it once did. I know how hard I work, I don’t go on and on about it, but I work hard. We all work hard. I just take offense to anyone questioning my work ethic.
Tell everyone in Belgium Bob and I said what’s up!
What’s up to you and Bob too ! And thanks for taking the time to answer back.
With all the great things about the internet, this is one of the biggest fails. People seem to think it’s “theirs”. That anything that they don’t like, needs to be changed. Nope. If you don’t like it, move along little doggie. I’ve followed you for years. The first thing I do when I get to work is come to the site to get my daily Bob fix. I also follow you on Facebook. I love the strip, Bob and your family. I know that I couldn’t do what you do everyday, every day. I’m in awe of what you have accomplished. Keep doing what you’re doing as long as it makes you happy. To the haters.. if you think you’re so awesome, beat him at his own game. If not, shut up and move on. Thank you for all you do!
Holy shit, that’s baffling. I post old Pirate Mike strips all the time (ok, W and F). I never used to identify them as old strips because, I figured, who cares? I’ll post the same f’ng strip five times if I want (and I’m on my way, believe me), but I’ve started at least marking them as old strips now for the reason you just cited. I had no idea it was such a big deal! Like I’m stealing from the reader or pulling a fast one. How exactly I pull a fast one when I’m not charging anything is beyond me, but there you go. I always viewed it as kind of like a hey, here’s one in case other folks haven’t seen it before, but, boy o boy, you’d think I had just murdered a puppy. Just for fun, you should post the same f’ng squirrel drawing every day for a week. And it’s not even Bob. Make it a stick figure. That’ll thin the herd. I’m a big proponent of the tired adage, “Geez, dude. It’s a website. Worse, it’s a web_comic_ site! Chill the f out.” Hell, Andy Warhol posted the same damn thing over and over and it got him pretty far.