Alex Hallatt 6/19/19 Alex Hallatt 6/19/19

Taking a Break (Downing the Cartoonist Tools of the Trade)

Take a break and reduce anxiety.

Click to see options for using this image

Next week, I’m off to Motueka for a couple of weeks of writing. I’ve worked ahead so that I can take a break from my normal deadlines, relax and be creative.

For the cartoonists who read these posts, my most used tools are (top to bottom):

Factis eraser (I do use a kneaded eraser sometimes, but I keep pencil off original artwork as much as possible, as the Noodlers ink often smudges, or greys out. Plus I hate rubbing out)
MUJI pen that is falling apart. I bought a bunch of these pens while ago because you can replace the biro and lead pencil inserts . Unfortunately, I have lost most of these pens and am left with two, one of which is starting to split. I still have about 100 biro inserts so I am holding this pen together with electrical tape. I'll probably replace that with Sugru (mouldable glue) when I get around to it. I use the biro for notes, writing and rough drawing.
Dip pen which I used to use with India ink but now use Noodlers.
LAMY fountain pen with Noodlers ink (bulletproof black)
Mechanical pencil with blue non-reproduction lead for drawings I’ll ink over
Uniball fine eye black pen for lettering
2B pencil for sketching and roughs that will be traced

I usually draw roughs on whatever scrap paper I have. I then use layout paper to trace the line. Otherwise (eg. for Arctic Circle comics), I scan the roughs, convert to blueline, print onto heavyweight cartridge and then ink on this.

Alex Hallatt 6/14/19 Alex Hallatt 6/14/19

8 Ways to be Less Anxious

20 years ago this month I was working in an office job in the pharmaceutical industry. It was incredibly stressful and despite 12 hour days I felt I couldn't keep on top of things. I was living in London and commuting three hours a day. I had very little time to exercise or get out into nature. Inevitably, I flipped out and the upshot is I became a self-employed cartoonist.

Ever since that time, I've been prone to bouts of anxiety. This may surprise people who know me, but it is because I organise my life so that I don't have many situations that provoke anxiety.

Recently I went on a trip to Melbourne and found myself feeling more anxious than usual. This inspired me to draw up some of the ways I had to handle it and sparked a miniseries, some of which I’ve put up before. I thought it would be good to collect them all here.

Here we go:

People who read my newsletter will know that I plan every week. Being self-employed, it is easy for tasks to stretch to fill the time available, so unless I can allot time for those tasks, a lot of things will never get done. In this way I can make progress with personal projects (like the book I am working on now, Forget Kids - Get a Dog). I also try to make sure I complete projects ahead of deadlines to give myself some breathing space. And lists! I don’t know how people can deal with busy lives without lists.

Friends are important. And I'm not talking about Facebook friends here. The wine helps too…

I used to do a yoga class and the thing I liked best was the bit at the end where you lie down and focus on your breathing. Partly I enjoyed the meditative effect. Partly I was just happy that the yoga class was over.

I find working in the garden incredibly calming. Except when I go out for 15 minutes and then realise an hour has gone by and I still haven't got any work done.

We so miss Billie and though we get to borrow a dog every now and again I think we're ready to give another dog a permanent home.

Whether it is creating art, or experiencing art.

No matter the weather, walking by a beach (or in the Port Hills. or in a forest) always makes me feel better.

How Not To Be Anxious - disconnect from social media

Earlier this year I spent a month without social media. I didn't post to Facebook, or Instagram, or twitter. I found it liberating and resisted coming back to it. Now many of my posts are automatic and I only interact with them when people comment. That said, if you think this post on how to reduce anxiety would be helpful to someone, please share it any way you see fit!

Alex Hallatt 6/12/19 Alex Hallatt 6/12/19

Arctic Circle Cartoons - Trying Out a Plant-Based Diet Though Not Being Proper Vegan

Trying out a plant-based diet without going full vegan.

cartoon about meat free plant based vegetarian vegan burger

I'm trying out a plant-based diet this month for health as well as environmental reasons. I’d really like to cut my meat and dairy consumption drastically, but the boyf isn’t as keen…

That said, being the sweetie he is, he treated me to a vegan lunch at Grater Goods, a plant-based delicatessen and cafe.

We went for the “Reuben” sandwiches and I thought it was better than a regular Reuben. But I have always struggled a little with the texture of meat, as well as the idea of it.

I’m not going the whole hog (ha!) though - I am keen to emphasise plant-based diet over veganism, as I still love wearing wool and leather.

cartoon about meat free plant based ethical vegetarian vegan clothing

Update 3rd July 2019:

I went the entire month of June with a plant-based diet. Eating at home was okay, but it was really hard to eat out apart from when we went to the vegan deli (see above).I didn't miss meat at all, but boy, did I miss cheese … and yes, I did discover the delights of nutritional yeast and I made vegan parmesan. And that was okay. But the vegan cheese on pizza? Not the same…

vegan cheese on pizza was not the gooey stringy delight it promised to be.

I celebrated being off the cheese abstinence wagon with a cheese and sauerkraut toastie yesterday. Yum!

Alex Hallatt 6/10/19 Alex Hallatt 6/10/19

Living in New Zealand: The Lyttelton Timeball Drops Every Day at 1pm (Probably)

The timeball has been a landmark in Lyttelton for over 100 years. It was one of only two working timeballs in the world until the earthquakes destroyed it.

timeball destroyed by earthquakes in Christchurch

It was fantastic to see it restored and working again in 2018. Sensibly, only the tower was rebuilt.

Lyttelton’s timeball in 2019 (Click to see options for using the image)

I have seen the timeball drop a couple of times, but just missed it dozens of times.

I'm glad that in 2006 it was one of the things I chose to draw as part of my Lyttel Lives series of line drawings (The Deluxe Cafe was erased by Coffee Culture, but the boyf's restaurant and St David’s Street steps’ benches were also victims of the earthquakes).