#347: Pickleball in the Park with Ronny Chieng, The Chess Pigeon of Washington Square Park & George Booth!

+ Sketchbook Experimentation, & Morris says "I don't want a bath!"

Hope you’re having a well-adjusted Wednesday!

I’m on a train from New York to Boston right now, because becoming a newly-minted US citizen means I have to go to insane levels of trouble and expense for basic human rights. I don’t have the energy to get into it right now, but just know there is a small volcano bubbling away that will soon erupt into a scathing post about the State Department’s handling of US Passports for people trying to get somewhere in an emergency.

Saturday in the Park with Hannah. And Ronny.

I mentioned a few weeks back that our first-ever game of pickleball had to be postponed on account of thunderstorms in Central Park. Welp, it was back on like Donkey Kong this past weekend, when Soph and I stepped up to the kitchen (Pickleball term) at what is usually the ice-skating rink and took up paddles against our old pals, Hannah and Ronny.

Hannah, however, had other plans for the teams: Instead of Chatfields VS. Chiengs, we ended up in a Battle-of-the-Sexes Pickle-Death Match with Hannah & Sophie teaming up against me and Ronny. This didn’t bode well.

Ronny is a comedian based in New York. We both started out together doing stand-up when we lived in Melbourne. His career in comedy since then has been identical to mine in every way. (Remember that time I was in a Marvel film?)

Anyway, he and I were both handicapped that day; me with a knee injury from tossing a softball, and he with a back injury from an intense session of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (again— it’s like we’re like identical twins?)

The sun belted down on us as we learned just why pickleball has become the intensely addictive obsession that it has, for anyone who starts playing it. I could feel my Amazon cart filling with Pickleball paraphernalia after each serve. I was doomed. Helpless against the inexorable pull of pickle fandom.

The full version of this story will be sent to Paid Subscribers this week.

Your Shout is a collection of New York stories from you, the reader that I illustrate with a cartoon. Think of it like the Metropolitan Diary in the NY Times. But on Substack. And longer.

🔒 This feature is available exclusively to Paid Subscribers first and later unlocked & added to the archive. (This first one’s on the house.) Read the article below to the end to see how to submit yours.

Many of you wrote to say you liked last week’s style experimentation Sketchbook.

So I’ll do another one this week. Because why not?

1. I drew a very unflattering cartoon of Kim from Kath & Kim as a true crime devotée, using a Rhodium Pilot Falcon fountain pen. The nib is a nice soft extra-fine nib; the closest thing you’ll get to a flex nib on a fountain pen.

2. Next, I tried out some waterproof vs. non-waterproof ink on different paper stocks. I remember Barry Blitt saying he mixed a little non-waterproof ink/dye into his waterproof ink to still drag out a tiny bit of bleed from his line (but not so much that it dilutes the entire line).

I did try using Noodlers ink in my fountain pens to get some nice waterproof lines, but it does sometimes bind up the nib when you get lazy and don’t clean it after each use.

I’ve been using Higgins ink and Dr. Marten’s dyes, but always looking for recommendations. (Let me know if any of you have some!)

3. I switched from my usual Hunt 101 Imperial flex nib (dip pen) to a finer, more rigid crow quill nib using waterproof ink. For the above, I think working smaller actually helps me get better line variation than if I’d worked at my regular scale. I prefer working small, but sometimes that means scanning it in for reproduction can be a challenge.

Book Recommendation:

There’s one book I flip open and read through every year without fail. It’s written by the late, great Nick Meglin, and his daughter Diane. It’s called “Drawing From Within” — and it has probably the best collection of drawing exercises for every level of artist. There is never a point in your career that you won’t find something useful in this book. Click the image below to order. (Nick was a longtime Editor of MAD.)

I’m offering cartoon sketches of your (or your friends/family’s kids) in the book.

Paid subscribers get an additional 15% discount.

If you enjoy my work, there’s a hefty chance you might like the people I enjoy too. Each week I share a new person who tickles my fancy. This week’s person is…

George Booth.

I’ve been drawing a lot of dogs lately. It has reminded me just how much we lost when we said goodbye to George late last year.

I wrote up a full Artist Spotlight post on my website about George here.

Until next time,
Your pal,

Jason

Sophie's Running a Marathon to Raise Money for Ronald McDonald House.

I will be on the sidelines eating a slice of pizza at mile 16.1

Sophie, AKA “The lady with muscles who helps me carry boxes of books” is lacing up her running shoes to take on a momentous challenge - her first full marathon run in support of Ronald McDonald House! But she can't do it alone, and that's where we need your help...

Who is it for?
Ronald McDonald House is a beacon of hope for families facing the unimaginable - the critical illness of a child. They provide a welcoming "home away from home" for families who have traveled far from their own communities to receive medical care for their children.

How do you help?
By supporting Sophie's marathon run, you can contribute to Ronald McDonald House Bronx's vital mission. Your donation, big or small, will directly benefit families in need, ensuring they have a comfortable place to stay in a supportive community.

P.S. If she hits her fundraising goal, she will eat an entire bagel at the finish line.

Click below to support. Every little bit helps!

👆 Whenever we say “Bathtime!”