05.18.2025 This last Week...

This last week, I spent at least a half hour or more every day on Atomic Tails. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but for me, staying dedicated to anything is kind of a challenge.

A big part of this past week was setting up “mood boards” for some of the characters I want to bring into the comic. I created boards (really just Adobe Illustrator files) for Perry, Watts, and Waddle—characters who live next to Chud and Trog in their tiny apartment community. I’m not a writer, or at least not a good one, so taking the time to understand a character—who or what inspired them and why they’re necessary to this universe—was a new approach for me. It’s very different from how I started the strip back in 2013, when I just did everything on the fly.

I also liked that this process put me more in the world I’m trying so hard to visualize. It’s also helping me write the first strips of this new series that these toons will appear in.

This last week was also kind of rough. I’m not sleeping again. I get maybe a couple of hours between 4 and 6 a.m., and the rest of the time I’m just wishing I could shut my brain off. I think it’s related to stopping cannabis, cigarettes, and a bunch of other stuff. It’s been just over two weeks, and I don’t feel like I’m in control—I’m just sort of watching myself say or do stupid stuff. I’ll be totally at peace one moment and then... I don’t know what happens, but I’ll go from zero to dickhead in one second. The anger, fear, and miserable sadness I feel can be really intense.

I think I may have almost cost myself my job this past week, too. Sometimes drawing helps a lot, but it’s usually after I’ve already reacted badly to something. Also, resisting the urge to smoke weed or nicotine again has been a real struggle. There were some moments—like at work when the AC went out—when I really thought I was going to break down and lose this fight. This fucking hurts. A lot.

I’m drawing more now, though, and to cope I’ve also been hitting the gym pretty hard. I want to say the extra lifting is helping, but to be honest, I’m mostly just sore and tired all the time.

Anyway, this next week I’m going to continue working on mood boards for several other characters. I did some really rough sketches at the beach the other day. These on-the-fly drawings give a sort of first impression of what the toons might look like, but they’re the roughest of rough drafts—at least, I hope so. I’m also studying and practicing cartooning wherever I can to improve my skills.

So that’s it. This next week, I want to continue making this comic more of a priority and build it to completion.

Cheers!

05.11.2025 This Week

I really want to get in the habit of posting at least once a week to the site’s blog, so as to have more involvement in making the comic strip happen. So, here are the highlights from this last week:

First, I got the website back up! I know, just a Squarespace site, but it’s a start, and I hope paying the fee every month will be just that much more motivation to get involved.

Second, I wrote at least 20 to 30 minutes every day this week. Again, I’m not even two weeks sober. As “sketchy” as I’ve felt this last week, managing to write that much was really tough. My emotions are all over the place, and I go between episodes of manic rage or depression almost every day. Most of the time I’m just irritable, but it did get pretty intense there, and I can remember at least two full-on panic attacks, a couple of times where I was out to pick fights, and getting a little pissy with my co-workers (who I kinda sorta like). I also stopped smoking cigarettes a few months back, and not having those to fall back on feels a little tough too. Staying focused on anything is very hard right now, but I am really feeling better… as long as I’m not around people. The new stories I’m planning are not like what I was doing originally with the strip. Before, I was basing my comic a lot on events in my own personal life. This time around I’m focusing more on… just jokes. Set-up and punchline type stuff. I don’t know how funny I actually am, but I’m gonna try.

Third, I did do some drawing. I’m mostly just sketching practice doodles on scrap pieces of bristol board and card stock paper. These little drawings are helping me a lot, and I’m back to studying cartooning and illustration. I’ll even post some of my non-Atomic Tails illustrations in this blog as they come up.

So, that’s it! Check out some of the sketches below, and hopefully I’ll have some more progress to show next week!

Cheers!

I'm back?

Ok. fully aware that I’m just writing to myself. The last five years I’ve been more or less drugged and useless. I’ve tried a few times in brief moments of sobriety to start the strip again, only to fail and just pursue some form of escapism in drugs and alcohol.

I did it to myself. I feel bad about it. I’m about a week sober (as of this post, and feeling weirder/crazier than ever). This last year (or at least since last October) I have been struggling hard to stop and sober myself. I’ll stop, last for about a month or two and then and then start all over. Thing is, I wasn’t all that functional before I started fucking around with drugs.

Since October I’ve sporadically posted doodles and practice sketches to the Atomic Tails Instagram. This last week, right when I decided to sober, I also decided to get back to work on the strip and my personal life in general. I’ve been writing new comics. They’re going to be different then the direction I had before. Some characters have changed, I have new ideas, and Jason (real world Chud) has been helping me develope it. I won’t promise anything yet, but I have been fighting myself pretty damn hard to draw, write, and plan the new series of strips, which I hope is done… soon.

However, I profoundly don’t feel well. In a weird way I feel both “low” and “scattered” in away I’ve never felt before. The last five years have been a humiliating and painful experience, that I want to put far behind me. I don’t know if Atomic Tails is the right thing to do. Even if I accomplish what I want (a regular series of entertaining comic strips about oddball mice), I doubt it will ever be successful. Like me, it might be just too weird for this world. But, drawing and writing for it helps me deal with withdrawls and a lot of past hurts.

So, if you happen on this, and I’m someone you knew. I’m trying.

New strips coming soon. I promise.

Sean.

New Trog

Ok, he’s pretty much like the old Trog I first drew in 2013, but this time around he’s drawn to be more consistent with Chud. They are Identical twins after all. I worked on both characters at the same time to maintain “twin-ness” (word?), and for what limited cartooning skills I have, I’m really happy with the new designs. I hope these help when drawing the comic, which I’m really working hard to make sure gets done by next Thursday.

Cheers!

We're back!

Yup, It’s been a long time, but check out the new Chud turn around!

The goal here was to design Chud in away that simplified the character, and also make him a bit more dynamic. For those few who follow A.T., you all know that Chud is a mouse (and slightly less furry) version of my own twin brother, Jason.

I’ll post the Trog turn around next Thursday, and then the plan is to start posting new strips every Thursday (as best I can) from then on.

To make things easy on myself, I’ve dropped the old story line I had been working on until 2019. I plan on bringing back Buttery and Rio too, but not for a bit. Also, the next round of comics (we’re working on 10) will be non-sequential for the most part and all in black and white.

Feels good working on Atomic Tails again.

Cheers.

The Work Continues!

It’s been a few weeks since I put any work in on the comic strip, but yesterday I got to work on Atomic Tails #31. This time we’re going back to Rio an Trog, but I’m having some trouble planning out the strip in only 4 panels. I might just have to make a bigger, Sunday styled, strip for 31.

I was trying to create a new car element for the two to ride in, but it didn’t turn out so good. I tried to vector over the image of a real car (using a picture of a car I use for work), but it just didn’t fit in with the panels I’m currently drawing. So, I’ll just keep using the elements I’ve already made, for now.

I also just recently fixed an unnoticed grammar error on A.T. #13. This is why I need non-family and friends to read and critique the comic. I made that strip 3 years ago, and I just now noticed that I wrote a your instead of the you’re that was needed. Stuff like that bugs the hell out of me. I know the comic is probably chuck full of errors, but still, that was just embarrassing. It’s a poor life to be both stupid and old.

Anyways, I’ve got some of the sketch work done for 31, so hopefully I can finish it early this week so as to begin inking an coloring next week.

Keep checking back for more updates! Also, check out www.murraybrotherscreative.com! We’re revamping the old Murray Bro’s site to something that can include our stock art work, print on demand stuff, comics, and anything else we draw, vector, or create.

Atomic Tails #30

New Comic Online

Just a couple of notes about A.T. #30. I worked on this strip when I could, before and after the day job (yuck). I’ve been working extra hours (and days!), so I sort of “chipped away” at this one until finished. I feel like I still need to improve my characters, but I also feel like I got a better ratio between Chud and Buttery. In past strips I felt like I drew Buttery way too big. He’s a large mouse, but only a little bigger than Chud and Trog.

Since the last strip I have also been practicing and I feel some of it is shown in Butter and Chud here. I know some stuff looks wonky (very deep in the uncanny valley), but overall, I was happy with what I pulled off.

This strip is the first step in introducing a new character to Atomic Tails and hopefully Agent D-20 will make his appearance soon.

The next strip I’m gong back to Trog and Rio, and their day at work.

Cheers!

View fullsize

Atomic Tails #29

I think this was longest break that I’ve ever had between comics.

So… I’m back at it., This year (I hope) to produce a bunch of new comics. Since last August, I’ve spent a bunch of time practicing the characters and cartooning, but #29 is based on old sketches I did last summer, so I don’t think a lot of the new practice really shows up here. Though I do kind of dig Rio in panel 3. That was actually a tough pose to get and at one point I even sketched out the entire interior of a BMW, but I felt it was unnecessary.

It honestly feels really good getting another comic done. I know I’m not the best cartoonist, and probably pretty bad at it, but I really like working on Atomic Tails, and I think I forgot how good it feels to finish one.

Well, Chud and I are writing new stuff, and I hope it won’t take another six months for a new comic!

Cheers!

Atomic Tails #28

It has been way too long since I posted a comic, but here it is, Atomic Tails #28. I'm not really sure what to say about this one. Since #27, I've been working hard to pay down debt, and create a better situation for myself. Unfortunately, that means the comic has been suffering. I can't even say I'm really proud of this one. To me it's kind of "meh", and I don't think I got the humor right, but I was just so damn sick of (not) working on it. Though, I have been practicing my characters a lot, and I think some of that is reflected in this strip.  So, here it is, and I hope I can go back to putting more of an emphasis on Atomic Tails. 

I've already started on #29. Next comic we're going back to Trog and Rio, and more fun in the car. 

Check out #28 below. I hope you like it.

Cheers!

Atomic Tails 27!

I did it! I finally finished Atomic Tails 27! Although I think most everything I do for Atomic Tails is kind of "ramshackle", there's some elements in this strip I think came out pretty good. A lot of stuff (like Rio's blue transparent look, and the fuzzed out background) took some time to figure out, but this is also the first time where I relied heavily on the original sketches for the characters. Usually I have to tweak and rework things in Illustrator until the mice look right.  Or at least better. Also, the full Rio figure in panel one represents a new way of drawing the mice. Since the last strip I've been studying a lot of cartoon styles, and elements like laying the tails on the ground are new ways of drawing the cartoons for me. 

I will begin work on A.T. 28, but I won't promise when it will be done. The last month or so I've been working a lot of extra hours so as to get myself out of debt. Actually, life's gotten kind of depressing, but I am seeing results, and I'm hoping to establish a better foundation for myself in the years to come. So, I may not be positing a new comic as often, but I'll probably be posting a ton of daily sketches to this site. I have to do a lot of drawings from the car (I work as a chauffeur), and to be honest that's where the idea of Rio came from. I spend so much time on the road that over the years I started to imagine all the traffic jams, and poor decisions people make, were caused by a evil god of some kind. 

Well, that's all for now. Keep checking back for more Atomic Tails and there will be a new comic... someday. 

Cheers!

Update!

So, I'm still working on the same damn four panel comic! I know this sucks, but on the plus side (I think) I'm working a lot and I'm getting my financial shit together. Its my hope that I'll be in a better position to do something like Atomic Tails if/when I don't have tens of thousands of dollars in debt suffocating me! 

However; I am putting what time I can into the strip and I am (actually) almost done with the next comic. I'm just about ready to start painting it. Since I'm at work so much, I started to draw little Atomic Tails poses when ever I can. I think I'll start adding these to the site. Anyways, check out a sample image of the next comic in progress (the flats!) and a few of the Trog poses I sketched up this week, below.

Cheers!

An Atomic Tails Update

Okay. I know it is very unlikely that anyone reads this blog, or my comic, but it has been a long while since I posted a comic and I just wanted to get on here and write an update for what's going on with Atomic Tails.

For this next year I probably won't be finishing too many Atomic Tails comics. I am still very interested in making more comics, but I've got a lot of personal problems right now and I am working very hard to fix them. This means I won't have as much time to draw Chud, Trog, and their lives. I will try and get a comic out as often as I can, but until probably December of this year, I just won't be able to focus on the comic anymore. And that sucks! I really love these guys and I got a bunch of cool stories I'm just starting to get into. It kind of feels like everything up until now has just been learning lessons.  However, I will still try an get a comic on as often as I can. That image up above is of Rio: Evil Goddess of the California Highways. Trog is a limo driver, and Rio (in spirit) rides along side him in his car, causing him all sorts of problems. So, it may take a week or two yet, but Rio's introduction strip is coming very soon. 

Also, I've pulled myself off of Facebook for a little while, so for any Atomic Tails art or doodles, follow my instagram. 

Okay, I have a little bit of spare time... so I'm gonna draw some mice! 

Cheers!

Atomic Tails #26!!!

New comic strip! This one only took me two weeks!!! Actually one week. I got hit with a really bad head cold, but now that I'm mostly back to normal, check out the latest Atomic Tails. To be honest, this one was really easy to put together since I was able to use so many of the assets from the last strip. I'm probably going to go back and re-draw the kitchen. I'm still not happy with that. 

Anyways, check out the new comic below or in the archive. I'm still leaking a lot of snot so I'm going to cut this short!

Enjoy!

Atomic Tails #25!!!

Two months. I know. Really pathetic and I don't have a lot of excuses, but I'll make some up anyways. Two major problems with getting AT 25 done were One: I originally intended it to be a much larger ("Sunday" style) strip, an so I had sketched up a lot more art than I needed, and two: I threw my back out about a month ago and sitting in a chair for any length of time has been incredibly painful.  Though I am working out my back pains (no joke, it hurts!), while I was down it did give me time to look at the strip and realize I was doing every thing wrong. So, I went back, re-drew a bunch of the panels, and broke up what I had originally planned into a small four panel strip and then next week (I hope) I'll have the resolution between Buttery and Chud. Well, I don't think there's ever going to be a resolution between the two, but for this part of the story. 

Overall, I'm not happy with a lot of the sketchs for this strip. I did like how Trog turned out in a lot the them, but he's kind of hidden behind Buttery and Chud most of the time. As for Chud and Buttery, the only real finished piece I was (mostly) happy with, was Chud's entrance in panel one. That final colored drawing of Chud in his bathrobe just made me really happy. This strip was also a chance to create a new background for Trog's apartment. Though, I'll probably redraw it in future strips, I thought it was an okay first go.  So, keep checking back. I'm already into the next strip and I hope to have it online by next Saturday, but its me so don't count on anything.

Cheers!

Atomic Tails #24!!!

Only two months and you get a new comic strip! Yeah, I kind of suck at this. It's not that I wasn't trying to work on Atomic Tails all this time, it was mostly just life stuff getting in the way. Though I got to admit, I do waste a lot of time. Having such a long break in between strips really makes me want to buckle down and work harder on getting more comics out quicker.

For 24 I decided to do a larger, Sunday style, strip. This is also probably why it took longer to get the comic done. I've been spending a lot of time studying cartoons and cartooning and I think some of that is starting to show up in my comic. I especially like Trog's "bleh" expression in panel 4. I'm still a long way away from being where I want to be with the comic, but I dug this one and like in past strips I really enjoy cramming as many jokes as I can into the comic. 

So now I'm starting on A.T. 25. Very soon (the next three or four strips) I'm going to introduce two new characters to the comic. Agent D20 and Rio: malevolent goddess of the California highways. I just now started to design these characters, and I'll probably share something later on this week.

So, that's all for this post. I still have a blog post to write for Atomic Moo. Check out the full Strip below, and hit the Archive button above to see all the past strips and the evolution of the comic. 

Cheers!

Atomic Tails 23!!!

I feel like I need to start these post with a reason as to why it took me a month to do a four panel comic. I mean, I don't need to. The comic is free, but I have to do Atomic Tails in my spare time (after work and weekends) and sometimes life stuff just get's in the way. I have a day dream where I some how walk into $50,000.00 and I can just take a year off to do nothing but work on the comic and Atomic Moo. Seeing as how that's never going to happen, just know that there is an actual battle of will behind the creation of every strip. 

Another reason this strip took sometime was because I had to learn how to draw a bunch of new stuff. I think that is one of the best things about doing a webcomic is that it can force an illustrator (even untalented ones like me) into having to draw stuff like scared rabbits and fly golf carts. 

Anyways, the fellers are on their way to the Tree of Woe and I really had a lot of fun creating this comic. It's kind of a call back to strip #2, but I feel like I've learned a lot since then, and I wanted to try an push myself on more dynamic illustrations. 

Check out the new comic below, and I'm just starting on #24. I have no idea how I'm going to draw a beach, but I'm looking forward to figuring it all out.

Cheers.  

Atomic Tails #22!

Hello again fellows! Another addition to the ongoing saga of Chud and Trog and their trek to make the world's greatest comic book. In a weird way, this strip was really hard to get done, and I feel like I made a real effort to focus on it. There was a lot of "life" stuff that kept jumping in the way, which can get frustrating. It's weird, but along with learning how to illustrate and use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I feel like working on this comic is also teaching me how to focus and be patient with a project. Not that I'm focused or patient... at all, but I think it is helping. 

Anyways, in 22 Chud continues to tell Trog about his comic book idea (the twins have no idea this will someday become the world's greatest comic book), Atomic Moo! I think I mostly wanted this strip to lead into a trip to the Tree of Woe, which is an actual, real-life, place for Jason and I. Here in Carlsbad there's a gnarly old beach tree (I have no clue what type of tree) and just beyond it we often go to sit, smoke cigars, and relax. It's a good place to ponder and star gaze, and best of all, nobody ever goes there! I've always wanted to include the Tree of Woe in the comic, and if not the next strip (you'll see) the fellers are heading there to think about Chud's return and their future as comic book creators. 

Some notes about this strip: Jason actually did the pencil work for the Atomic Moo scene in panel one, but I did the inks and colors for that panel. I think it turned out pretty good, and I'd like to see if I couldn't get Jas to draw up a four panel Atomic Moo comic. He won't, but I'll ask anyways. Though I really like the Buttery illustration in Panel 2, After looking at it, I'm not too happy with the Panel Four Buttery. He's kind of a tough character to lock down, and I'm going to try more Buttery practice in between the next strip. Buttery is a bigger mouse than Chud and Trog, but not really fatter. Which is kind of tough for me to pull off. Last note, I think I made Trog's head way to big in panel three. I don't know, I like the smirk (especially with a joke nobody but Jason and I'll get) but I gotta watch my proportions better in the future. 

This strip actually taught me a bunch of new Photoshop functions like making blurs and lighting (check out the robots eyes and center piece), and also how to work with masking layers so I don't destroy my art. Way easier to paint these strips now! 

So, next strip we journey (they... they journey) to the Tree of Woe! Enjoy the comic below, check out the archive to see past comics!

Atomic Tails #21!

I'm usually very critical of my art skills, but I think I sketched a pretty bad ass super-cow for this one. 

Anyways, folks, check out the latest Atomic Tails below! Though I've planned a bunch of different stories and adventures for Chud and Trog, the main arch to their story is that they come together to create the world's greatest comic book: Atomic Moo! The story of a fire-breathing super-cow! Also, we are working on a real life Atomic Moo comic, which you can read at www.atomicmoo.com. 

There is a lot in this strip I'm kind of proud of. I still need a ton of work on my illustration skills (and writing), but I feel like this strip begins to really define some of the fellows personalities. Strip #22 is on its way, which will be the 2nd to last strip with the fellows on the couch. I'm getting kind of sick of the living room and I want to move the characters on to other place. 

Be back soon with a new strip!

Atomic Tails #20!

...and a month later: New Atomic Tails! Yeah, pretty bad, but despite a heap of bullshit, I somehow managed to get a strip produced. Chud and Trog continue to hash out Chud's moving back in with his twin brother. I'm a shitty artist, but there are somethings in this strip I'm actually proud of; like the box of "Breakfast Chum." I just kind of threw that together at the end of making the strip and I think it came out pretty good. Also, I continue to practice poses and posture for the characters - even though they're sitting most of the time. I think I went a little overboard with all the pointing, but I like the body proportions better in this one than in most previous strips. 

So, I already have most of the next strip written and sketched out. Hopefully it won't take me over a month to get it online. I hope. Check out the new strip below and everywhere else on the site!

Atomic Tails #19

New Atomic Tails and I'm Going to SDCC 17 today! Keen. So, with the new Atomic Tails some stuff has changed. First, I've been studying (and practicing) a lot of new body forms for cartoon characters and I think (THINK) I like where this is going. Buttery, Chud, and Trog all have better sitting and body forms in this strip. Well, maybe. Also, I worked a bit more on Buttery's proportions compared to other two mice. Buttery is bigger than his friends, but not really fatter. Which, I think I was drawing him as in previous strips. I like his size relationship to the other two in this strip way more. Also, I got to draw a hooka in this one! I think the gag was a bit hacky in this one (Jas came up with it, but since I'm mostly trying to work on drawing the comic I thought it was good enough. Plus I wanted to do a comic that kind of went into why the twins are living apart up until now.), and hopefully I can get a better joke in #20.

I'm going to be at the con for the next few days, so I probably won't get to do any real work on A.T. until I get back Sunday night, but check out the full strip below and I hope you enjoy!!!

Cheers!