HOMELY FOR THE HOLIDAYS...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

This just in: The Misanthrope Specialty Co. is now taking appointments for Unflattering Portraits at Kid Icarus' upcoming Handmade Holiday show.

What's are these Unflattering Portraits, you axe? They sound familiar, and amazing. They are.

The Misanthropes have adopted Reverenend Aitor's mission to lovingly commit everyone's oft-ignored flaws to paper. No laugh line is too deep; no blackhead too small. Embrace your cold sore, under-eye baggage and bot fly cysts. They are a part of who you are and shouldn't be glossed over or ignored. For a nominal fee, you too can have have your turkey neck recorded for posterity.

This is an Unflattering Portrait

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so please book two slots. Online sign ups are open until 11:00 pm, Friday December 2.

UNFLATTERING TORONTO
at Handmade Holiday Arts + Crafts Show
Saturday December 3rd 2011
St. Stephen-in-the-Fields
(103 Bellevue Ave)

1:00pm - Available
2:00pm - Available
3:00pm - Available
4:00pm - Available

All live portraits are done by donation. Pay what you can, or think it's worth. Sittings take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting may not be served.

* * *

FAIR WEATHER...

(CRAFT FAIR, THAT IS)
by Reverend Aitor, Impressario:

The Christmas shopping season is already upon us. And while it had been decreed some time ago that the M.S.Co. was to all but pull out of the craft fair game, Christmas is a holy cash cow and the greedy Misanthropes are loath to relinquish their piece of the action.

promotional poster courtesy of Kid Icarus

And so, it's been decided that the Company would accept a very generous invitation from its new best buddies at Kid Icarus to partake in this year's Handmade Holiday extravaganza.

The one-day gift show grants Torontonians the opportunity to buy directly from local creators of high-quality handcrafted goods, such as paper products, poster art, soft toys, children’s clothes, knitwear, jewellery and more. Crafters flock from all parts of the city for a day of selling and swapping goods. Shoppers visiting the event are treated to mystery loot bags at the door, raffles throughout the day, and of course, a piece of artistry with every purchase they make.

video courtesy of Adil and Adam

This is one of those events that is so impeccably curated that the Misanthropes are left scratching their heads as to how exactly they managed to be invited to participate. Please note that there is a two dollar entrance fee. Five dollars if you wish to grab a mystery loot bag, while quantities last.

* * *

FRESH-SQUEEZED RENEGADE...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

 

promotional poster courtesy of Renegade Handmade

Citizens of Chicago: The Misanthrope Specialty Co. is heading to the Windy City for their final stop on the Renegade circuit.  Let's make this one count.

The M.S.Co. Away Team will once again be sharing a tent with long-time comrade-in-arms and frequent travel companion, Sweetie Pie Press.  You can find them at booth # 32, on Division Street (between Winchester and Wolcott), where they will be desperately hocking all manner of prints, handmade ephemera and a selection of original drawings and paintings.

photo by Reverend Aitor

And let's not forget the Unflattering Portrait Project.  The Misanthropes will be at the ready to lovingly preserve your oft-ignored flaws for posterity.  No laugh line is too deep; no blackhead too small. Embrace your cold sore, under-eye baggage and bot fly cysts.  They are a part of who you are and shouldn't be glossed over or ignored.  Sit down, relax, stop sucking in you gut and let your turkey neck swing proudly as one of the Company's qualified portraitists work their magic.

photo by Reverend Aitor

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so please book two slots. Online sign ups are open until midnight, Friday September 9.

UNFLATTERING CHICAGO

at booth # 32

DAY ONE

Saturday September 10, 2011

Noon - Zueger

1:pm -Stacey T.

2:pm - Joshua

3:pm - Rachel

4:pm - Brandon

5:pm -Jylly Cortez

All live portraits are done by donation. Pay what you can, or think it's worth. Sittings take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting may not be served.

DAY TWO

Sunday September 11, 2011

Noon - Rachael

1:pm -Trish

2:pm - Phil and Noelle

3:pm - Phil and Noelle

4:pm -Timothy

5:pm - A.J.

And don't hesitate to tell your friends.  Or, for that matter, your enemies.  It looks like this might be the Company's last trip through Chicago for quite some time, so get your portraits while the getting's good.

*  *  *

DENIMED IF YOU DUDE..

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

Let Lucifer logo A by the members of the M.S.Co.

This week, the Company finished up work on the a new logo for Indianapolis artisan clothier, Jerry Lee Atwood.

Jerry Lee's handiwork (photo courtesy of Jerry Lee Atwood)

Mr. Atwood is the founder and proprietor of Jerry Lee's (Mid)Western Wear; a one-man operation turning out some of the finest hand-made and embroidered custom western clothing since Nudie Cohn. The two parties' paths had crossed a few years back, during a previous Company tour. They hit it off off instantly, discussing the finer points of both antique typewriter and moustache maintenance. Since then, Jerry and his lovely soon-to-be wife, Jaime, have hosted the Company on its various crossings of the Hoosier state, providing the Misanthropes with a private and comfortable space to spread out and fulfill their Sunday protocols.

A one-man sweatshop (photo by Becky Johnson)

But Mr. Atwood divides his time among many compartmentalized interests. Presently, he is preparing to launch Let Lucifer, a separate clothing label for his line of rugged workwear. This is where the Misanthropes come in.

Steps in the collaborative creation of the logo

The Company has been hired to handle Let Lucifer's branding; designing the logo, tags, and sundry items for this new venture. And while things are still in their nascent stage, the M.S.Co. is excited at the prospect of seeing its work emblazoned on a leather tag, swinging to and fro on the back of a pair of indigo jeans down the streets of Indianapolis.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 20
Number completed: 14
Number inducted: 4
Carried over to next week: 4

* * * *

WHAT MADE MILWAUKE FURIOUS...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

The Company Away Team is planning a little trip through Milwaulkee, WI where local arts maven Faythe Levine has arranged for Reverend Aitor to spend an evening drawing Unflattering Portraits at Sky High Gallery.

Gasp in horror as your every pimple is recorded for pus-terity; reevaluate your aversion to Botox as your crows feet and worry lines eclipse you smile; etcetra as a bunch of other stuff!

(photo by Reverend Aitor)

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Online sign ups are open until midnight, Thursday night.

All live portraits are done by donation. Pay what you can, or think it's worth. Sittings take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so please book two slots.

Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting may not be served.

UNFLATTERING MILWAUKEE
Friday September 9, 2011
Sky High Gallery
2501 S. Howell Ave.

6:pm - "midwesteditorialphoto"
7:pm - Marisa
8:pm - Available
9:pm - Caleb and Steph

10:pm - Caleb and Steph

* * *

(photo courtesy of Faythe Levine)

The event is being held in conjunction with the opening reception for These Things They Do, a collection of new works by San Francisco's Catherine Ryan. Also in the works is additional programming by Print Shop Forever and a trunk show by comrade in arms Sweetie Pie Press.

* * *

LINE DISEASE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

The painting pictured above represents something of an olive branch.  A public goodwill gesture from some of the naysaying members of the Company in Toronto to their Away Team counterparts.

"Please Come Back To Us: a public apology" by the M.S.Co.

In reviewing this summer's weblog posts, some of the Misanthropes grew concerned that their attempts to preclude the tour might end up being misconstrued; both by the Away Team and the reading public. They wanted it known that there is no true animosity between the two camps.  Infighting is sort of what the Company is set up to do by design.

Indeed, from it's very inception, the Misanthropes agreed the Company should be a house divided against itself, mired in its own bureaucratic democracy.  It's just more fun that way.

*  *  *

In unrealated news, sometimes the M.S.Co.'s membership finds itself in complete agreement.

 photo by Tallulah Lastname

Last week, for instance, all camps agreed unanimously that it'd been too long since the release of a Company catalogue. Nearly five yeas, asamatterofact.

True to their fickle dilettantism, the easily distracted Misanthropes became sidetracked with new diversion and offshoots thereof, leaving the once monthly review of the Company's collective output to flounder. In 2003, The Misanthrope Specialty Co.  Encyclopædic Catalogue, Illustrated, Monthly was scaled back to a quarterly publication, but even that became too much to live up to. It fared a little better as an annual before falling completely by the wayside in 2006.

Finally, the time has come to revive the all but forgotten publication.

 "The Killer" and its catalogue counterpart

A new Editor-In-Chief has been appointed to spearhead the Company's Publications Division.  Assignments have been doled out, and now the company has begun the process of compiling a comprehensive five-volume catalogue of selected works from 2007 to 2011.

Unlike in previous incarnations, the new editions will not contain scans and photos of the original Archive illustrations.  Instead, the Misanthropes have been busily re-creating their work in the slightly more simplified form of line drawings.  Each collectively made original will now be reinterpreted by a single illustrator. Depending on the whims of the Misanthrope assigned to any given illustration, some reproductions may be more faithful to the original than others. 

New drawings of old paintings by the M.S.Co.

It is not yet clear when the Catalogues will be published, and at what interval.  For that matter, the Company has yet do discuss whether it will continue to put out new volumes with any regularity after the 2011 volume is complete and on the streets. Right now the Misanthropes are busily focusing on the task at hand.

As usual, curious readers are advised to stay tuned to this weblog for further details as they come to light.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated:37
Number completed: 20
Number inducted: 3
Carried over to next week: 7

* * * *

MY SoCal LIFE...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

It's official. Last week's motion to summon the wayfaring Misanthropes back to Headquarters' choleric bosom has been debated and subsequently quashed today. The Away Team's odometer will keep turning, us-stymied by the opposition. As a matter of fact the travelling contingent is extending its stay in Los Angeles, and now it's the Toronto-based coalition that's being called to join their colleagues across the the boarder. There is a gig in the works.

This latter turn of the tide stems from a liquid brunch earlier in the week with one of the Company's Hollywood patrons. It seems Mr. B, the owner of Screaming Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die, wants to parlay the Company's visit into a private screening party and wants the Misanthropes in attendance. All of them.

(He who owns the Company's 35mm motion picture masterpiece (photo by Pepper, Polaroid by T-Bone)

Now, it isn't easy to convince all of the Misanthropes to drop everything, all at once, and pack their bindles, paid expenses or not. Especially now, with the post-postal strike backlog only just cleared up. But the visionary Mr.B knows how to sweeten the pot. He's enticed the Company with an exciting new commission none of the members could vote against.

The details still need hammering out between Mr.B's lawyers and the Company's legal department, but all will be revealed soon.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 34
Number completed: 19
Number inducted: 11
Carried over to next week: 2

* * * *

DEFICIT OF A SALESMAN...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

(*the killer) by the Men And Women of the Misanthrope Specialty Co.

While most reports from the road indicate the travelling Misanthropes are having a mostly good time, chasing their tails all over the United States, another tempest is brewing in the Company teapot.

This week's tumult stems from from the Accounting Department's audit of the Away Team's finances, weighed against the Treasurer's reports from previous M.S.Co. tours. A sharp decline has been noted in the Retail Division's profits, prompting the Company's Chief Financial Officer to raise a red flag of admonition.

Beat the recession with these Lydia and Rufus' new coupons. Now in circulation.

The recorded profits from this weekend's Renegade Los Angeles was no more than $17. Last week's yield in San Francisco -- historically one of the Company's most profitable shows -- was similarly discouraging. Across the board, this summer's tallies have hit record lows. Tabling and booth fees, along with the cost of fuelling the Company fleet keep escalating, but the moneyed hordes are not coming out to buy in the same numbers as in years prior. Not by a long shot.

Perhaps there is something to this double dip recession talk radio keeps prattling on about.

Whatever the causes, the Away Team's adventure is running a deficit. Naturally, those within the M.S.Co. who voted against the tour in the first place are seeing red. Today, a motion to cut the tour short was put forward. Furthermore, the Company bean counters are petitioning for a three-year moratorium on touring altogether.

Trade in this dollar for to save eighty cents on any goods and services at participating retailers

The proposed changes to the Away Team's agenda was hotly debated via teleconference, but voting will not be held until next week. Things being left where they were at the end of today's protocols, the out come of next week's vote is difficult to predict. In the meantime, the tour is to continue on it's current trajectory until further notice.

* * *

photo of mysterious project in progress by Cottonwood Fields

Also on the Company's plate, a slew of exciting commissioned work. Posters, books, portraits, schmatta and so much more. Things are getting busier every week, and the administrators at Headquarters is breaking a frantic sweat trying to coordinate the increasing workload with its wayfaring Stateside workforce.

Stay tuned to this weblog for further details as they arise.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 39
Number completed: 22
Number inducted: 15
Carried over to next week: 10

* * * *

POSSESSION OF STOLEN GODS...

Notes to Headquarters
by T-Bone, Company Bailiff;
edited by Arthur Corey, Communications Officer:

"Among other things, I am mailing you a yellowing letter-pressed admonition. A reproach and accusation before the fact, thinly veiled as humorous and maybe folksy.

(photo by T-Bone)

"Because even the faintest impulse to shoplift had failed to cross my mind until I found myself poked in the ribs with this card, and because the proprietors of the general store saw fit to drag their god into it, I saw fit to steal the wretched thing.

(photo by T-Bone)

"As a matter of fact, I stole every one of the cards I could find in that musty emporium of China-made hillbilly souvenirs and mildly racist tributes to the nobility of America's Indian warrior chiefs.

(photo by T-Bone)

"The store is in direct cahoots with the motel here, and the cashier is a mean, lemon-faced old hen, doing double duty as the motel desk clerk. She'd tisked her dry tongue at us the night before, shaking her head throughout the extended check-in process once she learned Cotton and I were checking into one room, unwed. She'd seethed and judged us in false silence from behind the counter before turning to straighten the Barely Legal magazines on the rack behind her."

(photo by T-Bone)

* * *

L.A. FAKERS...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

(promotional flyer courtesy of Renegade Handmade)

The M.S.Co. will be hocking its handmade goods in Los Angeles this weekend, at the Renegade Craft Fair.

The outdoor extravaganza boast food, booze and hundreds of art mongers from all over the continent, along with hands-on crafty activities. So bring the whole family and stroll the sunny shanty-town of vendor tents clutching a beer in one hand and some sort of gourmet wrap or sandwich in the other; make a friendship bracelet, or whatever. Don't forget the sunscreen.

(click here for enlarged map)

You'll find the Misanthropes huddled in booth #170, along with sometimes touring companion, the Sweetie Pie Press.

And yes; Reverend Aitor will be on hand to scribble out Unflattering Portriats of anyone with the fortitude of self-esteem to solicit one, every hour on the hour. Gasp in horror as your every pimple is recorded for pus-terity; reevaluate your aversion to Botox as your crows feet and worry lines eclipse you smile; etcetra as a bunch of other stuff!

(portrait of the lovely Sara Guindon by Reverend Aitor)

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Online sign ups are open until midnight, Friday night.

UNFLATTERING LOS ANGELES
at Los Angeles State Historic Park
DAY ONE
Saturday July 16, 2011

1pm - Available
2pm - Available
3pm - Available
4pm - Available
5pm - Available

All live portraits are done by donation. Pay what you can, or think it's worth. Sittings take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so please book two slots.

DAY TOO
Sunday July 17, 2011

1pm - Available
2pm - Available
3pm - Available
4pm - Available
5pm - Available

Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting may not be served.

* * *

FREEDOM OF REPRESSED...

by Heywood McGillicuddy, Chairman,
and Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

Exhibit A: Misanthropy

True to its name, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. is rife with pet peeves. This should come a surprise to none; the Company members all wear their curmudgeonry on their dirty shirtsleeves. Furthermore, it's reflected in much of their creative output and merchandise.

One gripe which inevitably bubbles to the surface after a weekend of peddling wares at a show is a lack of decorum by trigger-happy photographers. Much disdain has been expressed for those shutterbugs, be they amateur or professional, who sidle up to the Company booth and, with no acknowledgement of the presiding merchant, proceed to photograph the merchandise. Doubly so if the photographers in question take aim at the Misanthropes themselves.

Exhibit B: Double misanthropy

Obviously, not everyone is of the same mind, but it is the general sentiment of the Company that having a blog, and the fact that one's cellular telephone is equipped with a camera shouldn't be taken as inference that one has been issued an all-access press pass.

In response to this, the Company passed a bill some time ago, authorizing its members to respond to such lapses in courtesy in kind.

Old policy:"No pictures, please"

The preferred, though unofficial, implementation of this policy has typically consisted of the interjection of a single digit into the photographers' field of view. This method, however, has not been for everyone, so it was recently put to the Company to find a more passive alternative for the deterrence of unauthorized photography.

The solution was voted in today, and will henceforth be in effect at all subsequent shows, craft fairs, etc.

New policy: "Ten dollars, please"

Rather than becoming indignant, or pretending to do so for the sake of confrontation, the M.S.Co. has decided to put a price tag on unsolicited picture-taking. The Company will be happy to sell you the photos you just took without asking for a measly $10. Exact change is preferred.

As for those individuals with the good sense to introduce themselves and state their intentions before they start clicking away, the Company is usually willing to waive its fee.

* * *

In other news, the Company is cranking out drawings at full throttle.

"American In Peril" by the Company Away Team

The Away Team, in particular, has been quite prolific since it was granted partial autonomy during the postal strike state of emergency. Despite the logistics being stacked against them, given their lack of studio space, sleep, showers and regular hours, the itinerant Misanthropes have their cushy Toronto-rooted counterparts beat in terms of drawings initiated, completed, and even inducted this week.

"Stupid Garbage" by the M.S.Co. Away Team

Perhaps the touring members of the Company are more intune with eachother than those left bickering in the Bunker. Or perhaps their standards for what gets inducted are simply lower. Regardless of the reasons for the imbalance in productivity, this week's numbers appear to have ignited something of a competitive spirit between the two camps.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 47
Number completed: 30
Number inducted: 22
Carried over to next week: 10

* * * *

OREGON TRANSPLANT...

by Rufus Spaulding:

The Company has arrived in Portland, Oregon, after an epic drive from Colorado, through the windswept planes of Wyoming, the martian landscapes of Utah, and the potato-littered fields of Idaho.

(This is exactly what it's like to be visit Portland)

For those of you unfamiliar with Portland, much of it is accurately summed up in the Portlandia television program, and we like it that way. Some of the denizens of the City of Roses will even admit it, though strictly off the record.

* * *

DENVER HAZE...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

The Misanthrope Specialty Co. will soon be breezing through Denver, Colorado, and is parlaying its visit into an evening of Unflattering Portraits, by donation, this Friday at Fancy Tiger.

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Sign ups are open until midnight the night before. They take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so please book two slots.

UNFLATTERING DENVER
Friday July 1, 2011
FANCY TIGER BOUTIQUE
14 S. Broadway
Denver, CO

7:pm - Available
8:pm - Sarah
9:pm - "Pink"

Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting will not be served.

* * *

STRIKING IT BITCH...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

("Stupid Fucking Moron" by the men and women of the Company)

The wheels of industry are once again churning at the M.S.Co. The Europeans have arrived in Toronto, hunkering down with the others in the Company Bunker, and T-Bone and Cotton have joined up with the Away Team. This amalgamation of previously spread out Misanthropes into two distinct camps leaves the Company in a better position to ride out this protracted postal strike. The harumphing is subsiding.

Ofcourse, even with the consolidation of membership and amended protocols, circumstances still preclude the needle on the Company Catastrophometer from going all the way back down business as usual levels. Canada Post's indisposition cannot be ignored completely.

Online and mail-order purchase of Company wares remains unavailable

The exchange of certain supplies and sundry secret goods between Headquarters and the Away Team remains vital to Company operations. Relying on services of FedEx and UPS as alternatives, keeps the traffic flowing, but take their toll on Company coffers. These are also not viable alternatives when it comes to the Company's mail-order business and Etsy shop. The M.S.Co. retail division consequently remain closed.

* * *

The strike also calls for the revision many of T-Bone's plans, along with the Company's plans for him.

Portrait of the Company's intrepid Bailiff

With Mr. Bonaparte now tethered to the Away Team, the M.S.Co. regretfully announces the suspension of this year's instalments of his popular Notes to Headquarters travel supplement. Hopefully it doesn't need to be cancelled altogether. Last year's compilation of T-Bone and Cotton's adventures was a runaway hit with subscribers to the Company Espistolary Service.

Then there's the Motel Bible Project...

In a concerted effort to help T-Bone complete his mission, the Company has decided to adopt the project as an M.S.Co. subsidiary. Strategies are being devised to cover more ground, making up for lost time.

(photo by Cottonwood Fields)

The members of the Away Team will henceforth endeavour check into separate motel rooms, or, when possible, separate motels, switching bibles out as per T-Bones specific instructions.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 39
Number completed: 25
Number inducted: 11
Carried over to next week: 5

* * * *

BOSTON SCREAM...

by Rufus Spaulding:

The Company will soon be making its merry way back up North, to participate in this weekend's Bazaar Bizarre in Boston. And yes, before you ask, Unflattering Portraits will infact be available, live, on the spot, and by donation.

Come and find the Misanthrope Specialty Co. at booth #9. They'll be sharing a tent with the Sweetie Pie Press.

To book your portrait appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Sign ups are open until midnight the night before. They take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so book two slots.

UNFLATTERING BOSTON
Sunday June 19, 2011
Union Square
Somerville, MA

1 pm - Available
2 pm - Available
3 pm - Lunch time
4 pm - Available
5 pm - Available

Punctuality, by the way, is always in fashion. Please be aware that patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting will not be served.

* * *

PEACH BLANKET BINGO...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

"Porthole View" by the M.S.Co.

The M.S.Co. is doing its best to work around the continuing labour disputes between Canada Post and the postal workers' union by reducing the need to mail work back and forth between the various members of the Company. The Miner's Prayer, and Montréal misanthropes have assembled in Toronto, and the European contingents may soon be on their way. T-Bone, too, is putting his side project on hold and is en route to rejoin the away team.

Protocols are also being reworked to circumnavigate reliance on the postal system. The Away Team and Toronto camps will henceforth operate, partially, as separate entities; holding on to a percentage of their respective illustrations for completion, evaluation and induction independent of the other team.

* * *

Unflattering Portrait of Tofu Baby

Down in the Peach State, the touring misanthropes had their hands full this weekend, representing the Company at I.C.E. Atlanta. Once the show was rapped up, the convoy headed over to Athens, Georgia to carry out their secret meeting and drawing session. They are holed up at Rancho Cocoa, hosted by longtime allies, the French Toasts.

Hanging out with Tofu Baby at Rancho Cocoa

Raul and Missy have built an impenetrable fortress of cuteness, candy, cakes, bunnies and cats. How they get away with all this adorable sweetness without making everyone puke is a mystery for the ages. Even the sourest of misanthropes can't resist the sugar-powered giddiness of Rancho Cocoa for long. As a result, it looks like results of this week's away team drawing session might boast a record number of uncharacteristically darling, even dainty illustrations.

Rancho Cocoa's infectious joy is fuelled by equal parts cuteness and icing sugar

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 34
Number completed: 17
Number inducted: 7
Carried over to next week: 6

* * *