A Cowen
@oamyoamy.bsky.social
Writer, illustrated journal keeper, and connector of dots. Interested in CNF, graphic novels, & diary comics. LGBTQ+. Bay Area.
Weekly posts & sketchbook/journal prompts at Illustratedlife.substack.com
Weekly posts & sketchbook/journal prompts at Illustratedlife.substack.com
A pile of these bears gave me some trouble trying to get a photograph, but I love how this one of just these two worked out in black and white. Sometimes the simplest things remind us so much of someone.
I hope we all have the chance to become real.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/muffy-vand...
I hope we all have the chance to become real.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/muffy-vand...
Of Otters, Bears, and Becoming Real
From the bears to the paintings on the wall
illustratedlife.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:37 AM
A pile of these bears gave me some trouble trying to get a photograph, but I love how this one of just these two worked out in black and white. Sometimes the simplest things remind us so much of someone.
I hope we all have the chance to become real.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/muffy-vand...
I hope we all have the chance to become real.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/muffy-vand...
I do like November for a #gratitude mindset reset. You, too?
Here are some practical, no-nonsense reminders for nurturing a gratitude mindset and making a gratitude practice a habit.
--> illustratedlife.substack.com/i/177438984/...
Here are some practical, no-nonsense reminders for nurturing a gratitude mindset and making a gratitude practice a habit.
--> illustratedlife.substack.com/i/177438984/...
November 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
I do like November for a #gratitude mindset reset. You, too?
Here are some practical, no-nonsense reminders for nurturing a gratitude mindset and making a gratitude practice a habit.
--> illustratedlife.substack.com/i/177438984/...
Here are some practical, no-nonsense reminders for nurturing a gratitude mindset and making a gratitude practice a habit.
--> illustratedlife.substack.com/i/177438984/...
Sketchnoting some talks, essays, interviews, and videos for practice. Debbie Millman on designing a life you love: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/loose-leaf...
#sketchnote
#sketchnote
Sketchnote - Debbie Millman on Designing a Life You Love
Loose Leaf 01 and notes from the week, plus a “design a life you love” sketchnote
illustratedlife.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Sketchnoting some talks, essays, interviews, and videos for practice. Debbie Millman on designing a life you love: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/loose-leaf...
#sketchnote
#sketchnote
Rock, paper, scissors, star.
Writing letters.
Hoping my reader emerges.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/epistolary...
Writing letters.
Hoping my reader emerges.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/epistolary...
Crow, Dove, Poet
A letter, a chant, and the echo of light from a star
illustratedlife.substack.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Rock, paper, scissors, star.
Writing letters.
Hoping my reader emerges.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/epistolary...
Writing letters.
Hoping my reader emerges.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/epistolary...
I’ve participated in ICAD a number of times through the years -- and done some series I really loved. Here’s a bit of a retrospective (my 2024 post).
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/index-card...
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/index-card...
Index-Card-A-Day (ICAD) 2024
Thoughts on ICAD 2024, a classic summer art challenge on index card
illustratedlife.substack.com
May 20, 2025 at 12:06 AM
I’ve participated in ICAD a number of times through the years -- and done some series I really loved. Here’s a bit of a retrospective (my 2024 post).
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/index-card...
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/index-card...
ICAD is an excellent way to start/boost/rekindle your create habit in June/July -- using simple index cards.
#creativelife
#dyicad2025
#creativelife
#dyicad2025
May 19, 2025 at 11:54 PM
ICAD is an excellent way to start/boost/rekindle your create habit in June/July -- using simple index cards.
#creativelife
#dyicad2025
#creativelife
#dyicad2025
Had some fun with a recursive Robert Graves poem -- and the Droste effect.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/tawny-yell...
(Image: Wikimedia)
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/tawny-yell...
(Image: Wikimedia)
May 19, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Had some fun with a recursive Robert Graves poem -- and the Droste effect.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/tawny-yell...
(Image: Wikimedia)
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/tawny-yell...
(Image: Wikimedia)
We just finished Week 2 of our Making Comics read/draw-along. It's great to see so many people jumping in. I have to admit I woke up this morning and drew Batman (part of Week 3) and realized.... yes, yes, I can. You can, too!
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#comics
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#comics
Making Comics—Week 2
Reflections on Week Two of working through Lynda Barry's Making Comics with a new appreciation for our bones
illustratedlife.substack.com
May 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
We just finished Week 2 of our Making Comics read/draw-along. It's great to see so many people jumping in. I have to admit I woke up this morning and drew Batman (part of Week 3) and realized.... yes, yes, I can. You can, too!
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#comics
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#comics
Making a list of poems that are good to memorize (for someone looking to spend a week at a time with a poem). Just did the NYT Millay week, and looking to do more. Old enough that memorization takes some work. Suggestions?
#poetry #BlueSkyPoetry
#poetry #BlueSkyPoetry
May 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Making a list of poems that are good to memorize (for someone looking to spend a week at a time with a poem). Just did the NYT Millay week, and looking to do more. Old enough that memorization takes some work. Suggestions?
#poetry #BlueSkyPoetry
#poetry #BlueSkyPoetry
Enjoying working through Making Comics with a few people. This broccoli moment was great!
May 12, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Enjoying working through Making Comics with a few people. This broccoli moment was great!
So many reasons to keep an illustrated journal. Now.... I need to just get better at indexing and organizing them. That's an important step I've neglected.
13 Reasons to Keep an Illustrated Journal
Thoughts on the value of keeping an illustrated journal + a Starter Kit postcard prompt
illustratedlife.substack.com
May 5, 2025 at 5:09 PM
So many reasons to keep an illustrated journal. Now.... I need to just get better at indexing and organizing them. That's an important step I've neglected.
Starting an informal re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics. I've read it & Syllabus before, but I'm looking forward to it. Happy to have a small group already joining in. Just getting started if you are interested.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#diarycomics #graphicnovels #comics
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#diarycomics #graphicnovels #comics
Making Comics—Getting Started
Rereading Lynda Barry with a small group. Here we go!
illustratedlife.substack.com
May 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Starting an informal re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics. I've read it & Syllabus before, but I'm looking forward to it. Happy to have a small group already joining in. Just getting started if you are interested.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#diarycomics #graphicnovels #comics
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/making-com...
#diarycomics #graphicnovels #comics
Decluttering (at the pace of a glacier). I’m having as much trouble getting rid of this old GameBoy Color as I am trashing piles of academic papers and readings from the early nineties.
April 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Decluttering (at the pace of a glacier). I’m having as much trouble getting rid of this old GameBoy Color as I am trashing piles of academic papers and readings from the early nineties.
Following the #harvard news as they reject the terms. Buried in that letter.... a BAN on masks? "Harvard must implement a comprehensive mask ban with serious and immediate penalties for violation, not less than suspension."
April 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Following the #harvard news as they reject the terms. Buried in that letter.... a BAN on masks? "Harvard must implement a comprehensive mask ban with serious and immediate penalties for violation, not less than suspension."
Thinking about doing a group re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics.... I floated the idea in Sunday's post at Illustrated Life. Thinking about it.
April 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Thinking about doing a group re-read of Lynda Barry's Making Comics.... I floated the idea in Sunday's post at Illustrated Life. Thinking about it.
So looking forward to this new book from @goraina.bsky.social & @scottmccloud.bsky.social coming in at my library!
Kiddo & I had a delightful time reading @goraina.bsky.social & @scottmccloud.bsky.social’s much anticipated collaboration! (#2 eager to join in & as I typed this they started reading together!) Congratulations you two! Kiddos will be reading & elements will be in my classes ahead! Some thoughts 1/X
April 14, 2025 at 4:12 PM
So looking forward to this new book from @goraina.bsky.social & @scottmccloud.bsky.social coming in at my library!
Reposted by A Cowen
I have a joke about Sisyphus but it's long and tedious and just as I'm about to get to the punchline I lose my thread and have to start from the beginning again
I have a joke about Eris but i only tell it on Discord.
October 23, 2024 at 4:53 PM
I have a joke about Sisyphus but it's long and tedious and just as I'm about to get to the punchline I lose my thread and have to start from the beginning again
Make someone’s day … feel more connected… send a #postcard. Monthly prompt series.
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
Postcard Prompt 7: Comics
A sequential art and "funny pages" throwback for April
open.substack.com
April 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Make someone’s day … feel more connected… send a #postcard. Monthly prompt series.
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
A fude nib has unexpectedly become my go-to pick. Never say never.
Loving a Bent Nib
Fude nibs, more rainbow topography, and a bunch of photos.
illustratedlife.substack.com
March 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM
A fude nib has unexpectedly become my go-to pick. Never say never.
100-day project is all about contours and some quirky rainbow topography. Two weeks in, and it's got an easy flow to it. A look at week two is in this recent post: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/open-the-gate
March 10, 2025 at 11:31 PM
100-day project is all about contours and some quirky rainbow topography. Two weeks in, and it's got an easy flow to it. A look at week two is in this recent post: illustratedlife.substack.com/p/open-the-gate
#100dayproject underway. I did some tests last week to make sure I was all in. I am.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/putting-a-...
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/putting-a-...
Putting a New 100 Days in Motion
A colorful contour project takes shape, plus a review of a book of portraits of writers
illustratedlife.substack.com
February 25, 2025 at 12:01 AM
#100dayproject underway. I did some tests last week to make sure I was all in. I am.
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/putting-a-...
illustratedlife.substack.com/p/putting-a-...
My grocery order arrived, and it looks like we also got someone else's order. (I know the store won't take it back because someone received our entire order before.) We sort of feel like we just won the lottery with the assortment of random food that arrived. A bit sad to be this excited, but true.
February 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
My grocery order arrived, and it looks like we also got someone else's order. (I know the store won't take it back because someone received our entire order before.) We sort of feel like we just won the lottery with the assortment of random food that arrived. A bit sad to be this excited, but true.
Week 8 #illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal 2025. It’s a grounding process. Anything goes.
Weekly prompts are shared on Sundays.
Weekly prompts are shared on Sundays.
February 23, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Week 8 #illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal 2025. It’s a grounding process. Anything goes.
Weekly prompts are shared on Sundays.
Weekly prompts are shared on Sundays.
Drawing my kids on birthday week has become an annual tradition. I wish I had started doing this when they were young.
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
February 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Drawing my kids on birthday week has become an annual tradition. I wish I had started doing this when they were young.
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
open.substack.com/pub/illustra...
I draw on Sunday mornings with a few people via zoom. I usually get a pencil sketch in that I ink later as I start my week in my illustrated journal.
It’s the most human contact I have all week!
Weekly prompts shared on Sundays on Illustrated Life.
#illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal
It’s the most human contact I have all week!
Weekly prompts shared on Sundays on Illustrated Life.
#illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal
February 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I draw on Sunday mornings with a few people via zoom. I usually get a pencil sketch in that I ink later as I start my week in my illustrated journal.
It’s the most human contact I have all week!
Weekly prompts shared on Sundays on Illustrated Life.
#illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal
It’s the most human contact I have all week!
Weekly prompts shared on Sundays on Illustrated Life.
#illustrateyourweek #illustratedjournal