Talking about the weather is boring.

But at the same time, it’s the perfect small-talk topic. Especially when everyone is sharing the same traumatic experience. Which was very much the case over the last couple of days, as an unprecedented heat wave swept across Europe and we all suffered.

Everything became soup. My apartment became soup. My brain became soup. Any remaining sense of ambition or dignity also became soup.

Normally, I’m a fan of hot weather. I like the feeling of everything and everyone slowing down and embracing a slightly more chill approach to things. Things that felt incredibly important a week ago suddenly seem like they might not matter at all. We’re all just here, surviving, doing our best not to be fried alive.

The last couple of days felt different, though. I think I might have reached my limit. It didn’t feel good anymore. It felt oppressive.

Like everyone else in Europe, I looked into buying some kind of renter-friendly AC unit, but there’s no chance of getting one right now without paying five times the regular price. I did make a note to buy one in the winter, though, so I’m not caught off guard by yet another record-breaking heat wave ever again.

Anyway, enough boring weather talk. Let’s get to this week’s comics!

Moanday

I can’t function when I have a headache. It’s not even migraines I’m getting, just run-of-the-mill headaches from weather changes, draining my social battery, or having caffeine. But the second my head hurts even a little, I don’t want to talk to anyone, don’t want to do anything, and just want to wallow in my pit of despair.

I know people who don’t react this way when their head hurts and seem to function normally. Maybe I’m just a very sensitive snowflake when my poor little brain has an ouchie.

Tuesday

I now have 173 scanned little artworks, one for each day of the year. When I came up with Year of Art as my theme for 2026, literally one day before the end of last year, I never expected this to happen. I thought I might do a little drawing each day for maybe 30 days. But now it’s been six months, and I haven’t missed a single day.

The best part is that I’m actually starting to see real improvement. The comics I’m making now look nothing like the ones from earlier this year. Just look at these eyesores!

I love that I don’t like them anymore. That feels like the clearest sign of growth.

I have to remind myself often that the quality of any single comic doesn’t matter, because there will always be tomorrow. Back in January, I knew these weren’t as good as my own taste wanted them to be. But I also knew there was no way I’d reach a quality I was truly happy with while still making one comic a day.

Now, six months later, I can look back at these and, even though I still don’t think they look good, I love that they exist. I love that they can stand beside my more recent work and show the distance I’ve travelled.

Wednesday

On a closely related note: improv comedy can be brilliant, but when it isn’t, it’s absolutely unbearable. Fortunately, I enjoy cringe and find embarrassment incredibly amusing. Anna, on the other hand, can’t stand it and can’t even bear to watch. We had a very different experience watching those 15 minutes of bird-related "jokes" on that balcony.

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I messed up the colours and values here. Something feels off. It’s too yellow, and nothing really catches the eye. That makes it hard to read and understand. Mission failed. We’ll get ’em next time.

Thursday

Those Dungeon Crawler Carl books, am I right? They’re not the best thing I’ve ever read, but they’re incredibly consistent in quality. I’ve been reading them back to back for the last couple of months, and it feels like one long, wildly entertaining book. I’m really happy to hear there’s going to be a TV show. It’s perfect material for a monster-of-the-week kind of series.

Friday

We had a spontaneous, cute little evening hanging out in the park. I painted, little Fritzi practiced lying on his stomach and rolling onto his back, and we all had a lovely time enjoying the weather.

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I love this page. I think I got the values right. I also like the more painterly background in contrast with the comic-style characters. I’m not sure how to use this approach more often, but it definitely makes me want to experiment further in this direction.

Saturday

This was a perfect day: working out, buying new art supplies, hanging out with friends, painting in nature, and winding down with a bit of World Cup entertainment. No notes. ★★★★★

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I love how Pablo (second from the left) and Sebastian (third from the left) came out in that third panel. They still look like themselves, even though they’re heavily stylized. Ines (fourth from the left), on the other hand, looks exactly like Anna does in these comics, and I need to find a solution for that. They look nothing alike in real life.

Sunday

We’re slowly making progress on The Prisoner of Azkaban. We’re so close to the end, but there’s just so much else to do over the summer that we’re somehow not finding enough time to read. A luxurious position to be in, I guess.

I’d never read a book aloud to anyone before, and I’ve found that I enjoy it a lot. I like coming up with voices and trying to read with an intensity that fits the situation.

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I’m somehow not very happy with this page. It feels too sparse and too busy at the same time, somehow. I’m not sure why, but I remember finishing this comic knowing it would be one of those I’d point to as an eyesore six months later.

Painting instead of doomscrolling

Embracing the Year of Art has me carrying art supplies wherever I go. I’m making a point of not spending waiting time doomscrolling, but instead quickly pulling out my sketchbook to draw or paint whatever’s around me.

Since I started doing this, I can feel myself longing for more waiting time. I’m a being-on-time kind of person, so there aren’t many situations where I end up with 20 random minutes somewhere. I haven’t actually done this yet, but I’ve genuinely considered leaving early just to have a little art time before whatever I’m headed to.

What I’m also not doing enough is going outside, putting myself somewhere random, and simply painting what I see for the sake of painting. Waiting for someone is a fantastic excuse to sit somewhere and paint, but for some reason, proactively making the time still eludes me. I feel like there’s a bit of shame tied to this, though I don’t really understand why.

I plan to get over this weird little hang-up this summer.

Here are a few of the quick paintings I did on my recent short vacation to the North Sea. Heavily featuring my leg hair.