August 2026 Updates: Back to School Time

Hey, remember last month when I said things finally stabilized at the school job? I spoke too soon.

Yes, I have tenure. Yes, I am employed. No, it is not the same position.

I'm going back to my old classroom to teach technology electives full time. I'll also be teaching a Robotics elective for the first time, which is exciting and an accidental gateway to building up to a combat robotics team at the school. That's a much more direct path than doing it through casual interest during lunch periods.

But I digress. I have a Donor's Choose campaign going on to fund a 3D Printer for the classroom. This way, I have a reliable machine for printing in PETG, a much more reliable filament for practical, structural designs than the PLA infrastructure I built for the Cyber Cafe last year. Having the printer in class lets Robotics students in the fall and Computer Graphics students in the spring design, prototype, and iterate their designs for a better educational experience. Right now, my donations are being matched by Con Edison. Starting August 19, Donor's Choose is doing at least a 50% match on all donations. This $450 3D printer and filament wishlist is only $225, and every dollar helps.

Now for more direct to Sketching Details updates. I can announce that I will be at the Boonton Warped music festival in Boonton, NJ on September 5-6. This is a two-day all-ages punk rock flea market and music festival with $10 tickets to get in. There will be music from 2-10 each day, vendors, and easy access to cool local businesses like Catfight Coffee, my preferred source for all my coffees at home. We met at the NJ horror and punk festival market and I haven't turned back since. Best cold brew kits I've ever had.

I will also be at the Skyline Lakes Fire Department Pet Adoption Day and Craft Show on September 12 in Ringwood, NJ. This is one of my favorite local craft shows of the year. Tons of animal rescues brings adorable dogs and cats looking for forever homes at the outdoor part of the event. Inside, you'll find the art vendors like my mother and me selling our wares. And then, throughout the day, the rescues will take dogs on walks through the show floor to meet people. This is a free entry event from 10-3 with lots of great vendors and the chance to find your new pet.

Finally, I'll be at NJ Horror Con for my birthday weekend September 25-27 at the Delta Hotel Woodbridge in Iselin, NJ. Aside from coming to wish me a happy birthday and buy your fresh off the presses copy of #31Days: A Collection of Horror Essays, vol. 3 (available everywhere fine books are sold September 25), there are tons of vendors, a full on film festival, and celebrity guests. Meet Sketching Details forever-favorites Jen and Sylvia Soska or Child's Play stars Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, and Christine Elise. Say hi to Felissa Rose, star of the Sleepaway Camp series and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet at any event. There are tons of other celebrities, too. Tickets start at $35.

I'm trying to keep up with at least a post a week, but I am also deep in the throws of editing the new #31Days entry before shipping out the manuscript everywhere it needs to go. Plus I'm designing new art toys all the time. Like the updated My Heart Monsters, or my ventures into fidgets built around my design like the heart eyes jack-o'-lantern keyboard clicker at the top of the post.

Or all the Halloween and Christmas ceramics we're pouring, cleaning, firing, and painting for the non-stop craft show rush from September to December. Or our surprising success in selling unwanted molds on the secondhand ceramics supply market. Or planning out a course sequence for an elective I've never taught before. It's a lot.

That's it for the major updates for August. Thanks for being here.