25 years - Sam and AJ by @ajfox (A Girtz)

I had to substitute this piece for the one I originally planned to upload due to the scan coming out poorly. I'm working to see if I can correct it in the software, hopefully I can fix it. Thankfully, a backup option was available.

1999: Before long, I had somehow managed to fill my messenger lists with more online artists than local friends. People from all over the country and world whom I'd been watching for months and was eager to learn from & talk to. David Lurie (Kittizak), James Donaldson (Sigmund), Tracy Butler (Hali, Sly), Candy Palmer (Candy), Stephanie Kao (Oni), Hailey Schauble (Bliss_GreyCloud), Chad Yaffe (Warskunk) and Brian Rogers (Marcello Rupelli) just to name a few. No longer was I flailing around aimlessly trying to figure out how to go about this new found art style on my own, I had some seriously talented (and really awesome) people I could source for feedback & questions along the way. Things were starting to get really fun & interesting, now. I started to feel like I was becoming part of something beyond the small town life I'd always known. Fresh perspectives and new ideas beyond the corn fields and bluffs, with everyone leaving their mark. The new millennium was only months away and I couldn't help but wonder how or where this crazy ride was going next.

2024: I still can't figure out what I was going for back when I did these old drawings. They HAD to get drawn, that was about all I knew for sure. Just make a character to draw and practice. But what would they be for? The comics I created made absolutely no sense, and not knowing simple story structure at the time didn't help matters. So I just used them as subjects to practice and develop. The energetic and oft playful vixen, Sammy, poses with her buddy Aj. (That look you give when you need a break from your feisty friend) I was debating whether or not to redo Sam to match her old pose, but liked how she turned out and left it as is. Some things have stayed with me through the years and even though I still have a lot to work on, I'm more confident and comfortable now with my style than I've ever been. Oh yes....and I'm still working on the chest size. Patience, please, ladies. Some old habits die hard. =)