This might be the pinnacle of self-indulgent Abbott art

Tell me this scene isn't lit like a pulp novel cover! I love the blues and pinks on their faces...

My parents have an old paperback bookshelf, and I remember being mesmerized by the expressively painted covers. It was really fun to try and recreate one!

Thanks to Scottie for posting gifs of the most drawable Abbott moments on Tumblr! Also, thank you internet: I finished this painting listening to the Bechdel Cast episode on The Neverending Story.

I usually stick pretty close to the stills when I do Abbott sketches, but this time I took this still and drew it from Gregory's point of view.

And finally, an Abbott Elementary/War on Cars Super Bowl Crossover Event:

I came up with that cartoon because I channeled Jacob when this conversation popped up at work.

Speaking of The War on Cars, I signed up a few months ago to speak to City Council about the need for safer bike infrastructure. It felt like I'd have plenty of time to write and memorize a 3-minute speech. I did not know that the City Council meeting would happen 3 days before I do a live drawing event in a local arts festival, so it's been a stressful week. But the meeting went fine! Thanks to my extensive musical performance training, I was able to push through a bad night's sleep, nausea and shaky hands. (Also, thanks Uncle Peter for telling baby Becky that even professional actors sometimes feel like they have to throw up. I never forgot it.)

Here's what I said to City Council, if you're curious:

My name is Becky Hawkins. I've been a bike-commuter in Portland for 11 years. My job has taken me to several different locations over the years, so I've commuted to Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and  downtown. And I don't want to brag, but my commute is awesome right now. It's on a well-established bike route, with Neighborhood Greenways and bike lanes the whole time. I can't join my coworkers in talking about where to find the cheapest parking downtown or when to go put money in the meter. I don't have to worry about finding parking on my street when I get home, which is good, because there truly isn't any. I spend less money a year on transportation than some of my coworkers spend on gas and car payments every month. And I want everyone in Portland to have this option for getting around safely.

Portland prides itself on its small businesses. Bicycling is an extremely efficient way to enjoy these. Biking shortens distances and makes it easy to stop and start. Say there's a cafe, a bakery, a specialty grocery store and a stationery store within a mile and a half of each other. That's too far to carry all that stuff, but it's not worth having to find parking and repark your car four times. But you can hop on and off your bicycle, see the neighborhood, and maybe check out another store or two that look interesting.

I  work at the Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts, and on a busy weekend we bring over 1000 people downtown, some of whom haven't been downtown in years. When they park in a garage, they only see the inside of our building and the line of cars waiting to  leave. When they use active transportation, they're much more likely to discover and enjoy new places downtown.

I want the infrastructure to bring this benefit to all Portlanders. I have a friend who lives near SE Foster. He doesn't have a car and can't walk long distances, so bicycling would be a great way for him to get low-impact exercise, socialize, and do his shopping. Unfortunately, he was getting flat tires every few months from the debris in the roads, so he got frustrated and quit riding.

In the Portland Insights Survey published last summer, 45% of respondents said they'd like to do more bicycling if it was affordable and safe to do so. I started bicycling when I was in my 20s and had poor risk assessment skills. I don’t blame people who read about 1 to 2 road  deaths a week and decide not to try biking here. I do have some streets I'd never bike on, out of safety concerns. I have a list of restaurants on NE Sandy that I've been meaning to try but I keep forgetting about them because I would never bike on Sandy. When NE Sandy is repaved in 2026 I hope that you'll include protected bike lanes that connect to the rest of the bike network. It would open up whole neighborhoods to people.

Everyone who bikes has a mental list of intersections where they’ve had close calls. Just over a year ago I witnessed a hit and run while I was en route to a Families For Safe Streets vigil for victims of traffic violence. You can't make this stuff up. I don't know why I can see a hit  and run and keep biking every day. You shouldn't have to be as crazy or as stubborn as me to enjoy and spread the benefits of cycling.

Thank you for your time.

Thanks, as always, for supporting me on Patreon! If you're in Portland and want to check out the Spotlight Arts Festival this Saturday, message me for a comp code. I'll be taking audience prompts with a couple members of Helioscope Studio, and it should be a hilarious time. (Also if you just want to use the comp code to watch the Bharatanatyam dancing or Ballet Folklórico, I won't be offended.)

-Becky