Category: announcements

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Adventures in Moving – Being Safe

In these uncertain times, I’m making this announcement in the Adventures in Moving: I’m being safe, and delaying my move date.

For folks who are out of the loop, I planned on moving because the house I’m renting got sold. Thankfully, mom (who owned the house before) sold it to my sister. Because of that, the time table to move is more relaxed.

However, it is NOT relaxed for my sister’s current roommate. Currently, he’s renting an apartment from a preeeety shady landlord. This landlord has been demanding consistent rent payments and will kick out anyone whose lease runs out if the renter does not renew. Even during these uncertain times.

And what do you know? This roommate’s lease runs out in the beginning of June.

He also has a dog. An elderly, pain in the ass dog, whom both of my cats HATE. And he also has a kitten.

The house I’m in is small – so fitting 3 people under the roof is a challenge. Add an extra dog and cat, and that becomes my sister, the roommate, me, four cats, and two dogs (because my sister has a dog, too) under one dinky roof.

So I DO intend to move before June starts.

However, with coronavirus still being A THING, I’ve heard through the grapevine that Ohio intends to open the state back up around May 1.

I am of the opinion that this is WAY TOO DAMN SOON.

(Personally, I prefer the relief effort ViHart outlines in her latest video. Go check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.)

So I’m going to be safe.

Right now, the plan is to move out of my current home between May 15 and May 31. There are contingency plans if the move has to be delayed. But this is the current plan.

Where am I moving to? Well, it’s looking like the Toledo area – but Columbus is still an option.

That’s where things are at for now. As things change, I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Writing for Comics 101 – The Beginning

comic script for the legend of jamie roberts page 3

I’m beginning a new blog post series. Called Writing for Comics 101.

I had an epiphany recently, thanks to some new work I do. See, I’ve been hired as the Chief Creative Officer at NeverEnding. (Find out more about NeverEnding over on their website.) This new work has gotten me in contact with artists, because we’re looking to grow the team a little bit.

So I’ve been talking with other artists a lot more often. That’s nice, considering that the coronavirus pandemic has shut down convention season. So my options of chatting with other artists got a bit more limited.

That said, I realized something talking with some of these folks, pre-virus and presently. The thing is, many of them start as comic artists…but then they get frustrated at the lack of readers, so they leave the business. Many of these artists have moved on to just freelancing in general. There’s nothing wrong with that! But it made me realize something.

You can be the most killer comic artist on the planet – but that doesn’t mean shit unless you can write well.

And the thing is, many of these former comic artists…are not great storytellers.

This gave me the inspiration to start the Writing for Comics 101 blog post series. I’m going to keep this series to 4 posts. If there’s enough demand for it, I’ll expand it. But 4 posts (not counting this one).

We’re going to talk about:

  • why a comic is more than just cool-looking characters
  • why one-liners will not save your ass
  • design tricks to make the reader actually read your page
  • how to STOP packing so much dialogue into your pages

I hope with this short blog post series that I can help my fellow artists get more confident in their writing ability. I KNOW you can draw AND write killer stories. You just need more guidance than Google can provide.

So stick with me. And be sure to sign up for the email newsletter so you can keep up with this series as it posts.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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…I’m Asking for Help

I know I said I would be ok. That I didn’t need anything. That if you had the energy and funds to spare, share that with other artists in need. (Which, if you have helped other artists, thank you.) But now, I’m asking for help.

scarlet the black long haired cat

This is Scarlet. She and Bree-Bree are keeping me company during this weird time we’re all in. Both of the girls will be 14 years old on May 16. Which is impressive for cats!

Scarlet is a fussy princess. She knows she’s pretty. She’s VERY mouthy. You can have full conversations with this cat. She’s appeared quite a few times in livestreams over the past month, because she wants people to give her attention…on her terms.

scarlet the black long haired cat looking at the camera

I am her human. She doesn’t really tolerate much of anybody else. She will sniff you, and she will meow at you. But you pet her on HER time. When she does want love, though, she can be incredibly sweet.

Sadly, she’s been losing weight and vomiting. I took her to the vet this past Tuesday for a physical, and the vet said there’s muscle deterioration around her hips. The vet was unable to get a blood sample, so they told me to bring Scarlet back in for a round of testing today. They think there may be some hyperthyroid issues.

Now, financially, I prepared for a lot of things… but I did not prepare for vet bills like I should have. That’s on me. Moving forward I will do better.

But right now, IF YOU CAN, I’m asking for your help. I have half of the costs covered, but if you can help with the other half, that would be HUGE.

For the next two weeks, I’m running a sale on commissions if you are so interested. I’m offering these discounted rates if you’d like to jump in on this sale:

  • $15 $10 Head and shoulders in black and white
  • $30 $25 Full-body black and white
  • $40 $30 head and shoulders in color
  • $65 $60 full-color full-body

These prices are PER character (or person, or animal if you wanted a pet portrait). More info on the Get a Commission page if you’d like to get a commission.

If this is a bit much, I have an online store with comics, buttons, stickers, and original art.

Need something more unique? Well, you can also support me on Ko-Fi if you would like…

  • $5 for a social media icon
  • $3 for a blog post tacking a question you have for me
  • $3 for a poem
  • $10 for a short story of 1500 words or less

Or you can just give a donation through Ko-Fi with no strings attached.

I accept PayPal (just specify that it’s a gift to friends to avoid extra charges). And I also accept Venmo ($KelciDCrawford) and the Cash App.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY, DO NOT BUY.

I don’t want you stressing out just because I planned poorly. Just share this post with folks whom you think could help. Shares help a LOT.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your help, however you give it.

You. Are. Awesome.

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More Blog Posts Incoming

image of a desk covered in papers, pens and pencils, an x-acto knife, a sketchbook, and a mug full of tea

Yus, there are more blog posts coming to the site during the month of April.

Why? Because I have a lot to write about, surprisingly.

There’s a handful of blog posts series coming this month, including:

  • Adventures in Moving: updates on my moving situation, as I’m looking to move house this summer.
  • Writing for Comics 101: pro-tips on how aspiring comics makers can write better comics.
  • Freelance Lifestyle: how to live well on a budget, land and fulfill gigs, and maximize your energy and focus.

I’ll also be continuing my Throwback Thursday art posts on (you guessed it) Thursdays. I like this trend and I’m going to maintain it.

Adventures in Moving will start updating on Tuesdays.

Freelance Lifestyle will update on Wednesdays and will run for 4 weeks.

Writing for Comics 101 will updates on Fridays, starting on April 17, and will run for 4 weeks.

The short-run blog post series might continue if there’s enough demand for them. For now, we’re starting with this.

If there’s a topic on any of these posts that you would like me to cover, let me know in the comments!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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HerdCon Got Cancelled – Here’s What’s Next

herdcon 2020 has been cancelled. Here's what's next...

HerdCon 2020 has been cancelled, in large part because of the Coronavirus situation.

Now, DO NOT lash out at the organizers. Please. They made the best decision they could with the pressure they had and the information available to them. I trust their judgement. And I trust them when they come back next year. They have plans to run HerdCon 2021 and I hope to make it.

Before I continue, please: take care of yourselves. Especially if you have autoimmune issues.

Ok, now let’s get into it:

What’s Next?

Well now, my Friday and Saturday are wide open. So I’m taking Friday to catch up on KickStarter rewards.

On Saturday, I plan on running a livestream.

I’ll be livedrawing some Dungeons & Dragons characters I run! And if I draw other things, that works too. You’ll get to see it.

The livestream will be on Saturday, March 14, at 1 pm EST. Here’s the link. If you’re in YouTube, be sure to hit the notification bell to know when it’s live.

Hope to see you there.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your understanding.

You. Are. Awesome.