2021 goals Archives - Kelci D Crawford

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022

Did I Reach My 2021 Goals?

It’s customary for me to write about my goals from the previous year; then to write about the goals I have for the upcoming year. So this post is Part 1 of a 2-Part series. (Part 2 will be tomorrow.)

More importantly…

DID I REACH MY 2021 GOALS?

Yes…and no. I met some, but not all.

Let’s break it down.

1) MAKE 5 NEW CRAFT PIECES.

How completely self-indulgent to have a goal NOT related to work!

Here’s the thing: technically I DID make this one. But I didn’t get to everything on the initial list I had. 4 out of 5 pieces on my old crafting to-do list got done! Then I got sidetracked and began making new things.

That’s ok! I’ve decided to just pursue the things that bring me joy instead of dread. That’s more important. ESPECIALLY for a hobby.

2) MAKE 5 NEW MINICOMICS

This DID NOT HAPPEN. I did not make 5 new minicomics.

…But I DID make – and finish – The Legend of Azu-Mi. (At least, the art for it.) I’ll count that win for what it’s worth.

3) MAKE 5 NEW 11X17 (OR LARGER) PRINTS

Yet another goal that DID NOT happen. I barely got two. Even then, one of the new prints, Kay the Valkyrie, is not 11×17 inches. I thought I had formatted the original working file to that size. Turns out, I did not.

I did, however, finish the art for one that had been a work in progress for two years – the Cryptid of Leaves. Here’s a peek at the original…

My new scanner bed is not quite big enough to accommodate this guy, though. So I’ll need to figure out how to digitize him to make prints.

4) RELEASE 5 NEW BOOKS

This past year, there came the release of…

The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1,
Less Than Secret: A Cryptid Anthology, and
complete edits for Sean McGavin’s new book that I’m a part of.

But that’s not 5 books.

That’s fine. I’ll consider it good that these even got done. Especially considering that The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 kept getting a LOT of setbacks – from production delays to book misprints.

And lastly…

5) MAKE 5 VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

I gave up on this one. Like, yes, I made a lot more videos on TikTok after I got on that platform. But actually editing video is my least favorite thing in the world to do. It’s right up there with bashing my head against the refrigerator door, or burning myself on pans while baking.

But I DID get into animation.

Look at them! I animated Jamie here! Thank you, Clip Studio Paint, for making that happen. Eventually, I’ll get used to your animation tools. Because currently, it’s like trying to read French.

I think we can all agree that 2021 was not the year we expected, or hoped, it would be. On my end of things, there were production issues, an encounter with a scam artist, and 3 deaths in the family in the final 6 months of the year. To be blunt, 2021 was shit. Basically 2020 part 2: Electric Boogaloo.

With that in mind, I’m going to…restructure a few things. But I’ll get into that tomorrow.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

July 27, 2021July 26, 2021

Mid-Year Check-In on My 2021 Goals

Remember when I set my goals for 2021? Well now’s the time to do a mid-year check-in and see how things are going.

Number 1: Make 5 New Craft Pieces

Are we talking about 5 craft projects TOTAL? Yes! This goal is achieved.

But are we talking about the specific craft projects I wrote for myself to do? No.

See, I wanted to make…

a kitty-sized sweater for BreeBree (why? Because she’s neurotic and wants hugs ALL THE TIME. I thought a kitty sweater would help)…
a patchwork skirt…
a bikini top made from upcycled T-shirts…
a crochet shawl covered in crochet donuts and cookies (why? I was inspired by a shawl I saw in the live-action The Grinch movie)…
and a scrapbook for my graduations. I’ve had these graduation keepsakes for 10+ years and I want to put them in a book instead of a box.

Those first 3? Those are done. I even made 2 bikini tops. The shawl base is also done, but now it needs cookies and donuts.

Number 2: Make 5 Videos that are NOT Live Streams

Honestly, I dropped this goal. Would I love to make animatics? Absolutely. But I need to study how to make animations in Clip Studio Paint. I have no idea what I’m doing.

Number 3: Make 5 Large Prints

I have finished 1 print so far!

an image of a modern-day Valkyrie flying in the air. Their skin is dark, hair white, wings gold and silver, and they wield two swords. The clouds part behind them and divine light shines upon them.

Unfortunately, 2 prints had to be put on hold because they need more work than I expected. The Cryptid of Leaves print is more of a time-sink than I thought because of all the details. The Fighting Game roster I want to draw will require more research and character mock-ups.

So 1 print is done. But that leaves 4 left to do.

I have 2 other ideas in mind. Both are for personal projects. We’ll see how that pans out.

Number 4: Make 5 Books

Slow and Steady wins THIS race!

The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 has its own updates going on KickStarter. The same goes for Less Than Secret: A Cryptid Anthology (which I did a short story for).

The book I’m designing for Sean…all of it is edited! Now comes actually putting it into PDF form.

But while we’re here…

I’m thinking of NOT doing Inktober this year.

Shock! I know! I’ve done Inktober every year since 2017. And every year, after Inktober wraps up, I put those sketches into a book. I’ve done Witches, Gods & Spirits, AND Dragons.

2020 threw off those plans. As for this year? I’m thinking of not doing Inktober. Because I would LOVE to get the Roxie comics I did for Validation into a book. Those…and Tiny Unicorn.

Number 5: Make 5 Minicomics

HOT DANG, this took a minute to figure out WHAT minicomics I wanted to make.

For this goal, here’s what I want to make:

The Legend of Azu-Mi (for KickStarter backers)
The Character Compendium (a personal project I talk about sometimes on Instagram)
A Mr. Dino story
A Kitties By Kelci story
And a NEW art sketchbook zine

I have a LOT of zines on clearance on Ko-Fi because I want to make more room for these new minicomics. (If you’re interested, get them before they’re gone forever!)

Here’s hoping I can still make these goals by the end of the year!

How are your goals going? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

May 25, 2021May 25, 2021

My Projects for The Rest of 2021

Last Saturday, on my livestream (which you can watch because it’s archived here), I announced a LOT of projects. To make the list more understandable, here’s the broad strokes.

Group 1: The Books

Last week I announced my departure from NeverEnding. For reasons listed here. Now that I have left, that means more time to fulfill KickStarter rewards.

So, yes! The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 will get done MUCH faster!

Less Than Secret: A Cryptid Anthology is coming together well. That said, this book is being handled by my comic buddies Ben and Rainer. So most of the production is out of my hands now.

I also have a small list of books I would LOVE to see released before the end of the year. So come back later for more info on those!

(Spoilers: A couple of them may be collaborations I’ve done with CB, co-creator of Validation. We’ll be collaborating on new projects soon!)

Group 2: The Illustrations

BreeBree Bootique is back, with a modified release schedule. Why?

Because Mr. Dino & Friends will be getting their own RedBubble store AND Instagram soon!

These two projects will have alternating release schedules: one Friday will have a new BreeBree Bootique design. The next Friday will have a Mr. Dino and Friends design. Then the cycle repeats.

Also, there are still large prints to make as part of my 2021 goals. One is already done (and you can watch me work on THAT in this archived stream). That leaves 4 more to go – and I will livestream working on those!

Group 3: The Everything Else

I’m ready to livestream on a regular schedule again! I had to take a break after the frenzy of promoting Less Than Secret. Now, livestreams will be coming back.

So be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit that bell. I’ll be streaming every Saturday at 1 pm EDT. This weekend I’m streaming Clip Studio Paint Tips and Tricks.

As for other projects…well, there are new podcasts on the horizon. I’ll keep you posted as those shows come together. If you like tabletop RPGs, I hope you’ll stick around for these new podcasts.

Speaking of Tabletop RPGS…I’m putting together an NPC Compendium. This resource will be for all the game masters out there who need non-player characters to populate their worlds. Follow me on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, or Ko-Fi as I draw these characters!