I’m Changing How I Use Social Media

I’m changing up my social media strategy.

This is (mostly) because some apps have changed and others are only good for specific things.

Here’s what’s changing for me.

I’m posting less on Instagram. I don’t even have it on my phone. But any posts I DO make on there may be more personal.

I’ve been using Instagram more to keep up with friends who I don’t talk with on other platforms. (Especially true for me because I left Facebook). I want that change in attitude reflected.

No Facebook.

Realistically, no Twitter. I technically have two accounts on there but the platform is a dumpster fire. I haven’t used my accounts for anything substantive for a while.

TikTok and YouYube have most of my attention. So those are where I’m posting my art stuff.

Process videos, time lapses, sharing projects, answering Qs about making art – if they’re not here on my blog, they’re either on TikTok or YouTube.

I DO have this blog. And here’s where I’m posting anything pertaining to my work. Comics, process shots, updates on projects – check this. It’s all here.

…Oh! I also have a Ko-fi. It’s a unique beast. I post on there to keep shoppers up to date but I also back up webcomics in the Gallery section.

I WILL be using the posts feature on Ko-fi more in the near future, as a second spot to find my blog posts.

But that’s it, really.

I DO use Discord but I treat it more like a forum or a messaging service than a “social media app.” (Whatever that means nowadays).

I hope this clears up a few things. 2022 was a VERY messy year for social media. Here’s to setting more clear expectations and boundaries.

That’s (basically) it for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

24-Hour Comic Book Day – DONE

I DID IT. I successfully made 24 pages of comics in 24 hours!

Technically I did it in 22 hours and 11 minutes. And BOY am I still exhausted.

Here are some teaser pages of the story I made in the challenge.

journey of the mystery page 1
journey of the mystery page 2
journey of the mystery page 3
journey of the mystery page 4

And that’s just the first 4 pages!

I also streamed the process of making this comic on YouTube. As I’m writing this, an archived version is not available yet but will be soon.

What’s Next?

Well, I made this comic with the folks at Comic Book Jamboree. Right now they’re judging the entries from folks who participated in the challenge. I at least made the top 3! Check out the official page to see the other finalists. Their work is *chef’s kiss*.

No matter what, though, I have plans with this comic. I hope to get it to print soon. And maybe even…make a coloring book out of it. I mean, this coloring page on Ko-Fi was the inspiration for this story.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

24-Hour Comic Day with #ComicBookJam

Join me, starting on Jan 7, 2023, at 11 am EST – for the 24-Hour Comic Day challenge! I’m joining the fantastic folks at Comic Book Jamboree with #ComicBookJam.

As a heads up – I WILL NOT be responding to the live chat during this challenge. Why? I signed up to do 24 pages in 24 hours. This will require my total concentration.

I WILL, however, be checking in once in a while. If you comment or act in bad faith, I will put you in time out or block you.

If you would like to see the other artists – or join the challenge – check out the Eventbrite page, as well!

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

You. Are. Awesome.

New Pin UNLOCKED!

a dragon baby with the transgender pride flag colors

Thanks to Subscriber support through my indie clubs, we have unlocked the Trans Pride Dragon Baby Pin!

Originally, I created this baby dragon design as part of a Crowdfundr I ran last year. But thankfully these designs are great for keychains AND pins. So it was easy to take this design and make it into a pin instead.

We didn’t get to make this pin for the Crowdfundr. But I didn’t give up on it!

Instead, this is what I did. I set this goal:

If we made it to 10 Subscribers, then we would unlock this Pin as a reward for Pin Club members. And then we did it!

Subscribe and the Clubs connected to it are my alternative to Patreon. I built this service myself using Stripe as the payment processor. I could get into why I left Patreon, but that’s a separate post I’ll write up later.

Anyway, Subscribe exists for folks who want to subscribe and get extra perks. Right now there are 3 Clubs available – The Digital Club, The Zine Club, and the Pin Club.

This new Trans Pride Dragon pin has been unlocked for members of the Pin Club. I’ll print up extra so they can also be available for Digital and Zine Club members at a special discount.

What’s Our Next Goal?

Well, if we can get to 15 Subscribers, then my webcomic The Legend of Jamie Roberts will have a bonus update each month! It currently updates every Wednesday. But if we reach 15 Subscribers, an extra new page of the webcomic can drop on the first Friday of each month!

Surprisingly – as of this post – we’re two Subscribers away from this next goal!

So if you can join, there’s more info on my Subscribe page. You can join and cancel anytime, no questions asked.

Alternatively, if pins aren’t your thing, you can join the Digital Club on Ko-Fi. (This link is a mirror to my Digital Club offering through Subscribe. The Zine and Pin Clubs are exclusive to my website here and will not be on Ko-Fi).

Want the New, Unlocked Pin As Soon As Possible?

If you want the new Trans Pride Dragon pin, join the Pin Club NO LATER THAN JANUARY 9. This is so I know how many pins to order from the printer.

If you join the Pin Club after January 9, you’ll be signed up for the February pin.

So if you have the means, go Subscribe to the Pin Club!

And if you’re broke, share this update. Shares help a lot, too, yo.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

I’m Taking a Year-End Vacation! Here’s the Schedule for the end of 2022

I’m taking a vacation for the last week of 2022! Because I deserve a break, dangit.

Since I’m going offline, there are some schedule changes. Here’s what you need to know…

CURRENTLY ON HIATUS

GOING ON HIATUS SOON

  • Validation on Instagram will take a break from Dec 22 to Jan 2.
  • The email newsletter will post one last time on Dec 23. Then it’s closed until Jan 6, 2023.
  • This blog will take a break. Once this post is published, there will be no new posts until sometime in the first week of January 2023.
  • The Ko-Fi shop and Ko-Fi commissions are open UNTIL Dec 23. Then both will close. They will both re-open on January 2.

Comics are still being updated according to schedule:

By the way! I have one last in-person appearance this year.

Find me on Dec 24 at the Toledo Game Room in Toledo, OH. I’m there from 8:30 am to 5 pm as part of their Crazy Xmas Eve Sale. After that? I don’t have any appearances scheduled until March…for now. I won’t say “no” to any opportunities after New Year’s.

By the way, I won’t be responding to emails, either. You’ll get an auto-response but I won’t be in the inbox until January 2.

May your holidays be restful and festive. Take it easy, and I’ll see you in the new year.

Thank you all SO much for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.