Tag: kickstarter

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An Unusual Summer Agreement

studio space february 2018

Here’s the truth – while making comics does pay the bills, I’m still living with my mom. This is partially because the oil and gas companies who have moved into the area have also imported pipeline workers from out-of-state, which means most rent-worthy spaces are gone, and what’s left over means rent prices have SKYROCKETED. So lack of places for rent, plus the places for rent being ungodly expensive ($500 a month for a room with no private bathroom is a pretty common listing around here), means living with mom because it’s more affordable.

It’s been ok, as far as living arrangements go. Mom works a full-time job outside of the house, which means I can work in my studio uninterrupted (for the most part. Her boyfriend also works from home but has his own office space set up). In fact, the only times we really see each other are at night.

This spring, that arrangement is actually going to change. Continue reading “An Unusual Summer Agreement”

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Witches: The Sketchbook Looking for KickStarter Funding

“Hold on a second,” you might be thinking. “You just had a KickStarter campaign, and you’re running another one so soon?”

Yes – the previous KickStarter was to get funding for Validation buttons, to have something for sale at conventions. That KickStarter ran in June for a week and raised just a little over $800 (holy banana pants!). Since that campaign was so short, the rewards were not super hard to fulfill. In fact, all the rewards for the backers are taken care of for that campaign.

I like to make sure loose ends are tied up before moving to the next KickStarter, thank you.

So, with previous campaigns taken care of, I’ve launched a new one: Witches: The Sketchbook is looking for $500 to get its first print-run going.

Witches: The Sketchbook is a compilation of sketches I made during Inktober, featuring nothing but witches. Why? Well, in promotional posts on KickStarter I say “because I love witches” and leave it at that. But there’s a little more to it than that.

The reason I drew witches is not just out of a fascination for them, but because as a Pagan person, I like seeing witches of all stripes and backgrounds. There’s not much representation of witches, Wiccas, neo-pagans, or the other branches of Paganism in art unless they’re super-sexy or the Macbeth variety of wrinkled cautionary witches.

I wanted to see something different – witches rooted in the old Gaelic traditions, witches of African descent, witches that could spring from old lore, modern-day witches, and witches of other backgrounds. And my method is usually, “Huh. I can’t seem to find anything like that. Time to draw it myself!”

There was also the desire to have a book of character designs and concept art, because I love those types of books and wanted to make one of my own. And a book of witch concepts is a good place to start, I think.

The KickStarter is still running – in fact, it has 11 days left in the campaign and ends on November 21st. Check it out and see what you would like. (Also there’s a ton of original sketches left to claim and they’re priced reasonably well, so be sure to get those before they run out).

If you can pledge, that’s fantastic! If you’re broke, please share the link with your friends. Every bit helps.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Updates for July 13, 2017

large chimes concept sketch

The above picture is a sketch from my 2015 sketchbook, developing a concept in The Legend of Jamie Roberts: the Chimes of Dogona at the Temple of A Thousand Souls. I’d like to redraw these chimes with some more detail, but as mentioned, this was a sketch just to get the initial idea.

The chimes are based on a real location in Casey, IL, which is a small town home to a lot of world’s largests: world’s largest wind chimes, knitting needles, golf tee, etc. I think the people are trying to set a world record for home to the most “world’s largest” objects.

…I should do sketches like this more often – broad, fast marker strokes are a thing I miss, especially considering how detailed my comics have become recently.

Speaking of which…

COMICS

The reason I’m thinking of detail is because of my most recent update of The Case of the Wendigo. Sweet baby kittens on a motorbike it took FOREVER to do. Here’s a preview clip:the case of the wendigo preview imageMeanwhile, Validation has already updated twice this week. Once on Monday, and a second time today.

KICKSTARTER

Making progress on ALL THE THINGS. Trading cards are now all finished, and now I’m working on commissions. Once they’re finished, I’ll share some of them in a blog post (if I get the ok from the commissioners, of course). The button printer is taking a while, but I don’t blame him – he’s printing 600 buttons for me.

SHOWS

I’m getting ready for Not At Con Day, happening July 22 at New Dimension Comics in Saint Clairsville, OH. Expect new 11 x 17 inch prints from me, as well as some new zines. I’ll be showing off a new table set-up, too! Which reminds me…

BLOG

Expect a blog post about artist alley table layouts soon – I’ve been taking pictures at every show and tooling around with what works and what’s getting improved. So the blog post will share various layouts, what I’ve learned, and what changes can be implemented at future shows.

I’m also trying to get a Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio tutorial typed up.

There are other things happening right now, but I only share those other things with newsletter subscribers. If you’re not already getting the newsletter, here’s your chance to do so.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.