Category: status updates

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Robots, C’s, and Radio – A Series of Crowdfunding Campaign Updates

I have a series of crowdfunding campaign updates involving robots, C’s, and radio shows.

Let’s break it down one campaign at a time…

banner for the Universal flaws of robotics, a robot comics anthology on kickstarter

Universal Flaws of Robotics

We reached out to KickStarter and got a deadline extension! We’re now running until August 20.

This is a new feature – I didn’t know KickStarter would let you do this. This is apparently an option you can only ask for if you haven’t hit your goal yet.

Which, yep – we’re still shy of hitting our goal on this one.

So if you haven’t checked out this comics anthology about robots, please do over on KickStarter! Back it if you can, share the link if you’re broke.

This campaign now ends on August 20!

C Stands For…

This anthology from the Columbus Cartoon Coalition is still running to its goal! If met, contributors to the anthology will get a pay bump of $10 per page. If $1500+ is raised, the pay rate goes up to $15/page!

You can help support central Ohio comic artists by checking out the campaign on Crowdfundr, backing it if you can, and sharing the link if you’re broke.

This campaign is running until August 26.

New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi

These two stories focus on podcasts/radio shows, community, and the power of platonic love. And they’re coming to KickStarter in a 2-books-in-1 campaign!

Now, thanks to a grant from the Toledo Arts Commission, many expenses for these books are covered. But both books will need a little extra to make it to print – plus KickStarter can help distribute these books to more readers.

The page will be live by this Friday, August 16. If you want first dibs on these books and their rewards, sign up for my email newsletter. It’s free and private.

As For Everything Else…

I will be updating my Ko-fi shop to de-list certain items, as those items will be available in the New Punk Signal and Fwishi’shi Kickstarter campaign coming up this weekend.

Speaking of Ko-fi updates, I have changed my commissions offerings! I simplified what I offer by narrowing it down to two main options.

Now, prices for commissions did go up. And that’s because I realized that the prices in my head did not match modern-day, post-inflation pricing. I still have rent to pay and groceries to get, so I upped my rates to cover those as much as possible.

(Now, if you saw the new prices and thought, “What? That’s too high!” First, I get it. Second, email newsletter subscribers and Ko-fi Club members get discount codes on commissions. Pick the outlet that works best for your budget.)

I will also be updating my “Hire Me” page to simplify my offerings and match my pricing to something that will actually help me live and cover bills.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Stickers, Conventions, and Clubs – I Have So Many Updates

a collection of sloth drawings. One cloth is skydiving, another is gliding on a parachute, one is on the couch, another is painting, another holds up a sign with a heart, and one is laying in a downward dog yoga pose

I have so many updates for you – from stickers and grants to Fan Clubs and conventions.

First, The Stickers.

Godzilla and King Kong did not reach their goal…officially. I posted as much in a Crowdfundr update and on the Fantasyville Discord server. And as soon as I posted, super-fan Jessica made an extra PayPal contribution to cover the gap! Thank you, Jessica!

So the Godzilla and King Kong booty shorts stickers are officially happening! In fact, by the time you read this, the stickers will be in production at the printer.

I’m hoping to make more stickers because…

Second, I got a grant from the Toledo Arts Commission!

As part of their Rescue Plan grant program, I’m receiving a grant. It will help pivot my business to be less dependent on in-person events like conventions, which were hit hard during the pandemic. I’d like to use a portion of this funding to get a new printer, so I can make stickers and prints in the studio again. Because…

Third, I’m giving the Fan Clubs an overhaul!

The Fan Clubs are a subscription service I built using Ko-fi and my website. How does it work? By pledging $3, $5, or $15 a month, patrons get exclusive rewards, like early webcomic updates, exclusive backer rewards, digital zines, and more.

Based on feedback I got through a survey sent out over the weekend, I’m overhauling this subscription service. The $3 Digital Club is staying the same (for the most part), but the Zine and Art Club tiers are getting major reboots. I want members to receive new stickers and prints. So stay tuned – when the changes are finalized, I’ll announce them here and in my newsletter.

Fourth, Conventions.

I am still making in-person appearances in June! You can find me on the following dates, at the following events, in the following cities…

  • June 8, Be Excellent Festival of Games, Sylvania, OH
  • June 15-16, Ann Arbor Comic Arts Fest, Ann Arbor, MI
  • June 22, Free RPG Day at Dragon’s Roost Coffee and Games, Holland, OH

At these shows, I’m debuting the Godzilla and King Kong stickers PLUS a new 11×17-inch print! Here’s a peek at just one part of the print:

a caticorn with pink fur and an even more pink mohawk gazes at the viewer under a full moon. Next to her is a pink unicorn with a bright teal mane

I’m also bringing back an old (but good) 11×17-inch print. Plus, The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 AND The Case of the Wendigo are debuting their new print runs at these shows!

This reminds me – for June, my Ko-fi shop will carry digital products ONLY. This will lead to a larger overhaul of the shop as a whole. But for now, the physical stock is going with me to these events.

As I get back from each show, I will, of course, share my experiences with y’all! So keep an eye on this blog for more updates. And subscribe to the newsletter for webcomics, Featured Artist Friday, and more. Since I’m not really on social media much nowadays, the newsletter is the best way to stay in touch with me.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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A Ko-Fi Shop Update

Normally I write about projects, but today I’m giving a ko-fi shop update. Because there’s new stuff, clearance stuff, and stuff coming soon.

Wait…New Stuff?

Yes! New stuff! I have new mini-prints, yo.

These are all now available on ko-fi.

By the way, there are only 3 Dragon Baby keychains left as of this writing.

But I Still Have Clearance Stuff?

Yes, I do! I did remove the things that are sold out, so those things I removed are gone forever. BUT…I still have mystery bags. Plus I will be making more mystery bags soon. Also, they’re now $1 (and shipping is $5 for USA shoppers).

What’s Coming Soon?

The Case of the Wendigo! Unfortunately, I sold out of copies of this book at Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, so I’ll need to re-order those. I also need to order more copies of Witches: A Sketchbook and Gods & Spirits: A Sketchbook. Those 3 were the most popular things on my table on Saturday. (Them, and the Dragon Baby Pins.)

It also occurred to me that I haven’t posted the other Charlie & Clow books OR my other stickers up on ko-fi yet. So that’s going to get fixed this week.

And MAYBE there will be original art soon? Who knows? There’s still a gallery show I need to prepare for. But I’ll go into that next time.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Falling A Twee Bit Behind on Some Things…

here's a picture of an art piece in progress. The 11 inch by 17 inch paper has a monster depicted whose body is mostly made of leaves. Next to the canvas is a tin full of colored pencils.

I want to talk a bit about how to set goals to be…more realistic. Because I have fallen a twee bit behind on a few things.

First, I wanna’ talk about this piece, pictured at the top.

Right now, the title is (tentatively), “Cryptid of Leaves.” I started this piece all the way back in 2019. So…it’s been A WHILE. I worked on it, then set it aside, because those leaves ALONE took effort to draw. And then I thought, “Let’s color this with colored pencil! That’ll get the look I want to achieve!”

And past me thought I could have this done in a month. On top of everything else I have going on. Which…(insert laughter here).

I have only worked on this in my free time, when I have the urge to do it. So I’m shifting the goal for this piece: I want it finished by…the end of October.

Why so late? Because I still have KickStarter rewards to fulfill and other books to put together. Speaking of which…

Second, I want to talk about the PDF for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1.

For KickStarter backers, I had said, “Oh this should be delivered to you by the end of May!”

It’s June 1st now. The PDF still needs put together. Oops.

To be fair, May was a big transition month. I quit working at NeverEnding (long story), and shifted back to freelancing full-time. Still, getting my freelance sea-legs back can only explain so much. All I can ask is please, continue to be patient. The PDF should still get done by the end of June. I’ll go more in depth about the process in a KickStarter update tomorrow.

Third, The Legend of Jamie Roberts.

So…I’m out of buffer. The month of May had some unexpected events that prevented me from keeping up with my usual production schedule. That means right now, I’m making the next updates as the story is going. That’s not a place I like to be in.

Does this mean that The Legend will get a temporary hiatus? I don’t know. But I’m tempted to have a short, two-week break from regular updates just so I can build the buffer back.

…Maybe I’ll just do that. Expect a more solid decision tomorrow, with The Legend’s usual Wednesday update.

I’ll end this here before this post gets too long. Thank you for stopping in! And thank you for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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Life Without Facebook (So Far)

It has been exactly 2 months since I deactivated my Facebook account and deleted the business page for my art. And I’m going to talk a bit about my life without Facebook (so far).

For one thing, I am WAY less stressed about politics.

Facebook makes it very easy to see political opinions alongside cat videos. There is no separation of fun from calls to anger (or action). Why Facebook is so upsetting with political posts is because it’s the easiest way to discover that your close friends or family don’t hold the same opinions that you do – and they aren’t willing to change their mind about it. And the trap that Facebook sets up is the idea that you can talk with the other person in an effort to change their mind.

Speaking as someone who worked at a doctor’s office that quickly became a drug addiction clinic, I can tell you THIS surprising truth I learned:

The Venn diagram of people who are addicted to drugs, and people who hold racist/white supremacist beliefs, is only one centimeter off from a complete circle.

And unfortunately, on Facebook, I saw a lot of people who defended their beliefs with the same fervor as people who were addicted to drugs. The person thought they were in complete control over their addiction/feelings. The truth is, they aren’t. The drugs/feelings are controlling them. And voices of disagreement against them trigger a defensive response. Because the person addicted to their beliefs doesn’t want to admit that their emotions are controlling them. They don’t want to admit that they have a problem, because they think they don’t have one.

The sad truth is: you need to treat people who are stuck in certain beliefs the same way that you treat drug addicts. And that is: they have to admit that there is a problem first.

Until the addict admits that there is a problem, they will just continue going downhill.

To me, Facebook as a platform, and the people who use that platform, are going that route.

I’m glad I left when I did. Since I’m not on Facebook (or Twitter!) anymore, I’ve developed a more…realistic view of things. To me, that means that my understanding of things come from real life, not some apocalyptic think-piece someone posted at 3 am on Facebook. Gods I do NOT miss those.

I also don’t miss my posts being ignored by the algorithm.

Being on Instagram means that I’m still subject to the whims of a Facebook-esque algorithm, but in general, more people on Instagram are following me for the art I post. I may also get an account on TikTok, but I’ve seen news pieces talking about how the platform may get banned because it’s Chinese. So who the f*ck knows.

Thankfully, since I left Facebook, I’m not constantly being asked to spend ad money to promote a post to the audience that I ALREADY have.

However, I can’t run Instagram ads. Running ads on Instagram requires a Facebook account. Which I don’t have anymore.

So, with that said, I’ll have to get more creative with my promotions and outreach. I have yet to decide whether or not to return to Twitter. Gods I hope I don’t have to.

I still have an email newsletter though! And right now, that’s the best “social media” platform to stay in touch. If you’re not on it yet, you can sign up for free. I don’t give your email to anybody because that’s shady as heck. (Ok, soft plug done).

Also, in the meantime, I’ll be posting more often on the blog here. I’m playing with the idea of writing a new blog post every day. Just personal posts – no attempts at the traditional blog posts like my Writing for Comics or Freelance Lifestyle posts. I’m retiring those. I’ve written all I want to write for those topics anyway.

So yeah!

In short – I’m glad I left Facebook. I’m happier and more balanced. It’s also making me more creative in how I do outreach for my business.

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

You. Are. Awesome.