Tag: comic artist blog

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My Next Campaign is on Crowdfundr. Here’s Why

I’m here to announce that my next campaign is happening on Crowdfundr – not KickStarter. Here’s why.

First, it’s not that KickStarter is bad. It’s just that Crowdfundr is friendlier to comics creators.

I wrote an entire blog post with a breakdown between KickStarter vs Crowdfundr. It goes into everything, from fee set-ups to add-ons to promotions. Go read it if you haven’t yet. Since I wrote that piece, Crowdfundr has been improving its promotions. Hooray for that!

Second, I found a new printer.

For those of you who backed The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Volume 1, this will sound familiar. For those not around for this, here’s what happened: the book printer I worked with botched the first print run. This meant I had to get the books re-printed, and that delayed reward fulfillment.

I did NOT want a repeat of this mistake, so I shopped around for printers. I worked with Mixam for The Stars of Fantasyville: A Sketchbook. However, while their quality is great, they cost more per book to print.

Enter: Comix Well Spring.

The folks at Comix Well Spring sent me a sample packet featuring the options they have in stock. I’m posting a video on YouTube reviewing the samples very soon. But I liked their quality!

Then, when I went to their site, two things happened:

  1. Their customer assistance reached back out to me less than 5 minutes after I emailed them.
  2. When I got a quote for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 2, the price turned out BETTER than with my current book printer OR Mixam.

Add on to this…

Third, Comix Well Spring is partnered with Crowdfundr.

They have a special for small presses (like me!). If a Crowdfundr campaign is successfully funded – with Comix Well Spring fulfilling the print order – then Comix Well Spring will give a discount on the order. It’s on their website!

And finally – Comix Well Spring is domestic.

In fact, they’re based in a state next to mine. I try to avoid overseas printers – I’ve seen too many horror stories of fellow comix makers with overseas printers having their book orders held up in customs…Meaning they had nothing to showcase, so they had to bail on conventions. Conventions they paid $1000+ to attend. It’s a horror story I want to avoid. So I work with domestic printers as much as possible.

So With All of That Said…

I will be launching The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 2 on Crowdfundr before the end of July! To know when it launches, sign up for the email newsletter. Newsletter peeps get the news when new campaigns launch.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Fantasyville Productions Has An Official Website!

fantasyville productions header

Today, I’m introducing Fantasyville Productions’ official website!

Fantasyville Productions is the official name of my business. It’s the name I use when publishing books, releasing prints, and launching KickStarter and Crowdfundr campaigns. Fantasyville focuses primarily on fantasy-themed stories, many with queer characters and/or creators who are LGBTQ+.

The name Fantasyville comes from my first webcomic ever, Johnson & Sir, which took place in the titular town! I named my business endeavor “Productions” to encompass more than just comics.

With this business, I hope to release comics, tabletop games (like Dragon’s Roost and Toe Beans & Broomsticks), pins, keychains (like Be Not Apurred, which recently got successfully funded on KickStarter), and even books by other authors, like Danse Macabre and Other Works by Sean McGavin!

Tune in on the Fantasyville official website for KickStarter news and project updates, as well as appearance and product announcements. Not just from me, but from other creators, as well!

If you would like to see updates from me specifically, like works-in-progress or personal updates, I’ll be posting more on this site and on YouTube. This is especially true since social media is…kind of on fire right now.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Now on KickStarter – Be Not Apurred Keychains!

And lo, the two-tailed cat gazed down upon the children of Creation with its three faces, and out of their multitude of mouths declared,

“BE NOT APURRED.”

With a puff of smoke and a shining golden light, the angel disappeared, only to reform as…a keychain?

WHAT?

Here’s the thing: I run a project called Kitties By Kelci. With it, I draw cat-themed art to make into products. These products began on RedBubble, which may have a wide selection of things to print designs on – but it doesn’t have everything.

In fact, I have to get keychains printed myself. Which is why we’re here!

The goal: 50 Biblically Accurate Cat Angels made into keychains.

These keychains will be about 3 inches tall, with double-sided printing and an acrylic epoxy on the front. It would come with a standard keychain loop and chain attached.

WHY THIS DESIGN?

You mean, besides the fact that it looks cool?

I want to get this printed to make it real. And, if this project succeeds, that means more designs in the future from Kitties by Kelci that exist outside of RedBubble. I want Kitties by Kelci to grow! And this campaign is the first step.

To bestow Biblically accurate cat angel blessings on your bags, head over to…

BE NOT APURRED

You have UNTIL JULY 6 at 7:45 am! So back it if you can, and/or share the link and spread the word! Be sure to use tinyurl.com/bnakeychains to make it easier to share.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Prints Are Coming Back??

Look, I know I wrote a blog post about not doing prints anymore. And that IS true for conventions. Buuuuut prints are coming back – with a catch.

WHY CHANGE MY MIND?

Funny story: I turned in my notice at my office job. To get ready for returning to full-time art-making, I took a hard look at a bunch of numbers. For this story, just know that I was looking at the tally of sales I made online.

(I have a separate spreadsheet for convention sales, but I’ll get to that).

After looking at the data, I realized a surprising fact…

Prints made up 47% of all online sales. That’s close to half of everything!

This blew my mind. When I looked at the spreadsheet for convention sales, prints didn’t even make it to the top 3 categories. But prints DID make it in the top 3 sales categories on Ko-Fi, right up there with original art and PDFs.

So people are buying prints. Which goes against what I initially thought in the original announcement.

WHY IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONS AND KO-FI?

What makes prints sell better on Ko-Fi than at conventions?

I think it’s two things: prints don’t usually appear on my convention table due to space restrictions. And the best-selling prints on Ko-fi were limited edition AND framed.

Keep in mind that shoppers are, above all, lazy. If you can offer a framed piece of art (original or print), that saves the shopper the time and effort of finding a frame to fit it. Shoppers are willing to pay for the convenience if it means less work for them.

SO MOVING FORWARD…

Prints are coming back – and staying exclusive to online. That means Ko-Fi, crowdfunding campaigns like KickStarter and Crowdfundr, and possibly even Faire.com. (I’m not on Faire yet, but I’m looking to join.)

That said – prints and original art will be collected into art books. So if you have the means to get upcoming prints, great! If you miss your chance, watch for future art book announcements.

The best way to know when new prints and original art is coming out is to be on my email newsletter (shameless plug). So be sure to sign up to get the first sweet, sweet notice when new stuff comes out.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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There Is No “Right Way” To Be a Working Creative

I have returned on YouTube with a new, short video. This time, it’s all about why there is no “right way” to be creative.

Here’s the thing – we know the starving artist stereotype. And we know the stereotype of the “sell-out” artist. So I hope that this video with my thoughts on the matter helps give a little clarity.

At the very least, you’ll know this: what works for one person doesn’t always work for another.

It’s actually hilarious that I finished this video, in which I mention having a full-time office job. Because I just turned in my notice. My last day at this office is June 30.

After that? I’m returning to being a full-time creative.

I’m doing this for my own health – the office was (and is) hugely transphobic, the HR department is shit, there are no benefits, and the job no longer serves me. The place is awful, and I can earn my living through other means.

Like Ko-Fi, commissions, and the Fan Clubs (shameless plugs).

Honestly, this works for me. Quitting a day job may not be the thing for you right now. And if you’re unable to do so, man do I get that HARD. I wasn’t able to quit this one until recently. So I get it. Hang in there, my dude-erinos.

I hope you found this video useful in some way.

Thanks for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.