This is the best and silliest video I have ever made so far.
Be sure to check out the Godzilla and King Kong Booty Shorts Crowdfundr, too!
I’m Discontinuing Art Books (For Now) – Here’s Why
I’m discontinuing the print runs for my art books, including Witches, Gods & Spirits, and Dragons. Here’s why.
First, the cost of printing has gone up. Since 2021, the cost of printing books has increased across all the printers I work with. This is especially true for the printer who runs Witches, Gods & Spirits, and Dragons. (Stars of Fantasyville and CATS got printed with a different company.)
Second, when I looked at my sales stats across the decade, the numbers shocked me. I ran my numbers to account for which books earned the most from crowdfunding AND convention sales. Dragons and Gods & Spirits barely made it in the top 10 overall earners list and the top 10 earned per year list. Neither title made it to the top 5 in either. Witches only made one list (top earners overall).
And that’s if I took out Johnson & Sir from the stats. If I left that title in, the outlook for those art books looked worse.
Third, and this is the big one for me – I’m feeling called not to make any more art books. My energy wants to make more comics, and any art that’s not comics wants to be stickers and prints. Not art books.
I also want to work on and grow The Legend of Jamie Roberts. It’s hard to do that when time and energy are being put into art books that cost more and more to print but sell less and less. So I’m taking art books out of the equation, so more time and sweat can go where it wants to go – making comics.
So what does this mean?
Well, there are some shops I sell on consignment with who are carrying the last of my art books. Last week I dropped off the final copies of Witches and Gods & Spirits at Handmade Toledo. Quimby’s in Chicago and Indie Northern KY are also options if those are closer to you.
This also means no Junicorn or Inktober art books for the foreseeable future. My energy is not called to participate in those challenges anymore. So I’m going to honor that. I would rather pursue things out of joy and curiosity, not obligation. And Inktober doesn’t inspire me the way it used to.
The good news is – if you want art, prints and stickers are still happening! In fact, I’m hoping to do a flash sale soon to get two new sticker designs in print. If you saw this livestream replay, you may know which designs I’m talking about. Hint: Godzilla be thicc.
Here’s the difference – prints and stickers are happening when I want to make them. Not out of a viral art challenge or out of a sense of obligation. I’m making the art I want to make, that I feel called to make, that I think would bring joy to others. I want that to be my driving force moving forward.
Having said that, there are two exceptions (ish) to the final-run art books: Stars of Fantasyville, and CATS. Stars have a ton of extra copies left – like, over 60. I’m not doing another print run because the first print run is still in stock. But I won’t do a second print run of it either.
CATS, on the other hand, will get reprinted as soon as possible. It was only released less than a year ago! It hasn’t had the chance to expand its reach yet. Also, it brings joy to me and many others.
As for the other books? It’s time their runs come to an end.
Don’t get me wrong – the art books did bring me joy at the time. But for reasons including the cost of printing, slumped sales, and discontinued interest, I’m letting the concept go.
Thank you, art books! You brought joy to me and a lot of others. I think it’s time to let you rest so new stuff can be made.
Stay tuned for more of that new stuff – including that flash sale I mentioned.
Thank you for your understanding and your support.
You. Are. Awesome.
The First 69 Page of The Legend of Jamie Roberts…
Fun fact: the first 69 pages of The Legend of Jamie Roberts…were drawn traditionally, then colored and lettered digitally. After page 69, the comics-making process became completely digital.
Why? Well, I moved to a smaller apartment at the time. So I had to switch to a digital process to save on physical space. There was also the problem of my old scanner being in rough shape. I had to leave it behind in the move, and replacement scanners could not scan 11×17-inch pages.
Also…I wanted to achieve certain special effects in the pages of this comic. And those special effects are easier to do digitally.
I do like the work that went into these originals. I’m still very pleased with how they turned out. Yet I don’t have the space to hang them up or show them off.
So I’ve been sitting with these 69 pages in studio storage. I think it’s time they find homes where they can be shown off and appreciated more.
That’s why I’ve included these 69 pages in the Spring Cleaning Sale on Crowdfundr. There are also tons of other original art available, from sketchbook pages to pins and keychains. Plus, pages from my other webcomic projects are also available.
Shipping is free on these original pages, as well as the other big-ticket work that’s available. You have until May 6 to get these.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.
Original Webcomic Pages from Production Are Now For Sale
I have original pages from the production of webcomics available for sale!
There are a TON of pages available. I’ve been making webcomics since 2013, so production pages include:
- The Case of the Wendigo
- Thoughtful Dinosaur
- Validation
- Tiny Unicorn
- The Legend of Jamie Roberts
- Johnson & Sir
- and Seeing Him!
The pages from these webcomics are now available in the Spring Cleaning Sale! These pages are USA-only, but to make up for it, shipping is free for all original art. All sales will help replace the broken equipment I have.
If these are outside your budget, there are more budget-friendly options, like keychains, 11 by 17-inch prints, and even misfit prints of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1!
The Spring Cleaning Sale is open UNTIL MAY 6. But if you want something particular, snag it while you can – once these are sold, they’re gone forever. Payments are processed at the end of the campaign, so there’s no stress.
I’m highlighting products and pages during the sale, so stay tuned for updates!
Broke? Share the campaign far and wide with your friends! Sharing is caring and helps more than you know.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!
You. Are. Awesome.
Coming This Friday, It’s the Spring Cleaning Sale!
Coming this Friday, the Spring Cleaning Sale is coming to Crowdfundr!
Moving forward, I will not run future campaigns on KickStarter, but that’s a topic for a different day. (If you want an idea for why, I wrote about this previously, plus some behind-the-scenes stuff has been revealed.) That said, Crowdfundr is the best platform for the Spring Cleaning Sale.
Recently, I gave my studio a makeover. (A video about that will drop on YouTube this Friday, too, if you want to watch it!) After that, I decided to go through storage for its own refresh!
I’ve been making comics and art as a pro since 2013. This means I have a LOT…like, a LOT…of original pieces and extra stock taking up space. It’s time to clear it out and make room for new, exciting projects!
But remember that once any of these are sold, they’re gone forever.
So if you see something you like, nab it while you can. This campaign is “all or nothing,” which means your payment processes at the end of the campaign.
“So wait,” I can hear you asking, “if this is all or nothing, what are you raising funds for?”
Since I’ve been making comics for a while, a lot of my tools need upgrading. In particular, I plan to raise funding for a backup external hard drive (to back up my work), a second monitor to make live streaming easier, a scanner, and a label printer ( to replace the printer/scanner machine that broke). All of these will help in making and shipping new work out faster.
If you want the first notification when the sale goes live, then sign up for the email newsletter! Newsletter peeps get first alerts (and also exclusive comics).
That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!
You. Are. Awesome.