Tag: kelcidcrawford

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What if Jamie Roberts Was NOT a Pirate??

a genderqueer human brandishes a sword with a dramatic sweep of the cape

You all know about Jamie Roberts, the genderqueer pirate who left the sea with their two best friends to go treasure-hunting in a land full of dragons.

But what if they weren’t pirates? Believe it or not, in very early drafts of this comic, Jamie and friends were not pirates at all!

In SUPER early drafts (we’re talking back in 2011 to 2013), they were students at a military school. In those versions of the story, they discover the top brass held an earth-shattering secret plan: to release a demon king and destroy their enemies. They would flee the military school and get refuge in the land where the demon king was sealed away.

In hashing out one draft, I had it that they were military school students, then turned pirate to escape. And the feedback I got was, “Why don’t you just…make them pirates?”

Honestly, storytelling 101: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Besides, I really wanted to get to the pirate bits more than the military school bits. People love pirates more than school, anyway.

So that’s how they became pirates!

Some of these concept sketches, though, will be making it into the bonus material of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3…Which is coming to KickStarter on October 14.

Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter to be the first to know! The newsletter is free and private, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more!

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

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Two Ladies

two ladies copic marker illustration

Can you believe I drew these Two Ladies a decade ago?

Yep, I call this piece “Two Ladies.” I can’t think of the title of this without thinking of the song “Two Ladies” from the movie adaptation of Cabaret. Fun fact, the song eventually made its way to the Broadway version after the movie.

I drew them in Copic markers on brown paper to really make the earthy tones pop, and to give the other colors a more neutral tone. I wanted this to be down-to-earth, above all.

In 2015 I was on a kick of drawing LGBTQ+ couples for a while. This is probably my favorite of the bunch, though I have more. And I can’t wait to show you them!

To get the next piece of art before anyone else, sign up for the email newsletter. Newsletter subscribers get to see these pieces and posts before the rest of the internet.

That’s all for now. Thank you for tuning in!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Fanart vs Original Art – Which Do You Make?

In today’s video, let’s discuss the age-old question asked anytime we walk into a room where comic artists congregate…”Should I make fanart or original art?”

As mentioned in today’s video, here’s where you can Join the Club!

🎨 Tools Used:

  • Music:
  • “Late Night Radio” Kevin MacLeod
  • “REST ZONE” Louie Zong
  • Video Editing: Olive Video Editor
  • Drawing Program: Clip Studio Paint
  • Microphone: Blue Snowball

👏 THANK YOU TO MY CLUB SUBSCRIBERS! 👏

To get your name added to this list, join the club!

  • magicalgirlkyra
  • All Unka
  • Raiden
  • Ella Q
  • Andrew Balch
  • Adam Vazquez
  • Maya Smith
  • Pat Jade
  • Jessica
  • RPZ
  • bryce bargar
  • Heidi Allison
  • Saphronia Maple
  • Cakes
  • Brandon E
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  • Sean McGavin

And thank YOU for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.

P.S. I’m testing what it looks like to host videos myself rather than through YouTube.

Realizing now that by uploading my own videos, which take up a LOT of space, I need to be purposeful about the videos I *do* make and post.

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I’m Going MIA

I’m going to be MIA and away from the keyboard from July 14 to July 20 or 21. Family is going to be visiting.

I WILL, however, be at the Toledo Comic Arts Festival this Saturday!

The event is at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Main Branch in downtown Toledo, from 10 am to 4 or 5 pm. I will also be participating in a quick draw event at 3, competing against other artists to see *who can be the best*!

If you can make it to Toledo Comic Arts Fest, I hope to see you there! If not, I’ll be back online after the 20th.

Webcomics and newsletter updates will continue as normal, though!

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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It’s Nib and Ink Fest Time!

Y’all, May is the month of Nib and Ink Fest – an online festival organized and run by the Cartoonist Co-op to celebrate comics!

We had the opening ceremony and the Minicomic Awards. There are tons of other programming happening now, from portfolio reviews to panels.

In fact, I ran a panel on Sunday, called “Tabling At Conventions for Beginners”! The panel is available on YouTube for replay:

Are you an artist who just got accepted in an artist alley? Have no idea what you’re doing? Then check out this video! There is also a very robust Q&A session afterward included in the recording.

This Saturday I’m running another panel, called “How To Make a Newsletter Your Fans Love to Read.” I’ll make a separate blog post for that one later this week.

I’m not the only one running panels, either – topics include Supporting Creatives With Jobs You’ve Never Heard About, What Art School Didn’t Teach You (all about the business side of art), and (I’m I’m excited to tune in for) Having Fun with Backgrounds and RSS & You.

Be sure to tune in for these workshops! They will all be livestreamed on YouTube and Zoom. If you want to participate in livechats, you have to watch on Zoom. All Zoom links and panels – and shops and more! – are on the official Nib & Ink Fest website.

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

You. Are. Awesome.