Posts

Posted on

The Wonderful Resource that is Paper Cat Press

long haired black cat
I don’t have any ready-to-post sketches of cats, so have a picture of my cat Scarlet.

I wish I had known about this site back at the end of February, when I got laid off from my day job and transitioned to making comics and art full-time. It would have made life easier.

But at least I found it now!

Paper Cat Press is a handy dandy website that aggregates links and shares new ones once a week. These links are for…

  • Calls for Submissions
  • New KickStarter Campaigns
  • New Webcomic Debuts
  • Grants and Scholarships
  • Workshops and Residencies

And a whole bunch of other stuff, all geared specifically towards comics artists and illustrators! All I can say is…

THANK THE GODS.

So in case you couldn’t tell, I am currently on the lookout for new opportunities for comics-making work.

Don’t get me wrong – the KickStarter for the Validation buttons has finished up just a few days ago. We far surpassed the asking goal of $100 and got $826 in funding! Holy banana pants!

But that money is specifically for KickStarter stuff – for fulfillment of orders and printing up the buttons we were raising funds for (and a sketchbook we unlocked as one of the stretch goals). That money will NOT go towards bills or food until all the backers have their rewards. And that could take a little while.

So that’s why I’m REALLY glad for sites like Paper Cat Press. They’re going to make looking for a paid gig SO much easier.

The first thing I’m going to apply for is a grant. Why? Because I want/need to take a residency at a comics place in Pittsburgh so I can do on-location research for Traveler’s Road, the story of two ladies traveling through a post-apocalyptic United States to find a lost friend. The lost friend in this story is supposed to be in Pittsburgh. I don’t live in the city, so I would REALLY like to just take a weekend, stay there, and draw what I need for the story. The grant can cover room and board, and if there’s enough left over, gas and art supplies.

However, I DID find another, different micro-grant (it’s micro because the grant is less than $1000, the usual minimum given in a grant). This micro-grant is called the Cupcake Award, and it’s given in association with CAKE – the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo. I’ll try for that grant first.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for Reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

Posted on

Day 8 Without YouTube (And Other Updates)

thoughtful dinosaur comic panel

In my last post I announced an indefinite hiatus on producing new videos on YouTube (because it was something done for fun, but I don’t have time for it right now). Well, the next day I decided to remove YouTube from my phone and tablet, and added the site to my Chrome app, StayFocused – it maintains a list of blocked sites (which you can customize which sites are blocked and which aren’t). You’re only allowed a specified amount of time on all those blocked sites and then StayFocused kicks you off. It’s to help you stay productive at work and cut out distractions, which is especially handy for me since I work out of a home studio.

artist drafting table comic artist studio
I even got a sexy new drafting table after the YWCA MiniCon.

So yes, I cut YouTube out of my life for a solid week. Continue reading “Day 8 Without YouTube (And Other Updates)”

Posted on

The End of My Videos??

Yes, I’m putting my vlogs, Review Day Tuesday Videos, and other videos on an indefinite hiatus.

My energy right now is going into my work – making comics, doing stuff for clients, making things for Patreon, and selling at comic conventions. YouTube was a thing I did for the fun of it, but I have to put it aside for now so I can focus on work and still have time to relax.

As mentioned in the video, I’m updating the blog portion of this website a LOT more often, so you can still keep up with what’s new here on the blog. I’ve also been updating Facebook and Tumblr a LOT more often, especially since I got rid of Twitter.

Thanks for your understanding.

You. Are. Awesome.

Posted on

Rethinking How to Run a KickStarter

johnson and sir kickstarter art

One of the people I met at 3 Rivers Comic Con this year mentioned a podcast called ComixLaunch and recommended I give it a listen. So I did.

This is going to sound like product placement or a sponsorship, but let’s be clear, it isn’t. ComixLaunch is a podcast entirely about making comics and art, and running successful KickStarters to fund said comics and art, and how you can make a living as a working artist.

So I kinda’ got hooked after four episodes.

One episode in particular, Episode 95, is about why now is the best time for comickers to run KickStarters. It got my attention about halfway through the episode for one reason: Continue reading “Rethinking How to Run a KickStarter”