Wanted to draw a warm-up and get this image down. I had to make some custom brushes in Clip Studio Paint to get the hatching effects I wanted.
If you’re interested in downloading these custom brushes, let me know in the comments!
You can see the time-lapse of this piece on my TikTok.
That’s all for now. Thanks for checking in!
You. Are. Awesome.
This is Part 2 of a blog series about New Year’s Goals. Be sure to check out part 1 and its hot mess. Because that will influence this post.
So, 2021 was a crap year. Yes, stuff got done. Mostly. Sort of. But a lot of Murphy’s Law came into effect.
Looking back on that made me ponder how I would approach 2022. Would I, in fact, not have goals set at the start of the year? Would I have more structure instead of less? How would structuring the year even work?
After a lot of meditation and brainstorming, here’s what I came to…
It’s a simple, 6-letter word. Because 2022. 2 + 0 + 2 + 2 = 6. I’m willing to give numerology another chance because 5s in numerology (and especially Tarot) are kind of cursed. (Side note: maybe that’s why my Mocktaw in The Legend of Jamie Roberts often have 5 eyes.) 6 in numerology is better.
Also – Create. It encapsulates the feeling I want to embrace for 2022. I want to create a LOT of things.
This year, I won’t hold myself to the sorts of lists I concocted for last year. I have a rough list of what I would LOVE to get done for 2022. But I won’t say anything more. Part of me wants to see just what happens as the year goes on.
In addition, I spent the last two weeks of 2021 planning for 2022’s projects. And 3 projects already got done! So that’s nice. And unexpected. And part of the reason why I don’t want to say too much about what’s in store for 2022.
With that said, I’m going to do one new thing this year.
This may sound weird, but in years past, I never actually made a calendar to determine when (exactly) projects would start, get done, go on KickStarter, etc. At least, not a calendar that encompassed ALL of my projects. Each project would have its own rough list. But this year I’m doing it differently.
I’d share my rough production calendar with you. But…
a) it’s kind of long. I included convention dates, commemorative months like National Novel Writing Month and MerMay, book projects, prints, secret projects, Sticker of the Month club, ongoing projects like webcomics… I threw a LOT into one place and gave it some semblance of order. But that order only makes sense to me.
b) it’s not set in stone. And I did that on purpose. If I have to move a project up or down the production calendar, I am willing to do that. (And that’s how 3 projects got done before 2022 even started.)
What else can I say? Well, be sure to stay tuned on this blog, and follow me in these ways:
Plus I have projects such as The Legend of Jamie Roberts and The Fourth Leg podcast. All of these will update more often and in different ways.
That’s all I’ve got for now. But I’m actually excited for this year.
Thank you for reading.
You. Are. Awesome.
It’s customary for me to write about my goals from the previous year; then to write about the goals I have for the upcoming year. So this post is Part 1 of a 2-Part series. (Part 2 will be tomorrow.)
More importantly…
Yes…and no. I met some, but not all.
Let’s break it down.
How completely self-indulgent to have a goal NOT related to work!
Here’s the thing: technically I DID make this one. But I didn’t get to everything on the initial list I had. 4 out of 5 pieces on my old crafting to-do list got done! Then I got sidetracked and began making new things.
That’s ok! I’ve decided to just pursue the things that bring me joy instead of dread. That’s more important. ESPECIALLY for a hobby.
This DID NOT HAPPEN. I did not make 5 new minicomics.
…But I DID make – and finish – The Legend of Azu-Mi. (At least, the art for it.) I’ll count that win for what it’s worth.
Yet another goal that DID NOT happen. I barely got two. Even then, one of the new prints, Kay the Valkyrie, is not 11×17 inches. I thought I had formatted the original working file to that size. Turns out, I did not.
I did, however, finish the art for one that had been a work in progress for two years – the Cryptid of Leaves. Here’s a peek at the original…
My new scanner bed is not quite big enough to accommodate this guy, though. So I’ll need to figure out how to digitize him to make prints.
This past year, there came the release of…
But that’s not 5 books.
That’s fine. I’ll consider it good that these even got done. Especially considering that The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 kept getting a LOT of setbacks – from production delays to book misprints.
And lastly…
I gave up on this one. Like, yes, I made a lot more videos on TikTok after I got on that platform. But actually editing video is my least favorite thing in the world to do. It’s right up there with bashing my head against the refrigerator door, or burning myself on pans while baking.
But I DID get into animation.
Look at them! I animated Jamie here! Thank you, Clip Studio Paint, for making that happen. Eventually, I’ll get used to your animation tools. Because currently, it’s like trying to read French.
I think we can all agree that 2021 was not the year we expected, or hoped, it would be. On my end of things, there were production issues, an encounter with a scam artist, and 3 deaths in the family in the final 6 months of the year. To be blunt, 2021 was shit. Basically 2020 part 2: Electric Boogaloo.
With that in mind, I’m going to…restructure a few things. But I’ll get into that tomorrow.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading.
You. Are. Awesome.
I’m taking a social media hiatus, starting today and going until January 1, 2022.
That means…
That said, my webcomics The Legend of Azu-Mi (on The Legend of Jamie Roberts website) and Puzzlespell will still update. Email newsletters will still go out every Friday. And Ko-Fi and Patreon will get regular posts.
But no social media. I’m taking a hiatus from them to reassess, recharge, and plan new projects for next year.
See you in 2022!
Thank you for your support and understanding.
You. Are. Awesome.
I got inspired by this decision after seeing Faith Schaffer on Instagram. This badass artist takes time off at the end of the year to plan projects for the next year. That, in turn, is inspiring me to do the same.
So, for December, I’m taking a break from Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Tumblr, and Twitter. I won’t be posting anything new on those platforms during the last month of the year. (Yes, that means no live streams, too). I’m also taking a break from posting new blog posts here on this site. Then, I’ll be back in January 2022.
I have SO many ideas for next year! And I want to plan out how to make them happen.
Webcomics like The Legend of Azu-Mi and Puzzlespell will still update. And I will still be posting comics-in-progress on Ko-Fi. Also, the December Sticker of the Month will still happen. Plus, the email newsletter will only send out once a week on Fridays.
All that’s changing is that I’m pausing social media updates and blog posts. That way, I can make new work and plan for 2022.
I’ll post a reminder on November 30.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your understanding and support!
You. Are. Awesome.
