I’m Showcasing My Work At Aistear Brewing

Starting today, and running until October 22, I’m showcasing my work at Aistear Brewing in Bowling Green, Ohio! Ah, my old stomping grounds.

I reached out to the owner and asked if he was interested in showing off my prints. He agreed – and he also offered me a spot in Aistear Con in October. These prints and mini-prints will be on display in their gaming area until the start of Aistear Con on October 22.

Not in the area? Some of these prints (but not all) are also available in my Ko-Fi shop. Some of the prints on the wall are exclusive to Aistear, though (sorry).

That’s all for now! Thank you for your support! Without it, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.

You. Are. Awesome.

My Favorite Things Right Now

an ink drawing of a tree's twisting branches

I have been talking about myself a LOT lately. So to balance the scales, I want to share some of my favorite things right now – movies, books, podcasts, music, anything that you should check out if you haven’t heard about it already!

First, Music.

Let’s get the “big names” out of the way: you should give the Sonic 3 and Knuckles soundtrack a listen. Yes, I sound like a weeb, but hear me out. Because the team who worked with Michael Jackson composed some of these tracks. Now, who EXACTLY composed what songs is a mystery that has confounded the Sonic fandom for 20+ years (apparently). But I cannot deny that the music theory behind Angel Island zone Acts 1 and 2 AND Marble Gardens is borderline genius. Also, Ice Cap Zone Act 1 is a bop and an earworm. That got stuck in my head for DAYS.

Maybe you need more hip hop though? Then check out this Native American hip-hop artist DJ Shub and his track featuring the Northern Cree singers, Indomitable. Also, the Mother’s Day song, I Hope You Know from Supaman and Ashley Hall is great, and the music video is sweet.

Or maybe you want something that will confuse your ear? I can’t recommend Caravan Palace enough. They do a little bit of everything, but all under the electro-jazz umbrella. If you want to start simple, try their singles Melancholia, Moonshine, and Rock It For Me. Also, each music video is gorgeously animated.

Second, Podcasts.

For a while, I listened to the Overly Sarcastic Podcast. In each episode, they talk about the behind-the-scenes work they did for particular episodes, answer listener questions, and goof around. It’s silly and fun.

Recently, I rediscovered my love for The Dollop, a history podcast where the host reads a story of American History out loud to an oblivious stand-up comedian. This podcast does GREAT live shows. I’ve been listening to episode 323, the 1908 New York to Paris Car Race. The event is an utter disaster and the riffs are hilarious. They even did an episode about the Stonewall Riots (which I still need to listen to).

Third, Books.

I have a low-key reading goal: read 60 books before the end of the year. Right now, I’m at 51 books completed. And, surprisingly, some of these books have been great!

The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall has a “meh” rating on Goodreads, which I kinda’ sorta’ get? This is the story of a genderqueer pirate and a court girl who fall in love, rescue a mermaid, learn magic, and take revenge against a notorious pirate captain and his crew. Apparently, Goodreads decided it’s not for everyone, but I argue otherwise. Also, READ ALL THE WAY TO THE END. It has a fake-out ending where it looks like the lesbian couple does not survive to the end, but READ IT because THEY DO.

Since I’ve read over 50 books so far this year, maybe I’ll write a separate post just for book recommendations. Otherwise, this post will last forever.

Need more? Check out my list of favorite black artists. This list touches on a diverse range of creators, from cosplayers to comic artists.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out these very cool projects, and let me know in the comments what you thought of them!

You. Are. Awesome.

A Ko-Fi Shop Update

Normally I write about projects, but today I’m giving a ko-fi shop update. Because there’s new stuff, clearance stuff, and stuff coming soon.

Wait…New Stuff?

Yes! New stuff! I have new mini-prints, yo.

These are all now available on ko-fi.

By the way, there are only 3 Dragon Baby keychains left as of this writing.

But I Still Have Clearance Stuff?

Yes, I do! I did remove the things that are sold out, so those things I removed are gone forever. BUT…I still have mystery bags. Plus I will be making more mystery bags soon. Also, they’re now $1 (and shipping is $5 for USA shoppers).

What’s Coming Soon?

The Case of the Wendigo! Unfortunately, I sold out of copies of this book at Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, so I’ll need to re-order those. I also need to order more copies of Witches: A Sketchbook and Gods & Spirits: A Sketchbook. Those 3 were the most popular things on my table on Saturday. (Them, and the Dragon Baby Pins.)

It also occurred to me that I haven’t posted the other Charlie & Clow books OR my other stickers up on ko-fi yet. So that’s going to get fixed this week.

And MAYBE there will be original art soon? Who knows? There’s still a gallery show I need to prepare for. But I’ll go into that next time.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

This Saturday is FREE Comic Book Day

Here lies an illustration of a mermaid in white ink on black paper. Next to it are two 4 by 6 inch illustrations of a cat-dragon, and a pile of business cards.

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day – and I’m making a guest appearance!

See, the fine folks at Superscript Comics & Games liked having me at the Genghis Con Mini Pop Up Event last month. (Me and a bunch of others, to be fair). They liked us SO much that they invited us to once again showcase at their Free Comic Book Day Event.

So Saturday, August 14, from 3 to 8 pm EDT, I’ll be showcasing my work! And lots of other folks will showcase there, too! (Superscript has been giving creator shout-outs on their Instagram. Go check it out).

Now, this event is SO big that the artists and vendors will be in Bottlehouse Lakewood across the street from Superscript. So keep that in mind if you’re able to be there in person. Also, masks will be available and encouraged, as well as social distancing guidelines.

If you’re a reader who met me through the Genghis Con Pop Up event – or you’re just local to Lakewood/Cleveland – I have a special surprise for you. I’m announcing it in a special edition Thursday email newsletter. So if you’re not on the newsletter yet, be sure to sign up. It’s free and I don’t sell your email to anybody.

As a gentle reminder, Friday is the LAST DAY for my Ko-Fi Clearance Event. Anything not sold will go with me to Free Comic Book Day – but the show is the FINAL day to get the clearance items. Anything marked for clearance will not be at any show after Saturday.

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

You. Are. Awesome.