Tag: queer artist

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Coming Soon: Vanita and the Demon King

A thousand years ago, the Demon King and his armies marched across the lands, terrorizing the people who crossed their paths. Only one man stood up to the Demon King, and his name…was Richard.

vanita chuckles at richard's name

At least, this is the history Vanita grew up with her whole life.

Her story takes place in the present day. But one morning, on her usual jog in the park, she comes across the legendary Demon King himself – heavily beaten and close to exhaustion in the bushes.

And so begins this domestic story of a trans girl trying to make sense of the fabled Demon King passing out on her couch.

The Origins

This concept all started with this sketch.

concept for vanita and the demon king page 1
concept for vanita and the demon king page 2

(In the beginning, the Demon was a Golem, but the more I researched it I went, “Nah. Demon.”) So I started with this sketch and the notion of wanting to make a slice-of-life/romance story. But I made it a fantasy with a demon king because…fantasy is my MO.

(To be honest, if I have an idea for a story but it doesn’t click with me for some reason, I’ll transplant it into a fantasy setting. Then the story clicks. It works 98 percent of the time.)

The Twist

So I started scripting the story as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge in 2021. I was a rebel that year and drew thumbnails for the script of Vanita and the Demon King.

As I scripted the story, something happened that surprised even me…

Claudia, from The Case of the Wendigo, showed up.

vanita meets claudia from The Case of the Wendigo

And that’s when I went, “Wait…is this…a spiritual sequel to The Case of the Wendigo? Is this another Charlie & Clow adventure?!”

Yes.

I know! I’m surprised, too. It only took…4 or 5 years from The Case of the Wendigo going to print to the beginning of production for Vanita and the Demon King.

The story is 90 percent scripted with an outline in mind for the very end. I only have roughly 20 pages or so left to thumb.

After That…Will There Be a Crowdfunding Campaign?

Yes!

At first, I thought I would need to pivot because of Journey of the Mystery. But thankfully that project is being handled separately. By doing that, it frees up time to focus on getting Vanita and the Demon King funded before launch.

How?

Well, I’m looking at running a campaign on either KickStarter or Crowdfundr. Both have their pros and cons, which I’ll talk about more tomorrow.

Whichever platform I pick, though, I hope to launch it soon.

The goal is to get certain back-end costs covered. A domain name for a website and website hosting are the two biggest concerns right now. Extra funding after that can help with overhead during production.

If you would like to see more development sketches – or get the first notice when the crowdfunding campaign launches – sign up for my email newsletter.

Your email is secret with me. I don’t sell it anywhere. Plus I only post once a week unless it’s a special occasion. Like if you’re Subscribed to any Clubs I run.

I hope you’re excited about Vanita and the Demon King! I know I am.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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What’s Next for Journey of the Mystery?

So I made Journey of the Mystery during the 24-hour comic day challenge. All 24 pages. Done.

What’s Next for This Comic?

I had a chat with the project organizer of the Comic Book Jamboree. And we’re figuring out the next steps to get this book to print together.

Which…is exciting!

It also means that any crowdfunding campaigns for this comic are not happening soon.

I think that’s fine for now. I had another crowdfunding campaign in mind anyway. One for another comic idea, Vanita and the Demon King. I’ll talk about that story in tomorrow’s update.

But I DID ask about one thing I wanted to do with Journey of the Mystery. And thankfully, I can move forward with this idea.

journey of the mystery, a comic coloring book by kelci d crawford (and you)

Here’s a Coloring Book download of Journey of the Mystery!

Believe it or not, I wanted this comic to do double duty from the start. I wanted a finished version and a coloring book version of this story, so that it can be told AND exist for you to make your own.

If you want to download this coloring book version, head over to my Ko-Fi shop. It’s there now for $2+, and any extra you give gets you access to behind-the-scenes things through the Digital Club for one month.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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I’m Changing How I Use Social Media

I’m changing up my social media strategy.

This is (mostly) because some apps have changed and others are only good for specific things.

Here’s what’s changing for me.

I’m posting less on Instagram. I don’t even have it on my phone. But any posts I DO make on there may be more personal.

I’ve been using Instagram more to keep up with friends who I don’t talk with on other platforms. (Especially true for me because I left Facebook). I want that change in attitude reflected.

No Facebook.

Realistically, no Twitter. I technically have two accounts on there but the platform is a dumpster fire. I haven’t used my accounts for anything substantive for a while.

TikTok and YouYube have most of my attention. So those are where I’m posting my art stuff.

Process videos, time lapses, sharing projects, answering Qs about making art – if they’re not here on my blog, they’re either on TikTok or YouTube.

I DO have this blog. And here’s where I’m posting anything pertaining to my work. Comics, process shots, updates on projects – check this. It’s all here.

…Oh! I also have a Ko-fi. It’s a unique beast. I post on there to keep shoppers up to date but I also back up webcomics in the Gallery section.

I WILL be using the posts feature on Ko-fi more in the near future, as a second spot to find my blog posts.

But that’s it, really.

I DO use Discord but I treat it more like a forum or a messaging service than a “social media app.” (Whatever that means nowadays).

I hope this clears up a few things. 2022 was a VERY messy year for social media. Here’s to setting more clear expectations and boundaries.

That’s (basically) it for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

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24-Hour Comic Book Day – DONE

I DID IT. I successfully made 24 pages of comics in 24 hours!

Technically I did it in 22 hours and 11 minutes. And BOY am I still exhausted.

Here are some teaser pages of the story I made in the challenge.

journey of the mystery page 1
journey of the mystery page 2
journey of the mystery page 3
journey of the mystery page 4

And that’s just the first 4 pages!

I also streamed the process of making this comic on YouTube. As I’m writing this, an archived version is not available yet but will be soon.

What’s Next?

Well, I made this comic with the folks at Comic Book Jamboree. Right now they’re judging the entries from folks who participated in the challenge. I at least made the top 3! Check out the official page to see the other finalists. Their work is *chef’s kiss*.

No matter what, though, I have plans with this comic. I hope to get it to print soon. And maybe even…make a coloring book out of it. I mean, this coloring page on Ko-Fi was the inspiration for this story.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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24-Hour Comic Day with #ComicBookJam

Join me, starting on Jan 7, 2023, at 11 am EST – for the 24-Hour Comic Day challenge! I’m joining the fantastic folks at Comic Book Jamboree with #ComicBookJam.

As a heads up – I WILL NOT be responding to the live chat during this challenge. Why? I signed up to do 24 pages in 24 hours. This will require my total concentration.

I WILL, however, be checking in once in a while. If you comment or act in bad faith, I will put you in time out or block you.

If you would like to see the other artists – or join the challenge – check out the Eventbrite page, as well!

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

You. Are. Awesome.