Author: Kelci

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Stickers, Conventions, and Clubs – I Have So Many Updates

a collection of sloth drawings. One cloth is skydiving, another is gliding on a parachute, one is on the couch, another is painting, another holds up a sign with a heart, and one is laying in a downward dog yoga pose

I have so many updates for you – from stickers and grants to Fan Clubs and conventions.

First, The Stickers.

Godzilla and King Kong did not reach their goal…officially. I posted as much in a Crowdfundr update and on the Fantasyville Discord server. And as soon as I posted, super-fan Jessica made an extra PayPal contribution to cover the gap! Thank you, Jessica!

So the Godzilla and King Kong booty shorts stickers are officially happening! In fact, by the time you read this, the stickers will be in production at the printer.

I’m hoping to make more stickers because…

Second, I got a grant from the Toledo Arts Commission!

As part of their Rescue Plan grant program, I’m receiving a grant. It will help pivot my business to be less dependent on in-person events like conventions, which were hit hard during the pandemic. I’d like to use a portion of this funding to get a new printer, so I can make stickers and prints in the studio again. Because…

Third, I’m giving the Fan Clubs an overhaul!

The Fan Clubs are a subscription service I built using Ko-fi and my website. How does it work? By pledging $3, $5, or $15 a month, patrons get exclusive rewards, like early webcomic updates, exclusive backer rewards, digital zines, and more.

Based on feedback I got through a survey sent out over the weekend, I’m overhauling this subscription service. The $3 Digital Club is staying the same (for the most part), but the Zine and Art Club tiers are getting major reboots. I want members to receive new stickers and prints. So stay tuned – when the changes are finalized, I’ll announce them here and in my newsletter.

Fourth, Conventions.

I am still making in-person appearances in June! You can find me on the following dates, at the following events, in the following cities…

  • June 8, Be Excellent Festival of Games, Sylvania, OH
  • June 15-16, Ann Arbor Comic Arts Fest, Ann Arbor, MI
  • June 22, Free RPG Day at Dragon’s Roost Coffee and Games, Holland, OH

At these shows, I’m debuting the Godzilla and King Kong stickers PLUS a new 11×17-inch print! Here’s a peek at just one part of the print:

a caticorn with pink fur and an even more pink mohawk gazes at the viewer under a full moon. Next to her is a pink unicorn with a bright teal mane

I’m also bringing back an old (but good) 11×17-inch print. Plus, The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 AND The Case of the Wendigo are debuting their new print runs at these shows!

This reminds me – for June, my Ko-fi shop will carry digital products ONLY. This will lead to a larger overhaul of the shop as a whole. But for now, the physical stock is going with me to these events.

As I get back from each show, I will, of course, share my experiences with y’all! So keep an eye on this blog for more updates. And subscribe to the newsletter for webcomics, Featured Artist Friday, and more. Since I’m not really on social media much nowadays, the newsletter is the best way to stay in touch with me.

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

You. Are. Awesome.

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Godzilla and King Kong in Booty Shorts? It’s on Crowdfundr!

Godzilla and King Kong smile while in booty shorts that sparkle.

AHHH! IT’S GODZILLA! AND KING KONG! And they’re…in BOOTY SHORTS?!

WHY??

Oh boy, buckle up.

So Godzilla’s booty happened because, at last year’s Small Press Expo, there was a cartoonist party at Fantom Comics in DC. During that party, folks set up a jam comic – basically a sheet of craft paper the size of a table, so artists could draw a comic one panel at a time.

At that party, our group made Godzilla and the Toe. It involved Godzilla, well-drawn feet, booty shorts, and beaches.

And King Kong?

Well, I had to draw Godzilla with a buddy! Especially during one of my YouTube Livestreams, where I drew these two for your viewing pleasure.

I had also been low-key inspired by nerdile art, who appeared at Animarathon this year with Magical Girl Godzilla stickers. I got one, fell in love, and needed to make something just as silly.

What better silly thing to make than a joke that came out during a cartoonist party?

So there! We now have Godzilla and King Kong having a great, booty-ful time. And now…I want to make holographic stickers of them! Because these booties need to sparkle.

So why run a campaign at all? To see how many folks want these fat-bottomed Kaiju sticking on every available surface so they can share their joy!

You tell me how many stickers you want. I’ll tally up the total orders by the end of the campaign, send what’s needed to Stickerapp, and then they’ll send me the stickers. From there, I’ll mail out everyone’s orders with a custom card and my thanks (I’ll keep the glitter to a minimum).

WHEN

This campaign will take orders until May 24 at 11:59 pm!

You only have a few days! So grab these Kaiju cheeks now while you can!

GET THE STICKERS

Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Sharing is caring and helps a lot. (I also cannot be held responsible if you disappoint Godzilla AND King Kong, you mad lads.)

That’s all for now. Thank you for your time and support!

You. Are. Awesome.

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I’m Discontinuing Art Books (For Now) – Here’s Why

a zine opens to two illustrations. On the left is a dragon in a vest, holding a magic staff. On the right is a dragon man, wielding a dagger and shield. Fingers from a white hand hold the spread open.

I’m discontinuing the print runs for my art books, including Witches, Gods & Spirits, and Dragons. Here’s why.

First, the cost of printing has gone up. Since 2021, the cost of printing books has increased across all the printers I work with. This is especially true for the printer who runs Witches, Gods & Spirits, and Dragons. (Stars of Fantasyville and CATS got printed with a different company.)

Second, when I looked at my sales stats across the decade, the numbers shocked me. I ran my numbers to account for which books earned the most from crowdfunding AND convention sales.   Dragons and Gods & Spirits barely made it in the top 10 overall earners list and the top 10 earned per year list. Neither title made it to the top 5 in either. Witches only made one list (top earners overall). 

And that’s if I took out Johnson & Sir from the stats. If I left that title in, the outlook for those art books looked worse.

Third, and this is the big one for me – I’m feeling called not to make any more art books. My energy wants to make more comics, and any art that’s not comics wants to be stickers and prints. Not art books.

I also want to work on and grow The Legend of Jamie Roberts. It’s hard to do that when time and energy are being put into art books that cost more and more to print but sell less and less. So I’m taking art books out of the equation, so more time and sweat can go where it wants to go – making comics.

So what does this mean?

Well, there are some shops I sell on consignment with who are carrying the last of my art books. Last week I dropped off the final copies of Witches and Gods & Spirits at Handmade Toledo. Quimby’s in Chicago and Indie Northern KY are also options if those are closer to you.

This also means no Junicorn or Inktober art books for the foreseeable future. My energy is not called to participate in those challenges anymore. So I’m going to honor that. I would rather pursue things out of joy and curiosity, not obligation. And Inktober doesn’t inspire me the way it used to.

The good news is – if you want art, prints and stickers are still happening! In fact, I’m hoping to do a flash sale soon to get two new sticker designs in print. If you saw this livestream replay, you may know which designs I’m talking about. Hint: Godzilla be thicc.

Here’s the difference – prints and stickers are happening when I want to make them. Not out of a viral art challenge or out of a sense of obligation. I’m making the art I want to make, that I feel called to make, that I think would bring joy to others. I want that to be my driving force moving forward.

Having said that, there are two exceptions (ish) to the final-run art books: Stars of Fantasyville, and CATS. Stars have a ton of extra copies left – like, over 60. I’m not doing another print run because the first print run is still in stock. But I won’t do a second print run of it either. 

CATS, on the other hand, will get reprinted as soon as possible. It was only released less than a year ago! It hasn’t had the chance to expand its reach yet. Also, it brings joy to me and many others.

As for the other books? It’s time their runs come to an end.

Don’t get me wrong – the art books did bring me joy at the time. But for reasons including the cost of printing, slumped sales, and discontinued interest, I’m letting the concept go.

Thank you, art books! You brought joy to me and a lot of others. I think it’s time to let you rest so new stuff can be made.

Stay tuned for more of that new stuff – including that flash sale I mentioned.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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Free Comics, Free Games, and Other Freebies for FCBD

an artist alley table set up for Free Comic Book Day at the Toledo Game Room.

So I went to Toledo Game Room for Free Comic Book Day (or FCBD for short). While chatting with new fans, I brought up free comics, free games, and other free stuff folks could check out.

In the spirit of sharing free things, here is a list of what I have that’s free for folks to do:

Read The Legend of Jamie Roberts! It’s the story of a genderqueer pirate and their two best friends treasure-hunting in a land full of dragons (and why that’s a bad idea). The comic posts a new page every Wednesday, with two-week breaks between chapters. Yes, early updates are available for subscribers, as well as book versions with bonus content and remastered pages. But if you’re tight on funds, the webcomic is free to read.

Read my other free webcomics! I have a whole bunch of webcomics free to read online, such as The Case of the Wendigo on Tapas, Validation on Instagram, and the many other comics listed on the My Comics page.

Play Dragon’s Roost! It’s a free RPG where you play as dragons running a coffee shop. There is a first and second edition available (both are free). Whichever one you pick, it’s only two pages long and easy to pick up. Also, version 2 only requires six-sided dice.

Play Toe Beans & Broomsticks! In this tabletop RPG, you play as cats, crows, dogs, and owls who cast magic and go on adventures with Saturday morning cartoon vibes. The Free version of this game has all your basics covered. Also, like Dragon’s Roost 2.0, this game only requires six-sided dice.

Color Adult Coloring Book Pages! I have a whole bunch of coloring book pages for adults, from The Mystery in the Forest to The Sun Deity, as well as The Princess in the Garden. There are more if you go to my Ko-fi shop and check out the Free category.

Watch my YouTube channel! Over on YouTube, I share the comics-drawing process, chat with indie creators about their work, and sometimes host discussions on hot topics, like alternatives to Patreon. More behind-the-scenes videos will be dropping soon, so be sure to subscribe!

Subscribe to my email newsletter! It’s the best way to keep up with webcomic and YouTube updates. Plus I have comics exclusive to email newsletter subscribers, like Vanita and the Demon King and New Punk Signal. I also have a segment called Featured Artist Friday, sharing cool artists that folks can check out.

And that’s just the free stuff! Folks who subscribe to Ko-fi get phone wallpapers, early access to webcomic updates, free zines, and other rewards. It’s totally optional, so if you’re broke, the free stuff is there for you.

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

You. Are. Awesome.