More New Art

First, let me thank all of you who took the time to respond to my questions last month. I respect your time and opinions very, very much! Your answers helped me frame how I will approach the continuation of Inchi and the next few months after this new book finishes. Thank YOU!! Although many responded directly those questions are Open Questions and I’ll take feedback whenever your willing to give it.

I am grinding to get this new book ready for prime time this fall. All of that said, let’s move on to the art reveals! No story spoilers, only commentary.

Mirror
I’m attempting to capture the oddity and creepiness of walking onto this scene. You’ve clearly interrupted something of a supernatural kind. The woman in the mirror, hand resting on the shoulder of a young woman, seems only to exist in that plane. However, your arrival is equally unexpected, as all eyes in this image are on you!

The Tower
This is my take on a classic Tarot Card called “The Tower.” It requires certain graphical elements which assign particular meanings. Therefore, I followed that established form for the most part and just added my own vision of it.

For the interested, here is an image that explains the different elements and meanings.

The Three Furies
I am still working on this piece, but it wasn’t originally my intention to style it after the Three Furies. It just happened that way. LOL. Still, no spoilers.

More updates coming soon. Something exciting this way comes!

New Art & A Question

I have questions, and I know you have answers about how you consume your read entertainment. If willing, I have a few questions following the update. I would be grateful if you spent just a minute or two answering! But first, art updates!

Witches, another 21 Steezy Snuffs
There are no spoilers here on the story, so I’ll let you draw some conclusions. 🙂 As with most of my art updates, this piece still has much to do. I am frustrated by the fur because I couldn’t decide between an ink-rendered version or a painted version at the time. Alas…this is where it’s at.

A close-up of the upper body and headpiece in ink only. I like how it’s come together, but I will revisit the fabric. It deserves better treatment.

Okay, the question… or questions…
Thank you in advance for answering this. As you know, illustrated books and comics are challenging to produce in the best situations. Questions of distribution and format increase the difficulty immensely. Obviously, major publishers do their best to hit all channels. Still, as an independent, I want to focus my energy where my fans are. Meet them where they want to be met, so to speak.

1. How do you prefer to read illustrated books/comics?

Even if it’s a layered answer, I’d love to know. Is it physical books, digital books, webcomics, etc.

2. Do you use mobile platforms like Webtoons or Tapas to read serial stories weekly?

If there are others you might be using, I’d appreciate knowing.

3. Would you prefer more regular content (like a weekly serial) over waiting for a finished print book?

Not that your answer would exclude one for the other.

I appreciate any insights you can give me. I agree with “Art for the sake of art,” but I want to ensure my efforts are focused in the right place.

Thank you, thank you!!!

Book Progress and Events

This project continues to excite me as more and more art gets created. The latest piece that is anywhere near completion is this one…

I tried some new techniques on this piece, and I have to admit it’s been very challenging. Although it’s incomplete, I did throw both current pieces with color through the printer to see how the color and composition were coming out. Here’s the result…

Note: The story text is borrowed from the original book for visual purposes. Title is also BOGUS! 🙂

They look fantastic! Even the freckles I played with on this character can be seen in print. Yes, I was worried about that. Sometimes details that are obvious in digital get lost in print, so I’m thrilled and will continue working on that for this character.

Lastly, I’m stepping up the game for you in this book! I want to introduce more advanced composition work on these pages. I will experiment with some supplemental art that supports stories on text pages, particularly in the spreads. For example, you might see something like this I’ve been noodling on…

We will see how it goes, and you know I’ll keep you posted!

Events and Writers Panels

I’m continuing to exhibit with the latest being Dallas Fan Expo. It was a great show! It would have been better if the air conditioning wasn’t down for two days, but still, it now ranks as our best bookselling show to date. I had an opportunity to participate in an author panel alongside some incredible talent. Here’s my view from the stage…

Slowly but surely, we are raising awareness, and it’s having an impact. Just got to keep grinding away! LOL!! We are off to San Antonio from July 7-9th. If you’re local, we’d love to say hi. We have some new graphics and will be promoting the upcoming book!

Witches

Officially announcing that “Witches,” a 21 Steezy Snuffs follow-up, is in production. And so, without ado, here is a comp of what a Witches cover might look like!

There’s a lot to do in this particular piece. Besides the color, shading, and more technical aspects of the composition, there are artistic choices. For example, I want to think longer about how I want her tattoos to appear. Some of these I slapped on, although others are from the classical Roman depictions of Pictish tattoos. That’s the kind of stuff I think about and end up being driven crazy by. But it’s the kind of thing I hope you will appreciate when you read the stories!

It’s a full-court press to prepare this “Witch Edition” of 21 Steezy Snuffs for the fall. More exciting and eyebrow-raising news coming soon!

Wait? What about Inchi #02

The last thing I would want to do is throw some business on you, but the reality is that 21 Steezy Snuffs is still outperforming Inchi #01. In fact, I just placed my first-ever stocking order on that title for the Con Exclusive Cover. It’s crazy, and I can’t ignore that. Inchi fans, DO NOT DESPAIR… It’s still being worked on. Just because people are more excited about short-form gothic horror than they are about urban fantasy sequential art doesn’t mean I’m giving up!

Season of the Witch…is over. I am not.

Halloween may have been over for awhile now but for those who love it the remnants still remain. There’s the decorations that linger just a little too long but there’s also the two horrible pumpkins on the lawn that I haven’t thrown out yet since the 31st. My wife who’s the musician in the family, left a witch’s hat on top of her Takemine which inspired the below study. I will miss you Halloween. But that’s not all….

All creatives that are passionate about what they do have a tendency to push themselves just a little too hard. The most common result is creative burnout which can manifest itself in different forms and for very different reasons. Creative burnout is manageable if your capable of seeing it coming however, most experts agree you shouldn’t hibernate. Well, that’s exactly what I did through the month of October. While possibly not healthy, it was the perfect amount of self pity, restructuring of goals, and putting new deposits the passion bank. Fortunately for me, I am capable of creating my own light even when there are no laurels to be thrown for my achievements. However, I have learned repeatedly that I do have a pacing issue. As I’ve said before, this is a voyage. There is no destination where this voyage ends. It about the drive to keep going and enjoy the view along the way.